Lung nodules and cancer screening referral pathway

Advice hotline for referrers

Referring health care providers can contact our lung nodule and lung cancer screening nurse advice hotline:

• call 0455 409 806, or
• email rmhlungnoduleandscreeningreferrals@mh.org.au

Our response time will be within 48 hours from Monday to Friday.

We offer advice regarding:

• the lung cancer screening program
• screen-detected abnormalities
• non-screen detected pulmonary nodules
• quitting smoking

We also provide written communication and documentation for your records as part of this service.

Hotline requirements

To provide clinical advice, we will need the following information at the time of contact:

• Referring provider name, number and practice address
• Patient name, date of birth, address and RMH UR number if applicable, as well as relevant clinical details including clinical history and imaging if requesting specific advice
• Confirmation that the patient has received the study participant opt-out information sheet (PDF) at the time of referral and is aware of the contact

Urgent clinical advice

For urgent clinical advice, please contact our Respiratory Registrar via the RMH Switchboard on (03) 9342 7000.

Outpatient clinic referrals

We offer outpatient clinics (including telehealth) for the following conditions: 

• Non-screen detected pulmonary nodules
• High-risk lung cancer screening results requiring Respiratory Physician review linked to a MDT
• Actionable respiratory additional findings detected on lung cancer screening LDCT as part of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program. Please refer to National Lung Cancer Screening Program additional findings guideline for relevant conditions.

This referral pathway does not accept referrals for non-respiratory additional findings detected on the lung cancer screening or additional findings detected on non-lung cancer screening LDCTs.

If further guidance is required, please contact our advice hotline on 0455 409 806 or at rmhlungnoduleandscreeningreferrals@mh.org.au.

For information about appropriate clinics, see our services and clinics list.

How to refer your patient

For outpatient clinic referrals to our lung nodule and lung cancer screening pathway clinics:

• use the RMH referral form or a template from your own system
• please email your referral to rmhlungnoduleandscreeningreferrals@mh.org.au or fax your referral to Specialist Clinics (Outpatients) on (03) 9342 4234

Referral information

Referral requests should include:

• Patient demographic information, contact details and clinical history
• Reason for referral (identify specific clinic required)
• Confirmation patient has received the study participant opt-out information sheet (PDF) at the time of referral
• Patient preference for telehealth or in-person review
• Complete imaging reports including location of any previous scans
• Referring doctor name and provider number

All patients will be contacted by our pathway nurse after we receive the referral. Please include the patient's preferred contact details.

Participant opt-out information sheet

As this is a clinical research program with inclusion of a lung nodule registry, healthcare providers are required to provide patients with a copy of the participant opt-out information sheet (PDF) at the time of referral. It will also be sent to patients who are attending clinic appointments with their appointment correspondence.

Patients who opt-out of the study by signing the information sheet should instead be referred via our standard Respiratory Medicine referral pathway.

Please include a copy of the signed opt-out information sheet with the referral for patients who decline the pathway.

Links & documents