GPs involved in the Western Sydney Integrated Care program (WSICP) are now able to send eReferrals from within the LinkedEHR shared care plan system to rapid access and stabilisation clinics (RAS) at Westmead and Blacktown hospitals, as the program moves into its next phase.
The clinics have been set up to allow patients with deterioration in chronic conditions such as diabetes, COPD, ischemic heart disease and congestive cardiac failure to be rapidly assessed and stabilised at the clinics, potentially avoiding a hospital admission. For those enrolled in the program, the shared care record is available to hospital specialists through the hospitals' Cerner EMR.
WSICP clinical lead Michael Crampton said general practices taking part in the Health Care Homes trials were now being incorporated into the program and offered the services it developed during its earlier phase, when it was known as the Western Sydney Integrated Care Demonstrator Project.