The British Columbia Medical Association and the Ministry of Health Services, as members of the General Practice Services Committee (GPSC), along with HealthLink BC, have committed to improving the patient referral process by creating a Community Healthcare and Resource Directory (CHARD) focused initially on mental health and addictions. This is a free, secure, web-based service enabling physicians and other select practitioners to find detailed information on healthcare specialists and resources. CHARD is built on existing services offered by HealthLink BC. Based on a successful prototype, launched on Vancouver Island in April of 2009, the directory focuses initially on mental health and addictions. Other specialties will be included as the system grows.

A major challenge facing GPs and other healthcare providers in British Columbia is obtaining timely and appropriate referral information for patients. This is difficult because of the lack of accessible, accurate and up-to-date information on healthcare services and providers in the province, both in terms of types of services available, and information on accessing those services.

CHARD was build 'by physicians for physicians' with the goal of helping BC doctors improve the efficiency of their practices and the services they provide their patients.

CHARD will help you cut down on the time, effort and frustration involved in finding vital information for your patients. It will help you access relevant, detailed and clearly organized information on MH&A resources to ensure appropriate referral to the right care provider. CHARD will help you locate resources close to your patient's home or your practice. CHARD will also improve an MOA's efficiency in locating resources and preparing referral documents. This will allow you to spend more time helping patients and less time on administrative paperwork.

The information in CHARD comes from a variety of sources. Information, related to private and public service, is collected by the CHARD Data Gathering Team. This team obtains data from the Health Authorities, as well as by contacting services directly for deeper referral information. Information related to practitioners is collected via the Ministry's Provider Registry Service, which obtains the data directly from the practitioners' colleges and associations. Additional practitioner information is gathered with the assistance of the colleges and associations and the CHARD Data Gathering Team.

The resources listed in CHARD capture self-reported information.

Practitioners listed in CHARD are accredited by their own college and association and CHARD makes no judgment and no selection of practitioners. All practitioners of a college or association are listed. A practitioner’s college status (Active, Active with conditions or Inactive) is set by their own college or association. Individual specialties and official designations were provided by the college or association. Questions on a particular practitioner should be directed to the appropriate college or association.

The choice of practitioner types (physicians, counsellors, etc.) was made by GPSC.

Public Services offered by Health Authorities (HAs) were provided by HA staff. Services funded by HA were provided by HA staff or by the service provider themselves. Services offered by other not-for-profit organizations were provided by the organizations themselves.

Private Services were researched by CHARD staff and are detailed by the private organizations themselves.

In no way does CHARD endorse, accredit or advocate any of the services, practitioners or methods described. In all cases, practitioner sub-specialties, areas of practice, areas of expertise, research interests along with procedural or therapeutic approaches were listed by the practitioner or service provider. CHARD does not vet, validate or assess any of the claims but instead focuses on reporting them accurately.

Users should employ their own professional judgment on the choice of resources.

The Provider Registry System is managed by the Ministry of Health Services and publishes basic practitioner information provided by colleges and associations. CHARD is managed by HealthLink BC and extends this basic PRS information with additional details specifically for the purposes of referrals. CHARD then provides access to the practitioner information as well as services information through a specialized search engine.

Some of the information is available in various other locations. CHARD provides a central location where all of the information can be easily searched, and at the same time provide doctors with additional information they need to make referrals, such as information around a specialist's modalities of treatment. CHARD contains detailed information regarding practitioners and services that is not generally found on other sites. For example, information about the resources in the directory includes contact details, willingness to take new patients, areas of practice, and patient referral instructions and forms.

The CHARD directory contains over 5,000 specialist physician, around 5,000 publicly and privately funded programs and services, including health authority options, and information on around 18,000 allied health professionals across the following topics:

• Cancer
• Cardiac
• Mental Health and Addiction
• Musculoskeletal
• Neuro-degenerative
• Renal
• Respiratory
• Palliative care

This information was gathered through extensive research and consultation with a wide variety of stakeholders.

