Q: Why do we need Connect Care?

A: Connect Care is putting the focus on the patient by:

• Giving them on-demand access to their health information, helping them be active members of the healthcare team.
• Helping them move more easily between care settings.
• Improving communication with their healthcare providers.

Connect Care is leading to improved patient care, patient safety and better health outcomes by:

• Giving healthcare teams a more complete picture of a patient’s health.
• Providing the whole healthcare team with the best possible information throughout the care journey.
• Supporting best practices for clinicians in all parts of the province.

Connect Care makes us more efficient by:

• Giving a single access point to health information for AHS, its partners and affiliates.
• Reducing the use of paper and printing supplies.
• Improving the efficiency of laboratory and support services.
• Reducing unnecessary variation and duplication in clinical services.
• Implementing best practices across the province in a consistent and comprehensive manner.

Q: When will Connect Care be available?

A: Connect Care is being introduced at all AHS programs and facilities, as well as at many of our partners. This is happening in phases which started in 2019 and will continue through 2024.

The first seven launches of Connect Care have been implemented, meaning sites and programs in all health zones, including all Cancer Care, Kidney Care, Addiction and Mental Health services and children’s hospitals are live. The next launch is scheduled for May, 2024.

Q: Where will Connect Care be available?

A: Once Connect Care is fully in place, it will be used everywhere AHS and our partners provides healthcare services and where we partner to provide healthcare services using the AHS record of care. This includes:

• Hospitals
• Clinics
• Continuing Care
• Cancer Care Alberta centres
• Addiction & Mental Health facilities
• AHS-run community health sites
• Carewest sites
• CapitalCare sites
• Covenant Health sites
• Alberta Precision Laboratories locations
• Lamont Health Care Centre
• DynaLIFE locations
• Many other clinics and practices

Q: Will my family doctor be able to see my information?

A: Community providers are a huge part of any person's care team. At this time, community providers will continue to receive their patient's Lab and DI results through Netcare.

The Connect Care Provider Portal is available to a limited group of physicians for evaluation. As Connect Care progresses, access to the Provider Portal will be expanded to other groups.

Q: What is MyAHS Connect?

A: MyAHS Connect is a secure, online tool that lets you see some of your Alberta Health Services’ (AHS) health information. MyAHS Connect lets you:

• See personal health information including test results and medications provided at an AHS site
• See past and upcoming appointments
• Request prescription renewals (when prescriptions need to be filled or are expired)
• Send messages to and receive messages from your healthcare team
• Add images and documents to your record
• Have access to trusted health information resources

Q: How do I get access to MyAHS Connect?

A: To sign up for MyAHS Connect, you need:

• To be at least 14 years of age
• A valid Alberta Driver’s License or Alberta Identification Card (with a current address)
• An Alberta Health Care number
• An email account
• Access to the internet by computer, tablet or mobile device (such as a smart phone)
• An active Alberta.ca account
• A MyHealth Records account

When you visit an AHS health care facility that has launched with Connect Care, someone from your healthcare team will ask if you would like to sign up for MyAHS Connect. If you’d like to sign up, they will give you sign up instructions or send it to you by email. These instructions will give you a website link where you will need to enter your personal information to get access to MyAHS Connect.

Q: Can my family doctor give me access to MyAHS Connect?

A: At this time only AHS healthcare teams are able to provide patient access to MyAHS Connect.

Q: Will my health information be secure?

A: In order to access Connect Care, all AHS staff, physicians, midwives, students, residents, volunteers and contractors must complete a required privacy and information security training course and this training must be renewed at least every three years.

AHS has also put a “Smart Auditing tool” in place with the first launch of Connect Care in fall 2019. This tool uses artificial intelligence to flag when information is accessed in ways that appear to be inappropriate. All access to any type of information will be recorded electronically and can be audited. Patients will also have the opportunity to learn who has looked at their record.

There are many specific situations where particularly confidential information is shared with care providers, but patients do not want the information to be broadly accessible. In these circumstances, Connect Care will have the ability to “mask” or restrict who can view specific information.

By reducing the number of clinical information systems we use, we reduce the number of security risks we are exposed to, allowing us to focus our security initiatives on fewer systems. All patient information will be stored in Alberta.

AHS is committed to protecting your privacy and keeping your health information safe - it’s the right thing to do, and it’s the law. Everything we do at AHS complies with the provincial Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and Health Information Act.

Q: Will Connect Care save us money?

A: Yes. Connect Care is an investment in the health of Albertans. We expect to see a return on this investment in both health outcomes and dollars.

This includes anticipated savings in areas like:

• Improved coordination of patient care.
• Controlling drug costs by making it easier to access patients’ medication history and making it easier to use generic instead of brand name drugs.
• Reduced duplicate and unnecessary testing.
• Reduced medical record and transcription costs.

These savings can be reinvested in our hospitals and clinics.