Digital health Archives | Page 7 of 9 | South Western Sydney PHN

03 February 2023

Following the successful implementation of SafeScript NSW (the state’s real time prescription monitoring system), the NSW Ministry of Health is continuing work to improve the efficiency of regulation of Schedule 8 medicines.

The process for applying for authority to prescribe a Schedule 8 medicines under the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 1966 (NSW) has been streamlined with the introduction of new authority application forms in November 2022.

Feedback from prescribers has been positive with many finding the new forms easier to complete.

From Wednesday, 1 February, only new authority application forms are being accepted.

The new forms are available on the:

NSW Health website

Existing authority holders were notified of the release of the new forms at the end of 2022 and have been advised old application forms will no longer be accepted. Prescribers using old application forms are being asked to reapply using the new applications forms.

30 January 2023

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) is holding the following free webinars on My Health Record and dermatology conditions.

My Health Record (ACRRM members only)

My Health Record: A summary of system enhancements and time-saving tips for busy practices will be held on Wednesday 8, February at 7pm.

With an increasing number of organisations connecting to My Health Record, a significant amount of key health information is being uploaded to the platform. The amount of clinical content which is readily available can greatly benefit healthcare providers in busy practices.
Register for webinar

Innocent rashes and chronic skin ulcers (Tele-Derm members only)

Spot diagnoses not to miss, innocent rashes and an approach to chronic skin ulcers will be held on Tuesday, 21 February at 8pm.

Only doctors registered in Tele-Derm will be able to access the webinar.

All ACRRM members, and non-members who work in MM3 to MM7 can easily join the service. Enrol for Tele-Derm and register for this webinar via the ‘Announcements’ tab within the Tele-Derm platform.

Not an ACRRM member and not working in MM3 to MM7, but would like to take advantage of services like Tele-Derm? Find out more about the benefits. Download Tele-Derm flyer

30 January 2023

GPs, registrars and nurses who work in the aged care sector are invited to join the webinar: My Health Record: supporting safety, quality and better care in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs).

SWSPHN is collaborating with Murrumbidgee PHN for the webinar which will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, 22 February, from 2pm to 3pm.

Participants will hear from Marwa Osman, a Digital Health Educator at the Australian Digital Health Agency. The session will be interactive with the opportunity for questions.

Topics will include:

Supporting optimised patient care in the residential aged care setting using My Health Record
How My Health Record can provide access to accurate and relevant clinical information uploaded by a range of healthcare providers (GPs, hospitals, pharmacists)
How My Health Record in RACFs may assist in improving quality of life, care coordination and reduce potential medication misadventures
How to access and appropriately integrate HealthPathways system to improve resident quality of life and patient outcomes

17 January 2023

The new Diversion 2 report in POLAR will be used to calculate a patient’s risk of hospitalisation or emergency department presentation from 1 February.

SWSPHN provides the POLAR (POpulation Level Analysis and Reporting) clinical audit tool to eligible general practices in South Western Sydney.

Find out more about POLAR

Reports from POLAR provide insights into patient data to help practices better understand their patient cohort.

They also enable general practices to analyse their patient data to identify gaps in patient care, track patient outcomes, build on areas of quality improvement and identify opportunities to improve practice revenue

The Hospitalisation Risk report from POLAR will be retired and replaced by the Diversion 2 report.

The Diversion 2 report calculates a patient’s risk of hospitalisation or emergency department presentation in 12 months using more data points for a more accurate score than the Hospitalisation Risk report.

Find out how the risk is calculated (POLAR login is required to access this information).

Please contact your Practice Support Officer if you want to have POLAR installed.

17 January 2023

The need for healthcare providers to connect to each other safely and securely is greater than ever.

Clinical information shared about a patient via post, fax or email is not secure because of the risk of interference.

Secure messaging supports the delivery of safe, seamless, secure and confidential information across healthcare providers.

In this feature, we look at why you should use secure messaging and how it works.

What is secure messaging?

Secure messaging allows the delivery of patient clinical documents electronically between health professionals and organisations using a secure, encrypted system.

It enables the receipt of clinical documents by practices, directly into your conformant clinical information system software.

Information can include referrals, reports, pathology and radiology requests, results and discharge summaries.

Why should practices use secure messaging?

Secure messaging minimises the burden of manual and paper processes and is a timely and efficient means for sending and receiving clinical information, freeing up staff to complete other necessary tasks and reducing the costs of administrative tasks such as paper for scanning and faxing, postage and staff hours.

Some benefits of secure messaging include:

Integrates directly with clinical software systems
Improved patient matching
Critical patient information is more readily available and accessible
Reduces the chances of communication breakdown
Send/Receive audit trail
Receive priority clinical information in real time

How does secure messaging work?

For your practice to send and receive secure messages, you’ll need to have installed a conformant clinical information system and be registered with one or more secure messaging providers.

Overview:

Step 1: The sending organisation creates an electronic message addressed to a service or practitioner, using an address book from within their clinical information system or an external service directory.

Step 2: The message is encrypted and passed through the sender’s secure messaging provider to the receiver’s secure messaging provider.

Step 3: The receiver’s secure messaging provider receives the message on behalf of the receiver, decrypts the message and passes it to the receiver’s clinical information system.

Step 4: The receiving clinical information system routes the received message to the intended service or practitioner and alerts the sender that the message has been successfully received.

How can we help?

Navigating the various secure messaging platforms can be both time-consuming and confusing. We can help you:

ensure your digital health accounts are set up and ready for secure messaging
assess the pros and cons of different secure messaging providers
develop or consider policies related to secure messaging facilities
make contact with a provider to register for a secure messaging product

If you’d like our help, contact our Digital Health team on digitalhealth@swsphn.com.au or 4632 3000.

