Open Access

GIE has been providing 'Open Access' gastrointestinal endoscopy services to the medical community and their patients for 23 years.

Our Gastroenterologists also provide private procedural and consultation services from their individual private practices.

Our 'Open Access' or direct referral system allows for patients to be booked for routine gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures without prior consultation with the Gastroenterologist. No consultation fee is charged. The patient must have few or no co-morbidities to access this service. Colonoscopy, upper endoscopy and capsule endoscopy are performed in this Open Access system.

High risk endoscopic procedures such as ERCP, stenting, treatment of varices etc are not performed on an open access basis.

Once the GP has written the referral, the patient must make a phone call to one of our four centres to make an appointment. The clerical staff will give the patient an appointment date for the procedure/s.

If the patient is having a colonscopy, the patient will also be given a date to attend a preparation appointment (prep kit appointment ). Our GIE colonoscopy patients are interviewed by specifically trained Gastroenterology nurses regarding their suitability and fitness for both the procedure and the preparation. A detailed medical history is taken. The patient receives detailed written information about the preparation and procedure including risks. They are advised in writing that if they wish to discuss all possible complications, they are not suitable for the open access system and should seek a formal consultation with an endoscopist prior to the procedure.

After the procedure the endoscopist will ring and discuss serious findings with the GP and discuss them with the patient e.g. cancer, acute inflammatory bowel disease. The Gastroenterologists will NOT routinely discuss normal or trivial findings with the patient. Partly because many GPs have indicated they don't want GIE to and partly because it is difficult to stop the discussion drifting on to treatment options which is definitely not the province of 'Open Access'. The patient is given a report in their hand to take with them to discuss the findings with the GP. The GP also receives a copy of the procedural findings via the post or electronically.

GIE will try as far as possible to schedule Open Access patients who have had previous procedures to have further examinations with the same endoscopist.

If the GP refers a patient for a procedure on our GIE Open Access Request Forms, GIE will assume you want it done through the Open Access system. If you wish a consultation or to have the procedure organised with a particular doctor's rooms, please direct the patient and the referral to the specific doctor's rooms.

Referral templates and referral forms

GIE have both electronic and A5 paper referral pads for GP referral purposes into our Open Access system.

The electronic template is available for Medical Director (MD) and PractiX programs. Please see below, the GIE referral templates and the instructions required to import the forms into your clinical program. Please remember to SAVE the template to a folder or to your desktop PRIOR to opening the template. DO NOT OPEN IN MS WORD.

If you would like one of the GIE staff to import this template for you, please call one of our four locations for assistance.

 

Paper referral pads:

If you are requiring A5 referral pads, please contact one of our sites for delivery of our forms to your General Practice.

Newsletters

Publications

Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Endoscopic Procedures by Dr Alistair Cowen

Sessile Serrated Polyps by Dr Andrew Bryant

Capsule Endoscopy by Dr Michael Miros

Endoscopic Ultrasound by Dr Patrick Walsh

Anti-Coagulant Protocols for Gastrointestinal Procedures by Dr Alistair Cowen

Colonoscopy Follow-up / Surveillance...advice for the GP by Dr Alistair Cowen

Eosinophilic Oesophagitis by Dr Alistair Cowen