Topic: Digital health

South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) is rolling out a new electronic referral (eReferral) system in collaboration with Consultmed. The new system is designed to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of managing patient referrals, ultimately improving communication and the overall quality of care provided across the region.

What is the eReferral system?

Currently, referrals within SWSLHD are processed through traditional paper and fax systems, which can sometimes result in delays and confusion. The new eReferral system will address these challenges by enabling smoother, faster, and more reliable referrals between primary care providers, specialists and internal teams. This transition aligns with SWSLHD’s ongoing commitment to providing high-quality patient care and enhancing collaborative workflows.

Implementation timeline

The rollout of the eReferral system will occur over the next 12 to 18 months, beginning with Camden and Campbelltown hospitals. Updates regarding the go-live dates and further implementation sites will be shared in future editions of Practice Pulse.

Which departments will be affected?

The Campbelltown and Camden hospital departments which will transition to eReferrals include:

• allied health services
• ambulatory care
• antenatal and maternity service
• dermatology
• diabetes and endocrine service
• fracture clinic
• cardiology
• gastroenterology
• immunology clinic
• neurology
• obstetrics and gynaecology
• orthopaedics
• paediatrics
• respiratory
• rheumatology
• cancer services (to be confirmed)

The departments which will not transition to eReferrals include:

• pathology
• drug health
• mental health
• radiology
• oral health
• pharmacy

For more information about the eReferral project at SWSLHD, visit SWSLHD – Electronic Referral (eReferral) or reach out via email at SWSLHD-eReferrals@health.nsw.gov.au

SWSLHD has asked that the following information be shared with GPs

South Western Sydney PHN’s innovative interoperability has been wound down and is no longer available in its current form, with a renewed focus on scoping a solution offering enhanced scalability, smoother operation, and stronger alignment with standards and initiatives implemented since iRAD was conceived.

Looking ahead with interoperability improvements

iRAD has played a pioneering role in shaping primary care interoperability in Australia.

SWSPHN is focused on continuing to invest in developing a contemporary, scalable technology platform which will:

1. enable secure, near real-time interoperability between general practice, aged care, allied health and hospitals
2. align with interoperability standards such as Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource (FHIR)
3. be strategically aligned with key projects such as NSW Health’s Single Digital Patient Record (SDPR) and National Health Information Exchange
4. improve deployment, maintenance and usability, based on direct feedback from participating healthcare providers

This transition is not only about advancing technology but about setting a new benchmark for how healthcare data is securely shared, accessed and utilised to improve patient outcomes.

Why iRAD is currently not available

SWSPHN is actively engaging with vendors, partners and government stakeholders as part of a detailed review which will inform a new strategy focused on ensuring primary care remains seamlessly connected within the evolving digital health landscape.

We have listened to feedback from GPs, practice managers, nurses and administrative staff, particularly around the challenges of the previous iRAD model.

Stakeholders highlighted iRAD’s installation and maintenance had been inconvenient and disruptive to practice operations.

A core focus of the renewal strategy is ensuring any future solution integrates seamlessly into both clinical and organisational workflows while being automated, easy to deploy and non-disruptive to practice operations.

During this process, we have determined it is not viable to keep the current version of iRAD operating while we pursue the renewal strategy. As a result, iRAD is not in operation.

The insights gained from iRAD will directly inform the next phase of SWSPHN’s digital health interoperability initiatives.

What is iRAD

Patient data remains secure

SWSPHN has always upheld the highest standards of data security, ensuring compliance with Australian privacy regulations, and this commitment continues to be our priority.

iRAD received information only from patients who explicitly consented to participate in the program. Access was strictly limited to treating clinicians at locations where the patient provided consent. Data collected through iRAD was used exclusively to support clinical care.

All patient data previously shared through iRAD is no longer accessible.

This data remains securely stored by SWSPHN within a Microsoft Azure cloud environment hosted in Australia, which complies with Australian legislation and data storage requirements, until the mandatory retention period has elapsed.

Information for current iRAD participating practices

With iRAD no longer in operation, redundant software components will need be removed to maintain streamlined IT environments.

SWSPHN will manage this process for you. We will be in contact with details on how practices can book an uninstallation appointment via a dedicated link for in-person or remote support.

Redundant software components will be removed from practice systems as part of this transition.

