The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 274 No 7351 p645
28 May 2005

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· Prescribing
· Dispensing doctors
· Information systems
· Adverse event reporting (2)
· Pharmacy graduates
· New contract
· Pharmacy technicians
· Community pharmacy
· Birdsgrove House (2)
· Reciprocal registration

Letters to the Editor

Information systems

Function of pharmacy IT systems

From Mr H. A. Lockie, MRPharmS

The Office of Fair Trading says “the most important function of pharmacy IT systems is to check the validity and accuracy of reimbursement claims from the NHS” (PJ, 7 May, p539).

Really? In 22 years of providing pharmacy IT in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, I have always thought that the most important functions were those supporting pharmacists, in ensuring that the right patient got the right medicine at the right time, and that they were alerted to situations where their intervention was needed for patient benefit.

We recognise submission of claims as important (and in Australia and NZ there is electronic reimbursement of health service prescriptions to a high degree of accuracy), but it is simply a mechanical function, and we had thought it secondary to those mentioned above.

We stand corrected.

Harvey Lockie
Auckland, New Zealand

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