Additional topics will be added over time.

CHARD includes information on the following topics:

• Cancer
• Cardiac
• Mental Health and Addiction
• Musculoskeletal
• Neuro-degenerative
• Renal
• Respiratory
• Palliative care

Additional specialties will be added in the future.

The CHARD directory contains detailed referral information on practitioners and services within BC, including

• Detailed descriptions of the services offered
• Contact information including map and hours of operation
• Up-to-date Referral Forms and procedures
• Patient eligibility criteria and instructions
• Fee Structure
• Patient inclusion/exclusion criteria
• Practitioner Specialty

CHARD is a referral directory. It does not provide the ability to process a referral online.

The data in CHARD is maintained and updated by a dedicated operations team within HealthLink BC. As new information is gathered and verified, it will be published on the CHARD directory, ensuring all information is current and accurate.

CHARD is a free directory service for eligible services and practitioners in BC.

CHARD is a free directory service for eligible medical professionals in BC.

The information in CHARD is managed in accordance with the provisions of the British Columbia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA). All data collected is housed in Canada in a secure facility. CHARD can only be accessed by authorized users using the BC government's BCeID authentication.

Authorized CHARD Users are general practitioners, psychiatrists, and nurse practitioners as well as their Medical Office Assistants (MOAs), and Integrated Health Network staff.

Service providers and practitioners will also have access to CHARD. They will be able to create delegates, and maintain their records and provide updated information. However, they will not have access to the full search functionality.

Invitations will be sent out to all eligible CHARD Users. These invitations will contain instructions for obtaining a secure User ID and password through the BC government's BCeID system that will allow the user to login to CHARD. The invite will also include a personal CHARD activation code which is used to activate an Account.

The CHARD database holds information that is private under BC's privacy act. Because the information is confidential, such as information about safe houses, it is not public. You must be an Authorized User in order to access CHARD.

For a video tutorial on how to activate your CHARD account, click here. The video will walk you through the process of setting up and activating your CHARD account.

To activate your CHARD Account, you will need the following:

• A Basic BCeID Account (see "How do I get a BCeID Account?" below)
• Your personal CHARD Activation code (see "How do I get an Activation code?" below)

If you already have a Basic BCeID Account, skip ahead to step B.

A. To create your Basic BCeID Account:

• Go to info.chardbc.ca
• Click on "Get your Basic BCeID"
• Follow the onscreen prompts to create your Basic BCeID Account.
• Write your BCeID User name down somewhere safe for future reference.
• Close the BCeID window when you have finished creating your BCeID Account.

B. To activate your CHARD Account:

• Go to info.chardbc.ca
• Click on "Login to CHARD"
• Follow the onscreen prompts.
• Enter your personal CHARD activation code* and click on "Activate"
• The code is not case sensitive
• Enter the letter O and not the number zero
• Check carefully for the number 1 and the letter capital "I"
• You will see a prompt asking if you are activating as a GP or as a delegate. Select the appropriate option and click "Submit"
• Review the terms and conditions. Click on "I Accept the Terms" if you agree. If you do not agree, click on Logout. Please contact our Support Centre if you have any questions or concerns. (See "How to contact CHARD Support" for more information)
• Complete the information in your profile and click Update. (See Completing my profile below for more information)
• Click on "Continue" to get to the Basic Search screen.

Congratulations, your CHARD Account is now active.

You can begin to use CHARD immediately.

Click on Help from the CHARD menu for additional instructions on how to use CHARD features.

*You will receive your activation code from the CHARD team in a letter or email inviting you to use CHARD (see "How do I get an Activation code?" below)

Your CHARD Profile contains information about you and your Account.

The information on this page will be kept confidential and is for CHARD project use only and will not be shared outside of HealthLink BC.

To view or update your profile:

• Click on the 'My Account' icon from the main menu bar on any page. This takes you to the My Account Screen.


• Click on 'Update My Profile'.

