As most readers will know GEHE own AAH Meditel and I for my sins am Chairman of PharMed as well as MD of AAH Meditel .

For more info about PharMed see www.pharmed.org.uk

Trims wote:

On Tue 17 Mar, Ahmad Risk also wrote in response to: "Jeff Green":

> > I'm not at all sure that I am <BG>. As far as I know there are
> > only two systems in operation. The PRS/VAMP/HealthPlus one which
> > is hosted by Reuters, a company involved in HBO's and/or managed
> > care in the US; and the AAH MEDITEL system which is owned by GEHE
> > a pharmaceutical wholesaler and owner of the largest single
> > pharmacy chain in the UK.
>
> Two people on this list are/have been very closely involved with the
> latter system. They might wish to shed some light on it.
>
> Incidentally, the GEHE system has my support!


Ahmad, who is going to pay for your GEHE system and how does it fit in
with your model of the healthcare system? Will it be privately or
publicly funded? 

Initial funding for PharMed comes from GEHE, but at the end of the day it is funded by pharmacy

If it is privately funded what will be the payback for
the private sector? 

As the owner of the biggest pharmacy chain and the leading supplier to independent pharmacy. We want to ensure that pharmacy is able to play an increasing role as part of the primary health care team. We see the existence of a open infrastructure equally available to all pharmacies and linking them with the rest of the healthcare community is essential to such developments. 

Pharmacy has been ignored in the NHS I&MT strategy so we have established PharMed as a non-for-profit organisation to encourage the development of appropriate infrastructure.  

Will it be a voluntary or compulsory system? 

It has to be voluntary 

What coding and data standards will it use? 

There are no clear standards so we have had to develop some. We have done this in consultation with the professions and expect that our "standards" will converge with NHS standards as they emerge. The PharMed protocols can support a number of coding systems. Unfortunately there is currently little common use of codes between GP and pharmacy systems. We hope that our initiative will encourage the adoption of common coding.

What networking arrangements will there be? Will it use NHSNet? 

PharMed is network agnostic and can use any network able to exchange email via the Internet (including NHSNet). Security is built on an encryption model which ensures message confidentiality, integrity, authenticity and non-repudiation.

We expect GPs will probably want to use NHSNet. Current NHS code of connection requirements make NHSNet unacceptable to pharmacy multiples like our Lloyds Chemist chain, Boots and others who have their own private networks with Internet gateways. This will have to change if the NHS want pharmacy to use NHSNet, discussion are underway. 


Do all your GP colleagues want it?

We believe GPs have a lot to gain by working more closely with pharmacy colleagues 

What about existing systems / data?

PharMed is intended to work in co-operation with existing suppliers and their GP and Pharmacy systems

I'm not being critical, just interested. It might be exactly what
Frank Burns has in mind for all I know    ;-)


We hope so

Trims.


-- 
Dr Ian Trimble                        http://www.sherwood.demon.co.uk/

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Ewan Davis
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