Health Provider Registry (HPRy) News
Article 1 : HPRy - Futures Plan (January 2009)
After extensive consultation GPSA released the 'HPRy futures Plan' in mid 2008. This plan outlines our objectives for the next 18 months, these being;
1. That the HPRy dataset be extended to better facilitate the usage of the HPRy as a service directory for appropriate referrals. To be available First half 2009.
2. That practices be provided the option of consenting online to release a subset of their data for limited public usage e.g. http://www.hsfinders.sa.gov.au/. To be available the first half of 2009.
3. That the HPRy be placed as the South Australian address book for secure electronic messaging including the facilitation of the state government Health Information Broker (HIB) service. Availability dependent on SA Health.
4. That the HPRy conduct a proof of concept for the integration of the HPRy database with that of the medical practices clinical address book e.g. MD address book. Availability of result : February 2009.
If you would like to read the ‘HPRy Futures Plan’ which includes the implementation plan click here
Article 2 : HPRy now being used by private health care providers (December 2008)
Article 3: HPRy launches new Service Directory functionality
After many months of talking to health care providers and working with their professional bodies the Health Provider Registry (HPRy) is ready to launch its new Service Directory functionality. The HPRy is already being actively used by General Practice to search for Allied Health and Specialist information. This new release will allow listed providers to log on to the registry and add their Service Directory (SD) information to their record eg languages spoken and special interests. Providing this extra information will assist in making more appropriate referrals.
Allied Health providers will be the first group invited to populate the Service Directory area now available in their existing entries. This is simply done by the providers themselves: they log on to the HPRY website and add the details they wish to provide.
To present further details on our plans and to promote the registry as an aid to integrating health care the HPRy and the Primary Care Integration teams are holding a ‘HPRy Service Directory Forum’ on the 4th March between 7-9 pm (dinner provided). Allied Health professional bodies and Primary Care Integration program officers have been invited to see a demonstration of the new Service Directory. We hope the forum will also provide an opportunity for fruitful discussion and networking between allied health and primary care integration representatives.
Article 4: HPRy validating Allied Health entries
We are currently contacting all our listed allied health practices and providers to check and update their details on the HPRy . As part of HealthConnect SA's electronic care planning initiative, allied health providers have been adding their details to the HPRy since August 2007. The value of the registry lies in the currency of the data it holds, Since all allied health providers have web access to the HPRy data and the ability to edit their own details on line, the validation is a very simple and cost effective process. If you are a provider listed on the HPRy and you do not yet have web access, call the HPRy team at GPSA on 8271 8988 and we will organise a logon for you. Or email your request to hpry@gpsa.org.au.
Article 5: HPRy and the Tasmanian eHealth Directory
The Health Provider Registry is now working with General Practice Tasmania to supply the technical infrastructure and business procedures for their Tasmanian eHealth Directory (TeHD). This will replace the current more manual process for supplying doctor contact details to their public hospitals to facilitate communications.
The Oacis system across the SA public hospitals receives the HPRy data for the distribution of discharge summaries to doctors. Oacis may have its local critics, but it is the envy of our colleagues in other states who have no equivalent. While GP Tasmania and the Tasmanian divisions are populating TeHD with GP data, Logica for the Department of Health and Human Services will be creating the system within the hospitals that TeHD will feed data to.
As our state registries progress - HPRy and its sister registries in Tasmania and Queensland (iHealth Care Directory) – we keep in regular contact with the National ehealth Transition Authority (NeHTA) as it has the vital role of setting the standards for communications across the health sector. The ultimate goal for all of us is to ensure that the registries are NeHTA compliant.
Article 6: HPRy Customer Survey 2009
GP, specialist and allied health practices listed on the HPRy with an email address have been invited to participate in the 2009 online customer survey. If your practice has not received the invitation and you would like to participate, please email the registry team on hpry@gpsa.org.au and we will send you the weblink. It will only take 5 - 7 minutes of your valuable time so please consider participating.
The data we collect is invaluable to us in developing the capability of the registry and in evaluating the role it plays in health communications.
Closing date for the survey is 31st July 2009. A summary and the survey results will be sent to all participating practices soon after the close of the survey.
Article 7 : Part 1 - HPRy Survey Results - Satisfaction of Discharge Summaries from Public Hospitals
Total responses = 531 (GPs, Allied Health and Specialists)
Total GP Responses = 224 (used to calculate the results below)
This is the first of a series of short reports that cover the results of the 2009 HPRy Survey. This report cover the satisfaction of discharge summaries from the view of General Practice. A sample of 224 responses provides the following.
Current Satisfaction (overall)
Improvement over the past 2 years
This is coming of a base of improvement between 2002 and 2007 as measured in the 2007 Survey. This base is;
Quality : 77% for improved and 23% for stayed the same
Timeliness : 77% improved, 20% for stayed the same and 3% for deteriorated
Therefore it is not surprising that only 39% and 45% stated in the 2009 survey that the timeliness and Quality have improved during the past 2 years as these new results are coming from a high base of 77% for both quality and timeliness (2007 survey).
Much of the improvement now relies on the removal of barriers in the public hospitals with regard to the generation separation summaries .Dr Chris Bollen has been working with SA Health, General Practice and the QEH to not only ascertain what these barriers are but also how to address them. This change management will hopeful mean in the future that gold standard of receiving a quality of discharge summary in 48 hours will be achieved more often.