  If you are listed as a Team Member for another user, you will see the 'Manage other profiles' drop down box next to the 'Update My Profile' button. To choose another user, click on the arrow and select the name of the user.

  Your CHARD Profile contains vital information such as:

  • Your name
  • Your Search postal code
    • This is used to sort search results based on proximity to your location
    
    
  • Your contact information (phone, FAX, email)
  • Your mailing address (optional)
  • Your status (if appropriate)
    • This is based on your college/association status
    
    
• Review and update your contact information.


• When you have updated your profile, click 'Update Profile' to save changes.

Once you have been activated in CHARD and want to login again, click on "Login to CHARD" on the info.chardbc.ca home page.

If you have forgotten your BCeID User ID or password, please visit the BCeID website at www.bceid.ca, and click the "Logon" button. Follow the prompts on the next screen to easily recover your User ID or reset your password.

To login to CHARD, go to info.chardb.ca and click on the "Login to CHARD". Enter your BCeID Account name and password, and you will be logged into CHARD again.

Click "Help" on the main menu in CHARD at any time for video tutorials and information on how to use CHARD.

A CHARD activation code is a unique one-time user code that is used to activate your CHARD Account and connect it to your BCeID Account. It is an 8 character alphanumeric code.

You will receive your activation code from the CHARD team in a letter or email inviting you to use CHARD.

You will only need to enter your activation code the first time you login to CHARD.

The CHARD project team will send out invitations to all eligible CHARD users. These invitations will contain instructions on obtaining a secure User ID and password through the BC government's BCeID system. This will allow the user to login to CHARD. The invite will also include a personal CHARD activation code.

If you have lost your activation code, please can contact the CHARD Support Centre at chard.support@gov.bc.ca or (877) 330-7322. The Support Representative will assist you.

Authorized CHARD Users include general practitioners, psychiatrists, and nurse practitioners as well as their Medical Office Assistants and Integrated Health Network staff.

If you are a qualified member of one of these groups, but have not received and invitation letter and activation code, please contact CHARD support for more information. See "How to contact CHARD Support" for contact information.

The GP you work for can authorize use to use his or her activation code to access CHARD. They can do this by either logging into CHARD and inviting you as a Team Member, or providing you the letter and activation code they had received.

The GP you work for can authorize you to use CHARD as a Team Member of their staff. As an authorized Team Member you can activate your own CHARD Account using the activation code provided by the GP. You will need to follow the same process as outlined above to activate your account, including establishing your own BCeID Account in order to be able to use CHARD. Under the terms of use for BCeID, you are not authorized to create and use an Account using the GP's identity.

If the GP provides you with the letter and code they received, you can activate your account using the GP's activation code. This process will establish you as the Primary Team Member for the GP's account. Please see 'Invite Office Staff' in the CHARD System help for more information on Primary Team Members.

After you activate your account, the GP will receive a letter confirming the original activation code has been used and that you have been assigned as the primary team member on the GP's Account. A new activation code for the GP will be included in the letter to allow the GP to activate his/her own account if they wish to.

If the GP logs into CHARD and invites you as a team member they can either provide you the activation code directly or they can select an option within CHARD to have an email with the activation code and instructions sent to you. See 'Invite Office Staff' in the CHARD System Help for more information on how to do this.

As CHARD is a web-based service, the only software you need to run it is a web browser. CHARD has been tested to work with the following versions of the most popular browsers available today.

CHARD uses the BC Government standard BCeID service (see "What is a BCeID Account?" below) to provide secure access to the directory.

BCeID is an Online Service that makes it possible for you to securely access participating BC government sites, including future eHealth services, with a single user ID and password. With a BCeID account you don't have to remember a different login ID and password at every site. You use the same Login ID and password to sign in to any participating government site or service.

BCeID is the provincial government's standard authentication scheme, and will be adopted by all eHealth applications.

CHARD requires a Basic BCeID Account. It will also work with a Business BCeID Account, if you already have one. CHARD will not work with Personal BCeID Accounts.

For more information on BCeID, visit www.bceid.ca.

