Since mid-March, when warnings against overseas travel began, over 200,000 citizens and residents have returned home to Australia, with thousands more arriving by plane each week. An enforced, 14-day hotel quarantine required significant resources to be deployed by State Governments Agencies from organising the Hotels willing to provide the services to a massive logistical operation to provide healthcare resources in a very short space of time.
In Victoria the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) sought out Dr. Nathan Pinskier, Director and Co-owner of the Medi 7 group of practices, and Clinical Advisor for the Australian Digital Health Agency to assist and manage the provision of medical services to the quarantined travellers. Working with DHHS, a group of Doctors was put together to support the healthcare needs of newly arrived quarantined Australians in hotels around Melbourne.
Shortly after the medical service commerced, Dr. Pinskier contacted Dr. Frank and Lorraine Pyefinch at 4:00 pm on Thursday, 9th April with an urgent request for assistance. He explained, “what started as a requirement for one doctor the previous Saturday has rapidly expanded into the provision of five doctors today and possibly even more in the next week or so, as more and more repatriation flights arrive from overseas. Our team of doctors has been providing consults through both telehealth and face-to-face appointments.”
Initially, this rapidly formed and mobilised team did not have a practice management system to capture clinical notes electronically, therefore raising the issues of data privacy, record retention, long term storage, archiving and the decision support provided by Bp Premier when it comes to allergies and medication. Here enters Team Bp.
Within an hour of the request, our team had provided 15 Bp Premier licences and enablement material, which allowed Dr. Pinskier’s in house IT team to configure the software over the Easter long weekend. On Wednesday, 15th April, we issued Dr. Pinskier with a further 10 licences to support the expanding group of doctors.
“We think it is fantastic that Nathan and his team have stepped up to help in this unprecedented public health emergency,” said Dr. Frank Pyefinch. “So we were delighted to quickly deliver a solution that will ensure accurate recording of patient encounters and provide for a safe clinical handover when their isolation periods have completed”.
Dr Pinskier has provided a hosted environment to access Bp Premier. The doctors access the software via a remote desktop login using either wifi or 4G. They have full functionality including the ordering of pathology online and also prescriptions. “This is great solution for doctors working across a number of hotels. It allows for the provision of safer and better coordinated healthcare,” Dr Pinskier said. “We thank Frank and Lorraine and their team for their fantastic assistance.”