The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners yesterday called for new Medicare rebates in recognition of the extra workload GPs will undertake in consultations to initiate and update patients' shared health summaries and other elements of the Gillard government’s $500 million personally controlled e-health record system.
"The RACGP is concerned that the current plan does not offer any incentives for general practice to create and maintain documents for indexing in the PCEHR, such as shared health summaries," RACGP president Claire Jackson said in a statement on Wednesday.
"We urge the government to consider how this additional effort will be acknowledged.
"This applies to obtaining informed consent from a patient, or carer, for the creation of a PCEHR as well."
She didn't provide an estimate of a minimum level of compensation.
But Health deputy secretary Rosemary Huxtable told a Senate estimates hearing that "anecdotal evidence" from the 12 lead implementation sites showed there were many "business benefits" for doctors using the system.
"We need to keep in mind the amount of time that is already spent by GPs and specialists basically searching for that bit of paper, trying to connect the pathology tests that come in with the right patient," Ms Huxtable said late Wednesday night.
"We anticipate that in developing a shared health summary, a nominated provider is gathering information that is readily available and accessible in their patient information systems.
"Certainly in the lead sites we're looking at how that information can be streamlined and uploaded into the PCEHR system."
Ms Huxtable said no decisions have been taken in respect of how workflows might be managed and compensated in future."
Health Minister Nicola Roxon has previously ruled out payment of Medicare rebates to GPs participating in the program.
Meanwhile, the RACGP also expressed concern over a range of matters which are yet to be considered, just seven months before the PCEHR program is due to start on July 1 next year.
These include questions of data quality and ownership within the PCEHR, system links with doctors' own clinical and medical practice software, and possible impacts on workflow.
It has called for a targeted approach to encourage uptake by four groups likely to benefit most from access to a PCEHR: patients with chronic and complex conditions; older Australians; indigenous people and mothers with newborn children.
"The profession is also concerned regarding patient contributions to the PCEHR," the college said.
"Whilst patient input and involvement in specific areas is highly desirable, a situation which allows patients to make changes to the content of the clinical record is not supported from a clinical or medico-legal perspective."
The Australian Medical Association has raised the same issues over patient control and potential removal of crucial medical information.
Professor Jackson said the recent termination of England's National Health Service IT program had highlighted concerns, "and we need to address (these) recent learnings and maximise commitment" from the GP sector.
"To make the PCEHR program a success, it is crucial that all general practitioners get on board," she said.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Karen Dearne
Quelle/Source: Australian IT, 20.10.2011
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