Digital health

The eHealth Practice Incentive Program (ePIP) aims to encourage general practices to keep up to date with the latest developments in digital health technologies. Practices can apply for the ePIP through HPOS.

There are currently five requirements for practices to become eligible for the ePIP and they are:

• Integrating health care identifiers into electronic practice records
• Secure messaging capability
• Data records and clinical coding
• Electronic transfer of prescriptions
• My Health Record system access and uploading

USEFUL RESOURCES

• Practice Incentives Programs (Department of Human Services)
• RACGP ePIP fact sheet
• RACGP website

Requirement 1:  Integrating Health care Identifiers into Electronic Practice Record

• Healthcare Identifiers Service- FAQs
• Best Practice: Inputting HPI-O and HPI-I
• Best Practice: Validating Patient IHI Numbers
• Medical Director: Inputting HPI-O and HPI-I
• Medical Director: Validating Patient IHI Numbers (see page 6)

Requirement 2:  Secure Messaging Capability

• Secure Message Delivery Information Pack for General Practice
• Secure Messaging Capability Policy Template

Requirement 3:  Data Records and Clinical Coding

• Data Records and Coding Policy Template

Requirement 4:  Electronic Transfer of Prescriptions

• eRx Script Exchange
• MediSecure
• Electronic Transfer of Prescriptions Policy Template

Requirement 5: My Health Record Access and Uploading

• RACGP My Health Record, A brief guide for general practice
• Find My Health Record Guides and further resources on RACGP website

Uploading a Shared Health Summary instructions sheets

• Medical Director
• Best Practice
• Genie
• Zedmed

Shared Health summary calculators

• Best Practice
• Medical Director

Electronic prescriptions were introduced in 2020 as part of the National Health Plan for COVID-19 to give patients the choice between a paper prescription or a new legal electronic prescription. Both electronic and paper prescriptions need to comply with relevant State and Territory legislation.

Patients can choose either an electronic or paper prescription, but not both, and can choose both the prescriber and dispenser of their medications.

Electronic prescriptions are not to be confused with Electronic Transfer of Prescriptions (ETP) which is the encrypted transfer of prescription information from a prescribing system to a dispensing system via a third-party secure Prescription Delivery Service. With ETP, a paper prescription is still used and a barcode is printed on the prescription given to the patient which is then scanned at the pharmacy.

Two models for Electronic Prescriptions

There are two models available, the Token Model and the Active Script List.

Token Model:

The prescriber orders the prescription in their clinical software (once it has been enabled for electronic prescribing).

The electronic prescription is encrypted and sent to the Prescription Delivery Service to await downloading from the dispensing system.

The prescribing software also sends a token to the patient’s device (mobile phone or email). (Please note: the token is NOT the electronic prescription but is merely evidence of a prescription being generated).

Patients can choose to manage their tokens on their mobile devices and can take their mobile phone to the pharmacy of their choice.

The mobile device will display the token in a manner suitable for scanning in the pharmacy.

If the patient chooses the email option, they will need to print the emailed token and take the printed copy to the pharmacy for scanning – or email the token to the pharmacy.

Once the token is scanned, the prescription is unlocked from the Prescription Delivery Service and the medication is dispensed as normal.

Each medication will require its own token as multiple medications cannot be stored on individual tokens.

Prescribers of electronic prescriptions should check with their software vendor for the cost of sending SMS messages.

Paper and electronic prescriptions are NOT interchangeable. If a token cannot be scanned for some reason – even if all the details are visible – the information cannot be manually entered into the dispensing system.

Active Script List (ASL):

The prescriber writes the prescription in their clinical software (once it has been enabled for electronic prescribing).

The electronic prescription is sent to the Prescription Delivery Service to await downloading from the dispensing system.

Dispensers can access the electronic prescription for a patient from an Active Script List in the Prescription Delivery Service following proof of the patient’s identity.

