Digital Health
Digital health remains pivotal in connecting healthcare providers to deliver integrated care. We empower the primary healthcare workforce in adopting digital health tools and technologies to enhance efficiency in healthcare delivery and improve health outcomes for our communities.
Quality improvement training and support
439
digital health team engagements last year.
11
online CPD educational webinars.
96
accredited practices are participating in the Practice Incentives Program Quality Improvement Incentive (PIP QI).
The PHN’s Digital Health and Quality Improvement team is dedicated to partnering with primary healthcare providers to incorporate digital health technologies into their daily operations. This collaboration aims to enhance efficiency, safety, and the quality of care provided to patients. Additionally, the team support Quality Improvement (QI) initiatives and projects that leverage clinical system data to improve population health management and implement preventive measures within practices.
Central and Eastern Sydney PHN continues to support the Australian Digital Health Agency in advancing Australia’s National Digital Health Strategy. Its objective is to address the growing demands of Australians who are actively managing their health and wellness using technology and their expectation of a digitally-enabled healthcare system that promotes connectivity, prioritises person-centered care, and elevates the quality of healthcare services overall.
The number of practices participating in the Practice Incentives Program Quality Improvement Incentive (PIP QI) remains steady at 96% of accredited practices participating in this program.
Since 2022, the team has been supporting practices with compatible clinical systems to connect to the National Cancer Screening Registry (NCSR). Of the 497 with compatible clinical systems, the team has enabled 266 in the region, and Central and Eastern Sydney is recognised as one of the highest connected regions nationally.
Central and Eastern Sydney PHN has participated in the Lumos data linkage program since 2019, actively recruiting and supporting practices in this crucial initiative. The program facilitates the linkage of deidentified data from practices to NSW Health datasets, providing insights into patient journeys across the health system. A primary focus of the program is hospital presentations, with 137 general practices currently contributing data.
The team is continuing to support Residential Aged Care Homes (RACHs) by assisting them in procuring telehealth equipment and initiating education and training for the adoption of My Health Record. Currently, 133 RACHs, representing 90% of all RACHs in the region, have acquired the necessary equipment. Additionally, 53 homes are registered to use the My Health Record system.
Secure messaging usage within the region remains high with 93% of general practices with a secure messaging solution. In 2023-24 the use of eReferrals by GPs increased to 128,987 from 98,003 in 2022-23. The eReferrals /HealthLink Smartforms technology enables health professionals to refer directly from their Best Practice, Medical Director, Genie and MedTech clinical software platforms. Furthermore, the utilisation of eReferrals and HealthLink Smartforms continues to grow among healthcare providers, driven by the expansion of the Engage Outpatients Program by eHealth NSW. This initiative facilitates eReferral usage for GPs and primary care referrers to NSW public outpatient clinics, utilising a secure digital system instead of traditional fax or email.
Within Sydney Local Health District, eReferrals were sent to 72 hospital clinics, totaling 18,300 in 2023/24, up from 11,657 in FY 22/23. South East Sydney Local Health District recently implemented eReferrals in November 23, covering 24 hospital clinics at Prince of Wales Hospital and 40 clinics at Royal Hospital for Women and Sutherland Hospital since June of this year. The introduction of eReferrals in SESLHD has proven successful, with 3,700 eReferrals processed during 2023-24.
Central and Eastern Sydney PHN is working with a range of RACHs who are using digital health initiatives to improve the experience of their residents. Royal Freemasons’ Benevolent Institution (RFBI) Lakemba participated in PHN’s Telehealth Package Offer. Central and Eastern Sydney PHN worked with Visionflex (an Australian owned telehealth equipment supplier) to curate a package suitable for RACHs to use to conduct telehealth consultations with their GPs and/or other healthcare providers.
RBFI Lakemba chose the telehealth cart element of the package offer from the PHN. They then invested further money to ‘upgrade’ the cart and add other diagnostic tools which are compatible to use with the cart, e.g. blood pressure monitors, wound examination camera, otoscope etc. A ‘show and tell’ session conducted at their Lakemba facility showcased this piece of equipment to educate their residents and their families on the advanced technology being used during telehealth consults and their digital health initiatives.
Watch the video.