I am posting this response on behalf of Ian Moody ([log in to unmask]),
Director of PharMed -
PharMed
In answer to your question re Gehe motives:
Gehe's motive is simply to protect its investment in retail pharmacy and
healthcare in the UK from alternative more costly systems. PharMed has
been established to provide an encrypted messaging system, which we hope
will help remove some of the barriers that have previously been identified
in the mechanisms for distributing sensitive patient data. General
practice benefits from having low cost encryption software, enabling it to
send and receive appropriate patient information with other healthcare
professionals, resulting in better holistic healthcare delivery to their
patients.
Pharmacy will now have an opportunity to catch up with the EDI initiatives
that have been moving a pace within the rest of healthcare and allow them
to contribute to this holistic approach to healthcare delivery.
So it's mainly a commercial reaction, with positive side effects for others
Ian Moody
-----Original Message-----
From: Tony Allen [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 18 March 1998 17:02
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Pharmed was: Engaging the public
>[big snip]
>
>
>Thanks Ewan, that was helpful and illuminating.
>
>At the end of the day pharmacy is funded from the NHS pot
Is it ?, this is quite mis-leading, I thought SOME funds from the NHS do
indeed go to pharmacy. Rightly so, or Joe public would not have a
distributor of his essential medicines, and maybe would have to visit large
out of town Hypermarkets, which is not so easy for some.
But it must not be missed that they are independent businesses, and as such
are funded by Joe P visiting their store.
I do not know how many pharmacies would fold, due to the NHS removing
the funds and how much the Pharmacy relies on the scrip fulfilment visit to
stimulate OTC sales and sales of other incidental products.
nor how many people visit pharmacy to purchase product without the
stimulation of filling a scrip.
In all the NHS gets pharmacy services (read distribution of medicine)
fairly
cheaply.
>and it
>appears there are still the same old problems of data and network
>standards to address.
>There just isn't a simple straightforward (or cheap) answer.
No there is not, but a contribution of over 2 million UKP to develop an
open
system available for all and not for profit seems like a good starting
point.
Well done to Gehe, for th investment and forsight. it is good to see the
other parties getting on board and contributing.
PS I am not involved or associated with Gehe or AAH or Pharmed in any way
at
all.
>--
>Dr Ian Trimble http://www.sherwood.demon.co.uk/
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