Auto-Closure of Old Co-Sign Order Requests

Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
  • Auto-Closure of Old Co-Sign Order Requests
Since 2019, a backlog of over 350,000 open co-sign requests and verbal order messages have accumulated, creating a significant administrative burden for prescribers and a negative impact on system performance. As of February 3, 2026, all open co-sign and verbal order messages (including any that have been declined) older than 31 days will be administratively closed, and then monthly thereafter
  • Orders entered into Connect Care with the "Verbal with readback", "Telephone with readback", and "Per protocol cosign required" ordering modes generate an In Basket message with a co-sign request. 
  • Starting February 3, authorizing prescribers will notice removal of these messages older than 31 days from their "Chart Correction" and "Cosign – Clinic Orders" In Basket folders. 
  • Moving forward, prescribers will have 31 days from the date the co-sign order request is generated to modify or decline the request.
  • While the In Basket messages will be permanently purged, the co-sign order requests and verbal order signature requirements that are administratively closed will still be permanently retained in the chart and visible in Chart Review (click the camera icon for a screenshot).

For questions related to these changes, users are encouraged to submit a ServiceNow ticket.  

        Tool Tune Up: January 2026 Order Tool Updates

        The spreadsheet linked from this post will be updated throughout the month as needed. 
        Consider looking back each week.

        The spreadsheet linked below details recent or upcoming changes to order tools (e.g., order sets, SmartSets, therapy plans) that may impact prescriber personalization. Note that the link to the spreadsheet remains the same for the year, with a new tab added for each month. 

        The spreadsheet is typically updated at the end of each week if any new changes are confirmed/implemented. If the spreadsheet has been updated, a note with the date will be added after the spreadsheet link.
        • Spreadsheet: Order Tool Updates - January 2026 [updated January 29]
          • If you get an error clicking the above link, please right-click to copy the link, and then paste into your browser.
          • Tip: See the first "READ ME" tab for an explanation of the spreadsheet's tabs and columns. 

        Changes to Display of Glucometer Results

        Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
        • Changes to Display of Glucometer Results
        As of February 3, 2026, glucometer results will be separated from lab results in the Results Review tree. This change is in response to feedback that frequent, repeated glucometer readings made it difficult to trend lab results in the Results Review tree. Additionally, these readings often triggered urgent or critical lab notifications due to high or low glucose values, reducing the effectiveness of the notification tool. 

        Following the change, glucometer results can be found in a number of locations in Connect Care:
        • Inpatient Patient List and Ambulatory Multi-Provider Schedule columns:
          • “Lab Notifications” column: As previously posted, this inpatient Patient List column displays both new lab values and glucometer values.
            • Hover over the coloured dot to see the most recent glucose values.
            • Double-click the dot to open the Glucose Management Report.
          • “Glucometer Overview” column: As previously posted, this recently updated column shows only glucometer values for quick reference. The column is available to add to inpatient Patient Lists and, as of January 21, can also be added to the ambulatory Multi-Provider Schedule (see the updated tip sheet for details).
        • Storyboard: Under “Results in the last 36 hours”. Hover to view both lab and glucometer results.
        • "Summary" activity:
          • Summary → Overview: “Blood glucose last 24 hours”. Clicking this header opens the Glucose Management Report.
          • Summary → Glucose Management Report
            • Tip: This report is also available in the outpatient context for reviewing AHS glucometer results when needed.
        • Chart Search: Type “glucometer”.
        • "Synopsis" activity: Includes a "Diabetes Synopsis" section.
        For more information on glycemic monitoring and management, see the Connect Care Manual:

              New OPA for Pregnant Patients in ED

              Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
              • New OPA for Pregnant Patients in ED
              As of January 27, 2026, a new Our Practice Advisory (OPA; previously Best Practice Advisory) will fire for patients >20 weeks pregnant presenting in the ED, indicating a recommendation to order an Obstetrics consult. This change is in response to multiple patient safety events with negative outcomes across Alberta following pregnant people presenting to the ED with non-obstetrical issues, due to lack of recognition of the impact of the associated pregnancy. 
              • The OPA will take into account whether the ED has an Obstetrical provider onsite or not, and will present the relevant available order (click the camera icon to see screenshots).
              • The OPA will allow override with reasons that include "Not pregnant or < 20 weeks", "Pt refused", "Defer 15 minutes", and "Not indicated". A “Set Dispo: Send to L&D” reason will also be available for sites that have Obstetrics coverage.
              • Obstetrical providers who have been consulted can determine if an in-person assessment, an outpatient assessment, or no assessment is required (via initial phone discussion). This should be documented within the consultation record per standard practice. 
              The Women's Health Clinical Systems Improvement team will be monitoring consultation volumes. Please inform your Provincial Medical Informatics Lead (PMIL) regarding concerns of inappropriate consults or excessive volume.  

