Waiting times to see specialists in Toowoomba set to be cut - Toowoomba Chronicle

MEDrefer director Brian Sullivan (left) is congratulated by GP Connections managing director Ken Murphy.

PATIENT waiting times to see specialists and allied health professionals are set to be dramatically reduced under a new national GP referral system launched in Toowoomba.

The Toowoomba-designed enterprise called MEDrefer will also allow patients to have a say in how long they are prepared to wait to see a specialist.

The official launch came with the endorsement of GP Connections, the not-for-profit general practice and primary health care providers support organisation.

GP Connections has recommended the game-changing system to its vast network of medical professionals.

"Many of the GPs right across the Darling Downs are not aware of all the highly qualified specialists that are available in Toowoomba, which means patients are missing out," GP Connections managing director Ken Murphy said.

The referral system allows GPs to search a specialist's availability and location, and provide patients with up to five choices most suitable to their needs.

"No longer do you need to accept a referral listing a single practitioner, only to later find that they are unavailable for months, kilometres from where you live, or just unsuitable," MEDrefer director Brian Sullivan said.

The program, which is free of charge for GPs and patients, has passed an extensive trial, and support in the medical profession has been enormous.

"The support from the GPs has been particularly strong for its duty of care.

"It's a total tracking system of the patient's treatment journey, so whichever of the specialists accepts the referral the GP is automatically advised of that acceptance, so it closes the loop of duty of care," Mr Sullivan said.

An easy-to-use website www.medrefer.com.au has been established for GPs, specialists, allied health professionals and patients to access.