ASL overcomes the issue of lost tokens and assists in medication management, especially for patients who are taking multiple medications as multiple medications can be prescribed on the one ASL.

Please visit this page for more resources and support.

Electronic requesting (also called eRequesting or eOrdering), is the safe and secure exchange of pathology information between the requesting clinical software and the pathology laboratory information system. The clinician requesting a pathology test will do an eRequest in their clinical software which is electronically transmitted to the pathology laboratory and a printed copy provided to the patient. eRequesting is required for uploading pathology results to the My Health Record to enable better connected and coordinated care.

Can healthcare providers choose not to send results to a patients My Health Record

Healthcare providers can choose not to upload to a My Health Record by checking the box labelled “Do not send to the My Health Record” at the bottom of the eRequest pathology request screen.

This is the only way to prevent specific pathology results from being uploaded to the My Health Record system. Please note that manually ticking the check box on the printed paper copy is no longer valid for eRequests.

When are pathology results uploaded to the My Health Record?

Healthcare providers will be able to access pathology results soon after they are uploaded by the pathology laboratory. Patients will be not be able to access pathology results in the My Health Record until seven days after they are uploaded - except for certain exempted tests.

Pathology reports for blood clot monitoring, known as the international normalised ratio (INR) test, diabetes monitoring (HbA1c), COVID-19 and respiratory infection tests (such as flu) are available as soon as they are uploaded to My Health Record. 

Benefits of electronic pathology requests

• Reduced duplication of pathology tests saving time and money for patients and healthcare provider
• Private pathology reports available in the My Health Record
• Reduced laboratory transcription errors
• Quicker, accurate processing of the report
• No change to the existing workflow
• Consumers can view results in their My Health Record and do not need to request results
• Intelligent and predictive search functionality for healthcare providers.

For more information on eRequesting click here.

MyMedicare is a new Federal Government initiative for voluntary patient registration as an enabler for continuity of care and better health equity. For more details on MyMedicare click here

The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) and Services Australia retired all SHA-1 National Authentication Service for Health (NASH) certificates in early 2024. Healthcare organisations need to apply for a SHA-2 NASH certificate in order to meet new cyber security requirements. Please note: NASH certificates expire after 2 years and new ones must be ordered via HPOS before the expiry date".

Why is this important?

NASH certificates are essential pieces of digital infrastructure to access and/or use national digital health systems such as My Health Record, the Health Identifiers (HI) Service, Electronic Prescriptions and Secure Messaging. These systems enable safe, secure and efficient patient care. For example: 

• Systems like Electronic Prescriptions support patients to access their medicines quickly and efficiently, especially during COVID-19 lockdowns. 
• Secure Message Delivery (SMD) supports timely and secure referral exchange, so that patients can be triaged in a timely manner. 
• My Health Record supports accurate patient information at the point of care – whether that patient is travelling from interstate or between local communities.

What does my general practice need to do?

Contact your clinical software vendor to ensure your software is ready for the change. Healthcare provider organisations must be using the latest version of their clinical software to be compatible with SHA-2 NASH certificates. 

If you haven’t already, create a PRODA and HPOS account. 

Check your current SHA-1 NASH certificate expiry date to see when you need to apply for your new SHA-2 NASH certificate. Noting you can apply for the new certificate before yours has expired. 

Apply for your health care organisation SHA-2 NASH certificate. There is a step-by-step guide here to support you. 

For further support
If you experience technical difficulties there are a number of contact options. The Digital Health Agency via help@digitalhealth.gov.au, your clinical software provider, PRODA on 1800 700 199 or email proda@servicesaustralia.gov.au or eBusiness email ebusiness@servicesaustralia.gov.au.

Patient recall and reminder templates

Patient recall and reminder notifications offer a great opportunity to inform, educate and motivate patients to better engage with their care.

The right wording in a recall notification is often the difference between an appointment being promptly made and a discarded notice.

