Digital enablers for telehealth
A number of digital services are needed to deliver a quality telehealth experience for clinicians and patients. Electronic prescribing is a key digital enabler of telehealth. Adoption of the New Zealand Electronic Prescription Service (NZePS) has significantly increased since March 2020, particularly amongst GPs with 820 practices now activated to use the NZePS, up from 137 in December 2018. The service enables a prescription to be generated by the prescriber, transmitted to the NZePS health information exchange broker, and downloaded electronically at a community pharmacy. The latest MoH data shows seven DHBs have 100 per cent of all pharmacies scanning ePrescriptions
and settings that are working towards NZePS integration to complete this work.
eOrdering of lab tests is another key digital service linked to telehealth and the arrival of Covid-19 has driven a significant increase in its use. Use of eOrdering for lab tests has jumped from 25 per cent to 80 per cent in the Nelson Marlborough region, driven by the pandemic. Southern DHB has also started trialling the use of eOrdering for laboratory tests using Éclair. Acting general manager medicine and women’s and children’s health Simon Donlevy says this project would not have been started this year if not for the arrival of Covid-19 and the need for wrap- around digital services to support telehealth consultations.
“820 GP practices now
activated to use the NZePS, up from 137 in December 2018.”
and all but one have more than 90 per cent doing so.
There is no data on users of the service outside of GPs and
pharmacies, but the Ministry website says it is “working with providers of hospital, specialist and community care IT systems to enable prescribers to issue electronic prescriptions for hospital discharge, outpatient, specialists, nurse prescribers (not in general practice), and midwife care”. In the meantime, a temporary waiver for non-NZePS signature exempt prescriptions has been extended until 23 December 2020. The Ministry website says the extension of the temporary waiver, which was due to expire in September, enables systems
hinz .org.nz
TELEHEALTH OCTOBER 2020 : : 6
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