We are honoured to feature in the latest Practice Management Journal issue, which details how our eMR+ service assists Primary Care in mitigating the risks surrounding data breaches and indemnity issues.
To read more, view the article here: https://bit.ly/3bg74Hh
We are delighted to announce that Medi2data has selected to support Glaucoma UK as its chosen charity for the festive season 2021.
This choice was a simple one, as it was not down to an employee’s suggestion but from understanding their own circumstances which led to the decision.
Jessica Sydenham joined us in January 2021 and has been part of our eMR+ team in Cardiff.
Jess lives her daily and working life dealing with congenital glaucoma which earlier this year required her to undergo surgery in order to treat.
You can read Jess’ story which appears as ‘your story’ on the Glaucoma UK website: https://glaucoma.uk/about-glaucoma/your-stories/jessicas-story/
| “ | We try to support organisations close to the hearts of our team members and chosen by them. 2021’s charity of choice went way beyond a selection process, as Glaucoma UK continues to support one of our very own, Jess, who has been an absolute inspiration in how she is dealing with the effects of this congenital disease in her everyday living and working life. | ” |
Richard Freeman | ||
Please take a moment to familiarise yourself with this disease and if you can make a small contribution, we know the Charity would be incredibly grateful.
Glaucoma UK has expressed gratitude to Medi2data for our festive donation and also to Jessica for nominating Glaucoma UK for our designated charity. They have also left us a note as below:
“Jessica has been very supportive of Glaucoma UK and is an amazing advocate of Glaucoma – her story is even included on our website: Jessica’s story – Glaucoma UK. We are absolutely delighted that you have all chosen Glaucoma UK. Not only will it help raise awareness: Glaucoma is a complicated disease and diagnosis is not always easy and the more awareness we can raise and the earlier the diagnosis the better the outcome. But your support could help to save someone’s sight.
We are the only UK charity specialising in glaucoma and we are 100% funded by voluntary donations. Your support will help us to raise awareness of glaucoma, provide advice and support to people living with glaucoma in the UK, and fund research into better diagnosis, care and treatment.” – Glaucoma UK
| “ | I have undergone over 10 surgeries growing up to maintain my Glaucoma, so that it is now at a stable level. Without this treatment, I wouldn’t be so fortunate now! I’d like to say to anyone who are currently undergoing multiple surgeries, you can come out in the end feeling better and that the treatment and surgeries do work and are worth having! | ” |
Jessica Sydenham | ||
Want to hear more? Watch below as Jessica tells us about her glaucoma and shows us how it hasn’t stopped her living life to the fullest.
Plans to enable patient access to GP records via the NHS app will be delayed until April 2022, the BMA has told Pulse.
It follows the BMA writing to NHSX expressing their concerns about the timing of the rollout.
NHS Digital had announced in October that patients whose practices use TPP will be first to have access to new entries in their GP notes through the NHS App from December – with EMIS practices to follow next year.
In a GPC email bulletin sent to GPs earlier this month, the BMA said it was ‘seeking a pause’ on the rollout to ‘ensure the views of the profession are better represented’, and that ‘the programme is delayed until there is appropriate time to work through our concerns’.
In its most recent primary care bulletin, NHS England said the change was made ‘in response to issues raised by general practices’.
NHS England said: ‘We appreciate that further time is needed to prepare systems and staff for the changes and to provide training on ensuring sensitive information is safely hidden from patient view as it’s entered on systems. This change is now planned to occur from April 2022 and will apply to all practices using TPP and EMIS systems.’
Dr Anu Rao, BMA GP committee IT policy lead, told Pulse: ‘We are pleased that NHSX has listened to our concerns about the programme and decided to delay the rollout until spring next year.
‘The BMA is supportive of the principles and aims of responsible data sharing and patient access to their GP records and we will continue to work with NHSX and other stakeholders to look at the programme in detail to ensure a smooth rollout that is beneficial, useful and safe for patients, while minimising disruption to practices.’
