Digital Health
Digital Health refers to a range of digital processes, services and systems that can be used to manage health information and data from different points of care to allow faster, easier, secure sharing and access to this information, deliver safer, better quality healthcare and result in a more efficient, integrated health system.
Contact our Digital Health & QI team: digitalhealth@cesphn.com.au for support and assistance.
See here for upcoming Digital Health events and webinars.
We support the following aspects of digital health and information management:
- Practice Incentives Program eHealth Incentive (ePIP)
- Data Quality Activities using Population Level Analysis and Reporting (POLAR) tool and PEN Clinical Audit (PenCAT) tool
- Clinical software training on using digital health and template development (MedicalDirector & Best Practice)
- Practice Incentive Payment for Quality Improvement (PIP QI)
- My Health Record (MHR)
- Secure Messaging Delivery (SMD) including guidance on expanding with referral pathways
- eDischarges from Sydney and South Eastern Sydney Local Health Districts (SLHD & SESLHD)
- Lumos
- Telehealth
- Electronic Prescriptions
- Information security
- Paperless practice implementation
- Computerisation
Download the Digital Health Checklist for your practice pdf here (231 KB)
In 2016, the following requirements were introduced for practices to be eligible for the ePIP:
- Integrating Healthcare identifiers into Electronic Practice Records
- Secure Messaging Capability
- Data Records and Clinical Coding
- Electronic Transfer of Prescriptions
- My Health Record
Find the detailed description of ePIP requirements in the Practice Incentives Program Digital health (eHealth) Incentives guidelines.
Please note: Accredited general practices registered for the ePIP will be required to upload shared heatlh summaries for 0.5% of practice's SWPE to receive the ePIP payment.
Practices can apply or re-apply for the for the ePIP through HPOS at any time.
General practices seeking to return the ePIP payment of previous quarters for not meeting their SHS upload target can send an email to pip@humanservices.gov.au and the Department will arrange for a debt advice notice to be raised for the repayment of funds.
Please ensure that you include the following information in your correspondence:
- practice details (practice name, practice ID, postal address)
- reason for the correspondence - 'repayment of PIP digital health (eHealth) Incentive payment, as the SHS upload target for the practice was not met by <date>'
- contact name and number
Please also note, that any correspondence sent to DHS on this matter, must come from either the owner of the practice or an authorised contact. More information can be found here.
Resources:
Data quality is an integral part of your practice. At CESPHN, we aim to improve the practice and patient outcomes by enhancing the quality of your data through the use of POLAR and PenCAT tools.
Both tools collect and then translate data from GP clinical systems into statistical and graphical format which can be used for reporting, data cleaning and providing better patient care.
Click here for our dedicated page on Quality Improvement and PIP QI.
My Health Record (MHR, formerly Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record or PCEHR) enables better access to important health information which are currently held in silos across the health sector. MHR provides an active online record that follows your patients as they move through the healthcare system, capturing important clinical information at different points in time. Australians who are registered for My Health Record can access their health information when and where they need it and share this information with their health providers.
Currently My Health Record provides information on medications, allergies and adverse reactions, medical history and immunisation history, MBS and PBS history, imaging and pathology reports and advance care documents.
Click here for our dedicated page on My Health Record.
Secure messaging is the secure electronic transfer of information between health professionals within the healthcare sector, including general practitioners, allied health professionals, hospitals, specialists etc. Secure messaging allows you to exchange reports, discharge summaries and other documents between other health professionals.
The benefits include:
- reducing the time waiting for documents to be delivered
- receiving the documents electronically into your software, removing the need for scanning
- no more illegible and faxed documents
- cost saving on staff time, stationery and postage
- being environmentally friendly
A list of common vendors include:
- HealthLink
- Argus
- MedicalObjects
- ReferralNet
For more information, see here.
Sending patient referrals electronically
Save time and improve efficiency by sending your patient referrals electronically by using either Best Practice, Medical Director or Genie.
