Telstra Health & Consultmed integrate eReferrals for GPs
Telstra Health has partnered with Consultmed to integrate a digital referral solution directly into the MedicalDirector Clinical practice management platform.
The new partnership enables general practitioners (GPs) to generate and send electronic referrals (eReferrals) quickly and securely without leaving the MedicalDirector Clinical software. The Consultmed widget, now available through MedicalDirector's Smartbar, allows clinicians to manage referrals within their standard workflow at no additional cost.
Referral management challenges
Traditional referral processes in Australian primary care have involved manual paperwork, printing, and faxing, resulting in time-consuming tasks and additional administrative workload for clinicians.
A national study of 1,935 GPs indicated that referrals accounted for 8% of their non-billable time, with a further 12% spent communicating with specialists. Despite widespread connectivity to My Health Record, fax remains a commonly used method, particularly when digital systems cannot communicate with each other.
The Consultmed integration is intended to address these operational inefficiencies. GPs using MedicalDirector Clinical can now generate secure and trackable eReferrals, attach supporting documents, access a directory of health services and specialists, and receive direct correspondence from specialists.
Clinical Advice & Guidance is included, enabling bi-directional, secure communication between primary and specialist care providers. Referral responses, including acknowledgements, letters, reports and discharge summaries, are delivered directly into the MedicalDirector inbox.
Platform features and adoption
Consultmed's platform is a cloud-based, FHIR-enabled system and is presently used by more than 45,000 health professionals across more than 15 major public and private health networks, including the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Alfred Health, and Amplar Health. The integration with MedicalDirector means GPs can conduct all referral management activities without switching between multiple platforms. The technology also allows for the import and export of relevant attachments supporting comprehensive and coordinated patient care.
The inclusion of Consultmed on MedicalDirector's Smartbar further consolidates the tools available to GPs through a single interface, aiming to streamline daily clinical workflows.
Sector perspectives
"At Telstra Health, we're committed to building a seamless, interoperable and patient-centred digital health ecosystem to support better clinical decisions and continuity of care," said Dr Chris Tan, Clinical Director at Telstra Health. "Our integration with Consultmed is part of our broader strategy to modernise healthcare delivery and improve patient and provider experiences through value-based care. With over 20,000 MedicalDirector Clinical users now able to send and track referrals digitally, we're transforming how care is coordinated across Australia."
Associate Professor Vikram Palit, Paediatric Respiratory Physician and CEO of Consultmed, commented on the launch of the integration:
"We've been looking forward to launching Consultmed in Medical Directors' Smart Marketplace. It has been a pleasure to work with Telstra Health's team and to streamline referral management for GPs. Our sidebar integration is fully embedded within MedicalDirector, allowing GPs to send referrals, receive correspondence, and import attachments — all without switching systems. This streamlined workflow reduces administrative burden, saves time, and supports better continuity of care for patients"
Dr Tony Girgis, also commenting on the partnership, stated, "Consultmed is helping put an end to faxed referrals. For busy GPs, their MedicalDirector widget is the smartest way to refer. It is easy to use, integrated, and quicker than sending a paper referral via fax."
National digital health progress
The collaboration between Telstra Health and Consultmed supports wider national objectives to modernise digital health infrastructure and reduce the reliance on manual processes. Consultmed's features such as secure messaging, advice and guidance, virtual triage, digital forms, and an AI-enabled assistant called Consultpilot AI are designed to support administrative efficiency and clinical decision-making.
The partnership is expected to facilitate increased uptake of digital referrals and enable more coordinated patient management, connecting primary care with specialist services more effectively.
