Smart Referrals

Overview

Smart Referrals is a digital referrals application that enables fast, streamlined management of referrals for Queensland public hospitals.

Smart Referrals securely integrates with practice management software, saving referring clinicians time by pre-filling patient information.

Benefits

Safety and quality of care—enhanced quality of referral information, informs clinical handover, triage and treatment of patients
Workflow efficiency—faster, streamlined referral management supports better patient outcomes
Patient experience—enhanced quality of referral information reduces wait times
GP experience—quicker and easier for GPs to refer
Clinician experience—enhanced decision support improves patient care
Financial benefits—reduction in referral rework and avoidable appointments

How it works

Show transcript

Video transcript

Voice over: As part of the Queensland Government’s Specialist Outpatient Strategy, Queensland Health is tackling waiting lists across the patient journey from GP referral, to specialist outpatient care.

Almost 2 million referrals are received by Queensland Health services yearly, and most are received by post or fax. These may go to the wrong place or may not have all the information needed to facilitate effective patient care.

Coupled with the challenges experienced by GPs and their patients, much of Queensland Health’s referrals rely on manual processes.

Smart Referrals is creating a paperless solution that is simple, integrated and secure.

So how does it work?

A patient will visit their GP, and as part of the consultation the need for a referral to a specialist may be discussed. Under Smart Referrals the GP will access their practice management software, create an electronic referral and submit it to the health service.

Smart Referrals also features and integrated online directory, a listing of specialist public outpatient services, where and how they are offered, referring requirements and expected clinic wait time. This will give everyone a better sense of how long a patient may wait.

Smart Referrals also helps a GP by auto populating referral information and flagging anything that needs to be attached, so there’s nothing missing, and no rework needed.

Smart Referrals makes it easy for GPs to track and follow up a referral, ensuring referrals are not lost or duplicated. The referral is securely submitted to the right place, where it is electronically processed and triaged according to its clinical urgency.

Smart Referrals also allows hospital and health service staff to create and submit referrals to any public specialist across Queensland.

Components

Smart Referrals is an enterprise-wide solution that is deployed across all Hospital and Health Services and Mater Public and is comprised of 6 fully integrated components.

Workflow solution—supports the electronic registration, triage and waitlisting of referrals in line with HHS workflow requirements.

Reporting and analytics capability—provides the ability to collect, analyse and report on specialist outpatient referral performance and activity data.

Referral lodgement and tracking—provides statewide technical capability for lodging and tracking of all Smart Referrals.

Referral services directory—provides an integrated directory of HHS specialist services to better inform and direct clinical care, ensuring patients are referred to the right location the first time.

GP Smart Referrals—enables authorised external referring clinicians GPs to create an electronic referral or request for advice from their existing practice management software and submit it to a Queensland Health facility and/or specialty.

A request for advice provides care teams with timely access to specialist input, without necessarily requiring a full referral. It provides a secure, and asynchronous written exchange to support patient care.

qhRefer—enables authorised Queensland Health clinicians to create an electronic referral, request for advice or post-discharge appointment request and submit it to a Queensland Health facility or specialty.

More information

Last updated: 23 October 2025