Programs and services
- Diabetes Management
- ePrescribing
- Drug Profile Viewer
- eReferral & Resource Matching
- Physician eHealth
- Ontario Laboratories Information System
- Diagnostic Imaging
- ONE Network
- ONE Mail
- ONE ID
- ONE Portal
- ONE Support
- EMPI
Find out more
Contact Service Desk at :
Tel : (905) 826-5551
Toll Free: 1- 866-250-1554
servicedesk@ehealthontario.on.ca
ONE® Network
eHealth Ontario is introducing a revitalized ONE Network direction. This initiative is driven by business improvements, and addresses significant concerns made by the Auditor General (Oct 2009).
We are moving forward with the ONE Network direction as:
- The revitalized direction promotes use of public Internet to enable accelerated access to eHealth services by its clients.
- Public Internet technology has evolved over the years and improvements to reliability, increases in bandwidth and application security make the Internet suitable for the secure and effective sharing of personal health information.
- Use of commercial Internet for ehealth connectivity provides health care clients with a broader choice of cost-effective offerings.
- OntarioMD and the eHealth Ontario Physician eHealth program have both identified commercial Internet connectivity as essential for improved EMR adoption and performance.
- The use of Internet connectivity is now a fundamental requirement of eHealth Ontario and OntarioMD’s New EMR Adoption program and is one of the drivers for updating the ONE Network direction.
ONE Network Direction Overview
Migration & Eligibility
Migration selection is driven by the ONE Network eligibility criteria. Commercial Internet is the default method by which health care providers will access ehealth services.The eligibility criteria states that eHealth Ontario will provide or maintain a ONE Network connection to a health care site, if:
- The site currently uses an approved health care application that requires a class of service or has network requirements that cannot be addressed by a commercially available Internet service (e.g. Ontario Telemedicine Network); or
- The site uses an approved health care application that currently cannot be securely accessed over the Internet.
Migration and Eligiblity Criteria Overview
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is eHealth Ontario implementing a Migration program?
In 2010, the eHealth Ontario board of directors approved a revitalized ONE® Network direction. The ONE Network migration program is part of this direction. The initiative is driven by business improvements, reliability and bandwidth availability on the Internet, and application technology advancements, all which will:
- Decrease operating costs and increase the efficiency of the network;
- Allow for accelerated access to ehealth services;
- Provide a broader choice of offerings to health care providers for their networking needs;
- Align with the current program offerings for physicians using electronic medical records (EMRs); and,
- Ultimately provide better value for taxpayers’ money.
Additionally, the ONE Network direction addresses significant concerns made by the Auditor General of Ontario (Oct 2009). eHealth Ontario’s key stakeholders and partners such as OntarioMD and local health integration networks (LHINs) are fully aware and generally supportive of the ONE Network direction and new eligibility criteria.
Ontario’s Auditor General report, Special Report 2009, Ontario’s Electronic Health Records Initiative, states that the network is underutilized. How does migration address this concern?
eHealth Ontario will optimize the use of existing circuits where possible. Our plan is to remove those circuits with no or minimal usage because maintaining them is very costly and an inefficient use of public funds. We will make every effort to migrate those circuits to the Internet where possible for more suitable connectivity.
How will the network migration improve frontline patient care?
The ONE Network migration program will efficiently and equitably meet the business needs of the health care sector. As well, it will allow for accelerated access to vital ehealth services and provide more value for taxpayers’ dollars.
Who will be affected by the migration program?
There are over 2,000 circuits on ONE Network. eHealth Ontario has been evaluating the existing circuits based on new criteria. Generally, sites that can meet their business needs and access ehealth information and applications through commercial Internet connectivity will be encouraged to do so. The initial sites that were impacted by the migration program were physician offices, however the eligibility criteria is now being applied to all new requests for connectivity.
What is the eligibility criteria to obtain/maintain a ONE Network managed private network (MPN) connection/circuit?
Migration selection and circuit provisioning are driven by the ONE Network eligibility criteria. Commercial Internet is the default method by which health care providers will access eHealth Ontario services. The eligibility criteria states that eHealth Ontario will provide or maintain a ONE Network connection to a health care site, assuming program funding is available, if:
- The site currently uses an approved health care application that requires a class of service or has network requirements [e.g., Ontario Telemedicine Network, diagnostic imaging (DI), picture archiving system (PACS) and emergency neurosurgery image transfer system (ENITS)] that cannot be addressed by a commercially available Internet service; or
- The site uses an approved health care application that currently cannot be securely accessed over the Internet.
Sites that do not have viable commercial connectivity available at their location should contact their migration agent to discuss their options.
I can only access my applications over the eHealth Ontario MPN (and therefore will lose access by moving to a third party ISP connection) – do I still have to migrate?
During the migration process you should identify all applications that the site currently uses to ensure there is no dependency on the eHealth Ontario MPN. The migration agent will be the point of contact for the site and will collect the information and provide it to the eHealth Ontario technical team. The technical team will evaluate the site’s application needs and will work with the application owner to ensure that the applications will be accessible once the site moves to an ISP connection. For applications that are not currently available on the Internet, the migration agent will advise the site on the course of action.
What will the cost be to my site/practice to make the required changes?
eHealth Ontario will support eligible sites with monthly Internet service provider (ISP) costs and reimburse your site to purchase and configure a firewall as per the reimbursement policy applicable – please contact your migration agent for details. Please note all costs must be preapproved to be eligible for reimbursement. If any additional costs are to be incurred, please contact your migration agent to discuss as any additional amounts must be approved in advance.
The migration program is designed to provide reimbursement for costs incurred for migration related activities. This is a onetime payment and each site is responsible for paying their invoices (for ISP, firewall, etc.) per the terms and conditions of those suppliers. eHealth Ontario does not provide upfront funding or payment and will not directly reimburse any supplier. Proof of payment for all invoices is necessary to receive reimbursement under this program.