Factsheets

Secure messaging user guide

Secure messaging fact sheet

Secure messaging frequently asked questions

Secure messaging implementation guide

17 January 2023

Are you having trouble keeping track of your electronic prescriptions (ePrescriptions)?

The Department of Health and Aged Care has developed the My Script List (MySL), a list of all the ePrescriptions which you have been issued, including the medication name, the dosage and the number of refills.

MySL is perfect for patients with multiple scripts because you’ll no longer need to handle multiple tokens on your phone to show the pharmacist. You can walk into any pharmacy, give consent for them to access your script list, and have that pharmacy dispense your medicines.

Learn more:

Watch this video:

Download this factsheet:

MySL for patients and carers

17 January 2023

Most Australian pharmacies are now registered to receive electronic prescriptions, making it easier to dispense and keep records of scripts. Electronic prescribing is another step in the journey towards a more modern, connected healthcare system.

What is an ePrescription?

An electronic prescription is a prescription which is created and sent electronically, rather than on paper. This means that instead of writing a prescription by hand, a healthcare professional can use a computer or tablet to create and send the prescription directly to a pharmacy. This can save time and reduce errors, as well as allowing for prescriptions to be sent remotely.

Token

A token is a small piece of data which can be used to access electronic prescriptions. Tokens are typically used to ensure only authorised healthcare professionals can access and view a patient’s prescriptions. Tokens can be sent via text message or email and can be used to access the patient’s prescriptions from any device which has internet access.

My Script List

My Script List (MySL) is an Active Script List (ASL) developed by the Department of Health and Aged Care. It is a list of all the prescriptions which have been issued for a patient, including the medication name, the dosage and the number of refills. The list is updated in real-time and can be accessed by authorised healthcare professionals, including GPs and specialists, to ensure the patient is receiving the correct medications and dosages. This also allows for better coordination of care between different healthcare professionals.

Who can access My Script List?

MySL is perfect for patients with multiple scripts as the patient no longer needs to handle multiple tokens on their phone to show the pharmacist. The patient can walk into any pharmacy, give consent for them to access their script list, and have that pharmacy dispense their medicines.

Learn more about the benefits of electronic prescriptions via this video.

How do I set up my medical practice for ePrescribing?

MediSecure and eRx are  the two Prescription Exchange Services (PES) available in Australia.
Practitioners should ensure they are registered with eRX or MediSecure and have ePrescribing activated in their existing clinical software. 
Provide your patients with  information on MySL and assist them to register if your clinical software is enabled. Alternatively advise patients to register via their local pharmacy.
For further information on ePrescribing download FAQ for Doctors
Contact your software provider for information on prescribing ePrescriptions and registering your patients for MySL in your clinical software.

Would you like more information?

Information for prescribers Information for patients and caregivers

If you have questions about setting up your practice for ePrescribing, please contact our Digital Health team:

DigitalHealth@swsphn.com.au

06 December 2022

NSW Health is introducing several initiatives which aim to streamline the processes of applying for an authority to prescribe a controlled drug under the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 1966 (NSW), following the implementation of SafeScript NSW.

The first stage is the release of new authority application forms. The new forms are quicker to complete and require less information and supporting documentation from prescribers.

The new application forms are PDF editable and can be accessed on the NSW Health website.

In the initial period following the release of the new forms, both new and old forms will be accepted.

From 1 February 2023 old application forms will no longer be accepted.

NSW Health in partnership with eHealth NSW is also developing an online system to manage authority applications which will be available in 2023.

The new system will be integrated with SafeScript NSW and will allow prescribers to submit authority applications online, track progress of their applications and reduce the turnaround time for applications. In some cases, prescribers will receive authorities in real time.

This article appeared in Practice Pulse on Wednesday, 7 December 2022. If you are a GP, practice nurse or practice manager in South Western Sydney and do not get the weekly Practice Pulse email, speak to your Practice Support Officer.

30 November 2022

What is My Health Record?

My Health Record is a secure online summary of important patient health information which has been shared between healthcare providers across the sector.

Medicare Overview – MBS and DVA information

The Medicare Overview section of My Health Record is an important, but underutilised, source of patient health information.

As consumers interact with the Medicare system, a record of these interactions is displayed in their My Health Record.

You can use the Medicare Overview to find information about services your patients have accessed through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) such as allied health, pathology, imaging, specialists and other GPs.

Medicare information may include:

MBS/DVA claims information

MBS and DVA claims information. The MBS provides benefits for an extensive range of medical services, procedures, and consultations, including consultation fees for doctors and specialists, tests and examinations doctors require to diagnose and treat illnesses, for example X-rays, ultrasounds, and pathology tests.

PBS/RPBS claims information

Prescription information from Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits (RPBS). Medication listings are PBS-only and will not include medications dispensed which are not PBS-classified (e.g. private or NSW hospital scripts).

You can access the My Health Record – Medicare Overview through your clinical software.

Download the factsheet on how to access the Medicare Overview for your software below:

Best Practice Medical Director Genie

If you need help setting up or accessing My Health Record, email SWSPHN’s Digital Health team at DigitalHealth@swsphn.com.au

17 November 2022

The Australian Digital Health Agency has provided a resources and events update.

Highlights in this edition include:

Digital health – test your knowledge of electronic prescriptions
New My Health Record in Community Health eLearning module
New education sessions on:
- Community Health Digital Health Foundations Series
- Digital Health Foundations Series
- Emergency Access
- My Health Record for Health Workers – Series 1
- Pharmacy Technicians and Assistants – getting to know Electronic Prescriptions and the Active Script List
- Practice Managers – getting to know Electronic Prescriptions and the Active Script List
- What you need to know about Assisted Registration

Download the update