Norfolk Family Health Team (Norfolk FHT) supports rural communities across Norfolk County, Ontario with an interdisciplinary, team-based model of care.
Type
Family Health Team
EMR
PS Suite
Using Ocean Since
November 2018
The Challenge
The volume of admin tasks was becoming too much
Norfolk FHT Staff Team Photo
Norfolk Family Health Team (Norfolk FHT) supports rural communities across Norfolk County, Ontario with an interdisciplinary, team-based model of care.
As administrative demands of the day-to-day coordination continued to climb, the team focused on a practical operational goal: making patient communication and appointment scheduling more efficient.
“We were trying to address the high volume of administrative work and streamline communication with patients,” said Roxanne Pierssens-Silva, Executive Director. “Our goal was to make appointment booking and follow-up more efficient for both our team and our patients.”
Before Ocean, many routine communications depended on phone calls, often handled by reception staff or even nurses.
That could include:
Follow-up questions and appointment clarifications
Simple updates like routine lab notifications
The back-and-forth required to reach patients and close the loop
At the same time, Norfolk FHT wanted to make booking easier for patients without adding even more manual steps for their staff.
What they needed from a better workflow
A simpler way to communicate with patients without relying on repeated calls
Provider-friendly controls for managing message flow
Visibility into whether messages were received/read
A convenient booking experience for patients
The Solution
Shifting routine work from calls to digital self-serve
Norfolk FHT’s approach centered on two significant workflow changes.
Providers message patients directly for routine updates
Instead of routing routine follow-up through staff phone calls, providers use Ocean to send direct messages for common updates and questions.
Leveraging Ocean's Health Messenger
Before
Lab result notifications, simple questions, and clarifications often required staff to call patients.
After
Providers can quickly message patients—for example, to confirm lab work is all clear or answer a simple question—without the phone tag.
Patients book appointments online, any time
Norfolk FHT also uses Ocean Online Booking to give patients a self-serve option. For patients, the benefit is primarily convenience: “They enjoy the convenience of being able to book appointments anytime, day or night.”
Adoption
Norfolk FHT described value in features that support predictable, manageable communication:
Providers can see when a message has been read.
Providers can decide whether a patient can respond.
Patients can book appointments at a time that works for them.
These are small workflow controls, but they’re the kind that reduce ambiguity and repeat effort—especially when communication volumes are high.
The Impact
What's Changed
Patient-facing impact
Norfolk FHT reports that patients are happier with the convenience of online booking and receiving quick, secure messages directly from their provider. According to the FHT, their patients described the experience as “more efficient, accessible, and patient-centered.”
“The patient-to-provider messaging feature has made the biggest difference,” Roxanne said, noting that providers value “the ease of use and the ability to see when a patient has read their message,” plus controls that “give providers flexibility in managing communication.”
Staff and clinic impact
Norfolk FHT reports a noticeable operational shift in day-to-day work with less staff time spent calling patients for routine communications and reduced administrative workload as more routine updates move to direct messaging.
“Both staff and patients have provided very positive feedback. Staff appreciate how much time Ocean saves in managing communication and booking, and they find the system easy to use. Patients have shared that they love being able to book appointments online at their convenience and receive quick, secure messages directly from their provider. Overall, both groups feel the process is more efficient, accessible, and patient-centered.”
Roxanne Pierssens-Silva
Executive Director
Norfolk Family Health Team
What's Next
Norfolk FHT positions Ocean as embedded in how they manage communication and booking efficiently today, particularly because both staff and patients have come to rely on the convenience and reduced administrative load it supports.
Ocean has streamlined our workflow and made care more efficient, accessible, and patient-centered for both staff and patients.
