Pharmac Device Advice (Issue 62 - August 2024)
- College of Nurses
- Oct 30, 2024
- 3 min read
Jump to new agreements and consultations | August 2024 | Issue 62
Building a comprehensive Medical Devices List
Pharmac – Te Pātaka Whaioranga is working with successful suppliers to establish national contracts. The medical devices they supply are then added to the Medical Devices List.
By July 2025, Pharmac is planning to have a comprehensive list of hospital medical devices that represent the medical devices that hospitals are using.
Read our 'Building a comprehensive Medical Devices List' article to understand how we are doing this, why you should have a contract, what happens when the list is comprehensive, and how to find out more.
Devices dashboard
How the national contracts are tracking as of August 2024
168,000 devices under contract covering $614 million of annual hospital expenditure on medical devices.
Pharmac Contracts 101 – Evergreen Agreements
Pharmac medical device contracts are evergreen, with no definite expiry date, and evolution occurring over time through mutually agreed adjustment rather than repeat procurement activities/renewal.
Where both parties see value in updating an agreement (e.g. to add new technology or more efficient purchasing models) we manage these amendments together through a formal process.
Pharmac has pursued this agreement structure in the spirit of long-term partnership and collaboration with medical device suppliers. Such contracts reduce the administrative burden to all parties of ongoing procurement processes, while providing the foundation for a lasting relationship, regular two-way communication, and a focus on operations and innovation.
Pharmac can and does allow for periodic supply arrangements through optional purchasing models or additional market activities, an example of this is the work we did with drug-eluting stents.
Health System Catalogue
The Health System Catalogue (HSC) is increasingly becoming the primary source of product data for the health system. It will help us improve data alignment and unlock future opportunities for both suppliers and health system users.
The latest update from HSC shows:
191 suppliers are live
161 suppliers have published pricing
74% of suppliers are on Pharmac contracts
241,062 active items in supplier catalogues
132,166 prices published.
Pharmac will be using HSC information to populate the comprehensive list of medical devices. So, a supplier currently not on the Medical Devices List will be more likely to be captured on the comprehensive list if its products are in the HSC.
If you need to discuss any issues you are having, or you would like to publish a data set, please contact Ian Malone, Supplier Engagement Lead.
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Consultations released since June 2024
Sterilisation and decontamination equipment and associated consumables
6 Sept
Surgical implants, medical and surgical instruments and power tools
5 Sept
Decisions released since June 2024
Sterilisation and decontamination equipment and associated consumables
29 July
Adhesives, sealants, and haemostats
18 July
Sterilisation and decontamination equipment and associated consumables
9 July
Medical imaging, software, and associated products
8 July
Sterilisation and decontamination equipment and associated consumables
24 June
Anaesthetic machines, invasive ventilators, neonatal care and critical care patient monitoring. Patient assessment, monitoring and treatment devices. Surgical implants.
24 June
Surgical implants, medical and surgical instruments, and power tools
17 June
We notify all new supplier agreements and list all new proposals on the Consultations and Decisions page on the Pharmac website. You can also keep track of what’s happening in each category on our hospital medical devices page.
Supply challenges for medical devices
We are working with suppliers, Health New Zealand hospitals, and the Ministry of Health, to minimise the impact of supply issues for hospitals and people in care. If you are experiencing any issues in the supply of Pharmac contracted medical devices, please email our contract management team.
We'd love to hear from you
We welcome any feedback on our work, our website, or this newsletter. You can email devices@pharmac.govt.nz or contact the person identified in a specific consultation or notification.
Noho ora mai rā!
