28 January 2011
A new partnership between two leading healthcare IT providers is set to help community pharmacists expand their services, work more efficiently, and play a greater role in the wider healthcare team.
In August 2010, leading GP software supplier EMIS Group plc, whose systems are used by 53.8% of GP practices, acquired a majority stake in pharmacy software and services company Rx Systems, which has a 25% share of the community pharmacy market. Today, the two companies outlined their plans to develop integration between Rx Systems’ software and EMIS’ primary care software for the benefit of community pharmacists – and the wider NHS.
“Our partnership with EMIS offers some very exciting possibilities for our customers and for the whole community pharmacy sector,” said Rx Systems’ Managing Director Ian Taylor.
“Our ultimate aim is to enable pharmacy to take on an enhanced role in the care of patients.
“We will do that by creating new links between the IT systems used by pharmacy and by other healthcare professionals, in particular GPs – enabling the different systems to become ‘interoperable’ by talking to each other and sharing information.
“These links will be essential if pharmacy is to develop its role so that dispensing becomes just one of a number of professional services it provides to patients.
“Without improved interoperability of IT systems and the exchange of information, the pharmacy profession will remain in relative isolation and will struggle to move the agenda away from prescription dispensing.”
Sean Riddell, Chief Executive of EMIS Group plc, said: “EMIS is highly experienced at providing ‘joined-up’ IT solutions that enable different members of the healthcare team to securely share information from the GP patient record - saving time and improving patient care.
“It’s a natural next step for us to look at community pharmacy and consider how we can use IT to strengthen the links between pharmacy and other healthcare professionals. This will benefit pharmacists, patients, GPs and the wider NHS efficiency agenda.”
Rx Systems and EMIS are working on three key areas of future systems integration. These are:
Improving the prescribing process
By linking the ProScript pharmacy system with the EMIS GP system, the prescribing process can be delivered in a streamlined, fully electronic way. The technical teams at Rx and EMIS are currently progressing the links, which will include enabling Rx customers to manage and order a patient’s repeat prescription via a direct electronic message into the GP surgery.
The link - which would enhance the functionality proposed by the individual ETP programmes - would also enable the pharmacist and the GP to correspond directly and securely regarding any checks needed on the prescription, instead of by phone or fax. This will save time and improve the accuracy of prescribing.
It will also allow the pharmacist to offer an added value service to the patients by helping to manage repeats, as well as helping to reduce medicines wastage, which is regarded as a burden on NHS resource.
The technical development work on the enhancements is at an early stage but progress is expected during 2011.
Developing links into the patient record
A longer-term project is to consider how appropriate links can be developed between pharmacy and the electronic GP patient record – supporting integrated care and efficiencies.
Areas being considered include:
- Automatic messaging between pharmacy and GP IT systems, so that any clinical activity undertaken by pharmacists - for example, a smoking cessation or EHC intervention - is sent to the GP record for inclusion, providing a more comprehensive view of the patient’s care.
- Giving pharmacists appropriate access to relevant information from the patient record - subject to strict data sharing agreements with the GP practice and always with the patient’s consent. Information from the record that would be useful to pharmacists could include: long-term condition management reviews and allergy checking. Having access to this information would enable pharmacists to play a more integral role in the care of the patient.
- Developing links between GP prescribing records and pharmacy’s dispensing records to allow GPs to monitor patient compliance with medication.
Broadening healthcare knowledge available to pharmacy
Using its experience of providing comprehensive healthcare information to GPs at the point of care, EMIS is also in discussion with Rx Systems about the potential to include enhanced clinical information for pharmacists in the ProScript system. This could include integrated links to the BNF and to Patient Information Leaflets and Drug Information Leaflets that can be downloaded and printed off instantly to support a patient consultation.
Ian Taylor said: “Although it is still very early days for the partnership with EMIS, we have a clear vision of what we want to achieve and we are very excited about the potential.
“The move to GP commissioning brings pharmacy a step closer to fulfilling the role it aspires to. With the right IT in place, there will be new opportunities to offer proactive, patient-focused services that will save the NHS time and money, in line with the recommendations in the NHS white paper. As the same time, there will also be an opportunity to generate new revenue for the sector.”
