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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.
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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
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
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 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
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 • Acute – Eastern Health, discharge summaries for about 5 years. • ‘Rapid Integration Project’ – CDA Discharge summaries - PCEHR. • Referrals into Eastern Health – Almost happening…
Where to next… • Embed PCEHR • Across sectors • Referral and Discharge – CDA. • Health Pathways / Decision Support • Predictive software for primary health … open to ideas…