​​Get Started

​​​​​​​Getting star​​​t​​ed is easy!​​​

​Submit an Intake Form to get s​tarted

The person submitting the form will become a Site Administrator ("Site Admin") and will serve as the primary contact during onboarding.

We are currently focused on community providers on Vancouver Island and clinics who are partially through onboarding. If we are not yet working in your geographic area, fill out an Inta​ke Form  ​and you'll be contacted when we begin deployments near you​​.

In addition to eReferrals, some EMRs enable patient messaging and appointment reminder features. The DRO program supports the licenses of these features as available.

​eReferral User Ro​​les

Site Administrator
​A Site Adm​​inistrator or "Site Admin" manages all setting​s, updates clinic information and manages users.

Sites should have at least two Site Admins, however only one Site Admin is required to complete onboarding*.

A Site Admin should also be a legal signing authority, key decision-making power, or have administrative access to site systems (such as an EMR).  ​​Examples include an office manager, MOA, or lead physician.

Key Resp​​​onsib​ilitie​s:
  • ​Serve as the main contact with the DRO team
  • Complete the eReferrals onboarding process
  • Configure setting​s that apply to the whole site
  • Keep clinic information accurate and up-to-date
  • Manage user accounts, including adding or removing Site Admins and General Users
  • Sign user agreements
*Additional Site Admins do not repeat the initial onboarding process steps completed by the initial Site Admin.​​

​​

General User

General users are invited to join an Ocean Site by a Site Admin at their clinic and have access to the core features required for day-to-day referral activities.

Key Responsibilities:
  • Send and/or receive eReferrals
  • Manage personal account settings
​

Compensa​​tion For Onboarding

Funding is available for members of DoBC and their clinic staff​ for the time required to complete onboarding activities up to go-live.

Members of physician-led health care teams and nurse practitioners may also qualify for compensation.

Find more information on the Funding and Compensation.​

The Onboarding Process​​​​

​​​The initial Site Admin and General Users (including additional Site Admins) complete different steps of the onboarding process:

eReferrals onboarding process

Intake
​​​Submitting an Intake Form is the first step and is required to qualify for funding and compensation.

If you have not submitted the Intake Form and are interested in joining the DRO program, go here. 

If you have already submitted an Intake Form and need support, please contact dro.program@phsa.ca before continuing.

Only one Intake Form should be submitted per location and should be completed by an administrative or medical lead.

After submitting the Intake Form you will receive instructions to proceed with onboarding steps.

Site Review

​The ​​use of eReferrals requires the creation of:

  1. Ocean user account(s):
    1. Each user requires an account
    2. Allows secure access to eReferrals and digital tools
  2. Ocean Site:
    1. ​Enables management of eReferrals, forms, and patient & provider communications
    2. A well-configured site supports your referral process and clearly communicates information about your site and services
​​If you do not have an existing Ocean account or site:
You will be provided instructions on how you can create your Ocean account and/or site.
​

EMR Configuration
​This step is required only if your site uses an integrated Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system. 

This step must be completed by an Ocean Site Admin who has EMR Administrator privileges.

If your site does not use an integrated EMR, move on to Training.

Your EMR will be configured to connect to the Ocean platform to enable secure data sharing. This integration supports features such as eReferrals, appointment synchronization, and patient & provider communications.

Your Site Admin will receive email notifications to schedule the EMR Configuration session.

Training
​Training will give you the information needed to send, track, and manage eReferrals. 

At least one of your two Site Admins must complete training.

Training is:
  • Activity based and hands-on
  • Completed once you send your training referral(s)
Your Site Admin will receive instructions to complete training activities.​

Go-Live
Once you complete the Training step, the DRO team will complete a final review of your Ocean site. 

​​This step will be completed by the DRO team and your participation is only required if an update is necessary.
​
Once the review is complete, you will receive an email within 3 business days confirming that Ocean​​ is active and your site is live.

Congratulations! Your onboarding process is now complete!

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​