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General practices use HealthLink mostly to receive incoming reports but not to send referrals. SmartForms is available to make the referral process to Canberra Health Services (CHS)’ Outpatient Services easier and more streamlined. Sending electronic referrals is beneficial not only for the practitioners but also assists Canberra Health Services and ultimately benefits the patient because their referral can be triaged correctly, and they can get the treatment they need on time.
CHS and Calvary Hospital’s preferred method of referrals will be SmartForms when the Digital Health Record goes live this November 2022. CHN are continuously working with practices that are not enabled for HealthLink SmartForms.
CHN provided education, communications and resources to general practices and GPs on the use and benefits of HealthLink SmartForms through various channels including toolkits, tutorial videos, HealthPathways and events. A working group with the GP Liaison Units at CHS and Calvary Hospital were formed. In addition, CHN distributed a Smartforms assessment survey to general practices to get insights on how many practices and GPs are using this tool and to provide support to those who need it. The uptake in the number of referrals using HealthLink SmartForms rose from an average of 1,200 in September 2020 to 2,000 as of June 2022.