Category: News

GPs and specialists praise new e-referral service

Posted on by Lauren Turner

Tasmania, New South Wales and ACT.

The free service sees the Medical Specialists Directory integrated within HealthLink’s software so GPs can seamlessly search, select, and send electronic referrals to any private specialist in the directory.

Dr Ta Phengsiaroun from Hawker Medical Practice, ACT, succinctly summarises how he’s finding sending referrals through the new service: “It’s fast, it’s easy and it’s precise,” he says.

HealthLink lead technical analyst –  customer support and deployment, Lawrence Peterson, explains how the new service is a game changer for GPs and specialists.

“GPs can now complete an e-Referral in one seamless process using a standardised form to refer to any private specialist in the directory. They can also attach relevant images and reports directly from the patient medical record, “Mr Peterson says.

“GPs can say goodbye to importing templates and using out-of-date local address books.”

He says a key feature is the ability to easily and clearly see which specialists can be referred to electronically.

The majority of specialists are live for electronic referrals. However, if a specialist is not live yet for electronic referrals, then the GP can still print off a manual referral to send.

The service is available using the main practice management systems (PMSs) Medical Director, Best Practice, Genie and Medtech via HealthLink. Please watch the short two-minute video about how to use it. You can also give it a go by sending a test referral to the fictitious specialist “Mickey Mouse”.

 

How SR e-Referrals are helping specialists

Similarly, specialists can receive the SR e-Referrals via their HealthLink account at no charge.

Shelley, the practice manager for foot, knee and ankle orthopaedic surgeon Dr Jacob Kaplan is impressed with the service.

“The new SR electronic referrals are convenient, they save front desk staff valuable time and we look forward to receiving more SR referrals electronically from GPs.”

All specialists registered with HealthLink are welcome to phone SR Specialists & Referrals on 1800 147 047 for a test referral to see how they are received into their software.

More specialists are registering with HealthLink daily to ensure they are also enabled for SR e-Referrals for all their consult locations.

Mr Peterson says HealthLink is planning to launch a portal soon for specialists who may not have a compliant PMS so they can access the referral through a web browser.

Working together to make e-Referrals a reality

HealthLink and Cervin Media, which has published the Medical Specialists Directory for the past 20 years, have worked together to deliver the new service.

HealthLink CEO Michelle Creighton says HealthLink is delighted to be partnering with Cervin Media to bring the service to Australian healthcare providers.

“The SR Specialists & Referrals solution will make it easier for GPs to refer patients to the best care possible. Not only will GPs save time, specialists will be provided with a higher-quality referral, which is better for the health outcome of patients,” she says.

Cervin Media general manager Dr Carmel Cervin says the current referral system in Australia is quite messy and fragmented and takes several time-consuming steps.

“The new service takes away that messiness, hassle and uncertainty with one seamless process that is intuitive and easy to use.”

“With the directory now online, it means we can update specialist’s information and details immediately and provide even more detailed information on specialist services and locations,” she says.

“We want to make life easier for GPs and specialists and help them take better care of their patients by offering a smooth, e-Referral process.”

Further info

Watch a short two-minute video that gives a quick overview of SR Specialists & Referrals.


Hear, hear! New e-referral form for Audika

Posted on by Lauren Turner

E-referrals can now be made to Audika using Clanwilliam Health’s CareSelect service.

For more than 100 years, Audika (formerly Hearing Life) has been helping people with hearing loss get their lives back, and the new referral process will enhance its services, says Diem Smith, Clinician and Audika’s Group Clinical & Sales Trainer NZ.

Mrs Smith, an audiologist, says Audika was founded in 1904 in Denmark by Hans Demant who was determined to help his wife Camilla, who had hearing loss, lead a better life.

“That foundation of care carries on today in Audika’s 30 clinics located around New Zealand. We are passionate about helping people hear better and get their lives back,” Mrs Smith says.

“We aim to provide excellent hearing care to all our patients.”

Audika offers full adult diagnostic hearing assessments and hearing aid fittings, as well as providing the service to some children at designated clinics.

“We have ACC accredited clinicians who are able to see noise-induced/head trauma claimants and Veterans’ Affairs claimants. Our clinicians are also able to access the Ministry of Health’s hearing aid funding and subsidy schemes on behalf of patients.”

Helping patients reconnect

Mrs Smith says denial is the main reason many people with hearing loss do nothing about it, and it’s often a loved one or companion who notices the hearing loss first.

“It can get to the point where a person’s quality of life is affected if they can’t hear properly. Relationships can break down. If they can’t take part in conversations they withdraw and are isolated, so the sooner they get help, the better.”

She says it’s rewarding to help patients reconnect with the world again.

