| Orion Health™ eReferrals Enable Better Communication Between GPs and Hospital |
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SYDNEY, NSW. – August 17, 2009 – ACT Health is the first region in the country to go live with a comprehensive, electronic referral management solution (eReferrals) from leading healthcare technology providers Orion Health Pty Ltd and HealthLink. The eReferrals project has created significant interest amongst the clinical community because it provides General Practitioners (GP) across the Australian Capital Territories (ACT) with visibility of the referrals process in The Canberra Hospital (TCH) and creates efficiencies that benefit patients and health care providers. Some of the most common problems with paper-based referrals in hospitals occur as a result of legibility, duplication or data entry errors, or inadequate updates on the status of a referral. In some instances this can lead to problems with patient care and adverse patient outcomes. eReferrals helps to eliminate the risks associated with manual processes and also allows staff at TCH to prioritise case loads to better serve patients. When a patient is in need of specialist care, a GP refers a patient to a specialist or other provider at TCH for treatment. Using the eReferrals system, the GP can electronically submit and manage the referral through to completion. The system enables GPs to track referral progress to ensure an appointment is booked in a timely manner and that the patient attended their appointment. It also provides automatic notifications of any change in the state of the referral. Initial reactions to the new system are overwhelmingly positive. The pilot went live in early June, and more than 30 GPs across the ACT region are using the system to refer to more than 60 Specialists in Outpatient Services. Plans are already underway to expand to additional services at TCH, and several hundred General Practices within the ACT and nearby regions. Eventually, ACT Health expects the eReferrals solution, which tracks the transfer of care of a patient, to enable any healthcare provider within ACT and nearby regions to refer a patient to another healthcare provider. “We envisage this solution will enable electronic referrals throughout the ACT Health system. With the go live of this eReferrals solution, we’re on the way to making our vision of an eHealth future a reality”, said ACT Health CEO Mr Mark Cormack. The joint eReferrals solution was implemented by ACT Health, Orion Health, HealthLink and piloted with a group of General Practices. According to Orion Health’s Regional Manager Chris Stephens, when a similar system was implemented in Hutt Valley DHB in New Zealand, urgent and semi-urgent referrals were processed faster (by 3 days) and productivity improved by 40%. “By replacing paper based systems we are able to improve patient access to care, ensure accurate and secure information transfer and increase productivity in handling and use of patient information. A trusted partner of ACT Health, HealthLink assists patients in their care as they move through the different parts of the healthcare system” says Geoffrey Sayer, General Manager for HealthLink Australia. About HealthLink HealthLink is a ‘Primary Care Integrator’, an organisation whose key purpose is to enable primary care to communicate electronically with the rest of the health system. HealthLink’s high quality online services use web-services based technology, enabling practices to communicate with the rest of the sector in a manner that is reliable, seamless, secure and efficient. More information can be found at www.healthlink.net Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Australia: 1800 125 036 New Zealand: 0800 288 887 About Orion Health Pty Ltd About Orion Health Orion Health’s easy-to-use suite of applications and tools integrate and enhance healthcare information systems and deliver secure, universal access to information. The innovative company delivers an end-to-end information technology (IT) integration platform that brings together clinical content to improve clinician effectiveness and the quality of patient care. More information can be found at www.orionhealth.com Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Australia: +61 2 9965 3756 Canada: +1 877 763 4666 New Zealand: +64 9 638 0600 United Kingdom: +44 0870 432 9580 United States: +1 800 905 9151 
 
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