Caitlin Tilley (Pulsetoday.co.uk)
25 November 2021
Medi2data joins the programme first, saving practices up to 18 hours of admin time a week.
We are delighted to announce that Medi2data is the first partner to join the Clarity Partner Programme. Medi2data provides completely free-to-use software for GP practices, which can save hundreds of pounds per week in admin time.
The software, eMR, creates secure, digital, GDPR-compliant Subject to Access Requests (SARs) and third-party medical reports, redacting sensitive patient data in as little as 15 minutes.
On average, GP practices will receive three SARS and four insurance requests a week, costing general practice around £85 million a year. Medi2data was chosen as Clarity’s first partner to help drive down costs, save time, and reduce the burden on practices to complete these requests.
Clarity’s Managing Director, Tim Sewart said: “We’re delighted to be launching our new partner programme and helping to deliver trusted and reliable technology to the primary care sector and the NHS, something that can be hard to come by.
|
“ |
Working with Medi2data as our first partner is a natural fit, as we know one of the biggest headaches for practice managers is processing third party medical reports – and redacting sensitive data is time consuming and expensive. We hope that by partnering with Medi2data, we can help GP practices around the country save precious time and money. |
” |
|
Tim Sewart, Clarity’s Managing Director |
||
Richard Freeman, Founder and CEO of Medi2data said: “We’re excited to be working with Clarity Informatics and be the first firm to be picked for their new partner programme to help practices across the country to have easier access to our technology.
“We’re passionate about helping GP practices save time, money, and ease the pressure on them, whilst remaining GDPR Compliant – that’s why our technology is completely free to use, and any associated costs don’t fall on the GP Practices so they can focus on the things that matter.”
Patient-first collaboration
Medi2data is collaborating with the Patients Association on a new product development project. The partnership enables patients to directly contribute to the development of Medi2data’s future offering, helping shape digital user experiences that meet the specific needs of patients, not just clinicians.
By sharing a patient-centric culture, the Patients Association and Medi2data are working to make sure the acceleration in digital adoption surrounding health and medical information, doesn’t ignore the needs of the end-user – the patient.
Patient groups are road-testing early versions of new Medi2data technologies, providing crucial feedback that helps Medi2data’s team of developers and user experience specialists refine products and services, ensuring they’re fit for purpose.
All of us are better when we work together
Rachel Power, CEO at Patients Association, said, “We are pleased to be working with Medi2data. This work will mean patient involvement feeds into the design, development and testing of a new product making it more accessible and patient-friendly”.
Richard Freeman, Founder and CEO at Medi2data, said, “We can’t create products without understanding patient needs, challenges and frustrations. The support from the Patient Association is invaluable in allowing us access to a wide range of patient feedback, so we can create new and innovative technologies that empower patients and help them access and manage their own medical information. This approach drives forward Medi2data’s raison d’etre, which has always been to co-produce technologies with partners, end-users and customers”.
The admin burden on GPs and practice staff
Subject to Access requests and patient medical reports are part of the everyday non-clinical services that GP practices provide for insurance companies, solicitors, employers, and government agencies, with the average practice receiving about 12 report requests a week.
Despite encouragement to request reports digitally from the Association of British Insurers, BMA and ICO, over 90% of medical report requests are still sent to GP practices by post.
With GP practices stretched to breaking point and about to embark on the COVID-19 vaccination programme, completing medical reports can very easily slip to the bottom of the priority pile.
The cost of inefficient processes
To process a report manually can take practice staff between 20 to 80 minutes, including scanning, printing, redacting non GDPR-compliant information, passing the information to GPs for approval, and posting the report to the requesting organisation. The practice is also responsible for ensuring fees are paid where applicable.
Internal costs soar as staff time is allocated to these laborious tasks, and the process is open to error which can have dire consequences if reports are lost or not returned on time.