SWSPHN would like to thank you for your contribution so far. 

If you have any queries or require assistance, reach out to the iRAD team via email irad@swsphn.com.au

SWSPHN looks forward to sharing more as we progress our interoperability strategy.

GPs using MyMedicare may be experiencing some system glitches when it comes to registering patient lists or individual details. SWSPHN’s digital health team can offer a range of solutions and troubleshoot issues for users of the MyMedicare Bulk Import Tool as well as those who may be having issues with patients’ names not matching their Medicare card.

MyMedicare bulk import tool

When users of MedicalDirector try to import the complete patient list using the Medical Director MyMedicare Bulk Import tool, they may find that no patients appear in the list when they click import. This is due to a bug with the complete patient list that only affects MedicalDirector users.

To troubleshoot and resolve this issue, open the patient list in Excel and expand the individual columns to ensure all data in the fields is visible. After completing this step, save the file and use the MedicalDirector Bulk Import Tool. When you click import, the patients should appear in the list.

The process is then as follows:

1. Logon to MyMedicare
2. Go to list of patients enrolled
3. Export list of patients
4. Save as an Excel file
5. Use MedicalDirector Bulk Import tool
6. Etc…

Patients not matching Medicare card number

There is a bug with MyMedicare where if a patient has been registered in the past, and their Medicare card number has changed, the complete patient list still shows their old card number and won’t allow you to match the patient.

The current workaround is to manually mark these patients as MyMedicare registered and to ignore their old Medicare card number.

Error message when searching for a patient on My Medicare to register

A message stating, “You are not authorised to use this functionality,” indicates that the patient’s Medicare card number may be incorrect or incomplete. Verify the number and ensure the correct number of digits has been entered.

If the message reads, “This Patient does not have an online Medicare account,” you can ignore it and proceed with registering the patient again.

For further assistance with MyMedicare issues, contact the SWSPHN digital health team at digitalhealth@swsphn.com.au.

The latest evidence on behaviour change demonstrates that when clinicians advise and encourage patients to make lifestyle changes, more than half can make positive changes within six months. The RACGP Healthy Habits Program is a free digital health tool that helps you support patients on chronic disease management plans.

The patient-facing app encourages small changes to nutrition, physical activity and sleep habits to meet larger health goals, set by patients and their GPs.

The clinician dashboard gives the general practice team an overview of their patients’ physical activity, nutrition and sleep health goals over time which encourages a sense of accountability.

GPs can identify patients who might be struggling to stay on track and send them messages of encouragement through the clinician dashboard to the patient’s app.

Because Healthy Habits can be supported and managed by the whole primary healthcare team, it provides greater opportunities for patients to connect and feel motivated.

It also gives the practice team a clear picture of the patient’s lifestyle at a glance, saving time and making it easier to have informed conversations about preventive care.

Clinicians and patients can review progress together, to celebrate victories and work through challenges in a standard consultation.

It takes less than two minutes to register your practice, giving you access to the program and a suite of Healthy Habits resources and CPD.

To find out more, visit healthyhabits.racgp.org.au

Electronic prescriptions continue to provide Australians with convenient access to their medicines and improve safety by reducing the risk of transcription errors.

Overall, more than 225 million electronic prescriptions have been created to date which includes 95 million created by doctors and 129 million created by pharmacies (repeats).

The electronic prescribing initiative continues to evolve and improve.

For patients taking multiple medications, the Active Script List (ASL) is a solution which provides further convenience and flexibility, streamlining electronic prescription management.

Previously an individual could only register for an ASL at a pharmacy.

However, general practice software may now offer this functionality to allow prescribers to register individuals for an ASL.

By talking to your patients about registering for an ASL, you can help them use electronic prescriptions, removing the need for them to manage multiple tokens on their mobile device.

Once they have an ASL, any electronic prescription created is automatically added to their ASL (unless the patient asks the prescriber/dispenser not to) and the patient does not need to present a token at the pharmacy to get their script filled.

For more information about electronic prescriptions and ASL visit the Agency’s webpage on Electronic prescribing for prescribers.

Access the CPD accredited free online learning training for prescribers, Electronic prescriptions and Active Script List in your Practice

Source: EDUCATION AND ADOPTION Resources and events update – June 2024