Getting Started:
What you’ll need to get up and running

Getting started with digital health registration for healthcare providers

For General practices – ePIP Requirements
eHealth Practice Incentive Program Incentive (ePIP) for General Practice

The PIP delivers financial incentive with the aim of recognising general practices that provide comprehensive, quality care, who are either accredited or working towards accreditation with the RACGP standards for general practice. The PIP eHealth Incentive encourages practices to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in eHealth. From May 2016, the ePIP will be renamed the PIP Digital Health Incentive. The current ePIP has five requirements for practices to become eligible and they are:

  • Integrating Healthcare Identifiers
  • Secure Messaging
  • Data records and clinical coding
  • Electronic transfers of prescriptions
  • My Health Record system

For further information on these requirements, please visit http://myhealthrecord.gov.au/providers

Electronic Transfer of Prescriptions (eTP)

Electronic transfer of prescriptions is the secure exchange of prescription information between prescribing and dispensing systems. eTP is available now, free of charge, and will not take any additional time to do. To set up eTP in your practice you’ll need to contact your software provider and/eRx or MediSecure depending on which system you have.

See more at: https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/get-started-with-digital-health/set-up/set-up-electronic-transfer-of-prescriptions

HPOS & Certificates

The links below direct you to various useful sites

National Health Service Directory (NHSD)

The NHSD is a joint initiative of all Australian Governments delivered by Healthdirect Australia, to provide a comprehensive and consolidated directory of health service and provider information. For consumers, the NHSD currently provides essential service information such as location, opening hours and contact details. The NHSD also supports health professionals by facilitating the coordination of ongoing care for patients and communication between health professionals through secure messaging and electronic referrals. To view the information currently held on the NHSD health providers can go to http://www.nhsd.com.au/  and search for their organisation and services. To provide feedback or request information providers can email the NHSD content management team at [email protected] 










Secure Message Delivery

Secure messaging is the secure electronic transfer of information between health professionals across the healthcare sector, including general practitioners, allied health professionals, hospitals and specialists etc. Secure messaging allows you to exchange reports, discharge summaries and other documents between other health professionals. The benefits include:

  • Reducing the time waiting for documents to be delivered
  • Receiving the doucments electronically into your software, removing the need for scanning
  • No more illegible and faxed documents
  • Cost saving on staff time, stationery and postage
  • Ecologically friendly

The main SMD vendors used within the NCPHN boundaries are: 

    

The Secure Messaging Delivery specifications for Practice Incentive Payments (PIP) can be found here

Telehealth

Telehealth is the term used for a video consultation between a patient (who may be with their GP, or the GPs representative) and a specialist. Telehealth benefits rural and remote patients, patients who are not easily transported or those living in aged care faciltiies, who would otherwise need to travel long distances for specialist advice. Medicare item numbers are available to support a number of services to be delivered by telehealth and many health providers are increasing their use of telehealth.