At Tuesday's meeting, one of our newest members, Dr. Denis Vincent, spoke about ezReferral (http://ezreferral.org), a must-have service for health care professionals and their patients.
The service (Dr. Vincent is the founder and CEO) makes it possible for health professionals to send referrals easily and securely through the cloud, ensuring that everyone is on the same page, including the patient. The system automatically notifies and reminds patients of what's up, which means patients don't have to wonder what's really happening with those referrals their physicians said they made.
The ezReferral system means no more faxing. Faxing is an archaic, inefficient method of communicating, and as Dr. Vincent points out, lost faxes can and do put patients' lives at risk. A referral that's acted upon in a timely manner can save a life.
Dr. Vincent and his innovation partners built ezReferral as a social enterprise. It won the Canadian Medical Association’s top prize for innovation last year.
Ask your health care professional if he/she uses or knows about ezReferral. If the answer is "no," then forward him/her this article about the downfalls of old-fashioned faxing: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/…/article-why-are-fax-mach…/ and encourage him/her to advocate for a change. Some health professionals are already on board, but bureaucracy is an impediment. Advocacy can make a difference--and save lives.