Using templates that cater to the needs of patients are more likely to inform and motivate patients.

Best Practice instructions

• How to create/edit a reminder letter

Medical Director instructions

• Recalls and reminder fact sheet

Contact us

For further support contact Brisbane South PHN's Primary Health team via email support@bsphn.org.au or phone 07 3864 7555.

Secure Messaging Delivery (SMD) enables health care providers to send and receive sensitive and confidential clinical information like referrals, reports, pathology and radiology requests, results and discharge summaries in a secure and encrypted environment.

Benefits of SMD

SMD minimises the burden of manual and paper processes and is a timely and efficient means for sending and receiving clinical information. This frees up staff to complete other necessary tasks and reduces the costs of administrative tasks such as paper for scanning and faxing, postage and staff hours. Additionally, Secure Messaging:

• integrates directly with clinical software systems
• makes critical patient information more readily available and accessible
• reduces the chances of communication breakdown
• records send and receive audit trails, and
• enables providers to receive priority clinical information in real time.

As part of the second requirement for the eHealth Practice Incentive Payment (ePIP) a general practice must have standards-compliant SMD capability.

More information

• Practice Incentives Program eHealth (ePIP)
• Secure messaging

Useful resources

Secure Messaging information packs

• General practices
• Allied health

Medical Objects

• Medical Objects website
• Using the Referral Client Guide
• For support phone: 07 5456 6000

HealthLink

• HealthLink website
• Best Practice User Guide
• Medical Director User Guide 
• For support phone: 1800 125 036

ReferralNet

• ReferralNet website
• For support phone: 03 9675 0600

Secure Transfer Services:

• STS Cheat Sheet 

Telehealth (virtual care) and MBS

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia – and indeed most countries – experienced a rapid and momentous shift towards telephone and video consultations (virtual care) between health care providers and their patients rather than the traditional face-to-face consultations.

The Australian government has announced extended and, in some cases, permanent MBS funding for telehealth services to help reduce the risk of community transmission of COVID-19 and enhance access and patient-centred care for people living in rural or remote areas, those with transportation difficulties or reduced mobility as well as people accessing care while under isolation precautions.

A service may only be provided by telehealth where it is safe and clinically appropriate to do so. It is a legislative requirement that GPs and Other Medical Practitioners (OMPs) working in general practice only perform a telehealth or telephone service where they have an established clinical relationship with the patient.

As these items may change with the rapidly changing COVID-19 environment please check MBS online for the most up-to-date information.

Healthdirect video call services

The Department of Health is funding healthdirect Video Call as a free platform for general practitioners to use for virtual care until 31 December 2023. In addition, funding has been extended for Allied Health and Aged Care to use healthdirect Video Call until 30 June, 2024 under its Exemplar Program.

healthdirect Video Call is the nationally preferred video consultation service, providing a secure, private platform ensuring all calls are fully encrypted. The healthdirect Video Call platform mimics the traditional appointment process including waiting rooms, secure consultation spaces and transfer to reception staff for payment and booking follow up appointments.

The health care provider or administration staff simply send the weblink from their healthdirect account to the patient via email or text and the patient accepts the link to enter the virtual waiting room.

Free and easy to use

Staff manage their clinics as usual. Video appointments are handled through existing processes and systems and are run like any other consultation.

Patients attend appointments via the link that the clinic sent and wait in their own private room, in the waiting area. No account, special software or dial-in details are needed.

Clinicians prepare to engage with their patients as normal, except they join patients via the clinic’s online waiting area instead of its physical one.

Brisbane South PHN will create a healthdirect Video Call account for your health care organisation, simply complete this form. Once registered, you can configure your organisation’s details to add your logo, customise messages for patients while they are in your virtual waiting room and add clinical and administration staff to the account.

For further information

• Healthdirect 5 minute video
• Healthdirect guides and fact sheets
• How to attend a consultation (for patients)