General Practitioners
The Life! program can help your patients get their health on track
Participants can choose the Life! telephone health coaching service or the group course. The group course is available online (via webinar on zoom) or face-to-face. The program is also available in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Arabic.
General practitioners (GPs) play a critical role in the community for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. You can feel confident in referring your at-risk patients into the Life! program, as your patients will benefit from practical evidence-based advice to adopt healthy behaviours and lead a more active lifestyle.
Our health professionals will work with your patients to learn more about:
- Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke
- Healthy eating
- Physical activity
- Stress management and wellbeing
- Goal setting and managing lapses
Is there a reimbursement for referring patients into the Life! program?
Yes, Life! offers a financial incentive for GPs to refer eligible patients into the Life! program.
For more information contact our Primary Care Engagement Lead at life@diabetesvic.org.au or 13 7475
Identifying eligible patients
Your patients need to meet the Life! eligibility criteria to participate in the program.
Patient eligibility and referral pathway
Tools are available from both POLAR and PenCS to support the identification of patients at both the point of care and through clinical summary reports.
Available Clinical Decision to Support Tools
Referring patients
Patients can be referred via eReferrals, email or fax.
eReferrals
Referrals can be sent electronically and securely via the Life! eReferral portal or BPAC SeNT.
- The Life! eReferral portal enables you to monitor your referrals and stay updated on their progress. For more information or to access the eReferral portal, email life@diabetesvic.org.au
- BPAC SeNT is available to GP clinics in the Murray PHN catchment area. More information is available on the Murray PHN website.
Fax and email referrals
For referrals via fax and email, please follow these steps:
- Access the Life! PDF referral form or download a referral template in your clinical software:
The Life! GP referral form is available as a template in the following medical software programs:
Please note: Do not open the GP referral templates until they have been imported into your clinical software program as this may result in the corruption of coding. Right click on the file and select ‘Save Link As’. Go to the folder or location on your hard drive where you would like to save the template and click ‘Save’
- Attach a blood pathology report to the referral within 12 months of referral date:
- Fasting Blood Glucose (or HbA1c)
- Lipid Profile (TC/TRIG/HDL/LDL)
- Attach a completed AUSDRISK form to the referral if referring patient through Criteria A
Fax or email the documentation to 03 9667 1757
A Life! program success story
I find the Life! program is fantastic for my high-risk patients. It gives them structured support and teaches them practical skills to enable them to choose healthier foods. Focusing early on preventing diabetes makes so much sense than dealing with diabetes once it’s established.
Dr Marich, Mount Martha Village Clinic
Pharmacists
The Life! program can help your customers get their health on track
They can choose the Life! telephone health coaching service or the group course. The group course is available online (via webinar on zoom) as well as face-to-face.
Pharmacists play a critical role in the community for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention.
You can feel confident in referring your at-risk customers into the Life! program, as your customers will benefit from practical evidence-based advice to adopt healthy behaviours and lead a more active lifestyle.
Our health professionals will work with your customers to learn more about:
- Healthy eating
- Physical activity
- Stress management and wellbeing
- Goal setting and managing lapses
- Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke
Is there a reimbursement for referring patients into the Life! program?
Yes, Life! offers a financial incentive for pharmacists to refer eligible customers into the Life! program. For more information contact our Primary Care Engagement Coordinator at life@diabetesvic.org.au or 13 7475
Interested in referring your customers?
Referring your customers into the program is a simple process:
1. To refer your customers, follow the steps in the Customer Eligibility and Referral Pathway document
2. Download this form to start referring your customers. You can also order paper-based referral forms in the ‘Order Resources’ section of the Life! website.
3. Attach a completed AUSDRISK form if referring a customer through Criteria A
4. Fax or email the documentation to (03) 9667-1757 or email it to life@diabetesvic.org.au
For more information about the Life! program please refer to our information sheet for pharmacies.
Case study
“Offering our customers the AUSDRISK test (a simple and quick test that can be done in the pharmacy) has a big impact on increasing Life! program participants and increasing knowledge and awareness among those who are at high risk of type 2 diabetes.” – Kathryn Fischman, Manager UFS Bridge Mall
Read more about UFS Dispensaries’ experience with referring customers to the Life! program
Allied Health Practitioners
The Life! program can help your patients get their health on track
They can choose the Life! telephone health coaching service or the group course. The group course is available online (via webinar on zoom) as well as face-to-face.
Allied health professionals play a key role in community type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease prevention.
You can feel confident in referring your at-risk customers into the Life! program, as your customers will benefit from practical evidence-based advice to adopt healthy behaviours and lead a more active lifestyle.
Our health professionals will work with your customers to learn more about:
- Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke
- Healthy eating
- Physical activity
- Stress management and wellbeing
Interested in referring your patients?
1. To refer, follow the steps in the Customer Eligibility and Referral Pathway document.
2. Download the referral form to start referring your patients. You can also order paper-based referral forms in the ‘Order Resources’ section of the Life! website.
3. Attach a completed AUSDRISK form if referring a patient through Criteria A
4. Fax or email the documentation to (03) 9667-1757 or email it to life@diabetesvic.org.au
Please note, if you are a health professional working in general practice please use the GP referral form.
