The Devonport Flagstaff Page 4
June 12 2015
Medplus welcomes Dr Douglas Kingsford to the team
Medplus have secured another top doctor to join their team. Dr Fiona Brow, who worked with Douglas at the Navy for many years, is delighted that Medplus have been able to tempt him back to working in New Zealand after a two year stint in Canada. Douglas is a North Shore local, who attended Takapuna Grammar School and then Auckland Medical School, where he graduated top of his class. His grandfather was well known in years gone by as proprietor of Belmont Pharmacy. Douglas has been a GP on the North Shore on and off since 1995, working at various practices in addition to the Navy Hospital and Shorecare, and has a particular interest in psychological medicine. In addition to medicine, Douglas sometimes also works in software engineering, as he also has an electronic engineering PhD in artificial intelligence and considerable experience in that industry. Outside of work, Douglas enjoys running, weight
lifting, skiing, and the Kiwi outdoor lifestyle. He is married with two adult children, both of whom are currently studying engineering in Canada. Douglas has open books at the moment, and is looking forward to providing medical care to the community he knows so well.
Health Minister, Dr Jonathon Coleman, launched his Portal Initiative from Medplus. On 23rd April the Health Minister launched his new patient portal initiative from Medplus. His aim is that general practices will in the near future provide patient portals for their patients to access parts of their medical records. Medplus was chosen for the launch because it has trail blazed the way, operating a patient portal for well over a year and having more patients using it than any other medical centre in New Zealand. As a consequence Dr Heidi MacRae has been appointed an eAmbassador for the National Health IT Board. Dr Michele Hollis believes her patients enjoy being able to see their laboratory results on line and track them over time. “Our patients can see if
their results fall in the normal range, and we annotate all those that are abnormal. Of course we still contact our patients by phone if we need to follow up abnormal test results.” “It has been very useful for patients ordering repeat prescriptions, which they can now do with a click of a mouse” says Nurse Adelle Curham. Patients can now book their appointments on line, at any time of day or night, seeing exactly what their preferred doctor’s availability is. Sally McLaughlin, a receptionist at Medplus, states that the portal has been very easy for patients to use, and is extremely popular amongst all age groups.
Free Accident and Medical for under 13 years Medplus is part of the first wave of general practices offering free accident and medical care to enrolled under 13 year olds, starting on July 1st. This free service will operate between 8am and 5.30pm on weekdays, with a surcharge for evening and weekends. Dr Annie Si says “Since our opening, 4 years ago, we have been offering free care to under 6 year olds. It is a real bonus to our families that free health care can now be extended to under 13 year olds.”
Medplus Family Medical Centre | 327 Lake Road, Hauraki Corner | Ph 09 489 2011