Opinion
Do you use Provider Connect Australia?
The initiative is a ‘first and last stop for updating business information’, says practice management expert Dr Rob Hosking.
Provider Connect Australia is a free initiative developed and operated by the Australian Digital Health Agency.
Practice owners: ever had a GP start at your practice, or move on to new pastures? Have you ever changed your practice location, billing practices, or opening hours?
Did you, or perhaps your practice manager, find you need to contact and fill out forms at numerous different places to update your practice details with them?
If so, Provider Connect Australia (PCA) might be a good solution for you and your practice – it has been for mine.
PCA is a free initiative developed and operated by the Australian Digital Health Agency. It is a first and last stop for updating business information – a single source for practice details that sends any new changes automatically to your ‘business partners’.
Who are your business partners for the purposes of PCA?
They might be hospitals, Primary Health Networks, Medicare, health service directories, online appointment booking and consumer review platforms, professional bodies and associations, and secure messaging and information exchange providers.
As with all new initiatives, we need organisations to sign up and start using the system to really see the benefits. More and more healthcare providers are joining up with PCA and it will only get better as more healthcare organisations and business partners register and use it.
Most importantly, we need to see organisations like Services Australia, hospitals and community healthcare organisations signed up to use PCA.
When your practice is registered, you can update any practice details once via PCA, and this information will be updated in partner locations automatically, providing consistent, up-to-date information.
This reduces administrative work, prevents important information slipping through the cracks, reduces duplication, and streamlines notifications.
Once you are registered with PCA, you can opt to share updated information with the National Health Services Directory, making the new information immediately available to your patients and potential future patients.
These updates can include staffing changes, doctor availability, clinic opening hours, vaccine availability, and fee details.
Using this service, I have been able to keep things running smoothly in the back end of the practice by making it easier to update essential business information in a secure and efficient way.
It allows us to focus on what’s really important: our patients.
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Australian Digital Health Agency digital health practice management practice owners Provider Connect Australia
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