Proposal to list medical thermometer products
PHARMAC is seeking feedback on a proposal to list a range of medical thermometer products in Part III of Section H of the Pharmaceutical Schedule from 1 February 2018.
What we’re proposing
We propose to list a range of medical thermometer products supplied by:
- Ecomed Trading Pty Ltd (“Ecomed”)
- Pharmaco (NZ) Ltd (“Pharmaco”)
Consultation closes at 5pm Friday, 3 November 2017 and feedback can be emailed to procurement@pharmac.govt.nz.
What would the effect be?
For DHBs
From 1 February 2018, Ecomed and Pharmaco’s ranges of medical thermometer products would fall under two proposed national agreements (“Agreements”) that all DHBs may purchase under. This listing would be conditional on the approval of PHARMAC’s Board or its delegate. These Agreements would not be for sole supply, with DHBs continuing to be able to purchase other suppliers’ brands of medical thermometers products.
These Agreements would supersede any existing DHB contracts with these suppliers for the devices listed in the Schedule 1 of these Agreements. Any device listed in a PHARMAC Agreement and purchased by a DHB would be at the Price, Terms and Conditions stated in the Agreement, effective from the date of listing on the Pharmaceutical Schedule.
Ecomed and Pharmaco’s products are new to New Zealand DHBs and would provide an increased range of medical thermometer products from which clinicians could choose.
As a part of the Agreements, Pharmaco and Ecomed would provide educational services that would be tailored to the individual needs of DHB hospitals, in formats and at times as required by DHB Hospitals.
Pricing for medical thermometer products, subject to any prior termination of the contract, would not be increased without prior consultation and approval by PHARMAC.
Who we think will be interested
- Suppliers and Wholesalers
- DHB Staff
- Clinical Engineers
- Ward Managers
- Procurement Officers
- Human Factors Engineers
About medical thermometers
Medical thermometers are used to measure a patient’s body temperature. The ability to detect or monitor fever or hypothermia is important to guide patient assessment and management.
As the correct measurement of temperature can be important, medical thermometer products represent a variety of sub-categories. Invasive methods such as temperature probes in the oesophagus or bladder deliver constant readings, electronic and infrared thermometers give an accurate one off measurement, while temperature strips provide a less accurate but easy temperature appraisal.
When a patient is anaesthetised and undergoes an operation, their body temperature falls. Managing a body temperature properly by keeping it within normal limits has been shown to improve recovery from surgery.
Important patient groups include neonates, immune compromised patients and those receiving postoperative care.
Why we’re proposing this
In February 2016, PHARMAC issued a Request for Proposals for medical thermometer products. The RFP was for non-exclusive national agreements for listing on the Pharmaceutical Schedule.
PHARMAC has been working with suppliers in order to seek provisional agreements, and this agreement is the latest to arise from this process. We intend to consult on proposed agreements with other suppliers over the next few months.
Details about our proposal
PHARMAC has entered into individual provisional agreements with Ecomed and Pharmaco for a range of medical thermometer products. The full product ranges and pricing in these proposals have not been included in this consultation for brevity, however we are making it available to appropriate DHB personnel.
This proposal would result in Schedule listings for 46 products from Ecomed and 10 products from Pharmaco.
Brand ranges in the agreements include:
|
Ecomed |
Pharmaco |
|---|---|
|
Riester electronic medical thermometers |
Adtemp™ electronic medical thermometers |
|
DeRoyal thermometer probes and temperature strips |
Adtemp™ II electronic and infrared medical thermometers |
|
Associated probe/tip covers and accessories |
Associated probe/tip covers and accessories |
To provide feedback
Send us an email: procurement@pharmac.govt.nz by 17 November 2017.
All feedback received before the closing date will be considered by PHARMAC’s Board (or its delegate) prior to making a decision on this proposal.
Feedback we receive is subject to the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) and we will consider any request to have information withheld in accordance with our obligations under the OIA. Anyone providing feedback, whether on their own account or on behalf of an organisation, and whether in a personal or professional capacity, should be aware that the content of their feedback and their identity may need to be disclosed in response to an OIA request.
We are not able to treat any part of your feedback as confidential unless you specifically request that we do, and then only to the extent permissible under the OIA and other relevant laws and requirements. If you would like us to withhold any commercially sensitive, confidential proprietary, or personal information included in your submission, please clearly state this in your submission and identify the relevant sections of your submission that you would like it withheld. PHARMAC will give due consideration to any such request.