Outpatient Clinics - Information for Health Professionals

Electronic referrals (eReferrals) are the preferred method for receiving referrals in the Adult Outpatient Department. eReferrals (SmartForms) can be submitted via the MyHealthLink Portal or via practice software (Best Practice, Medical Director, Genie, MedTech).

All mandatory information must be complete. 

Further information may be found at Electronic Referrals at South Eastern Sydney Local Health District.

Private referrals (bulk-billed through Medicare)

All patients have the right to choose to be treated as a public or private patient for outpatient attendances. If your patient chooses to be treated privately and bulk-billed through Medicare, your referral must meet the following criteria:

• You must address the referral to one Consultant from our Specialist team, not the hospital, clinic, outpatient department or JMO
• You must sign and date the referral, and include your provider number and practice address
• You must state the period of referral in months, or refer “indefinitely”
• You must provide this referral on or prior to the appointment date.

We cannot process your referral if it does not meet the above criteria prior to your patient's initial appointment.

Your patient can choose to amend your referral on the day of their initial appointment. If you provide a private referral that is addressed to a Consultant, your patient may choose to: 

• Seek treatment from another provider within our team and change the Consultant's name on the referral themselves, or
• Decide to be treated as a public patient for their initial appointment, for which the private referral will be valid.

Please note that it is inappropriate for our administration team to recommend a Consultant for your patient. Each Department webpage lists the names and specialties of our Consultants to help you decide the most appropriate practitioner. 

Once your referral has been received with all mandatory information complete, your patient will be contacted by our Administration teams via phone or post. The method of communication depends on their clinical urgency and discipline-specific processes. 

Who will contact your patient to schedule an appointment?

Appointment details will be provided via letter to the patient. Patients will receive an SMS reminder 3 days before their appointment. If an appointment cannot be made, a letter will be sent to the patient that they are on the outpatient waiting list for the next available appointment.

Urgent requests

If your patient needs to be seen urgently, please call the Prince of Wales Hospital switchboard on (02) 9382 2222 and ask to speak with the relevant Registrar or Fellow. 

If your patient wishes to cancel or reschedule their appointment, they may phone the relevant Department in advance. If your patient does not attend multiple consecutive appointments without notice, they may be removed from the Department's appointment list. 

Appointment reminders 

Your patient will receive a reminder prior to their appointment if a mobile phone number is provided.

You must indicate on your referral whether your patient needs an interpreter and the language required. 

If you need to request an interpreter after your referral has been sent, you may advise the relevant Department via phone. Otherwise, your patient may phone the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 131 450 to set up a phone conversation between the Department and Interpreter.