Removing the medical reporting headache
The BMA’s Access to medical reports guide mandates that practices should turn around medical reports within 21 days, but with the average GP practice working 50 hours a week more during the pandemic, how will they find the time? Some GP practices are warning that medical reports may take up to 8-9 weeks to complete.
The answer must lie in the adoption of technology that automates medical reporting, allowing GPs and practice staff to reallocate their time to more critical tasks.
Making the change to digital medical reporting
15-20% of practices have already made the change to digital reporting within their practices which can save up to 82% time and costs.
Haughton Thornley practice in Manchester has gone a step further, having outsourced all their medical reporting, using the eMR+ service from Medi2data, freeing up 18 hours a week.
Deborah Smith, practice manager, and Lorraine Hall, finance officer, saw eMR+ as a logical solution to free up time and reduce stress within the practice.
Lorraine says, “It was a no-brainer for us. Our admin team used to spend hours every week struggling to complete reports, and now it takes just five minutes each morning. We send our instructions to the eMR+ team who manage the entire process, including same day response, Clinician sign-offand billing and payment services.”
Putting quality and security first
Medi2data’s CEO, Richard Freeman, said, “We built eMR+ in collaboration with GPs, clinicians and practice staff to ensure it meets the highest quality and security standards.
GPs like the secure protocols used to ensure high quality redaction processes are used to complete reports. eMR+ automates any fee payments too, which means practice managers can easily keep track of reports and payments, without having to spend time chasing third parties.
“As practices are struggling with an ever-increasing workload, this free service removes some of the non-essential pressure on staff, so their time can be reallocated to other tasks.
“Third parties are happy because they receive high-quality digital reports, and patients are happy because their claim or request is processed quickly, removing the stress and anxiety of waiting for paperwork that directly affects their lives”.
The changing world of patient information
When I first entered the world of primary care as a bright-eyed young medical secretary 38 years ago, I quickly learned the art of juggling a huge number of responsibilities in a highly-organised, but incredibly time-consuming way. There were vast swaths of paper documents, often covered in illegible hand-writing to process, file and sort – and the speed at which we worked meant that sometimes vital information resided in a colleague’s head, rather than in an accessible repository.
In my earliest days, patient referral letters were typed on an old portable typewriter, with a carbon copy for the patient notes. For those of you too young to remember those days, the word processor is a wonderful invention!
The seeds of change blew my way in 1989 when, as a new practice manager, I oversaw the implementation of a computer system across the practice. For me, technology was new and exciting. Technology would revolutionise the way we worked. Technology was progress.
But computerising patient records was also hard work.
Ensuring that the relevant nuggets of patient information for 2,500 patients were correctly inputted into the system was a daunting task. Where to start, how to prioritise… and what were read codes??
At that time, there were no guidelines or suggestions, no paper-light practices, no information governance and no magic medication uploads. For printed prescriptions, we had to upload the repeat medication for all of our patients, and all of this whilst running the practice in the usual way.
Obstacles to digital adoption
I was lucky to work for a team who were quite progressive for that time. Once we had the system up and running, it transformed the way we worked. Since then, I’ve worked for, and with, organisations whose leaders were quite opposed to digital adoption. And surprisingly, many of the objections heard today are the same concerns as were voiced back then.
Data quality, privacy, implementation, cost, training, confidence in the system, job security fears, and resistance to change were all hurdles to overcome. Many GPs worried technology would create more problems than it solved.
The unreliability of early systems didn’t allay these fears either, so to push on to the next stage of a technological journey could be met with even more resistance. In 1990, the new GP contract came along, enabling us to forward plan and assess our funding options and opportunities. Those changes revolutionised general practice, making the use of technology vital if we were to remain in profit.
Of course, during the nineties, there were very few choices for general practice IT, but a couple of the main suppliers managed to see it through to the millennium and continue to bigger and better things. Throughout the 2000s, systems started improving and changing at a head-spinning rate. Just keeping up with the changes was a job in itself and IT managers started to be recruited alongside practice managers to support the pace of change.
