Electronic Messaging The GP’ s Perspective Dr Donal Buckley GPIT Training Director Irish College of General Practitioners

Messaging – What do you need  Local Availability of Message Carrier- e.g Healthlink or NEHB Local Extranet  Happy hospital with lab Middleware  IT Security- certificate/antivirus /firewall  Happy GP  Software on GP computer  Internet Access  Practice Management Software – “not a printer”

The Process  GP Decides to investigate- e.g Blood test  Practice Management Software records Lab request e.g Full Blood Count (FBC)  Refer to local hospital or practice does test Hospital opportunity to Label/Barcode/input once Practice prints pt’s demographics label from GP software  Laboratory receives labelled samples + Processes  Lab software generates result message

 Message held on hospital server or central server  GP Practice Admin- log onto internet  All daily results for practice downloaded  GP reads messages  GP “manages” results  Message integrated into Pt record

Benefits  Much quicker result  No typing for Admin  Retrievable…doesn’t fade with time  Accessible from different location / times  Integrated into pt record  Printable for referral to other specialist  Probably keeps Patients out of Hospital with quick results

Difficulties  Availability  Cost – upgrades- patches  IT Support - Offsite  Training  Internet Access  Viruses / Security  Practice Management Software open to the internet – was stand alone access

What else  Radiology  OPD Requests + Proformas  Direct Access Testing – e.g Colonoscopy  Referrals  Discharge Summaries  A+E Attendances,  Birth + Death Notification  Health Service / Local Hospital Newsletter

Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS)- formerly known as the GMS payments Board  Present- Capitation Lists + Online STCs  For future services – e.g: Special Type Consultations, Maternity Schemes, Methadone protocol, new services…….

National Disease Surveillance Centre Outbreaks……… Avian Flu, Mad Dr Disease

Immunisations  National Procurement of centralised recording of Vaccinations – Childhood, Adolescent, Healthcare worker Status, ?Travel

Why is it Successful?  Right environment – Celtic Tiger, Pt expectations, The Internet and Ryanair.com  Training and GPIT  Heartwatch – 20% of GPs  Saves time, money and paper.  Healthlink  Health Services  Improves Patient Care

What do we require?  HSE Structure- –Software Accreditation –Messaging Board –Training –Coding  Funding + Support  Promotion  Standards

The Key  Simple INTERGRATION

We don’t want this!

Thank you  Any questions?  Dr Donal Buckley  GPIT Training Director  Irish College of General Practitioners