Southern HealthPathways
Southern HealthPathways is an assessment, management and referral information website for clinicians working in the Southern District. Accessible like any website, HealthPathways is a trusted localised resource that can help improve patient experience of care and improve health outcomes.
Why use HealthPathways?
Using HealthPathways, clinicians can consistently and appropriately treat patients and refer for speciality services, improving quality of care, accessing the right treatments and services and often reducing the time patients spend waiting.
Primary and secondary care clinicians have worked collaboratively to localise many of the pathways (more than 600 and growing!) This joint approach helps promote equitable access to care and ensures clinicians in all parts of Otago and Southland have the same criteria and can apply them consistently.
What are the benefits of using HealthPathways?
As well as condition management information and referral guidelines, Southern HealthPathways also provides clinicians and other carers with information about newly localised pathways, new developments and announcements about health services and other relevant updates.
Features and Benefits of HealthPathways include:
- Accessing current, localised information on health care services
- ‘Red flag’ warnings – i.e.- Things to be mindful about when making diagnoses
- Updates – public health advisories, warnings and more
- View current waiting time information
- Providing feedback directly to the local HPW team on any pathways
- Offering reassurance to patients that advice is accept practice in the district
- Connecting with the HealthPathways community – locally, in New Zealand, Australia, in North America and the UK.
Better for patients and physicians
Patients benefit from general practice and allied healthcare providers being able to do more for them in the community, from greater clarity about the clinicians can provide about the appropriateness and likelihood of obtaining further specialist services, and about alternative options.
Clinicians benefit through relationship building with their primary care and hospital specialist colleagues as they localise HealthPathways, and through greater confidence and options in managing their patients.
The local ‘health system’ benefits through less demand on acute and residential care services as patients are better managed in the community, freeing up resources to provide more elective services and increase assistance to primary care.
How do I access HealthPathways?
Access to Southern HealthPathways is free to clinicians and other eligible care providers in the Southern district. It can be accessed via this link with a username and password. It can also be accessed via the Te Whatu Ora intranet as well as patient management systems in the community.
If you are a clinician requiring access, contact healthpathways@southerndhb.govt.nz for access details.