“It’s a fantastic feeling knowing you’ve made a difference to someone’s life when they get their hearing back and are participating with their family, friends and colleagues again,” she says.

“While the majority of our patients are older, we’re seeing more younger people with hearing loss due to recreational noise exposure from things like attending concerts or using personal listening devices with the volume up too loud.”

Ear wax removal service

Mrs Smith says some Audika clinics now offer ear wax removal by suction.

“Qualified ear wax removal nurses are hard to find so we’re proud to be able to offer this service carried out by our clinicians who have been trained up on how to do it.”

She says for more complex cases, they will still refer patients to a qualified ear wax removal nurse.

“As a healthcare provider, people can be assured that Audika has introduced a range of measures to ensure the safety of both our patients and staff.”

How to refer to Audika:

  • open the patient record

  • select the HealthLink icon

  • use the CareSelect search bar, type “Audika”

  • select the local Audika branch

  • click “Compose Referral”.


Clanwilliam Group Acquires Dictate IT

Posted on by sobold_admin_16

Medical correspondence and clinical reporting specialist looks to support growth and find synergies with other businesses in the health investor’s rapidly expanding NHS division

Dictate IT, a company founded by doctors to support the production of medical correspondence to make it easier for organisations to deal with patient data, has become part of the Clanwilliam Group.

The company, which provides digital dictation, outsourced transcription, and speech recognition services to 27 healthcare providers in the UK and Ireland, will become the 18th company to be supported by the rapidly expanding health tech investor.

Managing director Mark Miller said the move would enable Dictate IT to expand its reach, invest in its solutions, and work with other companies in the Clanwilliam Group NHS division.

Being part of a bigger group will give us the ability to increase the investment we have been making in reaching new customers and improving the type and quality of solutions that we offer

Joining Clanwilliam Group will also give us a fantastic opportunity to work with compatible businesses, and to form strong and supportive partnerships that will benefit healthcare organisations, their staff and patients.

Clanwilliam Group is a global provider of healthcare technology, headquartered in Dublin, that launched an ambitious mergers and acquisitions strategy in 2014.

It recently secured funds for further expansion through a €200 million debt placement with Alcentra, which will be used to refinance existing facilities and to finance near term acquisition opportunities. A further €100m of follow-on capital is earmarked for future growth in order to accelerate the Group’s global Mergers & Acquisitions ambitions.

The NHS division has been a particular focus for activity this year. Obsidian Healthcare Group, a provider of communications and medical education and training, and Informatica Systems, a provider of primary care predictive analytics, also joined the group in 2018.

Clanwilliam Group emphasises that, unlike private equity investors, it holds companies “for the long haul”. It has never sold a business and says it will never go public.

Chief executive Howard Beggs said: “Our approach is to find companies that fit with our ethos and vision, which is to be innovative, caring and committed to making sure that healthcare professionals, patients and their families benefit from the work we do.

“Dictate IT is an excellent fit with that ethos and it will add real and tangible value from its expert knowledge, customer base and market-leading products.

“We have done a lot of work to develop the NHS division this year, and next year we will be looking to make the most of the synergies between the companies in it. Dictate IT will be a significant component of that strategy.”

In addition to its recent acquisitions, Clanwilliam Group’s NHS division includes Medisec Software, a clinical correspondence solutions provider to the NHS, and maxwell stanley consulting, a specialist in clinical coding and data quality.

Miller said he was enthusiastic about exploring the possibility of working with both firms as NHS organisations looked to advance the paperless agenda and extract knowledge from the data that they hold.

“We have the most accurate medical speech recognition and language processing technology currently available in the UK, and this move provides us with an opportunity to offer it to more companies within the Clanwilliam Group and so to get it to more clinicians, immediately,” he said.

Dictate IT were advised by Silverpeak and Lewis Silkin .

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Healthvision: Same nurse key to successful patient outcomes

Posted on by Lauren Turner

Having the same nurse visit Jeanette Miller’s home over a two-month period to treat a leg wound helped her recover much faster, the 80-year-old says.

Jeanette seriously grazed her lower right shin after falling on a concrete slab on her way to lunch with her husband in Noumea in October 2019.

The deep wound bled profusely and was treated with disinfectant and dressings. Upon her arrival home to Auckland two days later, Jeanette visited a GP.

After a few visits to the GP, she was asked if she would like some free ACC wound care home visits from a Healthvision NZ nurse to help the wound heal.

“I said yes straight away. I didn’t even know that you could get that type of help, but I’m so glad I did,” Jeanette says.

She describes her Healthvision nurse Pat Mankelow as “wonderful”.

