Target Audience & Estimated Reading Time: HPA-OHT member organization leaders | 2 minutes
Why it Matters
Ontario Health has officially lifted the pause on eReferral deployment and onboarding. The pause, introduced in mid‑2024 during the vendor procurement process, concluded with the selection of OceanMD as Ontario’s provincial eReferral solution.
Looking ahead to the 2026-27 fiscal year, eReferral implementation will be a key priority for both Ontario Health and our Huron Perth & Area Ontario Health Team. This solution is available to organizations at no cost.
eReferral remains central to our shared strategic priority of ensuring people receive the right care, at the right time, from the right provider. A digital eReferral system like OceanMD enables smoother coordination between organizations, makes referrals easier to track and manage, and supports more reliable transitions in care across the region. The more organizations that onboard, the stronger and more effective the system becomes.
Dig Deeper
Getting Started
Organizations can begin onboarding by completing the Ontario Health’s Onboarding Request Form (ORF).
Ontario Health will then prepare an agreement package outlining how data flows through OceanMD and the Primary Care Coordination Gateway (Ontario Health’s mechanism for collecting eReferral data). The agreement must be signed by your organization’s Health Information Custodian (HIC).
What Happens Next?
After the ORF is submitted, the eReferral deployment team (Amplify Care) will schedule a meeting walk through the proposed eReferral workflow, and begin initial setup, including how eReferral fits into your organization’s current processes and early OceanMD configuration. From there, they will guide you through full onboarding, including system setup, any required EMR integration, and staff training.
Next Steps
We encourage organizations to begin onboarding early as part of our shared priority to advance connected, coordinated care across our region.
If your organization expressed interest prior to the pause, please submit your interest again to renew your interest.
If you have questions or would like to discuss readiness for onboarding, please reach out to matt.ward@hpaoht.ca.