SINGLE-ENTRY SURGICAL REFERRAL
PROJECT UPDATE - ISSUE #1
August 16, 2022
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Nova Scotia is planning for a new single-entry intake model (SEM) for managing and coordinating surgical consult referrals.

A phased implementation of the model is expected to begin in early 2023.

This project is part of broader strategies and plans that aim to increase access to surgeries, reduce wait times and improve the overall experiences and care of our patients. These include government's Action for Health Plan; Nova Scotia Health's Surgical Access and Quality Improvement Strategy and specific improvement strategies being developed with Perioperative teams at IWK Health.
Action for Health

We've heard it over and over again. The message is clear - change is needed to provide better care for Nova Scotians and to support and respect the people who work in the health system. Action for Health is our plan to achieve this...

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novascotia.ca
This communication tool has been developed to support regular updates regarding the Single-Entry Surgical Referral Project. If you are receiving this update directly you are subscribed. If this has been forwarded to you, you can subscribe for future updates below.
PROJECT AT A GLANCE
Expected Benefits:

For Patients
  • Improved communication about referral status / what to expect
  • Continued patient choice / more informed choice based on provider wait times, etc.
  • More equitable access to services 
  • Help to reduce wait time from referral to appointment with surgeon
  • Timely triage to prioritize care based on needs

For Providers
  • Consistent and complete referrals
  • Less administrative burden for primary care providers
  • Comprehensive surgeon registry
  • Continued choice by referrer
  • Helps surgeons build practices, supporting recruitment / retention

System Benefits
  • Access to queue data to better plan and allocate resources
  • More consistency and coordination
  • Opportunities to better distribute demand across system
Proposed Elements of Model:

  • Central intake – single point-of-entry through which referrals are received and service provision is arranged

  • Triage at point of entry - referrals are assessed for severity, priority and appropriateness

  • Electronic referral (e-referral) tool - to support timely, complete and decision-ready referrals

Proposed Timeline:

A phased implementation is anticipated to begin in early 2023.

Project planning, design and provider engagement is underway to help confirm phasing approach and the specific timelines for implementation activities.
VISION, GOALS AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES
A working vision statement, year one goals and draft guiding principles have been developed through preliminary planning discussions.

These will be top of mind as design decisions are being made for our single-entry referral model.

PROJECT STATUS
PROVIDER ENGAGEMENT
As we work to design and develop an implementation plan for this model,
we are committed to working with referring providers, surgeons, patient
representatives and others to explore options, answer your questions and find
the approaches that will work best for our patients and health care teams.
Provider Surveys ***Deadline Extended
Surgeons and referring providers / primary care providers have been invited to complete a brief survey to help Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health understand how referrals are now submitted / managed and to offer their perspectives related to this initiative. Based on the high volume of responses being received we have decided to leave the survey open an additional week. The surveys will now remain live until August 19.

The compiled responses will be shared with the project steering committee and working groups to support ongoing planning. We will also report back on these surveys in a future issue of this update.
Available until
August 19, 2022
Participation in Planning
Representation from referring providers and surgeons is currently being sought on our planning teams to support the clinical review and development of implementation plans, forms, processes, education resources and more.

Requests for expressions of interest are invited at Perioperative.Services@nshealth.ca. Participation would be required over the next several months to support implementation beginning in early 2023. Stipends are available to support these contributions.
An initial meeting
is being planned for
early September
PRELIMINARY DESIGN SESSIONS
A small team of project managers, Perioperative leaders, Information Management and Information Technology leads, surgeons / surgeon office staff, primary care providers and others have been coming together over the past several weeks to help set the stage for provider engagement and more detailed design and implementation planning activities.

The team has helped draft the guiding principles for the work and has been exploring things such as phasing options, project enablers and timelines and identifying key decision and policy requirements, next steps and more. This groundwork will help support more efficient engagement with the providers who are stepping forward to support design and implementation activities. Our goal is to minimize the demands on their time and allow them to focus on key decisions and project requirements that will leverage their experience and their clinical expertise.
E-REFERRAL TOOL SELECTED
Over the past several months, Nova Scotia Health's Perioperative Services Network has been collaborating with our colleagues to explore e-referral solutions to support our single-entry referral model.

The aim is to support timely, complete and decision-ready referrals, along with improved communication and automation, through a user-friendly, easily-accessible and comprehensive electronic referral tool that is One Person, One Record compatible.

The OCEAN eReferral Network, by CognisantMD has been selected as our e-referral platform and representatives from the vendor are now engaged in planning activities to develop Nova Scotia specific content on their network and support our design and planning activities.
Ocean eReferral Network

For Referring Clinicians - Find a local specialist, click on the requisition form, and complete the referral. It's that easy. Referrals are automatically tracked in the patient record, and the status of the referral can be accessed in the Ocean...

Read more
www.cognisantmd.com
E-referral Fast Facts:

  • Will provide a comprehensive, up-to-date database, searchable by specialty / service, with clear referral requirements and relevant surgeon-specific details.

  • Will offer a user-friendly interface with existing electronic medical record (EMR) systems.

  • Our agreement with CognistantMD also includes a patient engagement tool to allow for secure and efficient communication with patients regarding their referral status and more.

More information on the tool will be provided as planning moves forward and further details are known.
STAY INFORMED
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  • View project updates and other project information here.


Thank you for your time, support, and ongoing commitment to our patients as we work to restore and improve access to surgery and
drive patient-centered solutions on behalf of Nova Scotians.