                    Exceptional Care Plan Notes - Editing Changes

                    Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                    • Exceptional Care Plan Notes - Editing Changes
                    As of January 26, 2026, access to Exceptional Care Plan (ECP) notes will be changing, where all clinicians with the ability to create an ECP will have full ability to edit/delete ECP notes authored by other users. This change primarily affects non-prescribers as prescribers have previously had these editing abilities. The change will enhance accuracy of the ECP and improve efficiency and coordination for teams managing these plans.  

                          Anesthesia Update - Access to Patient Instructions and AVS

                          Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                          • Anesthesia Update - Access to Patient Instructions and AVS
                          Anesthesia prescribers often cover patients on the Acute Pain Service, but previously did not have access to discharge instruction functionality. As of January 23, 2026, Anesthesia prescribers will have access to Patient Instructions and the After Visit Summary (AVS), allowing them to add information that needs to be shared with the patient at the time of discharge. 

                          The "Patient Instructions" and "After Visit Summary" sections can be accessed from two activities found in the Patient List, "Pain Service" and "Rounding" (click the camera icons for screenshots).

                            

                                Anesthesia Update - Documentation of Bite Block Events for ECT

                                Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                • Anesthesia Update - Documentation of Bite Block Events for ECT
                                As of January 23, 2026, to improve documentation, Anesthesia prescribers can enter a bite block insertion or removal event in the Anesthesia record for patients undergoing Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) procedures. 
                                • In the Intraprocedure tab, select "Events" and then "Add New". The new "Insert Bite Block" and "Remove Bite Block" events can be found in the "Misc" tab (click the camera icon for a screenshot).
                                • If an insertion is documented without a corresponding removal, a soft stop notification will appear in the record checklist to remind users to document removal.

                                For details, see the updated tip sheet:

                                      Anesthesia Update - New Outpatient Spirometry Ordering Workflows

                                      Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                      • Anesthesia Update - New Outpatient Spirometry Ordering Workflows
                                      As of January 27, 2026, there will be a few changes to how to order spirometry to be performed in an outpatient clinic, replacing the previous workflow of ordering an Ambulatory Referral to Respiratory Therapy.  
                                      • "Spirometry POC" - New order available for point of care testing at the patient's bedside, for sites that page a Respiratory Therapist.
                                      • "Spirometry - without bronchodilator" and "Spirometry - with bronchodilator" - Updated orders will have an appointment request built in, no need for a referral to accompany the procedure order, procedure to be scheduled at respiratory therapy clinic. 
                                        • Note: The "Spirometry - with bronchodilator" order is available only in the "Spirometry with Bronchodilator w/ meds Panel (AMB)", with accompanying medication orders that will be signed and held for release by the Respiratory Therapist during testing.
                                      There are no changes to ordering spirometry to be performed on an inpatient or in a Pulmonary Function Lab.  

                                      For details, see the updated CMIO tip sheet. The new Allied Health quick start guide also has further details on the different spirometry orders (note the link may not be live until closer to the change date).

                                            Optimization Training - Classes in February 2026

                                            The CMIO Prescriber Experience team offers Optimization classes (a.k.a. Thrive classes), where Connect Care prescribers can learn how to take full advantage of the features of the clinical information system, to help maximize their productivity and spend more time with patients. Classes are typically 60 minutes in length each and focus on completing common workflows more efficiently.

                                            Below are the Optimization classes scheduled for February 2026. 

                                            • Dragon Medical One (DMO) Advanced
                                              • February 12, 07:0008:00
                                              • February 24, 12:0013:00
                                            • In Basket Clean Up 1:1
                                              • February 2, 09:000930; 10:0010:30; 15:0015:30
                                              • February 3, 10:3011:00
                                              • February 5, 14:0014:30; 15:0015:30
                                              • February 6, 09:0009:30
                                              • February 9, 16:0016:30
                                              • February 10, 08:3009:00
                                              • February 11, 11:3012:00
                                              • February 12, 13:0013:30
                                              • February 18, 11:0011:30
                                              • February 24, 09:0009:30; 10:0010:30
                                              • February 25, 11:0011:30
                                            • In Basket Management
                                              • February 4, 14:3015:30
                                              • February 20, 13:3014:30
                                              • February 25, 11:0012:00
                                            • Lab Ordering
                                              • February 3, 10:0011:00
                                              • February 18, 12:0013:00
                                            • Mental Health Act Forms
                                              • February 13, 12:0013:00
                                              • February 27, 12:0013:00
                                            • Notes
                                              • February 9, 12:0013:00
                                              • February 25, 12:0013:00
                                            • Orders Optimization
                                              • February 3, 09:0010:00
                                              • February 10, 11:0012:00
                                              • February 19, 12:0013:00
                                              • February 23, 12:0013:00
                                              • February 27, 11:0012:00
                                            • SmartTools
                                              • February 10, 12:0013:00
                                              • February 26, 12:0013:00
                                            • Therapy Plans
                                              • February 4, 12:0013:00
                                              • February 17, 15:0016:00
                                              • February 27, 12:0013:00

