David More wrote:
__
<http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Way-cleared-for-electronic-scripts/2006/07/28/1153816347647.html>_http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Way-cleared-for-electronic-scripts/2006/07/28/1153816347647.html_
The SMH front page story was titled: "It's the end for doctors'
scribble" suggesting that the remaining non-computer prescribing GPs
will have to catch up.
In our neck of the woods, with typically ageing, overseas-trained,
bulk-billing, solo practitioners, overwhelmingly, that amounts to 28% of
our membership.
The front page story also mentions E-mail: "under the changes doctors
will transmit the prescriptions by email [not my spelling] and
pharmacists will be able to receive the information after swiping the
patient's Medicare [not access smart card] card."
Haikerwail, rightly, is quoted as saying the biggest sticking point is
the secure transmission of the script. I wonder if NEHTA was consulted
re 'email'?
Pharmacy rep thought it had to maintain the patients' freedom of choice,
not to direct the script to a particular pharmacy. The health department
rep referred to "some kind of electronic holding point, or mailbox" and
that the "security measures still had to be completed". Sounds like a
centralised system is envisaged, which was where they'd gotten to with
"HealthConnect' before they scrapped it, and God knows what technology
will be involved.
Either way, HeSA keys seem likely, which will be very interesting
Greg
/*Way cleared for electronic scripts*/
July 28, 2006 - 6:19AM
Federal and state health ministers have cleared the way for doctors to
prescribe drugs electronically, ending the days of the doctor's scrawl.
Under the changes, doctors will transmit prescriptions by email and
pharmacists will be able to receive the information after swiping the
patient's Medicare card.
Fairfax newspapers report health ministers saying the new system would
eliminate about 400,000 adverse drug incidents a year, triggered by
poorly handwritten prescriptions.
But the proposal has met opposition and concern by doctors and pharmacists.
Australian Medical Association president Mukesh Haikerwal said while
doctors welcomed electronic prescriptions, they needed convincing the
system was secure.
President of the Pharmacy Guild, Kos Sclavos, also said he was concerned
about the risk to privacy, adding the system needed to be designed to
ensure patients could have a prescription dispensed at a pharmacy of
their choice.
Mr Sclavos said if doctors were allowed to direct prescriptions to
particular pharmacists, there would be a risk of "channelling" deals to
increase business.
Pharmacists also disputed the ministers' claims about reducing mistakes,
arguing most prescriptions were already computer-generated and only a
small number of doctors still wrote them out by hand.
--
Greg Twyford
Information Management & Technology Program Officer
Canterbury Division of General Practice
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Ph.: 02 9787 9033
Fax: 02 9787 9200
PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL
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