Digital Health

Adelaide PHN continues to provide general practices within the Adelaide metropolitan region the opportunity to obtain a free licence for the PenCS software. This includes PIP QI essentials package to support the Quality Improvement Practice Incentive Program, foster broader quality improvement in general practice and improve delivery of primary health care in South Australia. The end of this quarter has seen Adelaide PHN support 247 practices across the Adelaide metropolitan region with a fully subsidised PenCS licence. 

Adelaide PHN will continue to offer free PenCS licensing for practices that agree to share full de-identified data set to Adelaide PHN. Practices that wish to only share the 10 PIP QI measures will need to contact PenCS to arrange to purchase a licence for their practice. 

Further Resources

• Recipes for CAT4 and Topbar
• Software Compatibility Matrix for CAT4 and Topbar
• Data Mapping 
• PenCS Training Videos

The Practice Incentive Program (PIP) Quality Improvement (QI) Incentive is a payment to general practices for activities that support continuous quality improvement in patient outcomes and the delivery of best practice care. General practices wishing to participate in the PIP QI Incentive will work with their local Primary Health Network (PHN) to implement quality improvement activities that support their role in managing patient health.

Through their local PHN, general practices will also provide general practice data against ten Improvement Measures representing key health priority areas.

To claim the PIP QI, practices will be required to:

1. Be registered for the PIP via the Australian Department of Human Services.
2. Participate in Continuous Quality Improvement
3. Provide the PIP Eligible Data Set to Adelaide Primary Health Network

Further Resources

• Practice Incentives Program
• Department of Health PIP QI Incentive Guidance
• How to Apply

Secure messaging supports the delivery of messages containing clinical documents and/or other information between healthcare organisations, sent either directly or through one or more secure messaging providers. 

The use of post, fax, or email to share patient and clinical information is an unsecure and unencrypted method of communication which poses both security and clinical risks due to the potential of interference. Secure messaging however offers security, auditability, and privacy, ensuring the communication is encrypted and received by the intended recipient within the secure messaging network. 

Adelaide PHN disabled fax and adopted the use of secure messaging. There has been a great response to the use of secure messaging to the Central Referral Unit (CRU) from general practice since 30 June 2021, and this has meant the CRU team are able to reject less referrals due to missing patient information, improving processing time. The CRU has been able to safely receive electronic referrals from HealthLink, Argus and ReferralNet (details of each below).

HealthLink EDI:

adphncru 

ReferralNet/Argus ID:

CRU

Further Resources

• Best Practice – Adding HealthLink Users into Address Book
• Best Practice – Adding ReferralNet/Argus Users in Address Book
• Best Practice – Sending a Referral

• Medical Director – Sending Referrals Using HealthLink
• Medical Director – Sending Referrals Using ReferralNet/Argus

• ZedMed – Adding HealthLink Users into Address Book
• ZedMed – Adding ReferralNet/Argus Users into Address Book
• ZedMed – Sending A Referral 
• ZedMed – Sending A Referral Alternative Pathway

96.3% of General Practice in APHN Region are using HealthLink 

What are the benefits of Secure Messaging?

Healthcare providers may benefit through 

• Streamlined administration due to reduction in paper-based processes
• Improved coordination of care because of improved communication between healthcare providers
• Confidence in privacy and security of transmitted patient data

Patients may benefit through 

• Patient data being appropriately and securely managed
• A reduced need to retell the same information
• Confidential patient correspondence only being seen by treating clinicians

For a PHN sponsored ReferralNet license, please get in contact with the Digital Health Team.

SA Health Secure Message Delivery (SMD) Rollout

SA Health is currently activating sites using HealthLink to allow Secure Message Delivery (SMD) of patient clinical documents.

SMD activation for your practice is not automatic.

To activate your practice with SA Health, update your details in the Health Provider Registry to match the HealthLink information for your practice. Once these details are updated, email Health.SecureMessageDeliverySupport@sa.gov.au to request an Address Confirmation Form to complete and return to SA Health if eligible. Once returned, SA Health will activate secure messaging for your practice.

An electronic prescription is a digital version of a paper prescription. During a consultation, the healthcare provider can send an electronic prescription to the patient as an SMS or email. The message with a link to the electronic prescription is stored on the digital device, so patients can access prescriptions whenever they’re ready - saving time, streamlining the process, and improving medicine safety.

