Transcript eHealth: the journey so far… Dr Pat Crowe, Deputy Chair, IEMML

Medicare Local eHealth
Adam McLeod
What are Medicare Locals?
• Medicare Locals are primary health care organisations
responsible for coordinating primary health care delivery and
tackling local health care needs and service gaps.
• While government funded, Medicare Locals are independent
organisations, not government bodies.
• Our approach is to actively build on our GP and primary
health care provider strengths, expertise and knowledge.
Our objectives
IEMML’s main objective is to improve primary
health care in our community.
Our four key areas of focus are:
– after hours care
– aged care services
– mental health
– population health planning
– eHealth
Support from IEMML
Awareness
Readiness
Adoption
Meaningful
Use
Telehealth in
Aged Care
Telehealth Program Overview
• Support Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF) in
hosting Telehealth consultations between residents and
specialists, both supported and unsupported
Chances of a specialist visiting a RACF are
(almost) zero.
Specialist visits can often take a full day for
residents, particularly if ambulance transportation
is required
Transport costs can be expensive and taxis are
difficult if you’re frail
Elderly people are frequently dependent on family
members or RACF staff/volunteers for transport to
specialists
How are IEMML doing it?
FOCUS is not on the technology.
• Contact RACF
• Conduct technical audit and site visit
• Get the RACF visiting GP list
• Contact the GPs
• Get the specialist list from the GP
• Get in touch with the specialists
• Get the consultations happening.
Telehealth Issues
• RACF - Very large
buildings /multiple wings
• No NBN
• Limited 4G
• High contention
Specialists
• Keen but too busy
• Not computer literate
• Unaware
• Confusion about billing
Regardless…. Working now
ML Data
ML Data
How we use our data?
Service planning
• After hours
•
Informed decisions regarding which clinics to fund
• ED data
•
Used ED data to target reduction programs / avoidance,
Asthma more of an issue than Diabetes.
• GP Data
•
Used GP data to look at effectiveness of interventions – back
pain & opioids.
ML Data Philosophy
Is about:
• Collaboration
• Partnership
• Sharing
• Learning
• An evolving solution
Outcomes:
• Better services & outcomes for our communities
• Working together cooperating for the greater good.
PCEHR
eHealth record:
Information sources
Healthcare
Provider
Shared Health
Summary
PCEHR
Key roles of MLs: Awareness  Meaningful Use
-
Signed up practitioners
125 GP practices / 750 GPs
28 Pharmacies
20 Physio Practices
-
Recruit patients
30,000 consumers recruited.
-
Secure Messaging
98 practices connected, Healthlink, Argus.
-
Electronic Transfer Prescriptions
125 practices turned on
Allied eHealth
IEMML Allied Health Engagement
Two streams of work:
• Broad Allied Health Awareness Raising - multidisciplinary
• eHealth for Allied Health Project – pilot with physiotherapists
eHealth for Allied Health Project
Pilot project
• Aim for 20 private physiotherapy practices (70 clinicians)
• Two cohorts:
• 14 are “paper-based”
• 4 are “computerised”, meaning they already use electronic
clinical notes
Paper Based  Get them using a clinical system.
Computerised  PACS, Secure Messaging, Telehealth
All  Signed up for PCEHR, HSD / HealthDirect.
eHealth for Allied Health Project
Results:
-
All 18 practices started using a clinical system
90% continuing
All signed up for PCEHR
4 started using PACS
Successful using ‘Basecamp’ as a ‘social support program’
Positive evaluation
Now looking at replication across other disciplines.
Discharge and
Referral
Discharge and Referral
Acute – Eastern Health, discharge summaries for
about 5 years.
‘Rapid Integration Project’ – CDA Discharge
summaries - PCEHR.
Referrals into Eastern Health – Almost happening…
Future
Where to next…
- Embed PCEHR
-
Across sectors
- Referral and Discharge – CDA.
- Health Pathways / Decision Support
- Predictive software for primary health
… open to ideas…
Thankyou
Adam McLeod
[email protected]