HMR moratorium backlash
February 1, 2013
THERE’S been a rapid response to
the Guild’s request for a suspension
of the Home Medicines Review
program (PD yesterday), with the
PSA, NPS and other stakeholders
stressing the importance of the
program.
NPS MedicineWise ceo Dr Lynn
Weekes said that “patient safety
nees to remain at the centre of
discussions about whether to cap
or change funding” to the HMR
scheme, with good evidence that
the reviews reduce hospitalisation
for some patient groups.
“Home Medicines Reviews are an
important patient-centred service,
and the short- and long-term
impact of a moratorium would be
putting patient safety at risk.
“If there is a problem with overservicing
then an audit of HMRs
would be a more direct way of
addressing this issue,” she said.
The PSA also reacted swiftly,
rejecting calls for a moratorium and
saying that improvements to
business rules would be a better
means of ensuring the program
remains viable and sustainable.
PSA national president, Grant
Kardachi, said the HMR program
was “producing major benefits for
consumers and is improving health
outcomes acorss the nation”.
He said the PSA had last year
identified some areas which could
be improved, with talks expected
shortly with the Dept of Health.
“Because of the very positive
results for consumers, the HMR
program has experienced a very
high level of uptake,” he said, with
a moratorium likely to be a “longterm
disservice to our profession”.
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