Practices with electronic prescribing set up can then automatically add medications to a patient’s Active Script List (ASL). ASL is A token management solution for all your electronic prescriptions and repeats. 

Checklist to Setup Electronic Prescribing – For Providers

• Ensure your practice has a Healthcare Provider Identifier-Organisation (HPI-O).
• Confirm with your software provider whether a NASH or Medicare PKI certificate is required for access to the HI service and link it to the HPI-O.
• Ensure your practice is connected to a Prescription Delivery Service (such as eRx or MediSecure).
• Install upgraded software and input HPI-O, Healthcare Provider Identifier-Individual (HPI-Is) and validate patient Individual Healthcare Identifier (First Name, Last Name, Gender, DOB, Medicare/DVA Number)
• Update your patients’ and their carers’ contact details within your clinical information system (mobile phone number/email)
• Keep staff informed on new processes.
• Stay up to date with state and territory legislations
• Keep in touch with your local pharmacies to check whether they are enabled to dispense electronic prescriptions for your patients.

How to Setup Electronic Prescribing and Active Script List – For Patients

• Speak to your doctor to request electronic prescriptions to be sent directly to your mobile phone number/email. 

To set up ASL – 

1. Visit a pharmacy to set up your list.
2. If your doctor needs to prescribe medicine, you can choose an electronic prescription and it will be automatically added to your list, unless you ask your doctor not to add it. You can still get an SMS or email as well.  
3. Go to your pharmacy, forward the SMS or email to them, or call them to validate your ID so that they can access your list and dispense your medicine.

Further Resources

• Information on Electronic Prescribing
• Electronic Prescribing for Prescribers
• Electronic Prescribing for Dispensers
• Active Script List Training
• RACGP Electronic Prescribing

Electronic requesting (e-requesting) transfers pathology and diagnostic imaging requests from general practice clinical information systems (CISs) to participating providers via secure electronic communications. 

Before setting up your practice, you will need to ensure your preferred pathology provider can receive e-requests from your clinical software. Medical practices wanting to assist their patients and other clinicians in accessing pathology reports in My Health Record should check they are using software listed here and contact their lab to have e-requesting and report upload progressed. 

Checklist to Setup Electronic Requesting – For Providers

• Ensure your practice has a Healthcare Provider Identifier-Organisation (HPI-O).
• Confirm with your software provider whether a NASH or Medicare PKI certificate is required for access to the HI service and link it to the HPI-O.
• Install upgraded software and input HPI-O, Healthcare Provider Identifier-Individual (HPI-Is) and validate patient Individual Healthcare Identifier (First Name, Last Name, Gender, DOB, Medicare/DVA Number)
• The requesting software must also have the patient’s Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) recorded as this is the unique identifier that is imbedded in the eRequest and to enable the upload of the pathology results to the patient’s My Health Record. The IHI is not visible during the pathology request-test-report process and so patient privacy is upheld.

Checklist to Setup Electronic Requesting – For Patients

• Speak to your doctor to request electronic requesting of pathology. 

Further Resources

Information on eRequesting 

Healthdirect Video Call has been developed by Healthdirect Australia to make it easy for health care providers to offer their services via video consultation. Patients can connect with their health care professional from anywhere that is convenient, using everyday devices such as a smartphone, tablet or desktop computer. Healthdirect Video Call can support practices and patients to facilitate health consultations while staying safe during these times. 

The pilot program for the Healthdirect Video Call platform has also been extended to 30 June 2022. This will allow for continued use for current users and is still open for anyone wanting to start using the platform. Licenses can be provided to GP services and non-GP type primary care services classed as mental health, aged care, maternity, Indigenous health, and allied health services. 

Further information:

• About Healthdirect Video Call
• Healthdirect Service Desk
• Video Call Resource Centre
• ADHA Telehealth info
• Video Consultations in your Practice

The Australian Digital Health Agency has been working closely with Services Australia and the medical software industry to upgrade the NASH authentication system and transition from NASH SHA-1 to NASH SHA-2. 

What is NASH?

Introduced in 2012, NASH is a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) solution used to access digital health services such as:

• Electronic prescribing
• My Health Record
• Secure messaging
• Healthcare Identifiers (HI) Service

To enhance security when accessing digital health services, all organisations must transition by 31 December 2022 to comply with Australian Government cyber security requirements.

