TPP rolls-out new sharing model

TPP is rolling out a new model of sharing patient information between SystmOne users.

The Enhanced Data Sharing Model, approved by Connecting for Health for full roll-out, is designed to give patients greater control over who can see their health records.

Patients choose to ‘share in’ and ‘share out’ their information with health providers.

‘Sharing out’ controls the information recorded within an organisation that is shared to other organisations.

‘Sharing in’ controls the information that can be viewed within an organisation that has been recorded by another SystmOne user.

TPP clinical director Dr John Parry said: “At each organization you are asking the patient, ‘do you consent for me to make shareable the information that I have got (about you) and do you consent to me seeing what others have made shareable?’”

He said the company previously had a “point-to-point” sharing model. This meant GPs could see everything in the system, such as community heatlh records, but if a community health worker wanted to see information held elsewhere in the system a point-to-point share had to be set up.

Dr Parry said this worked fine for a time, but as more users deployed SystmOne the situation became more complex.

“The driver (for the EDSM) was to make it easier for patients to consent and to make sure a complete record is available without the need for multiple point-to-points,” he explained.

Patients can also ask for specific consultations not to be shareable.

The new model has been piloted in four areas within NHS Yorkshire and Humber. Dr Parry said TPP has not analysed the data regarding the percentage of patients choosing to ‘share in’ or ‘out’, but feedback from users had been positive.

“What we are hoping is that the vast majority of people welcome sharing and this extra control makes them more comfortable,” he said.

The plan is to have all practices using the new system by 1 July 2013. Both the old and new ways of working will be supported until the transfer is complete.

“This has been quite a long time coming, a lot of pilot work and effort has been put in by people to make sure if meets their requirements and feedback is that users like it and want to move on to it,” Dr Parry added.

TPP recently announced an integration with the Medical Interoperability Gateway, which allows patient data to be shared in real time across systems.

Dr Parry said the same share model will apply to use of the MIG, whereby only information that a patient has consented to ‘share in’ can be pulled through the gateway and viewed by another system user.