The current process of referring patients for specialty or follow-up care is a notably disjointed process. Typically, all participants in the referrals process must rely on paper, telephone calls and faxes for communication and coordination. Often the onus is on the patient to organise the referral appointment. The results of this process present numerous opportunities for miscommunication, delays in the follow-up care and there is no viable method for referring providers to assess the referrals progress.
DMF believe that new GP Commissioning Consortia can benefit from being able to refer patients to appropriate care without the necessity of clinical assessment or additional peer review, by using Electronic Referrals.
Clinical assessment of GP referrals cost the British taxpayer £635m in 2009. It is possible to use rules based guidelines and decision support technology to significantly reduce this cost to the taxpayer and maintain the quality, appropriateness and integrity of the referral.
Use of intelligent and configurable rules based guidelines and a GP to consultant web based portal means the process of referral can be significantly improved upon. eReferrals can assist GPs in assigning appropriate referrals to appropriate centres of care based on diagnosis and cost.
The portal creates an online interactive communication layer between GPs and secondary carers. Once referrals have been accepted, patients can be booked directly into hospital or consultant diaries and the patient leaves with the appointment or they can be notified later from the practice management system once a date has been set.
DMF will be demonstrating the product at upcoming events including the The Commissioning show in June.
About DMF Systems
Since 1998, DMF Systems has delivered a wide range of functionally rich, cost-effective software solutions to the Healthcare Sector. From admissions to bedside, DMF Systems offer a comprehensive suite of departmental solutions tailored to the needs of both Public and Private Hospitals.
DMF Systems provide enterprise class onsite and help desk support services, which are delivered in accordance with their certified ISO 9001:2008 Quality & Project Management procedures. For more information on DMF Systems please Visit www.DmfSystems.co.uk.