An e-referral is an electronic document that can be sent electronically from one healthcare service to another, opposed to the current process of faxing or posting.
Healthlink Smartforms e-referral solution is integrated within Medical Director, Best Practice and Genie and streamlines the completion and submission of electronic referrals. Users benefit from capabilities such as pre-population, field validation and consistency checks, conditional visibility, intuitive layout, support for attachments, and ability to save and return to the draft referral at a later time (parking).
From your software programs, you can select a form, have it pre-populated automatically with data from the electronic patient record, have it validated and sent securely to the intended recipient, and receive an acknowledgement of receipt electronically. A copy of the form will automatically be stored securely in the patient’s record.
Healthlink Smartforms User Guides (Generic)
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
MyHealthLink Portal https://vimeo.com/clanwilliamhealth/healthlink-smartforms-myhealthlink
Healthlink Smartforms for services in CESPHN Catchment
Sydney Local Health District
Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) and Central and Eastern Sydney PHN are delighted to partner with HealthLink to enable electronic referrals directly from your practice management software.
This will allow you to efficiently send secure e-Referrals to Clinics and Ambulatory Care across SLHD facilities. Over the coming months more services will have the ability to receive referrals using the HealthLink SmartForm technology.
SLHD services enabled to receive e-Referral are available under the following links once Healthlink is launched within your practice management software or via the MyHealthLink Portal:
1. Sydney Local Health District
2. Sydney Local Health District Women's Health
Facilities and services:
BALMAIN HOSPITAL
- Balmain Hospital Podiatry
CANTERBURY HOSPITAL
- Canterbury Hospital Haematology
- Canterbury Hospital Osteoporosis and Bone Mineral Density Studies
- Canterbury Hospital Podiatry
- Canterbury Hospital Rheumatology
COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRES
- Community Health Centres Community Paediatrics
- Community Health Centres Podiatry
CONCORD HOSPITAL
- Concord Hospital Aged Care (Geriatrician referrals)
- Concord Hospital Andrology
- Concord Hospital Breast and Endocrine
- Concord Hospital Cardiology
- Concord Hospital Colorectal
- Concord Hospital Dermatology
- Concord Hospital Endocrinology
- Concord Hospital Ear, Nose and Throat
- Concord Hospital Gastroenterology
- Concord Hospital General Surgery
- Concord Hospital Gynaecology
- Concord Hospital Head and Neck
- Concord Hospital Haematology
- Concord Hospital High Risk Foot Service
- Concord Hospital Immunology
- Concord Hospital Infectious Diseases
- Concord Hospital Liver
- Concord Hospital Neurology
- Concord Hospital Ophthalmology
- Concord Hospital Orthopaedics
- Concord Hospital Osteoporosis and Bone Mineral Density Studies
- Concord Hospital Palliative Care
- Concord Hospital Podiatry
- Concord Hospital Renal
- Concord Hospital Respiratory
- Concord Hospital Rheumatology
- Concord Hospital Upper GI and Endosurgery
- Concord Hospital Urology
- Concord Hospital Vascular Surgery
ROYAL PRINCE ALFRED HOSPITAL
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Clinical Genetics
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Dermatology
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Fertility
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Gastroenterology
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Gynaecology
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Haematology
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Hand Therapy
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Immunology
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Infectious Diseases
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Liver
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Long COVID Rehabilitation
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Maternity
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Ophthalmology
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Orthopaedics
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Osteoporosis and Bone Mineral Density
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Paediatric Medicine
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Palliative Care
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Podiatry
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Positive FOBT Assessment
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Post COVID Respiratory Assessment
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Renal Medicine
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Respiratory
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Rheumatology
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Sleep
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Urology
rpaVirtual
- Royal Prince Alfred Virtual Hospital COVID-19 Monitoring
User Guides
Chris O'Brien's Lifehouse
The link below will provide a how to guide for using HealthLink SmarFroms to send e-referrals to the following clinics:
- Rapid Access Endoscopy Clinic
- Medical Oncology
- Radiation Oncology
- Breast Clinic
- Head & Neck Clinic
- Gynaecological Clinic
- Rapid Access Hysteroscopy Clinic
- Gestational Trophoblastic Disease Clinic
- Rapid Access Prostate Cancer Screening
- Various Living Room Services (Integrative Care)
User Guides
The Australian Hearing Medical Certificate
My Aged Care Referral
Refer your patients directly to My Aged Care directly from your clinical software.
