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Fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors through Public-Private Partnership (PPP)
programmes is a key strategy in meeting the healthcare needs of Hong Kong. The Electronic Health
Record Sharing System (eHRSS) has a vital role to play in these programmes by making possible the
sharing of patients’ health information across different healthcare providers (HCPs).
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PPP programmes enable the delivery of efficient and integrated
healthcare services to the public by leveraging the capacity of
the private sector. Benefits of PPPs are many: easing the
pressure on the public healthcare sector, optimising resource
utilisation, encouraging the exchange of expertise, which boil
down to enhancing the quality of healthcare services in Hong
Kong.
There are a number of PPP programmes launched by the
Hospital Authority (HA) and the Department of Health (DH) in
Hong Kong. Patients are given the choice to use services of the
private sector with Government subsidies so that they can
receive consultation and treatment as early as possible.
Patients and HCPs participating in these programmes are
required to join eHRSS, since the inter-flow of medical
information under patients’ consent enabled by eHRSS is
fundamental to the implementation of the programmes. |
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PPP programmes enable the delivery of
efficient and integrated healthcare
services to the public by leveraging the
capacity of the private sector
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| This article highlights three PPP programmes recently launched or expanded - |
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| General Outpatient Clinic Public-Private Partnership Programme (GOPC PPP) |
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| GOPC PPP was first launched by HA in mid-2014 in three pilot districts including Kwun Tong, Wong Tai Sin and Tuen Mun to provide patients the choice to receive primary care service from the private sector. |
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Under the programme, clinically stable patients having
hypertension and/ or diabetes mellitus taken care of by HA
general outpatient clinics are invited to take part. Each patient
can choose to receive healthcare from a participating private
doctor at the HA GOPC fee each time when using consultation
service of the doctor, up to 10 visits each year.
Commencing 2016/17, GOPC PPP is being rolled out to all of the 18
districts in three years - |
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Kwun Tong District, Wong Tai Sin District and Tuen Mun District |
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2016/17: |
Eastern District, Southern District, Wan Chai District, Kowloon City District, Sham Shui Po District, Kwai Tsing District, Sai Kung District, Sha Tin District, Yuen Long District |
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2017/18: |
Central and Western District, Islands District, Tai Po District, Tsuen Wan District |
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2018/19: |
Yau Tsim Mong District, North District |
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As at mid-April 2017, over 12 000 patients have already participated in the programme. It is estimated that around 35 000 patients will benefit from the programme upon its full implementation.
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| Colon Assessment Public-Private Partnership Programme (Colon PPP) |
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Colon PPP was launched by HA in late 2016 to cater for the
growing demand for colon assessment.
Eligible patients, including those on the waiting list for
colonoscopy in public hospitals and classified as stable cases,
will be invited to join the programme by batches. They can
choose to receive colonoscopy and the appropriate treatment
from enrolled specialists in the private sector.
HA will offer a one-off fixed subsidy to each participating patient
who will also need to make a co-payment.
It is estimated that around 1 800 patients will benefit from the
Programme.
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| Colorectal Cancer Screening Pilot Programme (CRC) |
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CRC is a three-year pilot programme launched by DH in 2016 to
provide subsidised screening tests for asymptomatic Hong Kong
residents born in 1946 to 1955. The tests can help identify people
who are more likely to develop cancer or who have colorectal
cancer, so that treatment can start earlier to improve the chances
of a cure.
Eligible persons are invited to join by phases :
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1: |
individuals born in 1946 to 1948; rolled out in September 2016 |
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| Phase |
2: |
individuals born in 1946 to 1951; rolled out in February 2017 |
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3: |
individuals born in 1946 to 1955; to be announced |
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| Participants can make an appointment with enrolled primary care doctors to join the programme and receive the screening service. Referral to designated colonoscopy specialists will be made if required. Under the programme, subsidies are provided by the Government to participating doctors for consultation and colonoscopy services. |
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As at end-July 2017, about 33 400 eligible persons have already enrolled for the programme as participants.
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| eHR Sharing in PPP Programmes |
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| In these PPP programmes, patients’ medical information and investigation results will be uploaded by participating private doctors to eHRSS. The information can then be shared among HCPs in both public and private sectors taking care of the patients to facilitate them in making clinical decisions. This is particularly useful for patients who may need to return to the public sector for follow-up. |
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| The medical information contributed by private doctors of PPP programmes to eHRSS is also essential for building continuous records of the patients. In the long run, continuity of care can be further facilitated and enhanced as full profiles of patients’ medical history are gradually built up when more and more comprehensive and accurate patient information are gathered through various PPP programmes. |
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| Apart from the above programmes, there are other PPP programmes currently operating on the eHRSS platform – |
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Project on Enhancing Radiological Investigation Services through Collaboration with the Private Sector |
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Cataract Surgeries Programme |
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Haemodialysis Public Private Partnership Programme |
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Patient Empowerment Programme |
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Provision of Infirmary Service through Public-Private Partnership |
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| For details about the programmes, please visit http://www3.ha.org.hk/ppp/homepage.aspx?lang=eng |
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