Healthcare industry
For further information on any of the Healthcare industry initiatives contact Tania Snioch – Senior Advisor, Industry Services on 1300 366 033 or via email.
Background
The Healthcare industry sector in Australia is a major part of the economy with total public and private expenditure on Healthcare equaling approximately 10% of GDP and with more than 65,000 million dollars spent on Healthcare per annum.
Healthcare is a complex industry sector where patient safety is paramount but where other drivers – such as the ability to authenticate pharmaceuticals and medical devices, track and trace products from manufacture to the patient, and supply chain improvement – come a close second.
There are more than 1200 public and private sector hospitals in Australia. The majority of doctors, including GPs, are self-employed with a small proportion consisting of salaried employees of Commonwealth, State or Local Governments.
The import and supply of medicines and medical devices is regulated by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in order to ensure the quality, safety and effectiveness of the products.
Medicines, or pharmaceuticals, prescribed by doctors and dispensed in the community by independent private sector pharmacies are directly subsidised by the Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
Key organisations
National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA)
NEHTA Limited is a not-for-profit company established by the Australian, State and Territory governments to develop better ways of electronically collecting and securely exchanging health information. One of the key NEHTA initiatives is Healthcare Supply Chain reform.
To enable such reform NEHTA has developed a National Product Catalogue (NPC) across all procurement categories, enabling suppliers to maintain a single suite of standards and provide a cost effective way of maintaining current and accurate supply information. In addition, NEHTA has developed a business case and technical documentation around eProcurement, using GS1’s global eMessaging standard, GS1 XML, as the document format for Australia’s health eProcurement strategy.
Australia Self-Medication Industry (ASMI)
ASMI is the peak industry body for the Australian self-care industry including consumer healthcare products ranging from over-the-counter medicines (OTC) to complementary medicines.
The mission of ASMI is to promote better health through responsible self-care. This means ensuring that safe and effective self-care products are readily available to all Australians at a reasonable cost. ASMI works to encourage an integrative approach to health, responsible use of OTC and complementary medicines by consumers and an increasing role for cost-effective self-medication products as part of the overall Australian health strategy.
Medical Industry Association of Australia (MIAA)
MIAA is the peak industry body representing the Australian medical device and diagnostics industry. MIAA members play a vital role in the Australian healthcare system by supplying non-pharmaceutical medical products to hospitals, medical professionals and patients.
Between them, MIAA members distribute over 85% of the non-pharmaceutical products used in the diagnosis or treatment of disease. Products range from familiar items such as syringes and wound dressings through to high-technology implanted devices, hospital capital equipment, sophisticated diagnostic products, self-care items and laboratory consumables.
National Blood Authority (NBA)
The National Blood Authority is the national manager of contracts with suppliers of blood and blood products on behalf of all Australian Governments, who together provide a total of over $500m annually for the NBA to manage the blood supply on behalf of all Australians.
In May 2007, the National Blood Authority Jurisdictional Blood Committee (JBC) endorsed a National Policy on Barcoding for Blood and Blood Products, listing GS1-128 (formerly EAN-128) as the barcode for use for all plasma, recombinant and diagnostic products. The intent of the NBA is for full implementation of these barcode standards to occur by 1 July 2011.
More information
Click on the links below for more information:
Industry Initiatives
GS1 Healthcare - formerly GS1 Global Healthcare User Group (HUG)
The mission of the GS1 Healthcare is to lead the healthcare industry to the effective utilisation and development of global standards with the primary focus on automatic identification to improve patient safety.
The vision is of this group is to become the single source for regulatory agencies and trade organisations (manufacturer, wholesaler, hospital and pharmacy) to seek input and direction for global standards in the healthcare industry.
On the 22nd of August 2006, after one year of successful operation, the members of the Global Healthcare User Group officially announced that they will use GS1 standards exclusively as the basis for automatic product identification.
GS1 Healthcare User Group Australasia (HUG Australasia) – Soon to be GS1 Healthcare Australasia
In order to ensure the requirements of Australian and New Zealand Healthcare organisations are taken into account by the HUG, the HUG - Australasia has been formed.
National Product Catalogue (NPC)
The National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA), in association with GS1 Australia, is rolling out a National Product Catalogue (NPC). Endorsed by all State, Territory and Federal Health Departments, the NPC is the 'single source’ of item master data for public health institutions seeking to purchase medicines, medical devices and other necessary healthcare items.
The NPC is hosted by GS1 Australia on GS1net™, its data synchronisation platform used in Australia by more than 1300 companies across a number of industry sectors including Grocery, Liquor, Hardware, Automotive, General Merchandise, and others.
NEHTA eProcurement Strategy
GS1’s global eMessaging standard GS1 XML has been endorsed by the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) as the document format for Australia’s health eProcurement strategy. The standard will be used in conjunction with the National Product Catalogue (NPC) to provide a significant opportunity for the public health sector to make considerable efficiency gains and cost savings, through supply chain processes.
Download press release here.
For more information, click here and refer to the Technical Publications and Specifications section.
