Establishment of a

Geri Connect ServiceFrom Business Case to Implementation

From theory to reality!!

In the beginning ……

Strategy

Technology

Clinical willingness

Clinical Governance/Direction

…kinda

….sort of

Task:

Establish a regional Telehealth service

What?

Where?

Why?

When?

How?

What/WhereHealth Service 1st Priority 2nd Priority 3rd Priority

Echuca Regional

Health

Pain Management Geriatrician Services

Cancer Services

Swan Hill District

Health Service

Geriatrician Services Fractures Clinic

Cohuna District

Health Service

Geriatrician Services Pre-Surgical Consultations Skin Disorder

Clinics

Inglewood District

Health Service

Geriatrician Services Mental Health

Kyabram District

Health Service

Geriatrician Services Huntington’s Disease Orthopaedics

Heathcote Health Geriatrician Services Mental Health Social Worker

Boort District

Health Service

Geriatrician Services Aged Care Mental Health

Kerang District

Health

Geriatrician Services Urgent Care Urgent Mental

Health

Kyneton District

Health Service

Trauma Support Geriatrician services

Urgent Mental

Health

Rochester and

Elmore District

Health Service

Geriatrician Services Fractures Clinic

Maryborough

District Health

Service

Geriatrician Services

Castlemaine

Health

Geriatrician Services Rehab support Urgent Care

Robinvale District

Health Service

Geriatrician Support Trauma support GP services into

Aged Care Facility

25%Acute

67%Aged Care

Loddon Mallee Bed Profile

Why

Meetings, 12%

Geriatric Opinion, 27%

TCP, 13%ACAS, 13%

Rehab review, 1%

Travel time, 35%

Breakdown of clinical time for visiting Geriatrician

How?

Technology People

High Value

Low Risk Establishment of a Geriatric Service –

GeriConnect

What

To regional Residential Aged

Care Facilities and GP’s

Where

4-6 session per week

When

Combination of face to face (20%) and

telehealth consultations (80%)

How

The Business Case

($20,000.00)

($15,000.00)

($10,000.00)

($5,000.00)

$0.00

$5,000.00

$10,000.00

$15,000.00

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Consu

ltin

g h

ours

month

Geriatric Telehealth Clinics Financial Modelling

Clinical Consultations

Profit/Loss

Break Even

Theory to

realityProcesses

•Patient end

•Clinician end

•Administration/billing

1

Timing/Scheduling

2

NUMBERS!!!!!!!

3

Business Continuity

4

Processes

Business Continuity

Lessons

Learned

It’s working! – we are meeting a need within the community

Participation rates are increasing

GP inclusion into the model of care

Improved access – delivering services where services haven’t been delivered for a number of years

Positive Patient, Family and Carer’s feedback

Consultation with carer prior to consultation

Introduction of new models of care

Increase in ACFI for regional aged care services

Technology

high quality

easy to use

reliable

What we are doing

well

Lessons

Learned Setting expectations (numbers)

Addressing DNA’s

Referral processes

Impact on the remote site

Marketing - Medical/GP engagement

What we are addressing

Lessons

Learned Communication style needs to be

different – don’t yell at the VC

unit!

Adapting the consultation style –

don’t expect telehealth to be

the panacea

Ownership

Identifying variation

Just things we learnt/

didn’t expect

Questions

Clinical Sponsor

Associate Professor Marc Budge

Medical Director

Sub-Acute Services

Bendigo Health

mbudge@bendigohealth.org.au

Project Director

Jackie Plunkett

Director Health Innovation and Telehealth

Loddon Mallee Rural Health Alliance

Jackie.Plunkett@lmrha.org.au