Streamlining Referrals: How Our Improved Pathway Supports GPs and Allied Health

Referrals into chronic pain care shouldn’t be confusing, time-consuming, or fragmented. Yet for many practices and clinicians, navigating multiple pathways, forms, and eligibility rules has become a barrier to timely care.

At Pain Education and Management, we’ve refined our referral pathway to make it clearer, more flexible, and easier to use — whether you’re referring as a GP, an allied health clinician, or supporting a patient through a WorkCover-funded pathway.

The aim is simple: reduce administrative burden, improve coordination, and help patients access the right care sooner.

One referral pathway, multiple practical options

Rather than forcing practices to adapt to a single rigid process, our model supports multiple entry points into the same coordinated pathway. Regardless of how a referral is initiated, all patients move through the same structured education, assessment, planning and care-navigation model.

This allows referrers to choose the option that best fits their workflow.

Online referral forms (primary entry point)

Our primary referral tools are online forms that support both direct enrolment and patient-supported enrolment.

GP referral form https://form.jotform.com/253337753977068

Allied health referral form https://form.jotform.com/260061183796864

Using the appropriate form, referrers can choose one of two simple approaches.

Option 1: Direct enrolment by the referrer (GPs and allied health)

GPs and allied health clinicians can initiate enrolment by completing the relevant form and including the patient’s contact details.

This allows us to:

• Contact the patient directly

• Provide immediate access to the program

• Coordinate next steps without additional follow-up from the practice

This option is ideal where:

• Consent has been discussed during the consultation

• The patient is ready to proceed

• The referrer wants minimal ongoing administration

Option 2: Fill, print, and give to the patient (GPs only)

Alternatively, GPs may choose to:

• Complete the form during the consultation

• Print it and provide it to the patient, or

• Partially complete it and discuss next steps

The patient can then:

• Use the form details to self-enrol, or

• Follow up when ready to engage

This option works well where:

• The patient wants time to consider their options

• The GP prefers the patient to initiate enrolment

• The referral conversation is exploratory rather than definitive

Importantly, this still supports GP-centred care while giving patients agency and reducing pressure during the consultation.

Best Practice referral template

For practices using Best Practice, we provide a dedicated referral template designed to minimise time and data entry during the consultation.

The template:

• Pre-fills patient and practice details directly from Best Practice

• Requires the GP to review, print, and sign

• Is then provided to the patient, with clear instructions included in the printed referral for self-enrolment

Rather than sending the referral on behalf of the practice, this option enables patient self-enrolment, supported by the GP.

This approach:

• Avoids duplicate data entry

• Keeps the consultation brief and focused

• Gives patients clear, written instructions to enrol when ready

It is particularly useful for practices that prefer to:

• Keep referrals simple and paper-based

• Support patient-led enrolment

• Reduce follow-up administration after the consult

You can download a referral template file here

Pathways_to_Pain_Management_Referral.rtf

Download RTF • 516KB

For guidance on installing the template, click here for the BP tutorial

WorkCover Queensland referrals are included in the same pathway

Our referral process also supports WorkCover-funded referrals within the same streamlined system. Eligible patients can access the program fully funded, without the need for separate or parallel processes.

This ensures:

• Consistent assessment and planning

• Clear communication with referrers

• Reduced administrative complexity

Why this matters

By offering flexible referral options within a single coordinated pathway, we reduce friction at the point of referral — one of the most common barriers to effective chronic pain care.

For practices and clinicians, this means:

• Less paperwork

• Clearer next steps

• Confidence that patients won’t be lost between services

For patients, it means earlier engagement, clearer expectations, and coordinated support from the outset.

Learn more or refer

To discuss referring a patient, exploring the pathway, or understanding which option best suits your practice: https://www.managepain.au/contact