E-referral system takes hold in Tasmania, South Australia

A single integrated e-referral system is now live at four major hospitals in Tasmania, while a similar system is due to roll out across South Australia.

In a media release, Tasmanian Premier and Health Minister Jeremy Rockliffe said the statewide system has reached a milestone of facilitating nearly 10,000 e-referrals from GPs to public outpatient services, including specialists and private allied health professionals.

Meanwhile, from August this year, a similar e-referral program will be rolled out in phases across South Australia, SA Health announced. It will initially be rolled out in metropolitan hospitals and the Riverland Mally Coorong Local Health Network.

SA Health’s e-Referral program will adopt standardized clinical priority criteria, providing consistent and accurate guidance on the information required in referrals that determine the level of clinical need. Specialty areas including ENT, cardiology, gastroenterology, orthopedics, neurology and vascular, which have developed CPCs, will be the first to use the e-referral system.

Both the Tasmania and SA e-referral systems are using the HealthLink platform for secure messaging with GPs and instant notification of receipt of referrals. SA Health will also use the Salesforce platform.

why it matters

In addition to replacing written referrals by fax, email, printed or scanned, turning to e-referral can improve communication between health professionals, reduce wait times and aid in the delivery of streamlined care is, as is already the case in Tasmania.

SA Health hopes its e-referral program will also simplify referral management so that GPs do not have to wait for confirmations in hard copies through the post, “which often results in delays and multiple referrals.” Its integration with GP medical record software and the use of dynamic forms is seen as “ensuring stability and ease of use with reduced administrative burden for GPs already facing increased demand”. It will also have the capability to identify duplicate referrals in the LHN.

larger context

Tasmania’s e-referral system is part of its 10-year digital health transformation programme, which aims to provide a statewide, fully integrated care platform that enables seamless communication and information sharing between health professionals. It is one of the major projects under its four year ICT and virtual care Changing outpatient service strategy.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Aged Care will also be transitioning to the use of e-referrals powered by HealthLink from the end of July this year.

On the record

“The work being done to standardize referrals to our hospitals and outpatient services will improve communication between GPs and our LHNs and help them deliver streamlined care. Once fully implemented the program will connect patients to the healthcare pathway that best meets their care needs,” said Brett Morris, Chief Digital Health Officer at SA Health, regarding the rollout of its statewide e-referral program said in.

Premier Rockliffe also commented about his own e-referral system, “It will also improve patient safety and outcomes by providing more timely care, higher quality referrals and more secure transmission of patient information.”