Choose and Book
Choose and Book is the first NPfIT project to impact
Primary Care. Via GP Enterprise, users will be able to
electronically refer patients through the electronic booking
service (EBS). Patients will also have access, via the
Internet, to view and track the status of their
appointments.
So how can you access Choose and Book through GP
Enterprise?
After extensive development and testing, Choose and Book is
now fully integrated into GP Enterprise. The referral section has
been significantly enhanced to incorporate e-Booking. When
referring a patient, as well as your usual options to record
referring information, there are now additional options to access
EBS and create a referral request.
Once the request has been accepted, users will then have full
access to the EBS web application (again, via GP Enterprise). Data
can then be stored with details such as the department to
refer to; the distance that the patient is willing to travel and
priority of the referral.
Services can then be suggested. At this point in
the selection process, all appointments available can then be
displayed and chosen. All of these steps can be done at any point
in time, but ideally with the patient present.
Once the request is made, the consultant at the service end
will decide whether to accept or reject the referral. As stated,
the patient will be able to track this via HealthSpace on the
Internet, using the unique booking reference number given by the
initial referral request. The clinician will also be able to track
this (and all other requests and bookings made) via either the
initial referral made in GP Enterprise, or by their own Choose and
Book home page, accessed through the Enterprise menu system.
What patient information will be available to the
consultant?
When the Choose and Book request has been made and accepted,
the GP will have another set of options for sending relevant
medical information through to the appointment.
This will give the consultant immediate access to the latest
medical notes for the patient. This will be available via the
referral letter, read coded information, even notes attached by the
GP to key information if this proves to be useful to other medical
professionals.
So when will Choose and Book be
available?
We are working closely with NPfIT on this project. Our
early adopter sites have now been deployed. Once our testing
phase with these practices is complete, Choose and Book will be
rolled-out across the country over the course of 2005. We
will be ready to install at any GP Enterprise site as soon as your
area is ready to connect you nationally.
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