Can a shortlist be changed after a referral has been booked, deferred, or sent for triage?

e-Referral Service (e-RS) e-Referral Service FHIR API
1

We are reviewing the e-RS FHIR API specification and migration documentation, and it is not clear when a referral shortlist can no longer be changed.

Could you clarify whether A031 Change Shortlist is permitted once a referral:

  • has resulted in a booked appointment,
  • has been deferred to a provider service, or
  • has been sent for triage during referral creation?

The documentation appears to position A031 Change Shortlist before A016 Book or Defer Appointment, but it does not explicitly state whether shortlist changes are still valid after any of the above events have occurred.

We also reviewed A029 Available Actions for User, as this seemed the most likely source for determining whether “Change Shortlist” is permitted. However, we couldn’t find anything in the specification that clearly defines whether the Change Shortlist action should or should not be available when a referral is booked, deferred, or awaiting triage.

Could you therefore confirm:

  • The expected business rules for shortlist changes in the above scenarios.
  • Whether A029 Available Actions for User should be treated as the authoritative mechanism for determining if A031 Change Shortlist is available for a referral in its current state.
2

Hi Sean,

thank you for your query, I have tried to clarify each scenario below:

  1. Can A031 Change shortlist be used after a referral has booked an appointment

No, change shortlist is not permitted while an appointment is actively booked. However, if the appointment is subsequently cancelled, DNA’d or rebooked, the action becomes available again.

  1. Can A031 Change shortlist be used after a referral has been deferred to a provider service

Yes, referral in a DEFER_TO_PROVIDER state are eligable for A031 change shortlist.

  1. Can A031 Change Shortlist be used after a referral has been sent for triage?

Yes, both AWAITING_TRIAGE and TRIAGE_RESPONSE are valid states for A031 change shortlist.

  1. Is the A029 the Authoritative mechanism

Yes, A029 Available actions for User is the correct endpoint for determining whether Change shortlist is currently permitted. The results reflect the current user, referral and point in time and should always be called before attempting A031.

I hope this helps!

George

3

Thank you for providing this information