                                            Prescribers can register for these Optimization classes at the below link (clicking the “Optimization” button at the bottom of any page in the Connect Care Manual will also take you to the booking page). Spots are limited to ensure trainers can address individual questions. Please ensure that you review your confirmation email from "Bookings CMIO Thrive" for the class link, and requirements for the session.

                                            In Basket Update - Notice of Admission for Obstetrical Patients

                                            Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                            • In Basket Update - Notice of Admission for Obstetrical Patients
                                            There has been an issue with members of the Care Team not getting a Notice of Admission for obstetrical patients in their In Basket, due to the system not capturing patients admitted through Triage Admit. As of January 13, 2026, this issue will be fixed, and all members of the Care Team for obstetrical patients will see these messages in their In Basket. 

                                                  Taming In Basket, Phase 3 - More Message Types Set to Auto-Expire

                                                  Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                                  • Taming In Basket - More Message Types Set to Auto-Expire
                                                  Clinical information systems continue to generate high volumes of In Basket messages for physicians and other users. To reduce clutter and improve message relevance, AHS launched the "Taming In Basket" initiative in 2024. To date, more than 4 million old In Basket messages have already been removed.

                                                  For Phase 3 of the initiative, as of January 12, 2026, the two highest-volume message types remaining, "CC Charts" and "Results", will be set to auto-expire after 90 or 180 days (as indicated below). In addition, "Covered Work" messages will no longer be sent, and existing messages of that type will auto-expire in 90 days. These changes will result in the future removal of over 5 million additional outdated messages, further streamlining the In Basket experience.
                                                  • “CC Charts” messages will auto-expire after 90 days
                                                    • On April 12, these auto-expired messages will be removed from users' In Basket view in Hyperspace (i.e., moved to a “Done” status). Users will then still be able to retrieve the auto-removed messages they may need within 60 days (before June 12), after which they are permanently purged from the system. 
                                                  • “Results” messages will auto-expire after 180 days
                                                    • On July 12, these auto-expired messages will be removed from users' In Basket view. They can still be retrieved within 60 days (before September 12), after which they are permanently purged. 
                                                  • “Covered Work” messages will no longer be sent, existing messages will auto-expire in 90 days
                                                    • These messages were generated when a user set Out of Contact and a delegate completed certain tasks; however, message generation criteria were inconsistent and often confusing. Users can use Search to find messages completed by delegates during their absence.
                                                    • On April 12, all existing Covered Work messages will be removed from users' In Basket view. They can still be retrieved within 60 days (before June 12), after which they are permanently purged.
                                                  Please note that this change will be effective moving forward only. Messages of the above types older than 90 or 180 days that currently exist in users’ In Baskets will not be affected. Messages older than 90 days will be removed from users’ In Baskets on April 12, and those older than 180 days will be removed on July 12. Reminders will be shared around those times.

                                                  Furthermore, any messages that users postponed utilizing "Follow up" functionality will be included in the auto-expiry rule only after the date the message comes back to the My Messages space.

                                                  For more information on In Basket, please see the CMIO's In Basket Management Guide. A table listing all the message types that now auto-expire (and when) can be found at the end of the guide.

                                                      New Urine Culture OPA for LTC Sites (Updated)

                                                      Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                                      • New Urine Culture OPA for LTC Sites
                                                      To address the overutilization of urine cultures and optimize UTI treatment, as of January 13, 2026, a Urine Culture Our Practice Advisory (OPA) for Long-Term Care (LTC) sites will be implemented. 

                                                      When a urine culture is ordered in LTC sites, an OPA will pop up (click the camera icon for a screenshot) and will need to be addressed by the ordering provider to continue with the order. 


                                                      [Edit: Note this blog post previously stated the change also applied to Designated Supportive Living (DSL) sites. However, the OPA will only be for LTC sites.]

