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Rethink the referral process

by Chris Birch | Apr 19, 2022 | in Rethinking demand challenge | All regions

A proportion of any outpatient appointments by speciality does not need to be seen by a specialist. An online assessment (more than triage) by a specialist can often provide a clinical outcome without the need for an outpatient appointment. This can be A&G or a treatment plan with the GP. 50% of Dermatology referrals can be treated this way. The remaining patients that require specialist treatment can be referred to their specific clinic. The virtual assessment process requires the gathering of data that would normally be conducted at the start of an outpatient appointment. This dramatically reduces the time needed to gather information from the patient in a face to face setting (reducing repetition of telling your story for the patient) increasing the number of patients that can be seen in a clinic session.  This requires a rethink of patient pathways and  specialist job plans to include time for Virtual clinics. You could also retain some workforce as they can work from home assessing patients appropriately around other commitments.

The environmental impact of reducing the number of outpatient appointments would be enormous @12,000 tonnes of CO2 in Dermatology alone (based on NHIR and RAC data) 

Is your idea a commercial offer , or does it have the potential to be a commercial offer?

Yes

Which part of the pathway does your idea focus on?

Pre-elective care

Files
Virtual Lucy BrochureMar22
Idea image
edited on Apr 19, 2022 by Chris Birch
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Gabrielle Law Apr 20, 2022

Hi Chris, thanks so much for sharing! I have looked at the virtual Lucy attachment and wondered is this something that is being used in areas across the country?

Chris Birch Apr 20, 2022

Buckinghamshire Healthcare are currently using Virtual Lucy - Dermatology to eliminate their backlog and AXA health use Virtual Lucy - MSK in 20,000 patients across the country. The paperwork generated by the outcomes of the service is digitally generated using locally customised templates and populated by drop down menus greatly speeding up the assessment end to end process. Virtual Lucy does not just provide stratification of patients to the appropriate pathway but also does the paperwork!

Laura Bibby Jun 9, 2022

Is this app only for dermatology as would be great for minor elements

Chris Birch Jun 9, 2022

Hi laura,

No.
Virtual Lucy is a platform built of a number of modules that can be chosen for a specific speciality. All that then is required is the specific question set laid out as a question tree as you would in a face to face OP appointment to gain the information that you require from the patient and upload them onto the platform. Then under the same application view the patient's answers and the patient record through GP Connect, the referral letter and any images (MRI scan or patient uploaded images for example) gathered all in the same place. No need to log in and out of different applications. We are about to launch the Gastro version of Virtual Lucy with other specialities (and extension question sets - woundcare for example) already in development but always looking for clinicians wishing to develop their own Virtual Lucy application on the platform.

happy to give a demo of the Virtual Lucy Platform. We will be on stand E71 at NHSCONFED if attending or can arrange a meeting at the event. The actual Lucy of Virtual Lucy is attending.....

Laura Bibby Jun 10, 2022

that sounds really really good and could be used for many other conditions , especially mental health

Chris Birch Jun 10, 2022

Yes it can be used for mental health and as a patient centric platform - the patient fills in their story rather than a clinician relaying a consultation would be well received. An addition to the platform generally in the platform is a mental health questionnaire to be fitted alongside the general health questionnaire which already part of the platform.