Smart Referrals

What is GP Smart Referrals (GPSR)?

Smart Referrals are digital referrals integrated with Best Practice and Medical Director software to enable faster, streamlined referrals to Queensland public hospitals.

Smart Referrals make it quicker and easier for General Practitioners (GPs) to refer their patients for specialist outpatient and community services ensuring referrals will be sent to the right place, first time and with all the essential referral information needed to accurately categorise as per Metro North Health requirements.

To find out more, watch this short 5 minute Introduction to Smart Referrals video.

Key features and benefits for GPs include:

• The GPSR condition referral templates are aligned to Clinical Prioritisation Criteria. The templates prompt the inclusion of essential information and pull pathology and investigations from your practice software, making it easier for GPs to include all required information for your referral to be accepted.
• Allowing for the attachment of test results, imaging and other clinical documents from the clinical record or your PC, in multiple formats (e.g images, PDF, word documents from clinical record or computer up to 25MB)
• The only way to access Request for Advice services from Metro North Health hospital specialists
• The only way to access Request for Advice services from Metro North Health hospital specialists
• Track and receive electronic updates into your Practice Management Software about where the referral is at along the continuum.
• Integrates with Brisbane North Health Pathways.

Smart Referrals ultimately provides digital capacity to facilitate the seamless receipt, registration and triage of specialist outpatient and community referrals allowing for improved referral communication, workflow efficiency, and streamlined processing.

Smart Referrals is a Queensland Health initiative and an important step in digital healthcare, creating a connected modern health system for Queenslanders. Brisbane North GPs can use Smart Referrals to refer not only to Metro North Health but also Children’s Health Queensland and most neighbouring Hospital and Health Services.

Technical and software support

Phone: Queensland Health IT GP hotline 1300 478 439 (available 24/7)
Select Option 2: Smart Referrals
Email: QH-SmartReferrals@health.qld.gov.au (Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm)

Register for GP Smart Referrals

Practice registration and setup is required to access GP Smart Referrals. There are 3 steps to registration and onboarding prior to using GP Smart Referrals to refer your patient to Queensland Health hospitals and services.

1. Register

To register for GP Smart Referrals:

1. Please read the Smart Referrals Terms of Use document
2. Complete the Practice Registration

The Registration Guide will assist with practice registration information.

Registration is only required at a practice level. If you are a new GP and your practice has been onboarded for GP Smart Referrals, you can begin to use GP Smart Referrals immediately.

2. Technical setup and installation

Once your practice registration is received. BPAC (GP Smart Referrals vendor) will be in touch with a Valida Bridge key and will assist with installing GP Smart Referrals in your practice.

3. Training and education

GP Smart Referrals training is offered by BPAC to ensure you know how to best use the system. Training will be arranged with BPAC following installation.

Training, education and support

The Metro North GPLO team offer education, support and tips and tricks following initial user training. Please see below guides for assistance. If you require more support, please contact MetroNorthGPLO@health.qld.gov.au.

See additional self-help resources via Self-help resources | Queensland Health.