A new HCV Prescriber Program in 2008
Post date: 21 August 2008
Following the cessation and evaluation of the HCV community prescribing pilot in 2007, an ongoing program of shared care was endorsed by the Highly Specialised Drugs Working Party. NSW Health has funded ASHM to roll out the HCV prescriber program (shared care) in NSW.
Conditions
The conditions of the shared care program are the same as the preceding pilot, i.e. that the prescriber must be linked to a specialist affiliated with a hepatitis C treatment clinic at a public hospital and the specialist must initiate treatment. HCV prescribers are authorised to write second and ongoing scripts which must be dispensed from a public hospital pharmacy.
Distribution of current HCV Prescribers
HCV prescriber renewals for 2008 are still being finalised. Currently 32 HCV prescribers have renewed their accreditation and must meet new Continuing Medical Education (CME) requirements in the area of HCV. The distribution of current HCV prescriber (n=32) is as follows:
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AHS
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SESIAHS
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Hunter/NEAHS
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SSWAHS
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SWAHS
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NCAHS
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NSCCAHS
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GSAHS
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GWAHS
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Number of prescribers
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9
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3
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6
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2
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3
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5
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3
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1
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20 HCV prescribers that were accredited as part of the HCV community prescribing pilot have withdrawn from the ongoing HCV prescriber program this year. Reasons have varied from no longer being in practice (on leave or retired), not having a suitable HCV patient load, to a need for up-skilling as they have not managed any patients or written any scripts since their initial training and accreditation in 2003. It is anticipated several new HCV prescribers will be accredited from Short Courses in HCV Medicine held in Alice Springs (April) and Coffs Harbour (June) by the end of the year.
New Continuing Medical Education Requirements for HCV prescribers
HCV CME requirements have been aligned to coincide with the RACGP Triennium commencing 1 January 2008. HCV Prescribers must accrue a total of 10 HCV CME points during the triennium with a minimum of 2 HCV CME points obtained in each calendar year of that triennium. ASHM’s role is to advise and provide the prescribers with training opportunities in HCV. ASHM HCV prescriber updates focussing on managing complex patients were held in Sydney (May 2008) and Canberra (June 2008). Scholarships to attend conferences and symposia are being made available to HCV prescribers to assist in meeting their CME requirements and ensuring their skills and knowledge are updated.
More Information
For further infromation on CME please download the Maintenance of HCV s100 Prescriber accreditation
Monitoring of program
Unlike the HIV prescriber program, HCV prescribers are required to notify ASHM when they refer a patient to a specialist for treatment assessment and when the prescriber writes a script. This is to monitor the uptake of the program and increase in access to treatment for at least the first year of the ongoing shared care program. Since January 2008, 34 patients have been worked up by the HCV prescriber then referred to a specialist for treatment assessment and initiation under the shared care program. 4 of these patients are currently being treated and having scripts written by community HCV prescribers.
Next Short Course in HCV Medicine
The next Short Course in HCV Medicine will be held in Sydney on 15-16 November 2008. Medical practitioners who wish to prescribe HCV antiviral therapy under shared care arrangements in NSW/ACT must attend this course, complete the application form, satisfactorily complete the associated case study assessments and meet the other requirements before becoming accredited as HCV prescribers. Existing HCV prescribers can also attend this course as a refresher and update.
A review of the Short Course in HCV Medicine program was begun in early 2008 by the NSW Hepatitis C Clinical Sub Committee. A new course program, master curriculum document and course materials are currently being finalised.