PA Registries HSD Use Case

Human Services Directory Use Cases

The Healthcare, Community Services and Provider Directory standard will be the basis for an OMG (Object management Group) Request For Proposal. The draft RFP fincludes the following description of requirements.

Human Services Directory provides key capabilities to enable practitioners, via a set of parameters, to locate other practitioners to assist in the continuum of care. Effective referral is an integral part of patient/client care. This enables the right treatment and/or diagnosis to be given at the right place at the right time. To date many attempts have been made, by many organizations throughout the world, to create effective Service (as in Healthcare Services) Directories, with very little success.

Ensuring effective referral takes place means medical errors and unnecessary complications can be avoided. This creates better outcomes for the client, practitioner and the Health/Welfare System.

During a consultation/examination, the practitioner decides assistance is required to ensure the optimum care for the patient/client. In accessing the patient/client’s record via the patient/client administration system, the practitioner requests a referral according to expertise, availability and location. A list of entities that represent the specified criteria is presented to the practitioner. Upon selection of a suitable provider, the appropriate detail is supplied to assist in the creation of a Referral.

Similarly, during the process of discharging a patient from hospital, the designated physician will describe a list of services to be provided to assist in rehabilitation. The hospital PAS can then access online details of suitable services providers for selection for referral.

There are currently no standards in existence for Healthcare Service or Provider Directories. As a result each project mounted to date to created such a service has started from scratch and developed it’s own model, all of which have been flawed in some was and hence not fully realised their potential value. However much has been learnt during this time and valuable contributions can be made to establishing such standards.

A Healthcare Service Directory is an integral component of true e-Referral (i.e. Client/Patient Management System to Client/Patient Management System). Not only does it allow the practitioner to expediently find an appropriate and available provider to whom to refer his client, but it can also provide many other benefits, such as system address and security profiles, all at the finger-tip or push of a button.

Vendors of client and patient management systems will merely have to include simple functionality to access HSD instances rather than build in their own functionality, which includes searching algorithms and data management.

Customers will ultimately see improved levels of service and hence better care. Imagine walking out of the GP’s surgery, not only with the referral information but a confirmed appointment as well!