                                                      More information can be found at:

                                                            New NICU/PICU/Inpatient Pediatric RSV Immunoprophylaxis Panel

                                                            Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                                            • New NICU/PICU/Inpatient Pediatric RSV Immunoprophylaxis Panel
                                                            As of January 8, 2026, a new inpatient panel called “NICU/PICU/Pediatric RSV Immunoprophylaxis” will be available to guide dosing and help prescribers choose the correct syringe for nirsevimab (Beyfortus). 
                                                            • Prescribers can find the new panel by searching for “nirsevimab”, “Beyfortus”, "RSV prophylaxis", or "RSV" (click camera icon for a screenshot).
                                                            • The individual nirsevimab (Beyfortus) orders will be removed from the search/browse. Prescribers will no longer order nirsevimab individually, but can order it using the new panel.

                                                                  NEW DATE - New Pre-Admission Clinic Patient Questionnaire

                                                                  Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                                                  • New Pre-Admission Clinic (PAC) Patient Questionnaire
                                                                  Previously scheduled for December 2025, as of January 6, 2026, a Pre-admission Clinic Patient Questionnaire will be implemented for use. Patients will receive the PAC Questionnaire via MyChart once their surgery is scheduled. PAC nurses can complete the questionnaire with the patient during screening calls or appointments if the patient has not completed it beforehand. Prescribers working in PAC can view the questionnaire answers from within the "Procedure Pass" activity. See the tip sheet and demo video for details.

                                                                        NEW DATE - New Inpatient Cirrhosis Care Support Tools

                                                                        Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                                                        • New Inpatient Cirrhosis Care Suite of Support Tools
                                                                        Managing cirrhosis is complex and, despite clear guidelines, many patients do not receive optimal care. After consulting directly with clinicians, conducting focus groups, and successfully soft-launching new functionality, the Digital Health team has created a new and improved approach to the management of this chronic disease within Connect Care, complete with new tools designed to simplify workflows, support evidence-based decisions, and improve patient outcomes. 

                                                                        As of January 15, 2026, the following cirrhosis care tools will officially go live. We will provide more information on these tools in the new year including tip sheets and demos, but encourage prescribers in the meantime to explore to learn more. The summary report in particular (search for "cirrhosis" in the "Summary" activity) is essentially a one-stop shop for cirrhosis care, and users can learn how to navigate and use simply by clicking through.
                                                                        • Admission Our Practice Advisory (OPA) – Prompts clinicians to review recommended care items during admission and guides next steps.
                                                                        • Cirrhosis Summary Report – A one-screen dashboard for labs, meds, complications, and trends.
                                                                        • Cirrhosis Profile – Structured data for continuity and longitudinal tracking.
                                                                        • Note Templates – Streamlined documentation for cirrhosis and comorbidities.
                                                                        • Discharge OPA – Alerts and recommendations to ensure safe transitions of care. Together, these tools aim to standardize care, reduce missed opportunities, and make cirrhosis management more efficient and consistent across Alberta.
                                                                        • Cirrhosis Disease Management Sidebar Summary – Enabled for patients with cirrhosis-related medical histories or problems, is available for inpatient and outpatient.
                                                                        Watch this space for updates, as well as the below Manual page, where tip sheets and demos will be linked.

                                                                              New Order - Request for External Sendout Lab Test

                                                                              Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                                                              • New Request for External Sendout Lab Test
                                                                              As of April 30, 2025, a “Request For External Sendout Lab Test” consult order will be available in Connect Care for prescribers to request rare specialty tests that are not tested in Alberta, for inpatients and outpatients. Previously, such a request was only available to Lab via a paper requisition. 

                                                                              This request should only be used for tests not already in Connect Care. Once signed, the request will be reviewed by the relevant department in Lab, and requires approval by the Medical Lead On Call in that Lab department. If approved, the order will be placed in Connect Care by Lab, and a notice sent to the prescriber to send the patient for blood work.

                                                                              For more information on the workflow for inpatients and outpatients, see the tip sheet:

                                                                                  Cardiovascular Order Changes - Expected Date and Order Expiry

                                                                                  Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                                                                  • Changes to Holter, Event, and Ambulatory Blood Pressure Orders
                                                                                  As of December 15, 2025, the below changes will go into effect for Holter, Event, and Ambulatory Blood Pressure (ABP) orders, to allow for better exam prioritization/booking and better workqueue management:
                                                                                  • Changes to "Expected Date" field in the "Timing" section (click the camera icon for a screenshot):
                                                                                    • The expiry date will no longer be visible.
                                                                                    • This field is now a hard-stop. A response is mandatory, via the quick buttons or manually entering a date. The date can be as far into the future as needed.
                                                                                    • A new "Pediatric (2 yrs)" quick button is available as an option, to support longer wait times and unique workflows.
                                                                                  • Orders will expire 3 months after the indicated Expected Date, regardless of how far into the future the date is entered (previously, expiry was after 2 years). For example, if the Expected Date for a Holter order is March 1, 2026, the order will expire June 1, 2026 unless the patient gets the test completed before then.
                                                                                  • Prescribers will receive an In Basket notification for all expired orders.