If you enter the incorrect password while logging into your BCeID account you will be notified that the password and user ID don't match and you will be asked to try again. If you enter the incorrect combination 3 times in a row, the system will not allow you to try to log back in for 15 minutes. This is a security precaution to prevent unauthorized access to your account.

If you have forgotten your BCeID User ID or password, you can return to the BCeID Website to recover them. Visit www.bceid.ca and click on the 'Logon' button. Follow the prompts on the next screen to easily recover your User ID or reset your password.

For additional assistance with your BCeID account, contact the BCeID help desk. See "How do I get help with BCeID, if I'm having trouble logging in?"

If you are having problems registering, logging on, or have any other questions about BCeID, you can call or email the BCeID Helpdesk. The BCeID Helpdesk is available to assist you, 8:30AM to 5:00PM Pacific Time, Monday to Friday excluding statutory holidays.

Canada Toll-Free: 1-888-356-2741

Within Lower Mainland: 604-660-2355

Email:BCeID@gov.bc.ca

If you are a healthcare practitioner or service provider, and meet the requirements of the program, you can be listed in CHARD. Check the CHARD Frequently Asked Questions for more information on qualification requirements.

If you meet the requirements, please contact the CHARD Support Centre and request to be added to CHARD. See "How to contact CHARD Support" for contact information.

You will be asked to complete an application process and provide information on your practice or service.

As a qualified service provider or practitioner, you also have access to CHARD. You are able to view and edit your records to provide updated information. However, you do not have access to the full search functionality. 

As a service provider or practitioner, you will be invited to activate your CHARD Accounts in the same manner as CHARD users. Once you have activated your CHARD Account, you can login and validate your record.

Contact the CHARD support centre for additional assistance. See "How to contact CHARD Support" for more information.

If you are having problems using any of the features of CHARD, you can call or email the CHARD Support Centre. CHARD Support is available to assist you, 7:00 AM to 6:00PM Pacific Time, Monday to Friday excluding statutory holidays.

At any time, you can click on the 'Contact us' icon in the top banner to launch the 'Contact us' email form.

Please remember you can also find answers to many of your questions about CHARD on our website at info.chardbc.ca or from the Help function on the main menu within CHARD.

Canada Toll-Free: 1-877-330-7322

Within Lower Mainland: 604-215-7109

Email: chard.support@gov.bc.ca

Please remember you can also find answers to many of your questions about CHARD on our website at info.chardbc.ca.

The Community Healthcare and Resource Directory (CHARD) is a secure, web-based directory that provides BC healthcare providers with accurate, timely and relevant information to assist in making appropriate referrals.

The CHARD directory contains detailed referral information on practitioners and services within BC, including detailed descriptions of the services offered. As well, it includes contact information, including map and hours of operation; up-to-date Referral Forms and procedures; patient eligibility criteria and instructions; fee structures; and practitioner specialties.

The data in CHARD is maintained and updated by a dedicated operations team within HealthLink BC. As new information is gathered and verified it will be published into the CHARD directory, ensuring all information is current and accurate.

CHARD includes content for cancer, cardiac, mental health and addiction, neuro-degenerative, musculoskeletal, palliative care, renal, and respiratory. Additional topics will be added over time.

The idea for CHARD came from Dr. David Attwell, a Victoria-based GP who championed the project as GPSC Co-chair several years ago and now sits on the CHARD Advisory Committee. Dr. Attwell was overwhelmed by the volume and diversity of specialist referral information received in his practice and wanted a better way to track and manage it all. CHARD provides up-to-date and relevant information in one secure, easy-to-use website.

CHARD is sponsored by the General Practice Services Committee, jointly chaired by the British Columbia Medical Association and the Ministry of Health Services. It is operated by HealthLink BC and builds on the directory of health services already accessible to the public through 8-1-1 and HealthLink BC's web-based navigation service. For more information on these services, please visit www.healthlinkbc.ca. Funding for CHARD is provided by the GPSC to HealthLink BC.