Innovation stalled while the National Programme for IT attempted to implement one system across the NHS. When that programme ran aground, it was with relief I saw the focus was on localised investment, with system integration and interoperability at its heart.
Innovation was back on the agenda.
In 2012, I became a regional customer training manager for EMIS and started witnessing new, innovative digital systems springing up with increasing regularity. The steep curve of digital acceleration went hand in hand with the formation of new regulatory bodies to help maintain standards of compliance and interoperability across the healthcare sector.
With GPs and practice managers now somewhat reassured that digital systems would work and keep patient data safe, they found themselves with a welcome, but dizzying, choice of products and services to choose from.
So, where do you start?
Making the right decision for your practice
With hundreds of IT solutions now available, how do you know what’s best for your practice? What will deliver the best ROI and practice efficiencies? How do you coordinate different products and services within the practice? When does a practice management team even have time to review the options?
It can be easier to carry on with the familiar daily routines, rather than be spun around by the torrent of digital options, leaving you confused and nursing a headache. However, the time that you spend assessing and implementing something new, could save you hours, days, or weeks in the near future.
It’s the initial decision to drive business change that takes time and forward-thinking.
A few simple rules to get you on track
Every primary care organisation is different and will need different solutions to drive efficiencies. Still, I’ve learned from my many years’ experience of IT procurement, implementation, integration and training, that there are some universal guidelines can help you make the right digital choices and avoid pitfalls along the way:
A last thought
For those of you old enough to remember the pink and blue cards placed in Lloyd George Folders to enable staff to pick out the diabetics, or smears due, or childhood vaccinations, think about the way that technology has enabled us to offer fantastic patient care, with working efficiencies across the board.
Would you have believed the way things are now compared to 35 years ago? I definitely wouldn’t have believed it. If I need to get a list of who needs a flu vaccination now, I can do it within five minutes of sitting at my computer and get the recall letters printed at the same time.
Technology is moving forward at an alarming rate. We need to keep up to take advantage of all it has to offer.
Lynn Tomlinson is a former practice manager, senior manager at PCT level, and GP practice clinical data trainer. Lynn is currently the clinical data specialist at Medi2data, responsible for auditing consented eMR patient data extractions from the GP practices’ clinical systems and the integration of clinical code releases (Snomed CT) with eMR.
“In March 2019, eMR was launched into Primary Care by MediData Exchange Limited.
eMR, an electronic patient medical reporting technology, is saving GP practices at least 50% in time and costs when processing SARs (Subject to Access Requests). It is offered to GP practices at no cost.”
“You’re right- there are lot of people asking that question. Sometimes I think it may have been easier to have put a nominal charge on it!
“The NHS is under significant financial pressure and it gives me great pride that we can provide this amazing time-saving product to them for free. We have devised a business model where we are able to do that, where it really is a win-win for all stakeholders.
|
“ |
We have devised a business model where we are able to do that, where it really is a win-win for all stakeholders |
” |
|
Richard Freeman |
||
“The value we have created for third parties such as insurers, means they are willing to pay for a medical report which includes a transaction fee to us and a separate fee to the GP practice. When GDPR came into force in May 2018, we immediately recognised the enormous negative impact this was having on GP practices. So, we made a decision to concentrate the development of eMR, together with GPs and practice managers, on SARS and delay the launch of the AMRA (insurance medical reports) features, to help primary care deal with the GDPR impact.”
“Since we started working on eMR in 2016, GPs and practice managers have been involved in its development and design. We listened to their frustrations regarding the current highly inefficient processes and what was needed to allow our customers to work smarter.
“We ensured that eMR offered options of how to work, so that GP Practices were not confined to one vanilla process. This is most evident when GDPR impacted primary care. Aside from the loss of revenue, it impacted how data should be handled by the practice, patient and authorised third parties.
