Pharmaceutical Information Program (PIP)
What is the Pharmaceutical Information Program?
The Pharmaceutical Information Program (PIP) will improve the health of Saskatchewan
residents, by providing authorized health care professionals (e.g. pharmacists
and physicians) with confidential access to patient medication records. Having
access to quality information about their patients will help Saskatchewan health
care professionals offer the highest quality of care.
Prior to the introduction of PIP, there was no centralized, complete source
of prescription records for health care providers to use when making decisions
about a patient’s drug therapy. PIP will ensure that individuals and their
health care providers have the information needed to make the best decisions about
their health care.
The Pharmaceutical Information Program is a major step forward in enhancing
patient safety. The program will help prescribers select the best medication to
avoid drug interactions and duplications of therapy, including prescription drug
abuse. PIP will also help health professionals sort through the numerous medications
a person may be taking when treating medical conditions, or where several prescribers
are involved in a patient’s care.
PIP is part of a wider government strategy to create an electronic
health record.
How Does PIP Obtain Prescription Information?
Initially, PIP will use information from the Saskatchewan
Drug Plan. Since the Drug Plan’s inception, information has been collected
about prescriptions to determine a resident’s eligibility for benefits,
and as a record of payments made by the Drug Plan. In 2004, the Drug Plan was
enhanced to collect information on all prescriptions dispensed from community
pharmacies, including those that were not previously collected under the Drug
Plan. This was done to build a complete record of prescriptions to help health
professionals make more informed drug therapy decisions.
The Pharmaceutical Information Program will be extended in future phases to
include information entered directly by physicians and other health care providers,
such as allergy information, and prescriptions entered electronically by prescribers.
What Information is Collected?
Prescription information is collected under the authority of The Prescription
Drugs Act, and includes:
- Your Health Services Number or other identifying number;
- Certain information about your prescription, including the date dispensed,
the drug, the quantity of drug, the prescriber, and the pharmacy.
- Your name, address, phone number and date of birth.
Safeguarding Your Information
Your personal health information is confidential and only authorized health
care professionals involved in your care will access it.
Saskatchewan Health takes great care to protect the personal health information
under its control. Information is kept in strict confidence, and is used or disclosed
as authorized or required by law. Privacy safeguards outlined in The
Health Information Protection Act (HIPA) apply to the Pharmaceutical Information
Program.
Safeguards are in place to ensure only health professionals involved in your
care access your personal health information in PIP:
- All health care providers are made aware of their responsibilities and agree
to maintain the confidentiality of information and use it only on a need-to-know
basis.
- All access to the PIP data is tracked and recorded for audit purposes. You
can request a printout of who has accessed your information in PIP.
In addition, strict security safeguards are also in place. We have policies
and/or practices and computer systems that are designed to protect your information
from unauthorized use, error, and loss. User access is restricted to authorized
health care professionals. High-quality network security is in place and all electronic
messages are encrypted.
Can I Prevent my Prescription Information from Being Viewed by Health Professionals?
While there are many benefits to the Pharmaceutical Information Program, it
is recognized that some people may not be comfortable with the electronic sharing
of their prescription information. A “masking” option, where residents
are able to request that their prescriptions be hidden from view, is available.
Individuals who would like to investigate this option should call 1-800-667-1672.
A downloadable request to mask form
is available.
Once a profile has been masked, health care professionals will not be able
to see the drug profile information, except in three circumstances:
- With consent: At any time, you may give your health care
provider (such as your physician or pharmacist) consent to view your masked medication
profile. This authorization can be time-limited (such as a specified number of
days or months) or indefinite.
- In an emergency, when the person is unable to provide consent:
This would allow a health care provider to access the history in an emergency,
such as if the person is unconscious or unable to provide consent due to their
illness. The information could be life-saving in these circumstances.
- Dangerous use of prescription drugs: A list
of drugs has been developed in consultation with the regulatory bodies that
license physicians and pharmacists. Health care providers may unmask a profile
when considering prescribing or dispensing one of these drugs, because there is
potential for harm if these drugs are used inappropriately.
Questions:
If you have questions about the Pharmaceutical Information Program, or would
like a print out of your prescription history, please contact:
Saskatchewan Health
Drug Plan & Extended Benefits Branch
3475 Albert Street
Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 6X6
In Regina: 787-8963
In Saskatchewan: 1-800-667-1672
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