Pat visited Jeanette in the comfort of her own home twice a week over a two-month period, starting at the end of November 2019.

Speedy recovery

Jeanette says the home visits helped speed up her recovery.

“It was nice to have consistency with the same nurse. I had so much confidence because the same person was treating me every time. She was always punctual too.

“She put a lot of thought and care into how to treat my wound and it has healed beautifully. She always told me what she was doing and why in a really clear way,” she says.

“Pat knew so much about wounds and gave me great confidence that it would heal. She was so professional and had all the right equipment to treat the wound.”

Jeanette says she looked forward to Pat’s visits.

“She was such good fun and we got to know each other and build up trust. I miss her visits now.”

She says having her come to her house was convenient.

“It meant I didn’t have to drive or travel anywhere to get to my appointments, which made it so much easier.”

Faster healing outcomes

Healthvision’s national manager of nursing and rehabilitation Julia Morris says having the same registered nurse from the beginning to the end of a patient’s treatment ensures continuity of care and faster healing outcomes.

“Our team of specialist wound care nurses can visit ACC patients in their home, work or school and have access to highly specialised burn and wound dressings, which is all free of charge to patients.”

Julia says if there are any underlying vascular conditions, Healthvision can provide patients with a Doppler assessment and issue two pairs of free compression stockings if necessary.

How to refer to Healthvision:

Healthvision accepts free ACC burn and wound referrals for patients in Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Christchurch.

E-referrals can be made electronically via Medtech32, Medtech Evolution, MyPractice and indici.

If you’re not sure how, Healthvision can provide free training. Simply call Healthvision on 0508 733 377, email service@healthvision.co.nz or call their relationship manager on 022 5900 125.

If your practice uses Medtech32:

  • Open the patient record

  • Select the HealthLink icon

  • Click on the ACC Burn and Wound Care link currently located at the top of the right column, under ‘Referred Services’

Healthlink Careselect


Transport NSW digital forms saving precious time

Posted on by Lauren Turner

Submitting Fitness to Drive medical assessments electronically instead of on paper is saving healthcare workers and patients precious time and hassle.

Transport for NSW, using the HealthLink SmartForm technology, now allows Fitness to Drive medical assessments to be submitted electronically making life a lot easier for GPs and patients.

Online medical submissions also protect older drivers and help slow the spread of COVID-19 as patients don’t have to attend a Service NSW Centre to hand in a paper form.

The HealthLink SmartForm is compatible with Medical Director, Best Practice, Genie and Medtech Evolution practice management systems.

Transport for NSW Licence Review Unit Manager Kylie Williams says annual Fitness to Drive medical assessments were required for people over 75, people with certain medical conditions and people holding specific licences.

“Right now, it’s important to think about our older drivers and ways we can work together to help them out as much as possible,” Ms Williams says.

“Helping them avoid a trip to a Service Centre is key. After feedback from doctors, we’ve planned further improvements to the electronic form, making it even quicker and easier to use,” she says.

One medical practice near Sydney, which uses Medical Director, has been using the SmartForm since its inception in 2017.

The practice nurse says they submit a large number of electronic medical assessments via the Transport SmartForms.

“We probably do about 80 a month all up. It saves patients a lot of time and hassle because they no longer have to post all the documents or drive to the Service Centre and wait around for ages for their form to be processed,” she says.

 

High demand from patients

She says many of the practice’s patients are elderly and living longer, so they have a high number of people needing to submit Fitness to Drive medical assessments.

“Sending the forms by post is slower, and having to drive to the Service Centre is a big ask for a lot of people due to our location. They also have to wait for their form to be processed, which can be stressful for older people.”

She says submitting forms electronically also saves patients money because they don’t have to pay for petrol or parking.

The electronic form is quicker to fill out than the paper-based one, and the electronic submission remains in the patient record, so GPs and nurses can easily access it, she says.

“I’d definitely recommend the electronic form to other practices, especially if you have older patients and aren’t in a big city.”

HealthLink Customer Service and Deployment Lead Technical Analyst Lawrence Peterson says the SmartForm continues to gain popularity across NSW.

“There are 1,350 medical practices now submitting more than 9,000 electronic Fitness to Drive medical assessments each month for their patients.”

How to submit Fitness to Drive medical assessments electronically:

Quick Start Guides for:

  • Best Practice

  • MedicalDirector

  • Genie

 


Private Hospital and Partner COVID-19 Information

Posted on by Lauren Turner

We work with a range of stakeholders across the Healthcare industry. Given the unprecedented COVID-19 driven changes we reached out to all of our contacts to see what information they would like to share with Irish GPs.