                                                                                        Diet Order Patient List Columns (Action Needed)

                                                                                        Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                                                                        • Diet Order Patient List Columns (Action Needed)
                                                                                        As previously posted, as of December 2, 2025, all Connect Care inpatient diet and nutrition orders are being updated in terms of new content, display, and functionality. Diet order Patient List columns have also been impacted by these changes, and, as with the affected order sets, require action by users to update their personalizations.

                                                                                        The old diet order Patient List columns no longer display adequate diet order details, and many columns do not have a hover function to see these details. To incorporate the updates including hover function, users need to remove the old columns from their inpatient Patient Lists and replace with the below new updated columns:
                                                                                        • Diet/EN Orders (118501) - Displays all active Adult Diet, Pediatric Diet, NPO Diet, and all Enteral Feeding Orders (Adult, Pediatric, and Neonatal)
                                                                                        • Other Diet Orders (874839) - Displays all active Diet Preferences, Tray Alteration orders (Early Meal/Tray, Late Meal/Tray, Bagged Meal/Kit, No Meal Tray), Snacks, Adult and Pediatric Oral Nutrition Supplement Orders, Calorie Count
                                                                                        • Diet/Feeding Instructions (118849) - Displays all active Diet Instructions to Nursing and Feeding & Swallowing Instruction to Nursing, Ice Chips, Must be up for Meals, Encourage Fluids, and Assist with Feeding orders.
                                                                                        • NutraPass (874894) - Displays all active NutraPass orders
                                                                                        • PN Orders (875176) - Displays all active PN and Lipid orders

                                                                                              Clinician Filtering for Drug-Disease Interactions

                                                                                              Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                                                                              • Clinician Filtering for Drug-Disease Interactions
                                                                                              A frequent wish we’ve heard from clinicians is to have the ability to filter more alerts in Connect Care, as some may not be helpful when firing repeatedly, and pop-up fatigue can even lead to them being ignored. To address this request, as of December 16, 2025, the importance level of drug-disease interactions will be decreased in the system from "Very High" to "High"; as a result, clinicians will be able to selectively filter drug-disease warnings by specific warnings – for an individual patient or for all patients – for 180 days.
                                                                                              • After completing an assessment of the interaction, clinicians can click on the “Don’t Show This Warning Again” button (click the first camera icon below for a screenshot) and continue to select the options appropriate for the patient and their practice (click second icon).
                                                                                               
                                                                                                • Apply filter to “Only This Patient” – Warning will not fire to this clinician for subsequent orders for this same medication and same medical condition for this individual patient.
                                                                                                • Apply filter to “All Patients” – Warning will not fire to this clinician for subsequent orders for this same medication and same medical condition for any patient. A reason must be selected to set this filter.
                                                                                              • Drug-disease warnings that have been filtered can be viewed by selecting “Show filtered” in the Current Warnings screen.
                                                                                              • Clinician filtering is specific to the individual user who chooses to filter a drug-disease warning; drug-disease warnings will continue to fire to other clinicians unless they also choose a filter option.
                                                                                              Note that the clinician assumes responsibility for any warnings that they choose to filter. Also, continued management of the Problem List will further reduce unhelpful drug-disease warnings.

                                                                                                    Fetal/Neonatal Demise Symbol on Storyboard

                                                                                                    Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                                                                                    • Fetal/Neonatal Demise Symbol on Storyboard
                                                                                                    As of December 16, 2025, the orange leaf icon - which signifies fetal or neonatal demise or death - will be displayed on the Storyboard and within the Obstetric History hover bubble for applicable patients in all inpatient and ambulatory settings (click the camera icons for screenshots), to promote consistency and patient sensitivity while preserving existing workflows. Previously, this icon was visible only on the Greaseboard in Women’s Health inpatient units. 

                                                                                                    The leaf icon will appear when a fetal or neonatal demise is:
                                                                                                    • documented in the L&D Delivery Summary Outcome in the past 90 days; OR
                                                                                                    • recorded in the OB History of a pregnancy with a button for loss in the past 90 days.
                                                                                                    The icon will be automatically removed after 90 days.

