The e-referral system was implemented in response to a recommendation made in the audit by the National Audit Office (Riigikontroll, in Estonian) on the GP system. The report said: "In order to reduce the number of unwarranted referrals to medical specialists, the National Audit Office suggested that, based on this audit, the Minister of Social Affairs implement the e-referral feature, and later also the e-consultation system, which would enable GPs to consult with medical specialists without necessarily having to refer the patient on."
On 27 April 2011, Anneli Talvik, Member of the Board of the Association of Family Doctors, discussed the need for the e-referral and e-consultation systems on Estonian television.
Pille Kink, Head of the eHealth Department at the Ministry of Social Affairs, described the current situation on the Estonian public broadcasting news portal uudised.err.ee. She said: "The development of the referral and scheduling services offered through the National Health Information System took place within the framework of the Digital Registration project. The e-referral system is already in use. For example, GPs can send referrals to medical specialists via TIS, while patients can view their referrals and the responses received to them in the patient portal."
According to Kink, the technical solution for the e-appointment system, or the direct referral system, exists as a pilot project. Following its implementation, GPs can schedule appointments with medical specialists without leaving the office. She said that the Järveotsa Family Health Centre and the North Estonia Medical Centre (Põhja-Eesti regionaalhaigla, in Estonian) are currently testing the solution and that the first e-appointment took place in late March.
She said: "This year [2011], we plan to test the system thoroughly and we also hope to expand our user base among GPs and hospitals by the end of the year. In the case of a direct referral, the medical specialist receives the GP's referral, checks its relevance, and determines the temporal priority for responding to it, while also getting acquainted with the patient's medical history and the medical tests listed in the referral. This type of evaluation process constitutes the first so-called e-appointment."
She added that in the future, the goal is to make scheduling an appointment more convenient for patients. "Provided that all the healthcare providers join the Digital Registration system, open appointments in all medical institutions will be listed in the patient portal and the patient can choose the most suitable time for him or her," she said.
According to Kink, all these changes are necessary first and foremost for the patients, who require timely and appropriate medical care, but also for the GPs, whose workload they would help to balance more sensibly. From the point of view of the healthcare system, these changes would also make the waiting lists more transparent.
Further information:
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Quelle/Source: epractice, 04.05.2011
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