Overall the South Australian Department of Health and the HPRy should take some credit for these results. I am sure if we measured the satisfaction levels in 2002 they would certainly be a lot lower. The net result is better patient care
Article 8 : Part 2 - HPRy Survey Results - How do GPs locate other healthcare providers?
Article 9 : HPRy version 3.3 released - Service Directory Updated
- Have the ability to add referral criteria against each service (in a new services tab), particularly use for public or aged care type services inc ability to attach referral forms etc. This will also allow providers to search on these services via the Hoogle search e.g. Falls Prevention which will not only bring up matching services but also referral criteria e.g. waiting times and out of pocket costs.
- A Google and simplified free text search at the top that scans all fields
- Added a public search page by Division allowing a Division to insert a page from the HPRy into their own web site, see http://www.gpsa.org.au/hpry and the found here hyperlink as an example. This will allow the establishment of local services directories assuming the providers give public consent.
- Modifying adv search to include multiple postcodes and a refined layout.
- New fields e.g. services description to the ‘Practice Information’ tab (previously Service Directory tab).
Article 10: Glenside moves to Oacis for more efficient discharge summaries
The Health Provider Registry is now assisting with the delivery of Glenside and James Nash House discharge summaries. As of 16th November the doctors at both the mental health facilities will start using the Oacis clinical system ‘Separation Summary’ application for writing and sending summaries on discharge of patients.
There is a clear process in place to expedite the preparation, finalisation and distribution of summaries.
The ongoing care of the patient has been considered in the development of the process. All those involved in the patient’s follow up should receive a copy of their discharge summary. This could include:
• GPs
• Private Psychiatrist
• Key worker in a community mental health service
• An ACIS team (Assessment & Crisis Intervention Service)
• Caregiver or community based health service/provider e.g. aged care, regular pharmacist, disability services, private psychologist, etc
This is great news. GPSA has worked over many years to improve communication between mental health services and General Practice in particular.
Article 11: All GP data checked: Annual GP Validation Report
The HPRy team recently completed the annual check of every SA GP location on the Health Provider Registry. The team checks practice contact details plus the list of GPs and other health providers such as practice nurses and allied health providers.
585 practices are listed on the HPRy. Of these, over the last 12 months.
65% (383) have had no change to either contact details or providers
26% (152) have had a health provider leave or join the practice
6% (32) have changed contact details
6% (33) have changed their email address
1% (7) have closed their doors
Keeping the HPRy entries up to date requires constant attention and support from our many partner organisations: divisions, GP training organisations, the public hospitals and the practices.
The HPRy is one small link in the communications chain which delivers discharge summaries and public health alerts to the right GP at the right location.
Article 12: Health Provider Registry and care planning
The HPRy has been providing a feed to the primary care sidebar and the associated Quicklook tool over past 12 months. This SA Health pilot of the sidebar care planning tool allows practitioners at the Port Adelaide Community Health services to develop and share care plans with other local healthcare providers. This is the first real example of a care planning trial in SA that links public and and private providers. Read on for more details.
e-Referral and Shared Health Summary – TeamCare
As part of its extensive consultation with key stakeholders in the primary health care sector, including recipients of referrals, the PrimaryCare Sidebar project team identified the need to establish an e-referral and electronic communication function that could be trialled across private and public sectors. As a result the TeamCare application has been developed and available on the PrimaryCare Sidebar.
TeamCare generates an e-referral and shared health summary using data drawn directly from a GP’s Clinical desktop.
On March 29 2010, a trial began at the Port Adelaide Primary Health Care Service to test the effectiveness of the TeamCare application in improving the communications required to manage patients through the complex referral and care planning process, as demonstrated in Figure 1 - Port Adelaide Primary Health Care Service TeamCare Trial.
There are 22 health professional participants in the Port Adelaide trial which is scheduled to 30 June 2010. This trial enables GPs to create e-referrals and shared health summaries and present them via the PrimaryCare Sidebar to:
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Private and public allied health providers
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Four public sector hospital units
The TeamCare application provides an opportunity to test if access to a secure Shared Health Summary and e-referral capability improves the way care team collaborate and provide care across the continuum. Based on consultation, the expected times savings to be realised though the use of TeamCare are demonstrated.
Article 13 - -2009-2010 Annual Validation Results
The HPRy team have completed their annual validation of all GPs, Specialists and Allied Health in SA (no small job). The table below shows the changes made to the data as a result of the validation including a comparison with the previous annual validation.
| 2008 Annual Validation Outcomes | 2009 2010 Annual Validation Outcomes | |||||||||||
| GPs | GPs | |||||||||||
| 592 practices validated | 584 practices validated | |||||||||||
| No change | Provider change | Demographics changed | Email changed | Practice closed | No change | Provider change | Demographics changed | Email changed | Practice closed | |||
| % | 63 | 26 | 7 | 7 | 1 | % | 65 | 26 | 6 | 6 | 1 | |
| number | 357 | 148 | 40 | 38 | 8 | number | 383 | 152 | 33 | 33 | 7 | |
| Specialists | Specialists | |||||||||||
| 698 practices validated | 738 practices validated | |||||||||||
| No change | Provider change | Demographics changed | Email changed | Practice closed | No change | Provider change | Demographics changed | Email changed | Practice closed | |||
| % | 72 |
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