Accessing government-funded Ig products 

BloodSTAR is Australia's online system for accessing government-funded immunoglobulin (Ig) products. The system manages requests, reviews and authorisations for treating conditions with Ig products.

BloodSTAR also helps you manage the governance obligations set out in our national policy for access to Ig products.

There are 3 steps to accessing government-funded Ig products for your patients:

  1. Confirm your patient's eligibility against the criteria.
  2. Request authorisation for your patient to access government-funded Ig through BloodSTAR.
  3. Understand and follow your governance obligations.

Learn more about how we manage Australia's Ig product supply.

BloodSTAR helps Australia manage its Ig product supply

BloodSTAR helps us:

  • promote appropriate use of Ig products
  • promote consistent access to Ig products based on our criteria
  • support patients across many sites, including mobile or remote patients.

BloodSTAR also helps to inform decisions in areas such as:

  • supply planning and management
  • supply risk management
  • future development of our criteria for Ig access
  • system governance and process improvement
  • research linkages.

Criteria for clinical use of Ig products

Our Criteria for the clinical use of intravenous immunoglobulin in Australia(Opens in a new tab/window) set out the conditions and circumstances for which the use of Ig is clinically appropriate and can be considered under the national blood arrangements.

The criteria list the medical conditions and circumstances for patients to access Ig products under the national blood arrangements.

All BloodSTAR requests for access to Ig products are assessed against the criteria.

Who uses BloodSTAR?

Many types of users need access to BloodSTAR.

Prescribers (medical officers), nurse practitioners, registered nurses and midwives need Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) registration to access BloodSTAR. Other users don't need AHPRA registration.

Prescribers (medical officers)

Prescribers (medical officers) and nurse practitioners use BloodSTAR to request authorisation for access to Ig products to treat medical conditions.

Authorisers

Authorisers are specified staff of Australian Red Cross Lifeblood(Opens in a new tab/window) (Lifeblood). They use BloodSTAR to review requests and approve or deny access to Ig products based on the criteria.

Nurses

Registered nurses and midwives use BloodSTAR to confirm a patient's authorisation, request the dispense of an Ig product and ensure it's the correct product.

Dispensers

Dispensers use BloodNet to order Ig products for authorised patients. When there is a dose request for Ig products for an authorised patient in BloodSTAR, it automatically updates in BloodNet. Dispensers carefully check BloodNet to identify the correct product and dose against the correct patient's treatment plan and dispense the product. The dispense must be recorded in BloodNet, and dispensers must regularly reconcile records.

Facility administrators

Facility administrators use BloodSTAR to review and action BloodSTAR user access requests for the facilities they manage.

Administrative support staff

Administrative support staff and enrolled nurses use BloodSTAR to help medical staff manage patient treatment.

In BloodSTAR, the administrative support role has the same access as a nurse or midwife role, but they can't:

  • edit authorisations
  • edit the 'do not prescribe' register
  • update patient consent.

Access BloodSTAR via BloodPortal

To use BloodSTAR, you need to log in via our BloodPortal and request BloodSTAR access for your role and facility.

BloodPortal gives you secure access to all of our blood sector systems with a single username and password.

Every person who uses BloodSTAR needs an individual BloodPortal account.

If you're a new user, you can register for a BloodPortal account.

If you're an existing user, log in to BloodPortal to access BloodSTAR.

BloodPortal(Opens in a new tab/window)

Registering as a new BloodPortal user

To register for an individual BloodPortal account, follow our instructions to create a new user account(Opens in a new tab/window).

You can't register for an individual account unless your laboratory or workplace is already set up as a BloodSTAR facility.

Registering your facility on BloodSTAR

If you're unsure if your facility is on BloodSTAR, check with your facility administrator.

If it's not registered, your facility administrator needs to register your facility before you can use BloodSTAR.

BloodSTAR registration form

Requesting user access to BloodSTAR

Once you have your individual BloodPortal account, you need to request access to BloodSTAR by adding your user role and facility and agreeing to the terms and conditions of use(Opens in a new tab/window).

To do this, click on the BloodSTAR tile in BloodPortal and follow the instructions.

Each BloodSTAR user role connects to a specific facility. This means if you need to access BloodSTAR for more than one workplace, you'll need to add a new user role for each hospital or facility you work at.

For more guidance on how to register for BloodPortal and get user access to BloodSTAR, go to BloodSTAR user tips.

BloodSTAR user support

We have specific support materials for all BloodSTAR user roles. These materials will help you learn how to use BloodSTAR for many tasks, including:

  • creating and finding authorisation requests
  • creating dispense requests and records
  • dose requests and changes
  • facility approvals for BloodSTAR access
  • recording review outcomes
  • requesting subcutaneous immunoglobulin
  • adding a 'do not prescribe' alert to a patient record
  • transferring patient care.

For support materials to help you use BloodSTAR, go to BloodSTAR user tips.

If you can't access BloodSTAR

If you can't connect to BloodSTAR, it could be because:

  • your internet service is down, and you can't access BloodSTAR on an alternative device or internet connection
  • BloodSTAR is having a planned or unplanned outage.

Preparing for a planned outage

We'll notify you in advance about any planned BloodSTAR or BloodNet outages. When there is a planned outage, you should:

  • run an 'authorised patients at my facility' report (DSP02) before the outage starts
  • print or save the report so you can access it during the outage
  • use the report to view authorisations and dispense doses in your laboratory information system (LIS)
  • enter dispense episodes in BloodNet once the system is back online.

During a BloodNet outage, you'll need to order blood and blood products via phone by contacting the Blood Operations Centre on 1300 025 663 (13 000 BLOOD).

Getting help when you can't access BloodSTAR

When you can't access BloodSTAR, you can still get help.

If you need an emergency Ig authorisation or a dose change for a patient:

If you need information on an already authorised patient:

  • Contact your dispenser (or contact us if your dispenser is also having internet connection issues).

If you need to check authorisation or dispense details:

If you need an emergency product dispense, you can either:

  • dispense based on the last dispense information in your LIS
  • dispense one dose without the authorisation details and follow up later.

Note: if you dispense a product without authorisation, your facility may have to cover the cost.

More information

For more about what to do if the system is down, read our BloodSTAR/BloodNet Downtime Process.

Privacy

Patient privacy is important to us. BloodSTAR uses best-practice privacy controls and complies with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)(Opens in a new tab/window).

Read our BloodSTAR Privacy Impact Assessment Report.

Privacy statement and patient consent

Our privacy statement explains how we use the personal and sensitive information we collect about patients.

Medical officers are responsible for obtaining patient consent and explaining what information is collected and how it is used. Patients should be given a copy of the BloodSTAR Privacy Statement and Notice.

Patient consent can be written or verbal. The Record of Privacy Consent form for patients can be used to record written consent.

Get in touch

For BloodSTAR support or questions, contact our Blood Operations Centre.

Phone: 1300 025 663 (13 000 BLOOD)

Email: support@blood.gov.au

Last updated: 27 Mar 2024

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