1:30min
Following extensive consultation with Optometry Australia and other key eye care stakeholders in South Australia, new Ophthalmology Clinical Prioritisation Criteria (CPC) for frequently referred ophthalmology conditions have now been published on the SA Health website.
The new CPC, available here, is a guideline on what conditions should be referred to public hospitals, how these conditions will be triaged and what information needs to be included in referrals. The changes are designed to help streamline the referral process, provide greater clarity on expected wait times and ultimately support the delivery of more timely and appropriate care for patients.
Key changes to criteria
Notable conditions for adults that have restrictions:
- Cataracts: Category 3 criteria is now a BCVA of >=-6/9 in the better eye, >6/36 in the other
- Diabetic retinopathy: now must include an optometrist report less than 3 months old at the time of referral. Patients without confirmed diabetic retinopathy or patients with minimal or mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) are now excluded.
- Glaucoma: referrals must include an optometrist report from within the last six months, a visual field, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) where possible and photograph. There are also updated triage categories.
- Optic Disc Swelling: must include an optometrist report within the last 30 days which includes optical coherence tomography (OCT) and visual field assessment where relevant
A full list of the updates are all available here.
What this means for optometry
While changes to referral inclusions for optometrists are limited, the threshold for referral of some conditions have changed. In particular, many conditions referred previously by General Practitioners directly into hospitals will now first need recent optometry review, including (but not limited to) reduced visual acuity in adults and children, suspicion of medication toxicity, glaucoma suspect and vision disturbance.
This move is expected to streamline triaging and improve wait times for patients needing to access timely care. This also ensures that conditions that sit well within the scope of optometry, such as annual monitoring for diabetic retinopathy, remain in the community, increasing demand for optometry services and making space in the public tertiary system for urgent referrals and reduction of wait lists. This not only reduced the pressure placed on the public hospitals, but also reaffirms optometry’s role in delivering primary eye care today and into the future.
For conditions that require further examination or specialised scans, such as OCT, which may not be immediately available to you in your practice, we strongly encourage the utilisation of inter-optometry referral through Medicare code 10905.
Upcoming CPD event – Navigating the new CPC
To support SA members in adapting to these new updates, Optometry Australia will host an in-person event next month. Details:
- Date: 28th July – registration opens at 6:30PM for a 7:00PM start
- Location: The Lion Hotel, North Adelaide
- CPD hours: 1.5 applied
- Cost: Free for OA members
- Link: https://www.optometry.org.au/institute-of-excellence/cpd-events/clinical-prioritisation-criteria-education/
This in-person session is to inform and discuss the recent changes in the referral criteria to the RAH and other health networks through the new clinical prioritisation criteria.
This session is aimed at supporting members to not only write high quality, accepted referrals but also to support them in continuing to manage non-referrable conditions. We will receive updates from Jacqueline Warren, Senior Lecturer in Optometry at Flinders University, on the latest evidence in common conditions affected by these changes such as diabetic retinopathy. Michael Yapp, Head of Clinical Operations at the Centre for Eye Health and Optometry Advancement Advisor for Optometry Australia, will discuss how to integrate management of pathology into a successful optometry practice.
Looking for other resources to support your referrals?
To support members in navigating referrals, Optometry Australia has updated the widely used SA Ophthalmology Guide. This popular member resource currently lists local ophthalmologists alphabetically, with details on consulting location(s), sub-specialities, referral information, contact details and consulting days – making it a practical tool for optometrists.