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eReferrals
Overview
When coordinating the care of their patients,
general practitioners (GPs) may have to refer
to specialists for further diagnosis or treatment.
To facilitate this process, all
relevant patient information has
to be captured in a referral letter
and shared with the specialist in
a timely manner. Referral letters
typically include:
1.Demographic information such as
patient details, benefit card details,
insurance information, and
2.Clinical information such as
referral reason, medical history,
current medications, allergies
and diagnostic investigations.
Computer-generated referrals
are not a new concept in the
Australian healthcare sector.
However, some general practices
continue to send referrals via the
patient, post or fax. While these
approaches work, they can
introduce errors and duplication of
clinical and administrative efforts.
The National E-Health Transition
Authority (NEHTA) eReferral
specification will deliver a national
standard aimed at allowing all GPs
to securely and electronically send
relevant patient information to
specialists in a structured manner.
To minimise data entry where
May 2012
possible, fields in the referral letter
are auto-populated with information
from the patient’s local electronic
medical record (EMR) stored
in the GP’s clinical software
system. In addition to being able
to quickly and accurately identify
patients, eReferral also uses
the Healthcare Provider Directory
to search for specialists.
A national eReferral specification
will benefit everyone, from patients
through better coordinated care,
to providers through better twoway communication between
GPs and specialists, resulting
in fewer errors and more
administrative efficiencies.
eReferrals mean:
•Greater assurance that the
required referral information
is available to the specialist
at the time of appointment
•Better consumer privacy
through the secure electronic
storage and transfer of
referral information
•More opportunity for specialists
to review referrals in advance
of patient visit
•Less need to scan reports and
results and then save them into
the clinical system
•Opportunity for specialist
to request extra information
or tests to be performed prior
to appointment
eReferral example:
1.Visits GP
who refers
them to a
specialist
Healthcare
Provider
Directory
Patient
6.Visits
specialist
2.Looks up and
selects
specialist
4.Builds, encrypts
and sends referral
to specialist
3.Obtains
specialist’s
public encryption
certificate
NASH
GP
Specialist
5.Automatically sends delivery confirmation
1.The Patient
The patient visits their GP for
a consultation. The GP obtains
consent from the patient to refer
and provides them with a copy
of the referral letter.
2.The GP
Upon deciding to refer the
patient, the GP:
a.Finds and selects a specialist
via the Healthcare Provider
Directory e.g. based on
postcode or services offered
b.Builds the referral letter via a
template, auto-populating fields
from existing patient records
and attaching necessary reports
c.Signs, encrypts and sends the
electronic referral letter to
the specialist.
3.The Specialist
Upon receiving the referral letter:
a.The specialist’s referral software
will automatically provide the GP
with a delivery confirmation
b.The specialist can access and
review the electronic referral
as needed.
For more information please contact:
NEHTA: www.nehta.gov.au
eHealth visit: www.ehealthinfo.gov.au
Did you know?
•In the future, NEHTA eReferrals
will allow specialists to decline
or cancel referrals, request
more information and provide
‘did not attend’ notifications
•Several software vendors
and eHealth lead sites are
currently in the process of
implementing NEHTA-based
eReferral specifications
•The scope of the NEHTA
eReferral system does not
cover the booking process
at the general practice or
the specialist clinic.