                                                                                                     

                                                                                                          Optimization Training - Classes in January 2026

                                                                                                          The CMIO Prescriber Experience team offers Optimization classes (a.k.a. Thrive classes), where Connect Care prescribers can learn how to take full advantage of the features of the clinical information system, to help maximize their productivity and spend more time with patients. Classes are typically 60 minutes in length each and focus on completing common workflows more efficiently.

                                                                                                          Below are the Optimization classes scheduled for January 2026. For remaining December 2025 dates, click here.

                                                                                                          • Dragon Medical One (DMO) Advanced
                                                                                                            • January 14, 12:0013:00
                                                                                                            • January 30, 12:0013:00
                                                                                                          • In Basket Clean Up 1:1
                                                                                                            • January 7, 10:3011:00
                                                                                                            • January 8, 11:3012:00
                                                                                                            • January 12, 12:0012:30
                                                                                                            • January 13, 12:3013:00
                                                                                                            • January 14, 09:0009:30
                                                                                                            • January 16, 09:0009:30
                                                                                                            • January 19, 09:0009:30
                                                                                                            • January 20, 11:0011:30
                                                                                                            • January 21, 14:3015:00
                                                                                                            • January 22, 12:0012:30
                                                                                                            • January 22, 15:3016:00
                                                                                                            • January 23, 12:0012:30
                                                                                                            • January 26, 10:0010:30
                                                                                                            • January 28, 09:0009:30
                                                                                                            • January 28, 10:3011:00
                                                                                                            • January 29, 16:0016:30
                                                                                                          • In Basket Management
                                                                                                            • January 2, 13:3014:30
                                                                                                            • January 6, 08:0009:00
                                                                                                            • January 16, 10:3011:30
                                                                                                            • January 21, 12:3013:30
                                                                                                          • Mental Health Act Forms
                                                                                                            • January 9, 12:0013:00
                                                                                                            • January 28, 12:0013:00
                                                                                                          • Notes
                                                                                                            • January 16, 12:0013:00
                                                                                                            • January 30, 12:0013:00
                                                                                                          • Orders Optimization
                                                                                                            • January 9, 11:0012:00
                                                                                                            • January 12, 12:0013:00
                                                                                                            • January 21, 11:0012:00
                                                                                                            • January 27, 09:0010:00
                                                                                                          • SmartTools
                                                                                                            • January 13, 12:0013:00
                                                                                                            • January 27, 12:0013:00
                                                                                                          • Therapy Plans
                                                                                                            • January 7, 12:0013:00
                                                                                                            • January 12, 13:0014:00
                                                                                                            • January 22, 15:0016:00
                                                                                                            • January 27, 11:0012:00
                                                                                                          • Anesthesia (These classes do not have to be done in chronological order, and each covers different topics)
                                                                                                            • Anesthesia Optimization 1 - Intraprocedural Workflows
                                                                                                              • January 6, 10:0011:00
                                                                                                            • Anesthesia Optimization 2 - Working with Anesthesia Records
                                                                                                              • January 27, 15:0016:00
                                                                                                            • Anesthesia Optimization 3 - Personalizing Macros
                                                                                                              • January 15, 12:0013:00

                                                                                                          Prescribers can register for these Optimization classes at the below link (clicking the “Optimization” button at the bottom of any page in the Connect Care Manual will also take you to the booking page). Spots are limited to ensure trainers can address individual questions. Please ensure that you review your confirmation email from "Bookings CMIO Thrive" for the class link, and requirements for the session.

                                                                                                          In Basket Update - Sort Result Messages by Date and Time

                                                                                                          Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                                                                                          • In Basket Update - Sort Result Messages by Date and Time
                                                                                                          As of December 4, 2025, the "Date Sent" column in the In Basket folder for Results messages will be updated to display both the date and time, rather than just the date (click the camera icon for a screenshot). If users previously personalized their column display in the Results messages folder, they will need to re-personalize their view again following this change.


                                                                                                          For more information on In Basket, please see the CMIO's In Basket Management Guide:

                                                                                                                Embedded Gestational Diabetes Orders in Women's Health Order Sets

                                                                                                                Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                                                                                                • Embedded Gestational Diabetes Orders in Women's Health Order Sets
                                                                                                                As of December 2, 2025, orders relevant to the management/follow-up of obstetrical patients with gestational diabetes will be embedded in the main Women's Health order sets (i.e., Antepartum Admission, Labour & Delivery Admission, Postpartum Caesarean, and Postpartum Vaginal Delivery). This update makes the orders easily accessible as part of main obstetrical workflow instead of having to go to another order set, and addresses ongoing issues with missing orders related to gestational diabetes.

                                                                                                                Note the new sections will be available in previously personalized order sets; the rest of the content in personalized order sets will not be impacted.

