2022.07.05 Letter to PHO CEOs -Accuretic details on funding primary care

5 July 2022 Name Position Organisation Address line

Tēnā koe X RE: Accuretic supply issue: Support for primary care This letter gives an update on the Accuretic supply issue and outlines the support available for your PHO. We acknowledge the pressure that primary care is under and the important work PHOs do to support General Practices.

This Funding Letter formalises the understanding between our two organisations regarding Pharmac’s contribution towards the cost of transitioning patients from Accuretic to a suitable alternative medicine as soon as possible. Pharmac intends to provide: •

a one-off service fee payment to PHOs to support processing costs of managing the forms, query builds, claiming, and the payment process (“Service Fee Payment”)

•

a one-off payment of $100 per patient for their initial primary care consultation (“Initial Consultation Fee Payment”).

We know that the transition from Accuretic will add to the strain that primary care is under. We hope that this Funding Contribution will enable better support to patients and practitioners.

1.

Background

Accuretic is a medicine used to treat 36,000 New Zealanders with high blood pressure. From August 2022, supplies of Accuretic will be limited. As such, we are asking that patients be changed to an alternative treatment as soon as possible.

1.1

Patients currently prescribed Accuretic within your PHO

We have identified that there are X# patients within your PHO that should transition from Accuretic to a suitable alternative medicine, ideally before 31 August 2022.

We have attached some practice level data about the numbers of patients affected1. We hope this information helps you gauge the workload requirements for each practice in your PHO.

1

Where fewer than 10 people belong to a practice, we have changed the number to "<10" to protect the privacy of these people.

1.2

Covering the cost of a primary care consultation

We want to ensure patients currently using Accuretic don’t face a financial barrier to transitioning to an alternative treatment. Pharmac is therefore covering the cost for patients to access an initial consultation with their primary care prescriber (virtual or in-person) paid at $100 per patient per initial consultation.

We are seeking further advice about funding for patients who need a follow-up appointment and will provide an update on this shortly.

2.

Funding breakdown

Pharmac intends to pay a contribution to your PHO of $XXXX (this payment includes GST) (“Funding Contribution”), in accordance with the terms set out below.

Number of Patients

Initial Consultation Fee Payment

Service Fee Payment

Funding Contribution

#

$

$

$

2.1

Expectations of funding

The Funding Contribution must only be used by X PHO for the purposes of offsetting costs associated with patients transitioning from Accuretic to a suitable alternative medicine (“Eligible Patients”). Any Funding Contribution which is not able to be applied for this purpose must be refunded to Pharmac within 90 days of receipt.

An Eligible Patient is someone who: • is currently using the Accuretic brand of medication • is transitioning to a suitable alternative treatment • has not paid for the consultation or the patient is reimbursed for their consultation • requires an extra appointment with a prescriber in primary care to support the change from Accuretic to an alternative medicine(s).

Pharmac reserves the right to view for the purposes of audit invoices or any other relevant documentation relating to the Funding Contribution. X PHO agrees to co-operate fully and provide access to relevant records if Pharmac does so. This right of audit extends to any agency of the New Zealand Government or Parliament, including the Office of the AuditorGeneral.

You agree to provide any information related to the Funding Contribution (including reports) in such manner and timeframe that Pharmac reasonably requests.

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2.2

Payment of Funding Contribution

Your PHO will provide Pharmac with a valid GST invoice for the Funding Contribution no later than the last working day of the month 29th July 2022. Payment by Pharmac will be made by the 20th of the following month.

The invoice must be sent to Pharmac via email to accounts@pharmac.govt.nz and must: (a) (b) (c)

be copied to Scott Emrys (Implementation Lead) scott.emrys@pharmac.govt.nz include all relevant details of the Funding Contribution to which the invoice relates be clearly and legibly marked to the attention of Sarah Fitt (Chief Executive).

Payment will be made to the account designated in writing by your PHO.

2.3

Confidentiality

Information relating to the terms of this Funding Letter is confidential to both of our organisations and our employees, legal advisers and other consultants (including PTAC and its Specialist Advisory Committees), the Ministry of Health, and Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand (“Confidential Information”).

X PHO acknowledges that it may be necessary or appropriate for Pharmac to disclose Confidential Information. This could be pursuant to the Official Information Act 1982 or otherwise pursuant to Pharmac’s public law or any other legal obligations.

Outside the circumstances described above, Confidential Information must not be disclosed by either of our two organisations (or by our employees, legal advisers, and other consultants) unless: (a) the information is publicly available without any cause attributable to the disclosing party; or (b)

the other party has been reasonably informed prior to disclosure, and the disclosure is: (i) for the purposes of this Funding Letter; or (ii) required by law; or (iii) in a form, and of content, agreed to by us.

For the avoidance of doubt, the name of X PHO and the amount of the Funding Contribution are not Confidential Information and may be disclosed publicly by Pharmac.

3.

More information

There is more information on Pharmac’s website about the issue and what support is available: pharmac.govt.nz/accuretic We will continue to update healthcare professionals and the public through our website, adding relevant information as it becomes available.

He Ako Hiringa has created a resource to support clinicians (external link), including a dose conversion chart: akohiringa.co.nz/education/transitioning-people-off-accuretic

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4.

Acceptance

Please sign below to confirm X PHO’s acceptance of the terms stated in this Funding Letter and return this Funding Letter to Pharmac by 5 pm on 12th July 2022.

Nāku noa, nā

Signed and agreed by X PHO, by:

_____________________________ Name: David Hughes Chief Medical Officer

Position: Date:

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