Ontario Risk Network Meets to Talk About Hot Topics in Healthcare

Documentation was a big point of discussion at the 2025 Ontario Risk Network (ORN) Symposium. 

ORN is a grassroots network chaired by Bronwen Edgar, Director of Risk Management and Clinical Services at Collingwood General & Marine Hospital. The participants meet bi-weekly to discuss emerging trends, share best practices, and exchange ideas.  

The second annual ORN Symposium was hosted by Mackenzie Health’s Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital and sponsored by HIROC. The event saw 100 risk, privacy and safety experts convene to discuss issues that are keeping them up day and night. 

Did we pique your curiosity yet? 

We asked HIROC’s Risk Management Coordinator, Claudette Moulton (who supports the ORN operationally) for a summary of the day for those who were unable to make it. Claudette shared some fantastic learnings with us.  

Gord Slemko and Trevor Hall in the Hotseat

HIROC’s Gord Slemko and Trevor Hall kicked off the morning going over a few hot topics, such as:

• Anticipated changes in relation to Ontario's Rules of Civil Procedure. Gord shared that significant reforms have been proposed which, if implemented, will fundamentally change how civil litigation in Ontario is conducted. One of the most significant changes being contemplated is the elimination of oral examinations for discovery, which would be replaced by the early exchange of written witness statements. Another change that has been proposed is an upfront exchange of evidence that would require parties to start producing their evidence as early as when they serve their pleadings. Regarding the proposed changes, Gord said, “I can see the new process being more time intensive up front for Subscribers, but of course HIROC will be there to support you.”
• Medico-legal risks associated with inviting, soliciting, or pre-arranging for non-resident individuals seeking perinatal care services in Canada. Both Gord and Trevor reinforced how a Governing Law and Jurisdiction Agreement (GLJA) should always be signed when dealing with a non-resident. Subscribers can stay tuned for more from HIROC on this topic and a re-issuance of the Joint CMPA-HIROC statement.  

Underscoring each topic Trevor and Gord addressed was the theme of documentation. “Document, document, document,” said Gord. Review a copy of HIROC’s Documentation Guide. 

Mental Health Claims Trends 

Katharine Byrick from BLG joined the ORN group to chat about what she’s seeing in the area of mental health claims. 

Katharine spoke to death by suicide while under care cases and emphasized the need to support clinicians in maintaining the level of vigilance that we know is needed to identify potential cases.

In general, with mental health cases, Katharine stressed the importance of transitions of care, timely assessment, and diligent documentation. 

Privacy Trends 

Daniel Girlando from BLG spoke on privacy trends, including de-identification, body cameras, and social media. 
Daniel recommended ensuring signage is posted in the hospital when security teams are wearing body cameras. 
In situations where nanny cameras are used by patients and families, he says the primary concern is the risk of other patients’ Personal Health Information being captured without consent. 

Application of Artificial Intelligence and Risk Management

HIROC’s Leo Dias and BLG’s Keegan Boyd took questions around AI usage and offered a few important points.

“AI shouldn’t be some separate siloed risk category, it needs to be embedded within your existing risk frameworks,” said Leo. 

• Boards and risk managers should jointly define and oversee AI risk appetite, using structured tools to evaluate the trade-offs between innovation and patient safety, and to ensure alignment with values
• A governance approach must include inventory of all AI or tools that use AI at the organization
• Healthcare workers need to understand when AI features are active
• Always ask vendors where the data is being processed and housed, and if it’s being used for training models
• Internal policies need to define acceptable use

HIROC’s Artificial Intelligence Guide is a comprehensive tool for consideration when looking to apply AI in a healthcare environment.

Product Recalls, Alerts and Advisories 

BLG’s Keegan Boyd and HIROC’s Nataly Farshait offered guidance on the initial steps and risk evaluation related to health alerts, advisories and recalls. They also shared how HIROC and BLG are here to support Subscribers.

A great starting point is HIROC’s Multi-Patient Lookback and Notification Guide. 

When considering patient / resident / client notification, HIROC should be consulted prior to releasing a notification. 

QCIPA 

HIROC's Jonathan Gutman spoke on the Quality of Care Information Protection Act (“QCIPA” for short). QCIPA is the Ontario legislation that allows certain healthcare organizations (including many HIROC Subscribers) to have candid conversations in the course of conducting quality of care reviews without fear of those conversations and the opinions expressed within becoming evidence in a lawsuit. 

Jonathan discussed the infrastructure required to rely on QCIPA, its key provisions affecting disclosure, and factors Subscribers should consider when contemplating whether to rely on QCIPA. Whether QCIPA or common law protections are used, Jonathan encouraged Subscribers to make sure that they set up their reviews properly to ensure confidentiality in order to promote participation in these reviews, which always aim to learn from past incidents in order to improve future patient care. 

Above are the takeaways from a few of the day’s sessions. We also heard from a number of HIROC Subscribers: 

• Holland Bloorview: Designing Safer Transitions: Proactively Reducing Ambulatory Staff Harm from Patient Behavioural Events
• Trillium Health Partners: Medical Claims and Patient Safety Incidents Dashboard
• Mackenzie Health: Zero Harm
• UHN: Formal ERM Adoption Journey
• St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital: Safety Incident Reporting System, Utilizing a Risk Matrix Aligned with HIROC's Risk Register

Thank you to everyone who brought their expertise and learnings to the day. If you have questions about the ORN or any of the presentations, email [email protected]. 

If you have questions for HIROC and any of our resources, reach us at [email protected].