Streamlining patient referrals Queensland Health is implementing a revolutionary referral system to support General Practitioners (GPs) with the most accurate, up-todate provider information for streamlined referral management
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atient referrals are always a tricky issue to manage, even in the most developed health systems. It is all too easy for a patient to fall through the cracks, or for vital appointments to end up at the door of the wrong practitioner, or never at all. This is why Queensland Health, in partnership with NextGate and Alcidion, is developing a brand new referral system, known as iRMS (integrated Referral 32
Management Solution) to ensure the proper management of referrals, and streamline the process so that patients have access to the right care at the right time. Queensland is the third largest State in Australia with a population of just under 4.6m, while Queensland Health is comprised of 16 Hospital and Health Services (HHS). Under the Hospital and Health Boards Act of 2011, Queensland
Health is responsible for the overall management of the Queensland public health system. There are approximately 6,500 GPs working across Queensland as well as seven Primary Health Networks. Annually, Queensland Health providers receive nearly 2m referrals for outpatient services. However, ensuring that high-quality information was available in the delivery of care throughout the referral process was a continuous challenge for many years. NextGate’s market-leading technology in patient and provider identification connects the healthcare ecosystem to provide a complete and accurate record of care across the enterprise. Involved in managing 250m lives across the globe, NextGate’s Enterprise Master Patient Index (EMPI) is deployed by the most