                                                                                                                The new sections will look slightly different in each order set. Click the below camera icons for example screenshots; on the left is the updated Labour & Delivery Admission order set, on the right the updated Postpartum Vaginal Delivery order set.

                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                      Patient Lists - IP Notifications and Lab Notifications

                                                                                                                      Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                                                                                                      • IP Notifications and Lab Notifications Column Blocks for "My Lists"
                                                                                                                      An "IP Notifications" column "block" (more than one column combined in a single unit for addition to patient lists) continues to be available for addition to any personalized inpatient "My List". A new companion column block, "Lab Notifications", combines a column alerting users to new laboratory results (since results were last time stamped as being viewed by the user) with a column reflecting recent glucometer results. The two column blocks are designed to work side-by-side. Accordingly, the IP Notifications block's top-left position now shows indication of expiring orders instead of the prior indicator for new test results.

                                                                                                                      As of December 1, 2025, the two column blocks contain the following iconographic indicators:
                                                                                                                      • IP Notifications
                                                                                                                        • Top Left - presence of expiring orders
                                                                                                                        • Top Right - presence of new notes (since last time stamped)
                                                                                                                        • Bottom Left - presence of pended, saved or held orders
                                                                                                                        • Bottom Right - presence of notes requiring co-sign by current user
                                                                                                                      • Lab Notifications
                                                                                                                      Creating a new My List, or applying properties, from the "MD Ward Rounds" or "MD ED Consults" provincial My List templates will automatically include the two prescriber notification blocks in the resulting patient list.

                                                                                                                      For more information about how to apply provincial My List templates or manually add the prescriber notification column blocks:

                                                                                                                      Taming In Basket - Removal of Messages Older Than 180 Days

                                                                                                                      Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                                                                                                      • Taming In Basket - Removal of Messages >180 Days
                                                                                                                      As previously posted, as part of the "Taming In Basket" project, in June 2025 a batch of In Basket message types were set to auto-expire after 180 days but, at that time, messages older than 180 days that were already in users' In Baskets were not removed. As of December 1, 2025, messages of the following types that are older than 180 days will be removed from users' In Basket view in Hyperspace; users will still be able to retrieve the messages they may need until February 1, 2026 (see below for details). The decluttered view will make it easier for users to action new and task-oriented messages, and will empower users to use In Basket efficiently as a short-term task management and communication tool rather than long-term information storage.
                                                                                                                      • My Open Charts
                                                                                                                      • My Open Encounters
                                                                                                                      • Nurse Triage Encounter
                                                                                                                      • Patient Advice Request
                                                                                                                      • Patient Calls 
                                                                                                                      • Rx Request
                                                                                                                      • Studies to Sign
                                                                                                                      Messages removed from users’ In Basket view are still retrievable for 60 days following removal (in this case, until February 1, 2026) before being purged from the system; see the FAQ blog post on how to retrieve. Afterward, all messages will still be retained in databases in case they need to be retrieved in the future for legal/privacy/etc. investigation, but messages cannot be retrieved this way for individual users.

                                                                                                                      Furthermore, any messages that users postponed utilizing "Follow up" functionality are excluded from the auto-expiry rule until after the date the message comes back to the My Messages space.

                                                                                                                      For more information on In Basket, please see the CMIO's In Basket Management Guide:

                                                                                                                          Tool Tune Up: November 2025 Order Tool Updates

                                                                                                                          The spreadsheet linked from this post will be updated throughout the month as needed. 
                                                                                                                          Consider looking back each week.

                                                                                                                          The spreadsheet linked below details recent or upcoming changes to order tools (e.g., order sets, SmartSets, therapy plans) that may impact prescriber personalization. Note that the link to the spreadsheet remains the same for the year, with a new tab added for each month. 

                                                                                                                          The spreadsheet is typically updated at the end of each week if any new changes are confirmed/implemented. If the spreadsheet has been updated, a note with the date will be added after the spreadsheet link.
                                                                                                                          • Spreadsheet: Order Tool Updates - November 2025 [spreadsheet updated Nov 27]
                                                                                                                            • If you get an error clicking the above link, please right-click to copy the link, and then paste into your browser.
                                                                                                                            • Tip: See the first "READ ME" tab for an explanation of the spreadsheet's tabs and columns. 

                                                                                                                          Glucometer Monitoring - Tool Enhancements

                                                                                                                          Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                                                                                                          • Glucometer Overview Tool Improvements
                                                                                                                          As of September 16, 2024, a new “Glucometer Overview” column was introduced for inpatient Patient Lists, supporting quick review of recent results directly from the Patient List.