Will eHealth Ontario offer technical support for the transition?
eHealth Ontario will provide guidance and assistance but it is the responsibility of each site to have a technical resource to assist with the migration activities. eHealth Ontario may reimburse for your technical transition costs however you must get preapproval by your migration agent in advance.
What if I can’t afford an ISP?
If required, eHealth Ontario will work with your site to find an appropriate Internet service provider to meet your needs. Funding from eHealth Ontario for these reimbursements is a onetime payment based on the applicable reimbursement policy. You should be including connectivity and other related costs in your business plans and budgets.
For support specifically tailored to physicians, you are encouraged to contact OntarioMD via http://www.ontariomd.com.
When will I receive a reimbursement cheque?
The reimbursement process starts when you send eHealth Ontario the circuit removal form and return all eHealth Ontario equipment. Once your receipts are received, the reimbursement amount will be determined. Please be advised that it could take up to 120 days from the date that eHealth Ontario receives your receipts to the date that you receive your reimbursement cheque.
When will my eHealth Ontario circuit be removed?
eHealth Ontario circuits are removed within 90 days from the date of initial contact by your migration agent or earlier based upon submission of the consent for removal form/successful migration. Your migration agent will assist you with all migration activities.
When I had my eHealth Ontario circuit installed, I paid for work to be completed at my site to accommodate the installation. Will I be compensated for this previous work?
eHealth Ontario will not compensate the site for any work done before migration. eHealth Ontario will offer, when necessary and with prior approval, migration assistance to help support your migration activities.
Who will pay for my Internet charges after my reimbursement under this program runs out?
The migration program reimbursement is for a limited time based on the applicable reimbursement policy for your site. You should be including connectivity and other related costs in your business plans and budgets.
What is a firewall?
A firewall is a secure, trusted device that resides between the public network (Internet) and the local area network (LAN) at a site (i.e., physician’s office, long-term care home). It protects the network resources on the LAN against external security threats such as malware, spam and viruses, and can manage an organization’s Internet use (e.g., blocking access to inappropriate web sites). The firewall is configured with a set of security rules or policies that govern network traffic that can be set up to block non-trusted traffic and deny access to the LAN or allow trusted traffic to pass through to the LAN.
What are SOFAs and ISRs?
A SOFA is a small office firewall appliance — essentially a type of firewall. An ISR is an integrated services router that has firewall capabilities. Both types of device are used to provide local network security for your office. These devices will not be required after the removal of the eHealth Ontario circuit and will be removed as part of migration activities. Funding has been allocated to support the procurement of a firewall device for each site to maintain security post-migration. Please contact your migration agent or the migration team for more information.
Does my site require a firewall?
Yes, your site requires a firewall. A properly configured firewall is strongly recommended and it is each site’s responsibility to purchase one according to eHealth Ontario guidelines. To assist in the migration, eHealth Ontario will provide every site with a onetime reimbursement to help defray the costs of procuring a firewall (receipts are required). eHealth Ontario has developed guidelines for both selecting and configuring a firewall. This information will be provided to you during the migration process. If you choose not to implement a firewall, you will need to sign a waiver acknowledging that your site does not require one.
Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure that:
- Hardware and software firewalls are installed, configured and maintained by a knowledgeable person.
- Antivirus software is installed and updated on an ongoing basis.
- Computer operating systems and applications are updated with service packs, security patches, etc.
- Your electronic medical record (EMR) solution (if applicable) is properly configured to protect private health information travelling across the network for all network based electronic medical record implementations.
What type of firewall will I need?
eHealth Ontario has developed guidelines to help you select and configure a firewall. This information, along with security parameters/policies will be provided to you during the migration process. Your migration agent will provide additional information upon request.
What kind of equipment will I need to purchase in order to setup my connection like it is now?
eHealth Ontario will provide you with details about your current connection and configuration that will help you when choosing an Internet service as well as selecting and configuring a firewall. Network equipment that is used in your office such as switches and routers will continue to be the responsibility of each site. Please note, costs for LAN equipment and cabling that is not related to migration will not be covered by the migration program.
How do I set up my own virtual private network (VPN) and firewall?
eHealth Ontario has developed guidelines for both selecting and configuring a firewall. This information will be provided to your site during the migration process. The firewall should have VPN or remote access capabilities. All remote access requirements should be discussed in advance with your local IT support and ehealth application providers (e.g., your EMR vendor) in order to ensure your needs are met.
Once I have purchased my Internet connection, how do I make the changes to firewall ports that are currently open on my eHealth Ontario connection? Can I open and close ports and make other configuration changes that were not previously allowed on my eHealth Ontario connection?
Each site is responsible for implementing and maintaining any firewall configurations and security policies. Please discuss all firewall changes and security implications with your local IT support.
Do I have to return the eHealth Ontario equipment that was installed at my location? What if I have misplaced the equipment?
All equipment that was installed by eHealth Ontario’s network vendor must be returned to the vendor. Should any equipment not be recovered, the cost of each item not returned will be deducted from your total reimbursement amount. The cost of each piece of equipment as follows:
- SOFA: up to $550.00
- ISR: up to $2,000.00
- Router: up to $1,500.00
- Modem: up to $150.00
Please note that these charges are approximate. The actual deduction amounts will be based on the charges from our vendor.
A dedicated migration agent from eHealth Ontario will work with each site throughout the migration process to assist in the return of the equipment. The cost of returning the equipment will be covered by eHealth Ontario.
For more information:
Email: MigrationProgram@ehealthontario.on.ca
Tel: 1-866-250-1554 (option 1-3-1)
Fax: 1-866-218-7384