Barcoding in the Blood Sector
In May 2007, the National Blood Authority Jurisdictional Blood Committee (JBC) endorsed a National Policy on Barcoding for Blood and Blood Products, listing GS1-128 (formerly EAN-128) as the barcode for use for all plasma, recombinant and diagnostic products. The intent of the NBA is for full implementation of these barcode standards to occur by 1 July 2011. As contracts for the supply of plasma derived, recombinant and diagnostic blood products are renewed, the NBA will require all suppliers to meet the GS1-128 standard. This will result in the GS1 standard being fully mandated under Government contracts by 1 July 2011.
Upcoming event - Barcoding in the Blood Sector
The Monash Project
The aim of The Monash Project is to implement eCommerce within the hospital pharmaceutical supply chain using the GS1 System.
Information Library
The following documents are relevant to the Healthcare Industry:
Newsroom
The New Zealand Medication Safety Project
[18 September 2007]
The New Zealand Medication Safety Project is an initiative of the New Zealand Ministry of Health to reduce medication errors by introducing bedside verification of medications using a standardised (GS1) barcode point of care system in all public hospitals.
GS1 Healthcare and ICCBBA join forces to advance global standards to improve patient safety
[4 September 2007]
Two complementary global standards organisations will collaborate to advance global automatic identification standards in Healthcare.
New Zealand Ministry of Health Bedside Verification Project Outline
[20 August 2007]
This project aims to support health professional in the medication administration process by introducing bedside verification of medication. This will reduce the number of adverse medication events and with that reduce the number of patients adversely impacted by those events.
Public Health eProcurement to use GS1 XML
[9 August 2007]
GS1’s global eMessaging standard GS1 XML has been endorsed by NEHTA (the National E-Health Transition Authority) as the document format for Australia’s health eProcurement strategy.
New Zealand Ministry of Health Bedside Verification Cost Utility Analysis
[2 August 2007]
This cost utility analysis provides further detail to the consultation document "Improving Medication Safety: Bedside verification". It is recommended that the consultation document is read first.
GS1 and HL7 Join Forces to Develop Global Standards to Improve Patient Care
[15 June 2007]
Two complementary global standards organisations will collaborate to develop global healthcare standards. IHF joins GS1 effort to improve patient safety through global supply chain standards
Creation of a better medication safety culture in Europe: Building up safe
medication practices
[2007]
The Council of Europe Committee of Experts on Pharmaceutical Questions established the Expert Group on Safe Medication Practices in 2003 to review medication safety and to prepare recommendations to specifically prevent adverse events caused by medication errors in European health care. This is Expert Group’s final report.
Coding for Success: Simple technology for safer patient care
[16 February 2007]
This publication provides an overview of the NHS plans for implementation of the GS1 System in the UK.
Public Health eProcurement to use GS1 XML
[format: pdf - date: August 2007 - size: 44kb]
GS1’s global eMessaging standard GS1 XML has been endorsed by the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) as the document format for Australia’s health eProcurement strategy.
Health barcodes cheaper, safer than RFID [Source: Computerworld - date: September 2007]
RFID scanners are less tightly focussed than a barcode beam, says report.
Barcodes to curb medicine bungles
[format: video - Source: One News]
Hospital patients are likely to be fitted with their own barcodes in a bid to reduce the number of medication bungles.
Guidelines
Healthcare GTIN Allocation Rules
An international guideline for GTIN Assignment for pharmaceutical and medical device products, built upon and consistent with the GS1 System rules for GTIN allocation across all industry sectors.
download
[format: pdf - date: May 2007 - size: 891kb]
GS1 Standards in the Healthcare Supply Chain - Improving patient safety
Learn how the GS1 standards can be used to improve patient safety and supply chain efficiency in Healthcare.
download [format: pdf - date: September 2008 - size: 3260kb]
Events
Coming Events
- GS1 Healthcare Seminar (with NPC Training)
- 4 December 2008: Sydney
Developed specifically for organisations operating throughout the healthcare supply chain. - GS1 Healthcare Education Series
- 11 November - 2 December 2008: Webinars
A series of Healthcare Industry education seminars that aim to provide a pathway for education about the GS1 System and its application in the Healthcare sector.
Past Events
- Barcoding in the Blood Sector
- 22 October 2008: Perth
Click here for more information. - GS1 Healthcare Education Series
- June - August 2008
Together with the members of the GS1 Healthcare User Group Australasia, GS1 Australia and New Zealand are conducting a series of Healthcare Industry education seminars that aim to provide a pathway for education about the GS1 System and its application in the Healthcare sector. - GS1 Healthcare Seminar (with NPC training)
- 23 May/22 July 2008: Sydney
- 5 August 2008: Melbourne
- 4 September 2008: Brisbane
- 29 September 2008: Adelaide
- 22 October 2008: Perth
These sessions are designed to provide a global and national view of Healthcare as well as the current use of the GS1 system within the Healthcare sector. Topics discussed will cover all aspects of the GS1 System, including GS1 identification, Data Synchronisation, eProcurement and a brief overview of the NPC.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
For general questions regarding the GS1 standards or membership please contact GS1 Australia via email.
1. Who do I contact for further information?
GS1 Australia Customer Service Team on 1300 366 033 or using the
contact us link from this website.
Useful links
Below is a list of Australian and international links related to GS1’s work in healthcare:
- GS1 Healthcare: www.gs1.org/hug
- HUG Australasia: www.gs1au.org/hug_australasia
- National E-Health Transition Authority: www.nehta.gov.au
- Add National Blood Authority: www.nba.gov.au
