Electronic Referrals are coming to Prince of Wales Hospital

South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD) is partnering with eHealth, the Ministry of Health and Specialty Health Networks to pilot electronic referrals in selected outpatient services, as part of the eHealth NSW Engage Outpatients program.

There are two solutions in this program:

1. Electronic Referral Management System (eRMS), the hospital-based system for receiving and managing referrals, and
2. eReferrals, the electronic forms submitted by referrers via practice software or MyHealthLink portal. eReferrals replace other methods of sending paper referrals such as fax or post.

Which outpatient services are going live?

Prince of Wales Hospital Adult Outpatients Department is the pilot site for the EO project in SESLHD. The below services have been selected for the initial go-live and will be able to receive eReferrals from 20 November 2023.

A business case will be developed for further roll out of the Engage Outpatients program across other SESLHD outpatient services.

What are the benefits to referrers?

The eRMS and eReferrals solutions enable referrals to be sent, received and managed electronically. Sending an eReferral instead of a paper or faxed referral has several benefits for referrers:

1. eReferrals are integrated with HealthLink practice software (Best Practice, Medical Director, Genie) and can be launched directly from the software.
   • Multiple fields will be pre-populated with patient information
   • Clinical information can be easily attached
   • Referrals are sent securely
   • Completed eReferrals are saved against the patient record in your practice software
2. Referrers are notified via secure message of referral receipt, outcome and triage category. Notification only occurs when the patient is referred via eReferral.
3. Improved visibility of services. Referrers can select from a list of outpatient services and clinicians.

What would I need to do?

If you already use HealthLink practice software, you will have access to eReferrals when they go live. Video user guides for completing eReferrals can be found here:

Best Practice: https://vimeo.com/clanwilliamhealth/healthlink-smartforms-bestpractice

Medical Director: https://vimeo.com/clanwilliamhealth/healthlink-smartforms-medicaldirector

Genie: https://vimeo.com/clanwilliamhealth/healthlink-smartforms-genie

Referrers who do not access these systems can access eReferrals via the MyHealthLink portal. A HealthLink account is required.

HealthLink Portal: MyHealthLink Portal – HealthLink

Who do I contact?

Further details can be found on the SESLHD eReferrals website:

https://www.seslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/services-clinics/directory/electronic-referrals