Electronic Referrals

South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD) is partnering with eHealth, the Ministry of Health and Specialty Health Networks (SHN’s) to expand the Engage Outpatient program to outpatient services across SESLHD.

There are two solutions in the Engage Outpatients program:

electronic Referral Management System (eRMS). This is a hospital-based system for receiving and managing referrals.
Electronic Referrals (eReferrals). These are electronic SmartForms that can be sent directly to the eRMS from referrer practice systems or MyHealthLink Portal. An eReferral is an electronic document that can be sent securely, replacing other methods such as faxing or posting paper referrals.

These solutions enable referrals to be sent, received and managed electronically. Referrers and patients will also receive notification of referral outcomes.

The below outpatient services are now processing all referrals through the electronic Referral Management System. The preferred referral method for these services is electronic referral.

Prince of Wales Hospital

The preferred referral method for these services is electronic referral. 

Aged Care	Neurosurgery
Cardiology Pacemaker	Interventional Neurovascular
Cognitive Disorders	Nutrition and Dietetics
Community Palliative Care Team	Ophthalmology
Diabetes Centre	Orthopaedics
Dermatology	Pain Medicine
Ear, Nose and Throat	Palliative and Supportive Care
Endocrinology	Physiotherapy
Fracture	Plastics
Gastroenterology	Prescription and Opioid Management
General Rehabilitation	Rapid Access Cardiac Clinic
General Surgery	Respiratory
Immunology	Rheumatology
Infectious Diseases	Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation
Epilepsy	Neurology
Kidney Care Centre	Urology
Occupational Therapy	Speech Pathology

Royal Hospital for Women 

Antenatal	Gynae Oncology- Colposcopy
Fertility	Menopause Hub
Gynaecology	Perinatal Mental Health and Women’s Psychiatry

The Sutherland Hospital

Diabetes	Infectious Diseases
Dermatology	Neurology
Endocrinology,	Rehabilitation
Gynaecology	Respiratory
Ophthalmology	Direct Access Colonoscopy
Gastroenterology	Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Early Pregnancy Assessment Service

St George Hospital

Aged Care	Immunology
Antibiotic Allergy Clinic	Infectious Diseases
Anticoagulant Clinic	Inflammatory Bowel Disease clinic
Cardiology	Kogarah Eye Clinic (Sydney Hospital and Sydney Eye Hospital Satellite Service)
Colorectal	Metabolic Disorders
Day Infusion and Medical Centre (formerly Ambulatory Care)	Neurology
Dermatology	Respiratory
Diabetes	Sleep Disorders
Direct Access Colonoscopy Clinic	Swallow Clinic
Endocrinology	Tuberculosis Chest Clinic
Gastroenterology	Vascular
Haematology	Wound Clinic
Diabetes Education Centre	Young Adults Diabetes Service TrYADs OP clinic
Nutrition and Dietetics	Liver
Paediatrics	Occupational Therapy
Pelvic Floor	Pain Management
Rehabilitation	Physiotherapy
Renal
Rheumatology	Speech Pathology

Sydney Hospital and Sydney Eye Hospital

Tuberculosis Chest Clinic	Kogarah Eye Clinic (Sydney Hospital and Sydney Eye Hospital Satellite Service)
Hand Unit	Ophthalmology

Why should I send an eReferral? Benefits for referrers

Sending an eReferral instead of a paper or faxed referral has multiple benefits for referrers.

Integrated with practice software (Best Practice Premier, Medical Director Clinical, Genie, Zedmed, Shexie Platinum and Medtech Evolution)
- Multiple fields will be pre-populated with patient information
- Clinical information software can be easily attached
- Referrals sent Quickly and securely
- Completed eReferrals are saved against the patient record in your practice software
eReferrals can also be sent from the MyHealthLink Portal
Notification via secure messaging of referral receipt, outcome and triage category.
- Notification to referrers will only occur when an eReferral is used.
Clear transparency regarding the current list of offered services and clinicians
Faster processing and triage of referrals
- Two-way communication between referrers and hospital services enables additional information to be provided more efficiently and in a timely manner.
- Improved clinical information will assist referral processing and triage

Benefits for outpatient services

Electronic referrals and the Electronic Referral Management System (eRMS) increase efficiency and enhance communication with patients and referrers.

Save time on paperwork
- Faxes digitised into PDF
- All referral information in one electronic system
Reduced manual data entry. Referral fields in the eRMS are auto-populated when eReferrals are used
Improve quality of referral information
- Fewer incomplete referrals due to mandatory fields on eReferrals
- Ability to place referral on hold and secure message referrer to request missing or additional information
Patients receive notification of referral receipt, outcome and triage category
Reduce lost, misdirected and duplicate referrals
- Potential duplicate referrals flagged and managed electronically
- Ability to redirect or reassign referral to a different service
Faster processing and triage of referrals
- Referral management and triage can occur anywhere, any time (access via URL/ Stafflink)
Improve resource management and outpatient service planning

How do I send an eReferral?

eHealth are partnering with HealthLink to develop an eReferral solution.

These Smartforms will integrate with GP practice systems to streamline the completion and submission of electronic referrals. There is no charge for use of eReferrals.

SmartForms can be launched directly from practice management software.

HealthLink eReferrals are integrated with multiple software programs, including Medical Director, Best Practice, Genie, Medtech Evolution, Shexie Platinum and Zedmed.

Referrers who do not have access to these systems can access SmartForms via the HealthLink Portal. A HealthLink account is required.

User Guides for accessing and completing eReferrals

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 Portal: MyHealthLink Portal - HealthLink

Useful Links