Please click the link below for our webpage which includes the latest updates from Affidea, Alliance Medical, the Bons Secours Group, the Hermitage Clinic, the Sports Surgery Clinic, St. Patricks Mental Health Services, St. Vincents and The Waterstone Clinic.

Click here for the latest information and please feel free to share it with anyone who might find it useful.

More Features and Functionality Than Any Other System on the Market

Posted on by Lauren Turner

DGL Practice Manager is the UK and Ireland’s leading virtual practice management suite for consultants, practice managers and medical secretaries. Our software solution allows you to manage your practice or clinic’s administration, clinical data, finances, reporting and document creation from one central, feature-rich location.

Simply put, DGL offers more features and functionality than any other system on the market.

ePrescribing legislation passed in Ireland

Posted on by Lauren Turner

On Friday 3nd April historic new legislation was signed into Irish law by Minister for Health Simon Harris. The legislation removed the requirement for a physical or hard copy of a prescription to be presented in pharmacies in order to collect prescriptions that are sent via the HSE’s secure Healthmail service.

GPs can now create a prescription in their GP software system as normal and send this directly to a pharmacy via Healthmail. The pharmacy can then dispense the prescription to the patient as normal and without requiring the patient to present a signed hard copy of the prescription. All prescriptions will be stored in the HSE’s Healthmail servers to ensure a digital record is maintained.

This represents a significant change both to Irish law and to how GPs can send patient prescriptions to pharmacies throughout the country. Clanwilliam Health has supported Healthmail since its launch in 2014 and we have developed numerous Healthmail integrations into our GP software systems. Now that the legislation is in place to enable this e-prescribing, we are pro-actively working with the HSE, eHealth Ireland, our GP technology user groups and other stakeholders to ensure the Healthmail e-prescription service is enhanced in all of our GP technology systems.

Eileen Byrne, Clanwilliam Health Managing Director said: “All of our GP technology systems integrate with Healthmail today, and we look forward to continuing to work with eHealth Ireland, the HSE and our GP user groups to develop and improve these integrations. I also have no doubt that our GP users will be delighted to finally get rid of their archaic dot matrix printers from their surgeries.”

Clanwilliam Health continues to deliver functionality designed to help our users in GP practices, care homes, consultant clinics, pharmacies and hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Product additions such as video consultations, electronic referrals for COVID-19 testing, Healthmail integrations and eScript have been made widely available for users during this crisis and our development teams continue to work on delivering new functionality designed to help all of users.

Northland DHB introduces intra-hospital e-referrals

Posted on by Lauren Turner

Referrals between hospital departments in Northland DHB can now be made electronically, saving precious time and improving patient safety.

GPs have been e-referring into hospitals in the region since 2013 but referrals between hospital departments were paper-based until the beginning of this year.

In a groundbreaking move, Northland DHB has partnered with Clanwilliam Health (formerly HealthLink) to build an integration into the hospital platform to enable e-referrals to be sent between hospital departments and beyond.

E-referrals can now also be made from hospital departments to a wide range of community providers, private specialists and, in the near future, to Auckland-based tertiary services. Some community and government organisations can also e-refer into the hospitals.

Northland DHB digital projects clinical director Dr Alan Davis says eliminating paper referrals improves efficiency and patient safety.

“Patient safety is key. Paper referrals are high risk because they can go missing, have incomplete information or poor handwriting, which can be hugely problematic and time-consuming for everyone involved,” Dr Davis says.

“It’s about building a patient-centred health ecosystem using patient-centred digital referral networks.”

Anyone to anyone e-referrals

Dr Davis says the ultimate goal is an e-referral platform in which anyone can refer to anyone within the wider health ecosystem.

“We are now moving towards that goal where anyone can refer to anyone using a single integrated platform, which would be a New Zealand first.”

Clanwilliam Health director of customer experience Paul Graham says referrals come into hospitals from GPs electronically, so the next logical step was to make referrals between hospital departments and beyond electronic as well.

“We are leveraging existing investment in HealthLink SmartForms to improve patient outcomes and help drive paper out of hospitals,” he says.

E-referrals can also be sent to hospitals in other DHBs, for example, from Whangarei Hospital in Northland DHB to Middlemore Hospital in Counties Manukau DHB.

“Again, this saves time and hassle and ensures the referrals are arriving at the intended destination with all the complete information.”

Background information:

HealthLink: HealthLink, which is part of Clanwilliam Health, is a market-leading health system integrator in New Zealand and Australia. Nearly all secure clinical communications used in New Zealand are shared through HealthLink and it’s the largest provider of secure clinical messaging services in Australia.

For media assistance, please contact:

Maggie McNaughton

Clanwilliam Health publicist

021 613198

maggie@healthycomms.co.nz