A controversially tendered electronic referral system used by many GP practices has been defended by the Southern Primary Health Organisation.
In a routine newsletter to GPs, Southern District Health Board GP liaison Dr Anne Worsnop said the system, which provided electronic referrals to the DHB through the South Link Health system, could be giving a "false sense of security" because referrals did not always end up where they were intended.
"We get rapid email notification that the referral has been received. However, in reality, this means that the referral has been received at the South Link collecting house, and still has to be printed and physically sent to the hospital, whether that be in Otago or Southland."
The PHO was criticised last year by some GP practices for awarding the contract to Best Practice Advocacy Centre Inc (BPAC Inc), a joint venture of the University of Otago and South Link Health. The PHO did not use an open tendering process for the e-referral system, but said it would do so after a year.
Prof Murray Tilyard is chairman of the PHO's clinical review committee and chief executive of BPAC Inc, which was seen by some as a conflict of interest.
In an email to GPs and the media this week, Prof Tilyard, speaking as head of the PHO's clinical review committee, said, while the hospitals could not receive electronic referrals, the referrals were taken by courier and what happened then was an "internal hospital issue".
"We have asked the DHB to provide the instances of when or if the referral is not ending up where it is meant to be. To date [the PHO is] still awaiting details [of] this," he said.
PHO chief executive Ian Macara told the Otago Daily Times teething problems were to be expected with a major information-technology project.
The system greatly improved communication between the DHB and GPs, he said.
It has been up and running about six months.
