Tasmanian eReferral System

Carolynne Partridge (Nurse Unit Manager – Specialist Outpatient Clinics, Launceston General Hospital)

Launceston General Hospital Specialist Outpatient Clinics started using eReferrals three months ago. Over this period our clerical team has seen referrals received much faster than other methods. Sending a HealthLink SmartForm Referral means our administrators receive the referrals instantly and don’t have to wait for mail delivery, scroll through e-mails, or collect paper off the fax machine to manually scan / upload. This means referrals are sent to the clinicians much faster. We strongly encourage GPs to use the new HealthLink eReferral SmartForm solution in their practice.

Allison Coull (Nurse Unit Manager - Ambulatory Care - Northwest Regional Hospital)

We know that the recent introduction of eReferrals in the Northwest has been a change to existing GP referral methods, our team appreciates practices supporting this new process. The additional efforts involved in processing referrals still received via paper, emails and fax really slow down our processes. We notice that the eReferrals get to the correct clinic triaging location much faster. It also allows our doctors and nursing staff an easier communication channel with GP’s should extra information be required for a referral. As such, we urge any GPs who aren’t yet using Health Link SmartForms referrals to come onboard to help with efficiencies in our outpatient clinics.

Sharon Kirkland (Nurse Unit Manager - Specialist Clinics/Outpatients Mersey Community Hospital)

The staff in Outpatients at Mersey Community Hospital are excited to have the new centralised eReferral system. Receiving the new HealthLink Smart Form eReferrals is a more efficient process. The new referral system allows for referrals to be processed and triaged quicker. This results in your patients being seen in a more timely manner. The old system of receiving referrals by fax or email is a slow and inefficient process. This is demanding on the administrative team’s time. Time to triage is delayed, resulting in delays in patients being seen in clinic. My team would love to see every Tasmanian GP using the new referral system to assist our outpatient health services and to the benefit of our patients.

John Stanfield, Manager Outpatient Appointments and Theatre Booking Clerks, Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH)

The e-referral system embeds communication and registration efficiency for Outpatients Appointment Schedulers if Health Link Smart Referrals is used. Where the Health Link Smart Forms aren’t used, this means a lot of double handling and phone calls from GPs looking to confirm receipt or progression of referrals. Ideally, we’ll see a higher percentage of GP’s using health link soon… better for us better, for you and better for the patient experience.

Yvonne Echaburu, Nurse Manager - Royal Hobart Hospital Outpatient Clinics

The introduction of the eReferrals system will allow for improved efficiencies around referral registration, waitlisting and appointment allocation while allowing GP’s greater visibility in real-time to the referral outcome. We appreciate that the adoption of the HealthLink eReferral smart form is a change in process for some GPs but this change will ultimately help improve communications between the Specialist Clinics and GP practices, ensuring a better experience for all. The continued use of paper-based referrals received by fax is outdated and a greater risk for patients with the potential for lost or delayed referrals. Moving to an integrated system such the eReferral smart form will minimise those risks and ensure patients are seen in a more timely manner.