The VA Provider Digital Health (DHC) Committee meets monthly; members work to identify Cerner changes that would be most helpful to providers. VPSA provides sessional funding to the nine physician representatives on the committee for time spent in meetings and doing other committee work.

The following is a summary of the committee’s September 17 meeting.

Ongoing Projects

The committee has three current ongoing projects: Patient Portal, ED resident ordering issue update, and the AI Scribe trial.

The go-live date for the Patient Portal is likely to be sometime in January 2026 because of factors related to testing and building. There have been multiple conversations with provider groups related to the distribution of clinical documents to the Patient Portal. A discussion is still needed with Surgery regarding operative notes and with the ED concerning workflow for sensitive information. VCH will host a Patient Portal townhall for providers on October 15. A separate VA provider townhall for digital health initiatives is planned for October 9. (Medical staff can register for the October 9 digital townhall here.)

There are no updates on the ED resident ordering issues due to the Cerner upgrade. The technical and build teams have paused their work, and we are hopeful that there will be improved functionality to support this work once the upgrade is complete.

Cycle 1 of the AI Scribe trial is complete with cycle 2 in process. Sign up for cycle 3—the final cycle—will be in October. AI Scribe is not dependent on Cerner, therefore users from GF Strong can participate in the trial. VCH has negotiated excellent reduced rates to subscribe to AI Scribes. Learn more here.

Cerner Code Upgrade

Cerner code was upgraded on September 24 at 5 am, following a scheduled 45-minute interface downtime at 11 pm on September 23.

The committee reviewed the provider-facing changes, including:
– Patient Search must include two identifiers
– MPage updates (e.g., new Enable Multiselect checkbox for multiple meds, no scroll bar)
– Changes to copy/paste behaviour
– Visual changes to the interface
– Print Report button removed
– Tagged items will always have a blue icon
– Document viewer now supports continuous scrolling
– Med Rec icons updated (e.g., PRN icon, message bubble for order sentences)
– Provider selection filter added to view “Active Relationships Only”
– When discontinuing PowerPlans, select the checkbox to keep the order (reverse of previous functionality)
– Autotext enhancements (usable in special instructions and free text order fields; multiselect available)

Team Communication

Committee members reviewed and approved a Team Communication guideline. The guideline applies to VA inpatient spaces, and in the Emergency Department, it is limited to ED nurses only.

The strategy emphasizes:
– Using the tool for routine interdisciplinary communication, not urgent or time-sensitive matters
– Clear, actionable messaging to avoid ambiguity and ensure accountability
– Setting expectations around response times, especially over weekends or irregular schedules
– Encouraging use of the “Available to All” setting to ensure visibility across teams
– Clarifying that Team Communication is not a replacement for standard ordering workflows

A communication strategy will be developed and circulated.

Roundtable Discussion

Members suggested exploring optimization of provider billing (which may require funding) and enhancing the AutoText library as future projects.

Next Meeting

The committee meets again on October 8. If you have an item you wish to be brought forward at one of these meetings, please contact Laura Mc Evoy, Manager, Provider Strategic Initiatives & Engagement.