Electronic transmission roll out must be equitable
Roll out of electronic transmission of prescriptions must be equitable, with all community pharmacies having the opportunity to participate, the National
Pharmaceutical Association has warned.
Speaking after the NPA’s February board meeting, chief executive
John D’Arcy said the NPA was concerned that market forces might
dictate how ETP is rolled out nationally. Pharmacies able to offer a
compliant IT system early on in the roll out might attract a high proportion
of prescriptions leading to patchy access to pharmacy services for patients.
He added that roll out of ETP must be accompanied by a parallel paper-based
system.
Other issues raised at the board meeting included GlaxoSmithKline’s
new trading terms, the Department of Health’s call for chlamydia
screening bids and proposed changes to standard branded generics.
Mr D’Arcy also highlighted concerns raised by NPA members at a
recent road show to discuss implementation of the new community pharmacy
contract. He advised contractors to make use of the self-assessment tool
that forms part of “New directions”, the NPA guide to the
contract. “Completing the self assessment will give contractors
an idea of where their pharmacy is positioned for delivering the contract,” he
said. |
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