Electronic Referral System Expands to Include MRIs, Ultrasounds
More patients will see better communication around referrals with the addition of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound tests to the e-referral system.
Patients who provide an email address receive automatic notifications when the referral is sent, when an appointment is booked and if the referral is updated. The referring provider also receives the notifications.
This system provides better tracking, review and co-ordination of referrals. Patients still choose where they receive care and receive better information on the status of their referral.
“Transforming healthcare includes improving the tools, systems and processes that healthcare professionals use every day to help care for their patients,” said Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson. “Technology is helping us provide better communication, shorter wait times and overall better, faster care for Nova Scotians.”
Primary care providers have been sending surgical referrals electronically since March. MRIs were added in September and ultrasound e-referrals begin this week.
Electronic referrals will, over time, eliminate inconsistent, misdirected or duplicate referrals, helping reduce wait times and improving the information that doctors and patients receive about the status of the referrals.
Eventually, all non-emergency surgical, MRI and ultrasound referrals will be processed centrally using this electronic tool. Work is underway to expand the use of this system to allow for e-referrals for computerized tomography (CT) scans.
Quotes:
“This is a very exciting time in diagnostic imaging. An electronic referral system promotes patient-centered care through timely triage, improved communication and equitable access based on patient’s choice and wait times. It sets the foundation for creating efficiencies across the system while also reducing administrative burdens for providers.”
– Dr. Judy Rowe, Physician Lead, Diagnostic Imaging eReferral Implementation, Nova Scotia Health
“I’m very happy to be a part of this remarkable innovation. The ability for primary healthcare providers such as myself to make use of a streamlined online e-referral system has been a true game-changer for my own medical practice, which is already seeing marked improvements in efficiencies and effectiveness.”
– Dr. Ajantha Jayabarathan, family physician, Halifax
“We use Ocean eReferral system for all our consults to the pediatric ear, nose and throat clinic at IWK Health. This efficient and effective process allows us to have all of the referrals in a searchable database so that we have more access to information when patients call. We can easily manage our waiting lists and see directly how many consults are waiting. We can also send consults to any of our three surgeons based on their subspecialty interests or waiting lists. Triaging consults by physicians has become much easier and takes very little time or effort. The e-referral system is part of the future success of Nova Scotia’s healthcare system.”
– Dr. Gerard Corsten, Chief, Pediatric Surgery, IWK Health
“More than 10,000 surgical e-referrals have been sent since March. We now have new insight into the number and types of referrals being sent and their status, which is improving our ability to plan, co-ordinate referrals, communicate with patients and providers, and support more timely access to surgical consults.”
– Dr. Greg Hirsch, Senior Medical Director, Perioperative (Surgical) Service Network, Nova Scotia Health
Quick Facts:
- primary care providers with surgical consult requests send them electronically to a central intake office or specific surgeon
- almost 900 MRI e-referrals have been received since September
Additional Resources:
Action for Health, the government’s plan to improve healthcare in Nova Scotia: https://novascotia.ca/actionforhealth/
News release – Electronic Surgical Consult Referrals Will Mean Better Communication, Shorter Wait Times: https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20230329001