Outpatient Service Level Targets for eReferrals

Following the implementation of the eReferrals system, the Outpatient Transformation Program 2022-2026 (Tasmanian Department of Health) has set the following service level targets for processing specialist outpatient eReferrals:

• Referral Registration/Allocation: Our administrators aim to register the referral, verify patient details and assign it for pre-screening / triage within 1 business day.
• Triage: A triaging clinician will aim to accept, decline, or request more information from the referrer within 5 business days.
• Booking / Processing: Clinics will aim to waitlist/book, notify of outcome, and load the referral to the patient’s medical record within:
  • Non-urgent referrals: 10 business days of acceptance.
  • Category 1 or referrals otherwise deemed urgent: 1 business day of acceptance.
• Additional Information Requests: For urgent referrals, the requested information should be provided by the referrer within 4 business days; for non-urgent, within 10 business days.

These targets provide transparency for you and your patients regarding referral outcomes. While clinics aim to meet these targets, delays do occur in complex cases or other extenuating in-clinic circumstances. To assist us with meeting these targets, you can:

• Use HealthLink Smart Form eReferrals to avoid lengthy administrative delays with paper/fax/emails paper handling.
• Always ensure URGENT flags are used in clinically appropriate circumstances.
• Ensure your practice has processes in place to review all eReferral related notifications and respond to all request for information notifications within timeframes.