What to do when your software is SHA-2 ready?

To know if your software product is SHA-2 ready, check the NASH SHA-2 Readiness Register. After upgrading your software, your practice will need to revoke the current NASH SHA-1 certificate using the reason ‘Transition to NASH SHA-2 certificate’. The NASH SHA-1 certificate will remain valid for 90 days to allow time to request, download and install a NASH SHA-2 certificate. Once you have downloaded the SHA-2 certificate, please contact your software vendor for installation.

Steps to Revoke a NASH PKI Certificate

1. Select Go to service on the HPOS tile. You may need to complete the linking process to proceed. Proceed as individual only
2. Select  My programs. 
3. Select  Healthcare Identifiers and My Health Record tile.
4. Select  Healthcare Identifiers - Manage existing records. 
5. Select My organisation details. Note: If connected to multiple organisations you will first need to select the required organisation record.
6. Select the  Certificates tab. On this page you will be able to see what certificates have been requested for your organisation, including the Certificate Type and Expiry Date. 
7. Under the Action columns click the Revoke hyperlink next to the NASH SHA-1 certificate you wish to revoke.
8. You should get a warning notification. To continue read the notification and click OK.
9. Complete the form and select your reason for revocation as ‘transitioning to a NASH SHA-2 Certificate’.
10. Tick the Terms and Conditions box and click Save changes.
11. Click the Submit button.
12. Once Service Australia have processed the revocation request, the OMO will be advised that they can now request a NASH SHA-2 certificate. 

Steps to Renew a NASH 

1. Select Go to service on the HPOS tile. You may need to complete the linking process to proceed. Proceed as individual only
2. Select My programs. 
3. Select Healthcare Identifiers and My Health Record tile.
4. Select Healthcare Identifiers - Manage existing records. 
5. Select My organisation details. Note: If connected to multiple organisations you will first need to select the required organisation record.
6. Select the Certificates tab. On this page you will be able to see what certificates have been requested for your organisation, including the Certificate Type and Expiry Date.
7. Under the Certificates tab, click on the Request a NASH PKI site certificate hyperlink. The Request a NASH PKI site Certificate screen will display.
8. Select your software product version from the first drop-down list. This list contains software product versions that are SHA-2 ready.
9. Enter a mobile number. When the certificate is ready to download you will receive a text message to the mobile number provided. Tick the check box to revoke the existing NASH certificate if you have one. Tick the check box to confirm you have read and understood the terms and conditions. Select Save changes.
10. Tick the check box to confirm you have read and understood the terms and conditions. Select Save changes.
11. Once you have received a text message, your certificate is ready to download via the Download link. The Personal Identification Code (PIC) will be used when the certificate is being installed.
12. Use the instructions from your software provider to install your NASH certificate into your software.

Further Resources

• National Authentication Service for Health (NASH)
• Step-by-step Guide to Revoke and Upgrade your NASH PKI Certificate

Our Digital Health team can assist with the creation of clinical templates and referral letters for clinical software including 

• Best Practice
• Medical Director 
• ZedMed

Access our Resource Library to find clinical and referral templates along with instructions on how to import them into your clinical software. 

Electronic Therapeutic Guidelines (eTG) Complete is a digital resource that provides clear, concise, and evidence-based recommendations for patient management at the point of care, developed by Australia's leading clinical experts, and features over 2,500 clinical topics. 
 
Adelaide PHN will continue funding licences for primary care providers that meet the eligibility requirements, agree to the new terms and conditions of the program, and have accessed the online resource at least once between 1 January 2020 and 30 June 2022.
 
All primary care providers with existing Adelaide PHN funded access to eTG are strongly encouraged to reach out to the digital health team via digitalhealthinfo@adelaidephn.com.au to indicate their interest to continue to have access to this online resource. Requests will be assessed on a case-by-case bases.  
 
Access to eTG will be removed for all users that fail to reach out to the digital health team by Wednesday 30 November 2022.  
 
To maintain access to the therapeutic guidelines, relevant prescribers agree to:

• Use eTG at least once a month.
• Use My Health Record at least once a month (where relevant).
• Contribute to the evaluation of the program

Please visit our Resource Library to register or login into eTG.