GP Letters

Create professional correspondence to referring GPs with Praxi's letter generation tools.

Overview

GP letters help maintain referral relationships. Praxi generates professional GP clinical summaries that aggregate client data, treatment progress, and assessment outcomes into a formatted letter with your practice letterhead.

Letter Type	Purpose	When to Send
Initial assessment	Summary of first session	After initial consult
Progress update	Treatment progress	At session 6 review
Discharge summary	Treatment completion	End of care
Risk escalation	Urgent risk notification	When risk escalates

Better Access Milestones

Under the Medicare Better Access initiative, GPs should receive feedback letters at session 6 (the GP review point). Praxi automatically detects these milestones when you sign a clinical note and prompts you to generate a GP letter.

Creating GP Letters

1. Open the client record and go to Referrals › Letters.
2. Choose the queued letter and generate a draft.
3. Review the content and complete all placeholders.
4. The treating practitioner signs the letter.
5. Choose a delivery method, confirm the recipient and send.

A generated draft must be reviewed and signed before it can be sent. Letter reminders prompt this review; they do not send clinical correspondence automatically.

Letter Templates

Initial Assessment Letter

Typically includes:

Section	Content
Referral acknowledgment	Thank you, date received
Presenting concerns	Why client sought help
Assessment findings	Clinical impressions
Diagnosis/formulation	If appropriate
Treatment plan	Proposed approach
Session frequency	Planned appointment schedule

GP Clinical Summary Sections

The generated GP letter can include any combination of the following sections:

Section	Content
Patient details	Client name, DOB, Medicare number (if enabled)
Referral information	Referring GP, referral date, reason
Presenting issues	Why the client sought help
Treatment provided	Interventions used, session count
Assessment scores	Standardised assessment results and trends
Treatment goals	Goal progress with percentage and status
Current status	Where the client is now
Recommendations	Clinical recommendations
Follow-up plan	Suggested next steps

Discharge Summary

Section	Content
Treatment provided	Summary of care
Outcomes	Goals achieved
Recommendations	Future care suggestions
Re-referral	When to re-refer
Contact details	How to reach you

Re-Referral Request

Section	Content
Current status	Why ongoing care needed
Progress to date	What's been achieved
Remaining goals	What still needs work
Request	New referral needed
Urgency	Timeline for referral

Customising Templates

Organisation Templates

Practice-wide templates:

1. Go to Settings → Templates
2. Select the letter template to edit
3. Customise:
   • Header/footer
   • Default sections
   • Placeholders
4. Save

Personal Templates

Create your own variations:

1. Go to Settings → Templates
2. Click Create Template
3. Build your template
4. Save for personal use

Letter Data

GP letters are automatically populated with data from the client's record:

Data	Source
Client details	Client profile (name, DOB, Medicare)
GP details	Referral record (GP name, practice)
Session count	Signed clinical notes in date range
Assessment scores	Completed assessments with clinical ranges
Treatment goals	Active treatment plan goals and progress
Your credentials	Practitioner profile (AHPRA, quals)
Practice details	Organisation settings (name, address)
Regulatory body	Auto-detected from your profession type

Profession-Aware Letters

Praxi automatically includes the correct regulatory body disclaimer based on your registered profession type (e.g. Psychology Board of Australia for psychologists, AASW for social workers, ACA/PACFA for counsellors).

Writing Effective Letters

Structure Guidelines

1. Opening - Acknowledge referral, state purpose
2. Body - Clinical content, findings, progress
3. Closing - Recommendations, contact details
4. Sign-off - Professional closing

Tone and Style

Do	Don't
Professional, collegial	Overly casual
Concise, focused	Lengthy narratives
Clinically relevant	Unnecessary detail
Respectful of client	Judgemental language
Clear recommendations	Vague next steps

Confidentiality

Consider what to include:

Include	Consider Carefully
Diagnosis (with consent)	Sensitive disclosures
Treatment approach	Detailed session content
Progress indicators	Third-party information
Recommendations	Speculation

Consent Required

Always ensure the client has consented to GP communication and document sharing. Document consent in their record. Under the Privacy Act 1988, client consent is required before sharing clinical information with third parties. Medicare numbers are only included in GP letters when the client has given explicit consent. All correspondence is retained for a minimum of 7 years.

PDF Generation

GP letters can be exported as branded PDF documents with your practice letterhead. The PDF includes:

• Practice logo and contact details in the header
• Professional formatting with proper date and addressee
• Assessment score tables (if included)
• Goal progress summary with percentages
• Practitioner signature block with qualifications and AHPRA number

Practice Letterhead

Configure your practice letterhead in Settings → Organisation to ensure GP letters include your logo, address, and contact details.

Sending Letters

After the treating practitioner signs the letter, choose a delivery method in Referrals › Letters.

Method	How
Secure messaging	Uses the practice's connected provider and the GP's matching secure address
Email	Sends the signed letter to the GP email address on the queue entry
Print/manual	Records delivery you have completed outside Praxi
Fax	Records fax delivery you have completed outside Praxi

Check the recipient and the client's consent before sending. Print/manual and fax confirmations record your delivery; Praxi does not send these for you.

Tracking Delivery

A letter is marked Sent only after the delivery provider reports success or you confirm manual/fax delivery. If delivery fails, the entry is marked Failed and can be retried. A successful send updates the linked referral's report status.

GP Directory

Adding GPs

1. Go to client's Referral section
2. Click Add Referring GP
3. Search or create new:
   • Name and credentials
   • Practice name
   • Address
   • Contact details
   • Preferred communication

Managing GP Contacts

Field	Purpose
Provider number	For Medicare purposes
HealthLink ID	Secure messaging
Email	Alternative contact
Fax	If preferred
Notes	Communication preferences

Letter History

Viewing Past Letters

1. Open client record
2. Go to Referrals › Letters
3. See all letters sent
4. Click to view or download

Letter Audit

All letters tracked:

• When created
• When sent
• How delivered
• Who authored

Best Practices

Communication

1. Send promptly - Initial letter within 1-2 weeks
2. Update regularly - At least at referral milestones
3. Close the loop - Always send discharge summary
4. Acknowledge referrals - GPs appreciate confirmation

Content

1. Be concise - GPs are busy
2. Focus on actionable info - What they need to know
3. Include recommendations - Clear next steps
4. Invite contact - Encourage collaboration

Building Relationships

1. Thank referrers - Acknowledge their trust
2. Provide value - Make letters useful
3. Be responsive - Reply to queries promptly
4. Keep updated - New credentials or services

Troubleshooting

Letter Not Sending

1. Check GP contact details
2. Verify HealthLink connection
3. Check email address valid
4. Try alternative method

Template Not Working

1. Check variable syntax
2. Verify required fields filled
3. Preview before sending
4. Reset to default template

Missing GP Details

1. Search GP directory
2. Add manually if not found
3. Verify provider number
4. Update client referral record

Who can use GP letters

Practitioners (and interns, under supervision) can generate, preview, and download GP summaries for their own clients, and send letters and edit templates for their own clients. Clinical supervisors and practice owners have practice-wide access to letters and templates across the practice.

Related

• Care Plans
• Clinical Notes Overview
• Consent Management
• File Management

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