gprefer Facilitating Informed Medical Choice
Choosing a specialist for private treatment can be a daunting task and most of us would like to get help from our GP. This has now been made easier with the development of a new professional site called gprefer. The new system enables GPs to quickly search for an appropriate specialist based on diagnosis and to further filter the search by location, availability, and insurance provider. The GP can then make an electronic referral avoiding the need for a separate referral letter and streamlining the process of choosing and booking private appointments.
With access to over 10,000 senior medical Consultants, including most from this website, gprefer has received pilot testing from a number of GP practices and is now been rolled-out across the country.
GP guidance on best private specialist
If you are considering private treatment for your medical condition how do you decide who is the right specialist for you and how easy is it to arrange a private appointment? Although there are a number of good sources of information available to the general public on medical Consultants and private hospitals most of us would still ultimately like to be guided on who we should see by our GP. But given the pressure on GPs and limited appointment times how much assistance can a GP practically give?
Referral for private treatment
Guidance from the BMA states that in most cases it is best practice for patients to be referred for specialist treatment by their GP and as a result the majority of private specialists are reluctant or unwilling to see a patient without a GP referral letter.
gprefer.co.uk has been designed to streamline the process of accessing private treatment. The new system enables the GP to quickly search for the most appropriate specialist while with a patient and to make an electronic referral there and then. This enables shared decision making and makes arranging an appointment quicker and more efficient. The search can be filtered by diagnosis, condition, location, clinic, availability, PMI or any combination of these. Appointment confirmation, instructions and reminders will then be sent by email and SMS text message, which will help to improve the patient experience.
The system has been piloted with a number of launch-partner GP practices and is now being rolled out across the country. GPs can register via this link.
Patients wanting to prepare to get the most out of their consultation will find this link to the medical Consultation checklist useful.
