Source: General Practice Owners Association (GenPro)
The General Practice Owners Association is sponsoring the establishment of a nationwide primary health organisation that will reduce bureaucracy so more funding can be allocated to front-line patient care.
Primary health organisations (PHOs) sit in the middle between Health New Zealand – which funds healthcare – and primary health care providers, such as general practices.
“GenPro is supporting the application for a new PHO that is firmly aligned with GenPro’s promotion of sustainable, high-quality and accessible primary practice for all New Zealanders,” says the Chair of GenPro, Dr Angus Chambers.
While GenPro is assisting the establishment of a new PHO, the new entity will be organisationally separated from GenPro. Independence will enable GenPro to continue to advocate without conflict of interest.
“GenPro is not and will not be a PHO. But we’d welcome a lean, cost-effective PHO for GenPro members that reduces the bureaucratic burden on the health system and facilitates greater funding for high-quality, sustainable, accessible, and equitable front-line patient care,” Chambers says.
“The current policy settings and existing PHO structures have a number of significant issues. These include conflicts of interest between patient care and commercial operations, bloated governance and management costs, a focus on accumulating reserves instead of funding front-line services, regional variations creating a postcode lottery, and trust issues. The new PHO will aim to address these challenges head on,” Chambers says, adding that the PHO application is subject to approval by Health New Zealand.
“We will be seeking expressions of interest very soon to gauge our membership’s appetite for this new venture,” Chambers says.
GenPro members are owners and providers of general practices and urgent care centres throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. For more information visit www.genpro.org.nz