How to Make Referral to My Aged Care
Telehealth refers to information and communication technologies to deliver healthcare services and transmit health information via telephone, email or videoconferencing.
Benefits of using telehealth include:
- convenience/flexibility of conducting consultation in any place, saving travel time and money
- improves access to care, including easier access for other parties to join and participate
- privacy and confidentiality maintained as with face-to-face consultations
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are Medicare subsidised telehealth services. Funding is also available to General Practices and to non-GP type primary care services classed as Mental Health, Aged Care, Maternity, Indigenous Health and Allied Health services for free licences to use the HealthDirect video call service. For the latest updates on telehealth information and extensions to funding, visit our Coronavirus page here.
If you are interested in being set up, please complete the New Clinic Application Form and send it to telehealth@cesphn.com.au. We can get you up and running in a day.
HealthDirect Video Call Service resources:
- Telehealth expert Dr Amandeep Hansra explains Video Telehealth
- View this 6 minute video to learn more about the Healthdirect Video Call service
- HealthDirect Videocall factsheet
- Customisable Video Call Patient Information Leaflet
- Video Call Clinician How To and Troubleshooting Guide
- Video Call Patient How To and Troubleshooting Guide
From 31 October 2019, changes to Commonwealth legislation recognise an electronic prescription as an optional, alternative legal form to paper prescription for prescribers (including doctors, dentists, optometrists, midwives and nurse practitioners, excluding veterinarians) and their patients by which medicines can be supplied under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Paper and electronic prescriptions will meet the relevant Commonwealth and State and Territory legislation.
Consumers or their agents may choose to have a new prescription in electronic prescription OR paper form and must have an individual healthcare identifier (IHI) to participate (individuals enrolled into Medicare or Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) will already have an IHI).
Benefits:
- Reduces administrative burden for healthcare providers and organisations (e.g. more effective management of prescription refill requests)
- Improves efficiency in prescribing and dispensing medications
- Reduces prescription, transcription and dispensing errors
- Removes the need for handling and storing of a physical paper prescription
- Supplements delivery of telehealth services to ensure patient continuity of care
- Provides an opportunity to protect community members and healthcare providers from exposure to infectious diseases (e.g. COVID-19)
- Maintains patient privacy and integrity of personal information
Resources:
- Australian Digital Health Agency - Information and updates for prescribers and dispensers
- Australian Digital Health Agency - Electronic prescribing factsheet
- Australian Digital Health Agency - Electronic prescribing factsheet for prescribers
- Australian Digital Health Agency - Electronic prescribing factsheet for dispensers
- Australian Digital Health Agency - Electronic prescription eLearning
- Department of Health - Fast track electronic prescribing factsheet
- Department of Health - Electronic Prescribing
- RACGP information for GPs and patients
- ACRRM information on Electronic Prescribing
- Electronic prescribing conformance register
Readiness checklists:
Policies:
- Electronic Prescriptions Security and Access Policy
- Electronic Prescriptions Privacy Policy
- Electronic Prescriptions Data Usage Policy
For further support, contact our Digital Health and QI team: digitalhealth@cesphn.com.au.
Digital Health policy templates
- Overview of policies required to participate in digital health
- RACGP general practice policy and procedure templates
Information security
- RACGP Information Security
- Protecting your practice information and privacy - RACGP
- Using email in General Practice - RACGP