“We scoped out with GP practices, processes containing high levels of governance, allowing the GP practice to electronically facilitate access to patient data whilst protecting both themselves and the patient. The team quickly responded to our customers’ suggestions and requirements, and that led to a successful launch of eMR in March this year.
“Our team is now focused on completing the AMRA features to eMR, which is the rollout of the fee-paying medical reports from which MediData receives a separate transaction fee from our clients.”
“It probably sounds corny to say this, but like many people, I am very proud of the NHS and the outstanding work and dedication performed every day by its medical staff and employees. When you experience first-hand the care provided by this great institution and you then have an opportunity to give something back, why wouldn’t you?
|
“ |
When you experience first-hand the care provided by this great institution and you then have an opportunity to give something back, why wouldn’t you? |
” |
|
Richard Freeman |
||
“I believe, borne out by the numerous testimonials from our customers, that eMR delivers what it says on the tin, which is that it is really simple for our customers to use, it generates enormous efficiencies and provides robust governance for the GP practice.
“eMR is already operational in 115 CCGs, thereby creating the necessary footprint in primary care, needed to successfully service the needs of our fee-paying clients.”
“I have never felt, nor will ever feel, the need to charge primary care for eMR and its support and managed services. This would be counter intuitive to my beliefs and indeed to establishing a healthy eco-system within which all parties benefit.
“By being transparent about our business model, I hope you can see rationale behind my decision not to charge GP practices for eMR.”
|
“ |
I have never felt, nor will ever feel, the need to charge primary care for eMR and its support and managed services. This would be counter intuitive to my beliefs. |
” |
|
Richard Freeman |
||
Primary care and its delivery of patient care and services has been transformed in the space of just a few weeks. Adjusting to new ways of working amidst a global pandemic takes a considerable toll on the physical, intellectual and emotional well-being of front-line staff.
The BMA and RCGP created workload prioritisation guidance to reassure practices during the COVID-19 outbreak that they can delay routine work while coping with changes on an unprecedented scale.
Despite managing the initial impact on GP surgeries during the last 8-10 weeks of the pandemic, many doctors wonder how they will cope with a potential spike in demand following COVID-19.
Increased demand could overwhelm practices as they continue to manage the ongoing care of shielded patients and those who have yet to present their symptoms and have kept away from GP surgeries during the outbreak.
Primary care has accelerated its adoption of online and digital tools from the utilisation levels seen before the outbreak. Overnight, GPs started conducting three out of four consultations by video or telephone. Digital processes have been implemented with lightning speed to minimise human contact.
The desire to protect staff and patients has driven innovation. Healthcare technology suppliers have helped where they can, designing new digital services to help relieve the pressure, often for free.
Practices and federations are realising the benefits of digitised processes such as e-consultations, patient text messaging and outsourced medical reporting services.
The suspicion or reluctance that can sometimes prevent digital adoption has been replaced with a drive to do whatever it takes to keep people safe. There are daily discoveries of new, efficient ways of working that save valuable time and use resources more effectively.
So what happens when some degree of normality returns, whatever that may look like? Technology and its role in patient care will be part of the ‘reset’ debate because we’ve discovered that when the world is catapulted out of its comfort zone, we can adapt. We can make changes and see results quickly. Hopefully, this outlook will continue into our post-COVID future, trusting technology to create a more effective primary care system and an improved patient experience.
Our collective ability to adapt and persevere through this world pandemic has been impressive. There have been mistakes, misinformation and confusion along the way, but as a nation, we are pulling together in a direction not experienced since the Second World War.
So, when we look back at the extraordinary events of 2020, will we remember a time when the world stopped, we looked up and crisis-managed the situation, only to return to the old ways of doing things and viewing our society? Or will this indeed be a documented point in history which changed the way we live and work, as well as allowing us to re-calibrate our moral compass?
