What is Rapid / Open Access colonoscopy & gastroscopy?
Your GP may refer you directly for a screening or diagnostic procedure (after a safety assessment) without needing an initial specialist consultation prior to the procedure. This means, you can be scheduled for a procedure rather promptly.
Rapid Access (sometimes also referred to as Open Access) procedures are available for eligible patients with specific and limited indications and without certain medical conditions that place them at higher risk for an endoscopic procedure.
Please send through your GP referral, we will contact you and conduct a phone triage to ensure that you are eligible for this service as you will not have a pre-procedure consultation with a gastroenterologist.
It is very important that your GP sends their referral to us as this will contain important information regarding your medical background. There is a doctor’s referral page on this website.
Patients who are frail, symptomatic or unwell generally do not meet this criteria and would usually need to be fully assessed at consultation prior to undertaking any procedure.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION
If I go straight to a procedure, does that mean the next time I see the specialist will be counted as a ‘follow up consult’?
No. Rapid Access means the usual order of seeing a specialist (i.e. initial consultation before procedure) is reversed to give you quicker access to the endoscopic procedure. Therefore, the first consultation after the procedure is an ‘initial consultation’.
If you already have a GP referral, please fill out the secure online form here and choose ‘Yes’ when asked if it’s a request for an Open Access procedure. Alternatively, please call 02 5603 8111.