Nova Scotia is on a path to modernize and transform access to the services Nova Scotians need. Electronic referrals serve an important role in these efforts.
In March 2023, Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health launched a new model for managing and coordinating referrals for surgical consults (adult and pediatric) that is supported by an electronic referral tool (eReferral) and intake staff. The tool expanded in the Fall of 2023 to include adult and pediatric eReferrals for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasounds and bone mineral density was added as a new eReferral option in December 2024.
Use of the tool continues to expand with gastroenterology specialists expected to be launched as a new eReferral option on March 31, 2025. Teams also continue to plan for the roll-out of other diagnostic imaging services in 2025.
The use of eReferrals became mandatory for some healthcare providers in April of 2024. All healthcare providers who are in-scope to use eReferrals are required to use the tool to send and receive referrals for those services included as eReferral options.
The Nova Scotia eReferral Resource Hub has been designed to support access to the eReferrals tool and its use. Here you can learn how to make the most of this digital healthcare access tool through focused guides and training resources made for Nova Scotia's healthcare providers and their teams.
If you are a primary care provider or surgeon, select the appropriate onboarding request and complete the form to get started. You will receive a follow up communication from a deployment team member once this is complete. Other healthcare providers are not yet being onboarded to Ocean. Information will be shared as access is expanded to other healthcare providers in the future.