Grampians Health has moved ahead on its digital transformation journey by modernising referral management with the rollout of HealthLink’s SmartForms eReferral platform.
It’s the ninth Victorian hospital group to implement the solution to replace legacy fax-based workflows with fully digital, secure, and integrated referral pathways.
Grampians Health launched the HealthLink eReferral system in April 2026, and usage statistics indicate more than 40 practices have exchanged over 450 eReferrals.
For Grampians Health, the new platform will integrate directly with GPs’ practice management software, with demographic data, medical history, medications and alerts auto populated to streamline referral creation.
For Grampians GPs, this means:
- Seamless integration with Best Practice, Medical Director Clinical, Genie, Medtech Artia, Zedmed, Shexie Platinum, Communicare and more via HealthLink SmartForms
- Free access for all GPs – as with other SmartForms services in Victoria
- Consistent statewide and national experience, with HealthLink SmartForms already used for My Aged Care, Medicare Mental Health, Hearing Australia, Lifehouse Cancer Centre, Cervin S&R Private Specialist Referrals, and Transport for NSW Fitness to Drive assessments
HealthLink National Manager Jean-Christophe Meunier said, “A lot of hard work, dedication and trust goes into supporting GPs with a comprehensive eReferral service. Our goal has always been to enable a consistent, auditable and easy to use service from the safety of the GP electronic medical record system. It’s important we remain laser focused and build upon this step change in digital infrastructure to continue connecting more health service systems and workflows across Australia to deliver the best possible healthcare experience.”
“Our roadmap is driven by a set of key priorities that will transition HealthLink into a more modern, platform-based experience.
“At the centre of this is HealthLink Pro, alongside our next generation Portal and Directory Services, with a shift to a FHIR-first architecture.
“This is enabling faster network-wide communication, and stronger capabilities for organisations across the network, including GPs, Specialists and Allied Health to better manage workflows through features such as message tracking, analytics and streamlined administrative functionalities,” he said.
“On eReferrals, with FHIR, we are strengthening interoperability and alignment with national infrastructure and provider directories. This is enabling richer two-way communication, including referral updates, addendums, and eConsult Requests for Advice, while embedding state-wide referral access criteria directly into workflows. Clinicians are seeing more complete and consistent referral information, less manual handling and faster connections to the right services.”
GP trust
HealthLink has delivered SmartForm eReferral systems across Victoria since 2017, including Austin Health, Eastern Health, Northern Health, Monash Health, and others. It says several of these services now accept only HealthLink eReferrals into their specialist clinics, reflecting “strong GP adoption and trust”.
In other implementations of the leading technology, clinicians have gained the ability to triage referrals from anywhere in the hospital, or even from home supported by comprehensive metrics and dashboards that improved service planning and workload management.
These changes have provided such confidence in the digital process that many districts have made the decision to retire fax referrals entirely, making electronic referral the sole accepted method for external referrals
With a catchment of more than 400,000 people, the rollout represents a major step in improving the consistency, security, and efficiency of referral pathways across the Grampians region. Referencing the Cancer Services Optimal Care Pathways, and localised criteria, the initiative is backed by HealthLink’s extensive experience deploying eReferral solutions across Victoria.
With HealthLink’s acquisition of long-time regional messaging provider Argus, the organisation has also ensured continuity and support for referrers across the Grampians region who are transitioning to the new digital platform.
HealthLink Product Director Sahif Ali said, “The result is a more connected and transparent referral experience, where communication flows both ways, directory information is accurate at the point of care, and organisations have greater visibility and control. This supports more consistent referral quality, reduces delays, and helps patients move more smoothly through the healthcare system.”
HealthLink, part of Lanas, provides digital infrastructure that allows GPs, specialists, hospitals, allied health providers and government services to share critical patient information safely and efficiently. Through solutions such as Secure Messaging, SmartForms and an interoperable Provider Directory, HealthLink helps healthcare professionals streamline workflows and deliver better patient care.
Disclaimer: HealthLink and Pulse+IT are both part of Lanas.
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