                                                                                                                          The column has benefited from a number of improvements, including:
                                                                                                                          • More distinct colour dots reflecting different glucose monitoring scores.
                                                                                                                          • Improved hover display of recent glucometer results, including a link to patient-entered data if present.
                                                                                                                          • Inclusion of Glucometer Monitoring column in a new "Lab Notifications" column block, now part of "MD Ward Rounds" and "MD ED Consult" patient list templates.
                                                                                                                          For more information about how to apply provincial My List templates or manually add the Glucometer Monitoring column:

                                                                                                                          New Secure Chat Functions - Secure Chat Groups and Message Templates

                                                                                                                          Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                                                                                                          • New Secure Chat Functions - Secure Chat Groups and Message Templates
                                                                                                                          As of November 27, 2025, to help streamline communication via Connect Care's secure messaging hub, Secure Chat, a new "Secure Chat Groups" functionality will be available that allows users to define a group of people that can be messaged at once. Additionally, to reduce the time spent typing out responses, users will now be able to select from common message templates when starting a Secure Chat conversation. 

                                                                                                                          Secure Chat Groups
                                                                                                                          • Prescribers as well as managers can create and manage Secure Chat Groups for their own use. These groups have permanence and will not have to be recreated even if the original/last conversation has been purged (i.e., is over 30 days old).
                                                                                                                            • The group owner can add other users to the group as members.
                                                                                                                            • Members can opt-out of the group at any point.
                                                                                                                            • User-created groups are hidden by default, so only members of a particular group can message that group. A request can be made to IT to unhide the group, which would allow anyone in the organization to send messages to the group.
                                                                                                                            • The same Communication Norms that apply to regular Secure Chat messaging apply to Secure Chat Groups.
                                                                                                                            • See the Guideline for additional details including best practices and naming convention.
                                                                                                                            • Note: Residents and students are not able to create or manage a Secure Chat Group.
                                                                                                                          • IT also has the ability to create Secure Chat Groups for departments that use the sign-in workflow (e.g., Inpatient, Stork, ASAP) and for general groups. These groups are unhidden by default, allowing others to send messages to those groups.
                                                                                                                            • Requests for these types of Secure Chat Groups cannot be actioned until the new year. Please do not submit tickets for these group type until January 5, 2026.

                                                                                                                          Message Templates

                                                                                                                          Users can respond to Secure Chat messages by choosing from one of the five below message templates:
                                                                                                                          • Acknowledge Message
                                                                                                                          • With Patient
                                                                                                                          • Wrong Person
                                                                                                                          • Not on Clinical Service (available for prescribers only)
                                                                                                                          • Order in Connect Care

                                                                                                                          For more information on Secure Chat and Secure Chat Groups, see:

                                                                                                                                Improved Induction of Labour Order Set (Action Needed) - NEW DATE

                                                                                                                                Enhancement updates provide short alerts to new, fixed or improved Connect Care functions...
                                                                                                                                • Improved Induction of Labour Order Set 
                                                                                                                                As of December 2, 2025 (originally scheduled end of November), a number of changes will be made to improve the Induction of Labour Order Set. This update addresses ongoing issues with missing documentation of the reason for induction. Capturing this information is critical for patient care, triage decisions, and accurate funding allocation. Note that this update will reset personalization; prescribers will need to re-personalize their induction order sets, see below for tips. 

                                                                                                                                With the updated form, prescribers will be required to enter a reason for induction in both the maternal and fetal indication fields:
                                                                                                                                • "Maternal Indication(s) for Induction" field: If the indication is solely fetal, please select "N/A". 
                                                                                                                                • "Fetal Indication(s) for Induction" field: If the indication is solely maternal, select "N/A". 
                                                                                                                                For more information, see the updated tip sheet:

                                                                                                                                Support for Re-Personalization

                                                                                                                                To re-personalize your induction order sets, we recommend creating three sets for efficiency: 
                                                                                                                                1. Fetal induction set – "N/A" preselected under "Maternal Indication(s) for Induction". 
                                                                                                                                2. Maternal induction set – "N/A" preselected under "Fetal Indication(s) for Induction". 
                                                                                                                                3. Maternal/fetal induction set – No preselection in maternal and fetal indication fields. 
                                                                                                                                The CMIO Prescriber Experience and Training Team will be holding virtual office hour sessions over the first 2 weeks of December to help with re-personalization, see the poster for details. A general tip sheet to help prescribers with re-personalization is also linked below. The Help Desk can also help prescribers needing additional support outside of the virtual office hours (1-877-311-4300, press 1 for Connect Care).