GP Access to Community Diagnostics
GP Access to Community Diagnostics is an integral component of the Enhanced Community Care programme available nationally for all GPs. The scheme builds on pathways already in place for GP direct access to Ultrasound.
GP access to X-Ray, CT, MRI and DEXA services is available to the full adult patient (16 years of age and over) population of Ireland until the 31st of March 2023 via five private providers (Affidea, Alliance, Bon Secours, Global Diagnostics and UPMC)
GP Access to Community Ultrasound
Direct access to ultrasound is available to all GPs through pre-existing national and local initiatives and is separate from the GP Access to Community Diagnostics scheme.
GP access to Community Ultrasound is available to adult patients (16 years of age and over) with a medical card, GP visit card, or Health Amendment Act (HAA) card unless locally specified.
How to access the additional radiology services
Before referring a patient for a scan, you must:
- Assess if the patient requires a scan
- Check if this service covers the patient and scan type
- Inform the patient of the private providers available
- Refer the patient via the appropriate channel (via this service or hospital/ privately if not covered).
Where to refer
The Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO) Matrices (see related files below) and National Matrix provide information on locations to refer your patients.
Note: Initiatives listed and highlighted in yellow in the matrices are US initiatives, and the ones in grey are local CHO arrangements. Please link with the listed providers for information regarding the local initiatives to confirm specific referral guidelines.
How to refer
You can refer to all private providers (except Global Diagnostics) by submitting an e-referral using the General Referral Form on Healthlink. Healthlink is accessed via the Healthlink web portal or your accredited practice management software.
If you are referring to Global Diagnostics, you can email referrals to hse@globaldiagnostics.ie or use the secure ‘fax to email’ line at 01 5313425
What information do I need to include on the referral?
Please complete all the required fields when filling out the General Referral Form via Healthlink (see below).
Please note the new code: ‘GP Access to Community Diagnostics’, which is to be used for referrals for X-ray, CT, MRI and DEXAor left blank if referring for US
You must also include the following information specified below in the free text box on the General Referral Form:
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#
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Information Required in General Referral Free Text Box
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Example
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1
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Code: ‘GP Access to Community Diagnostics’
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GP Access to Community Diagnostics or blank if referring for US
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2
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CHO
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CHO 1
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3
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Area (per ‘GP Access to Diagnostics CHO Private Providers’ document)
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Cavan and Monaghan
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4
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Medical card or GP visit card number if available (8 characters)
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A1B23456C
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5
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Provider and Location
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Alliance Medical, Galway
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6
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Modality
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CT
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7
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Part of the body to be scanned (depending on type of scan being requested)
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Sinuses
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8
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Urgent or Routine
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Routine
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9
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Patient mobile number (if not provided already)
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086-123-4567
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10
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Relevant clinical information, including previous imaging and where this was done
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MRI Brain at St James’ Hospital
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All the above information must be specified correctly on the referral, particularly the valid medical card or GP visit card number, where applicable.
You can find answers to questions about the rollout and how to refer your patient for X-ray, CT, MRI and DEXA in GP Access to Community Diagnostics and GP Access to Community Ultrasound FAQs.
GP Access to Community Diagnostics has provided GPs access to approximately 138k radiology scans in 2021 and approximately 253k in 2022 at the end of December 2022.
This rollout supports the long-term objective of expanding Primary Care services aligned to the following:
These reports highlight the crucial role played by GPs in the Enhanced Community Care programme and in shifting care provision from acute to community settings.
