Victorian Statewide Referral Form

The Victorian Statewide Referral Form (VSRF) is a straightforward, easy to use, electronic template for GP referrals. The purpose is to provide a standardised mechanism for referral from general practice to state-funded health providers. More info on purpose of VSRF is below.

Check below for availability of VSRF in your software and download template if required

Download the paper-based VSRF form (DOC 41KB)

GPV is organising the development of the VSRF template in other major software products, and the incorporation of the template as a supplied feature of software. We will update this website as the templates are developed and incorporated in each of the medical software products.

More information on VSRF Implementation into GP Software (DOC 72KB) is available.

Read the Guide to generating Victorian Statewide Referral Form

This is a brief guide to the use of the Victorian Statewide Referral Form as implemented in Medical Director. The guide was prepared by Dr Geoff Campbell from Mornington Peninsula DGP.

• Download Guide to generating VSRF (DOC 863KB)
• Download Guide to generating VSRF (PDF 150KB)

Purpose of VSRF

The purpose is to provide a standardised mechanism for referral from General Practice to state funded health providers. GPs are encouraged to use this simple template as a replacement for the multitude of service specific referral forms.

The VSRF is the preferred format for GP referrals to primary care services funded by the Department of Human Services (DHS). This includes: Community health, Home & Community Care, Aged Care Assessment and so on. The VSRF is also suitable for referrals to hospital outpatient services where a service specific template does not already exist.

The VSRF is supported in statewide policy on e-health and will further develop to meet both clinical and technological requirements. The aim is to enable GPs to send and receive relevant, agreed demographic and clinical information to services and for this to occur securely and seamlessly from their clinical information system.

The VSRF was revised in early 2006 following consultation with a GP working group convened by DHS. The revised VSRF is far more GP friendly then the previous version - it is significantly shorter; all duplication of information has been removed as has bureaucratic language. 

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VSRF Templates

Best Practice

1. Right click on link below and select Save Target As � (Suggest save file name as "AAAVSRF" as this places at the top of the template list)
2. Select a location on hard drive (which you can find later, such as the desktop) and save

Download Best Practice VSRF (RTF 34KB) NOTE: this resource is currently unavailable at this time

Import instructions

1. Open a New Letter and from Templates menu select Import templates
2. Locate downloaded file and open
3. From File menu select Save as. Type in an appropriate Template name and click on Save

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Genie

A genie version of the VSRF has been developed by Russell Venn from West Vic Division and is ready to save to save to desktop or appropriate folder.

Download Genie VSRF (ZIP 14KB) 

Instructions on how to open Genie file format

View Genie VSRF with sample data is also available (PDF 56.63KB)

GP Complete

1. Right click on link below and select Save Target As � (Suggest save file name as "AAAVSRF" as this places at the top of the template list)
2. Select a location on hard drive (which you can find later, such as the desktop) and save

Download GPComplete VSRF (RTF 19KB) NOTE: this resource is currently unavailable at this time  

Locum

A Locum version of the template has been developed by Julian Laffey from Ballarat division.

1. Right click on link below and select Save Target As � (Suggest save file name as "AAAVSRF" as this places at the top of the template list)
2. Select a location on hard drive (which you can find later, such as the desktop) and save

Download Locum VSRF (DOT 43KB) 

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Medical Director

1. Right click on link below and select Save Target As � (Suggest save file name as "AAAVSRF" as this places at the top of the template list)
2. Select a location on hard drive (which you can find later, such as the desktop) and save

Download Medical Director VSRF (RTF 19KB) NOTE: this resource is currently unavailable at this time

Import instructions

1. Open Medical Director and then LetterWriter
2. File menu > Select Modify Template > Select Blank template
3. File > Select Import - locate downloaded file and click on Open
4. File > Select Save as template - type in appropriate name and click on Save

Download instructions for complete MD (DOC 23KB)

The following documents are Word sample files which will give you an outcome to how the 'rtf' file shall look upon completion in Medical Director.

• Download MD VSRF sample fields (DOC 36KB) 
• Download MD VSRF sample data (DOC 36KB)

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MedTech 32

A MedTech 32 version of the template has been developed by Julian Laffey from Ballarat division.

1. Right click on link below and select Save Target As � (Suggest save file name as "AAAVSRF" as this places at the top of the template list)
2. Select a location on hard drive (which you can find later, such as the desktop) and save

Download MedTech 32 VSRF (ZIP 8kb)

Import instructions

1. Open MedTech 32, from the main screen menu bar select 'setup'
2. 'In/Outbox' > select 'Outbox Document'
3. From the main screen menu bar click on 'document', > 'Import Disk'
4. Information window advising you to insert diskette will appear. Unless your template is on a floppy disk click 'OK' > 'Cancel'.
5. Browse to the location of your stored/saved .mtd file > 'VSR Victorian State Ref.mtd' file > open. Another information window will appear saying 'Document retrieved from disk > 'OK'.

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Practix

A Practix version of the VSRF has been developed by Dr Tim Foo from Monash Division.

To use template correctly, Open Practix, select 'Write documents'

1. Select this template
2. Select 'Contact' - this will populate 'referral to' field
3. Select 'Health Summary to merge' - in this section the boxes next to 'allergies', 'current medications', 'social history', 'past medical history' and where appropriate, 'results' need to be ticked to enable these fields to be populated in the final document.

Download Practix VSRF (DOC 45KB)

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For further information contact:

Lenora Lippmann Integration Team Leader Ph: 03 9341 5200 | Fax: 03 9341 5299 | Email: l.lippmann@gpv.org.au