This document discusses the need for a Primary Care Information Management Reference Group (PCIMRG). It provides background on relevant strategies and organizations. The goals of the proposed group are to identify challenges with primary care information management, gauge support for the group, and determine a way forward. Primary care is defined as including general practice providers, pharmacies, physiotherapists, and community nursing. The group would aim to help primary care lead health information changes and use IT/IM to achieve health gains. Support and representation for the group from different primary care stakeholders is discussed.

1. Health Informatics New Zealand - www.hinz.org.nz
Primary Care Information Management
Reference Group
Dr Harley Aish
Sean Harbour
• Why do we need the group?
• If so, how would we do it?
• Who needs this group?
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2. Health Informatics New Zealand - www.hinz.org.nz
Goals for this session
• Background & need
• Recap challenges – any gaps?
• Gauge support
• 2 Groups
– Split Issues
• Rejoin & Share
• Way forward
Note: Forum not seeking to commit
organisations yet.
Background
• Working to Add Value through E-information
(WAVE)
• Health Information Strategy NZ (HIS-NZ)
• Health Information Standards Organisation
(HISO)
• Health Information Standards Action
Committee (HISAC)
• Activity in sector
– Providers
– Provider Organisations
– Funders
– Policy
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Who is primary care?
• Providers
– General Practice
• Docs
• Nurses
• Receptionists, Practice Managers
– Pharmacy
– Physiotherapy
– Rest homes
– Community Nursing
– DHB’s (in some areas)
• Organisations
– PHO’s, MSO’s, IPA’s
– IPAC, PHONZ, HCA, Pacific, Maori
– Pharmacy Guild, NZMA, RNZCGP, NZNO, etc
• Other….
A Common Aim?
• Primary Care Strategy Six Key Directions
– Work with local communities and enrolled
populations
– Identify and remove health inequalities
– Offer access to comprehensive services to
improve, maintain and restore people’s health
– Co-ordinate care across service areas
– Develop the primary health care workforce
– Continuously improve quality using good
information
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A Common Aim (continued)
• NZ Health Information Strategy (NZ-
HIS)
– “To make effective, informed decisions
about targeting services, we need quality
information. Decision-making occurs in all
areas of the sector, and appropriate
information needs to be available at the
right time and place and in the right
format”
A Common Aim (continued)
• Primary Care leading change, vs.
receiving
• IT/IM as means to achieving health
gains, and measuring those gains
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IT as a goal
Or as the means to the end
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Another representative group?
• Can we meet in the same room?
• Is there benefit to us (individually,
collectively)
• Will others (DHB’s, MoH, ACC, HISAC)
benefit?
• A united voice
Or
• A single forum with a variety of
opinions?
Split the Group
• Group One
– Resource
– Funding
– Representation from participants
• Group Two
– Representation of PCIMRG to external parties
– Focus, and sub-groups
– Linkages to funders, vendors, secondary etc
• Join & Summarise
• Together – How to progress
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