VHA launches AI-driven client portal

TORONTO – VHA Home HealthCare (VHA) has made its myVHA Client Portal easier to navigate for clients and their families with a new feature called the Evha AI Assistant. Thanks to Evha, myVHA Client Portal users can now access even more information and support.

The Evha AI Assistant is an interactive tool designed to assist clients in real-time using artificial intelligence, offering instant responses to questions related to the use and navigation of the myVHA Client Portal. Evha has been designed to ensure a secure, high-quality user experience, while also carefully managing ethical considerations and mitigating potential risks related to the use of AI, in accordance with VHA’s AI governance policy and practices.

Evha is currently able to:

• Provide helpful navigational information and real time support related to the use of myVHA
• Answer questions about VHA’s programs and services for clients, their family members, and caregivers

“Whether clients are looking for details about services or need help finding the right information, Evha is there to point them in the right direction,” said Nicole Iancovitz, VHA’s director of digital transformation & adoption, who is excited to be sharing this news with our clients and their families.

VHA’s vice president of digital health and chief information officer, Alistair Forsyth (pictured), said Evha is able make things easier for clients and families. “This is just the beginning. Future updates to Evha will involve the ability to answer questions from clients about their care, provide personalized education & support, and automate tasks on myVHA like making schedule adjustments on a client’s behalf,” he said.

“We hope the clear answers and information Evha provides will be a great benefit and an important first step toward delivering more personalized care to our clients and families.”

To access Evha, a VHA client or caregiver must log in to the myVHA Client Portal. Once logged in, Evha will appear as a small icon in the bottom right corner of the portal dashboard.

By clicking on the icon, a chat box is opened. Users can select common questions from a list to begin the conversation or type in their own message to ask for support in navigating to the information they need.

VHA is encouraging its clients and their caregivers to register for the myVHA Client Portal if they haven’t already so that they can make use of this new and exciting feature.

Co-design with clients and families and with staff and service providers has been central to Evha’s development. This has included:

• Client and family partners who provided feedback on usability, participated in multiple design sessions, helped select Evha’s “look”, and continue to provide ongoing support and counsel on the myVHA Client Portal.
• Staff and service providers who contributed ideas in our contest to determine the name for our AI Assistant.
• myVHA Project Team, Steering Committee and Evha Development Team members for their countless contributions in Evha’s creation and launch.
• Learn more about the myVHA Client Portal.

About VHA Home HealthCare
VHA Home HealthCare is a not-for-profit, charitable organization made up of over 3,000 diverse professionals – nurses, personal support workers, rehab therapists, home support workers, extreme cleaners and office support staff. Founded over 100 years ago, VHA provides high-quality care at home, delivered with heart, and led by science in the communities we serve across Ontario. VHA is proudly Accredited with Exemplary Standing by Accreditation Canada and an RNAO Best Practice Spotlight Organization. To learn more, please visit www.vha.ca.