Karen's Key Tips and Practice Tricks
If you have any feedback, ideas for tips or need assistance contact Karen at Karen.Bolch@wellsouth.org.nz.
22 October, 2025 - Patient re-enrolment via auditable contact
Patients with a current enrolment can be re-enrolled with your practice through auditable contact.
This may be an effective process for reconnecting with patients who haven’t been seen in the past three years.
Criteria for auditable contact
The patient must have:
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A current enrolment form on file
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Evidence of eligibility and entitlement on file
When can’t you re-enrol via auditable contact
Patient enrolment has ended or expired.
Patient enrolment form on file is pre-2011.
Patient has no signed enrolment form on file.
Patient has no evidence of eligibility or entitlement on file.
Auditable contact form
Auditable contact form can be found here https://wellsouth.nz/assets/Auditable-Contact-Checklist-PDF.pdf
Process for re-enrolment via auditable contact
Contact can be made via telephone or electronic media exchange with the enrolled patient that specifically confirms his/her intention to remain enrolled with your practice.
Confirm with the patient that there has been no change with their eligibility or entitlement.
All areas of the form must be completed during the contact with the patient.
Auditable contact form must be signed by the staff member having contact with the patient.
Once completed, the auditable contact form needs to be scanned into the patient inbox as evidence.
You will need to re-enrol the patient in the NES via your PMS.
Important Notes:
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Auditable contact is only acceptable if the conversation is documented in the enrolled person’s daily record in the PMS.
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Enrolment forms on file must be post 2011, that include the eligibility question and health information privacy statement.
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If the practice cannot produce documented evidence that the person's eligibility has been tested the re-enrolment may fail, ie: it is disregarded by the auditors.
Useful Links
If you have any feedback or wish to suggest a topic to be included in these pages, please contact karen.bolch@wellsouth.org.nz
Printable pdf here - this PDF includes demonstration images for PMS'.
9 October, 2025 - Patients who go to prison
When enrolled patients go to prison for more than 3 months, you must end their funding for capitation while still keeping them registered within your practice. You can leave the patient as registered in your PMS and end their enrolment in NES. This means that you will no longer receive capitation for this patient until you re-enrol them once they are released from prison.
Printable pdf here - this PDF includes demonstration images for PMS'.
24 September 2025 - Who can claim funded maternity care within New Zealand?
Maternity claiming and eligibility
New Zealand citizens and permanent residents are entitled to free pregnancy care unless they choose a private obstetrician or private sonographer. Non-citizens or non-permanent residents may also be eligible for free or subsidised maternity care under specific conditions.
Printable pdf here.
10 September 2025 - Hardship Fund
This programme provides limited funding to support enrolled and unenrolled patients facing financial hardship and in clinical need to access primary care that they otherwise couldn't afford. Practices/providers have the discretion to allocate this funding as they see fit, subject to these conditions.
Printable pdf here.
27 August 2025 - managing newborn enrolments in primary care
When newborns are enrolled with a general practice at birth, health professionals gain more opportunities to give childhood immunisations on time and maximise the child’s health as they grow.
Printable pdf here
13 August 2025 - eReferral form for Vietnam War veterans
HealthLink and Veterans' Affairs New Zealand are pleased to introduce a new eReferral form that makes it easier and faster for you to complete the Annual Medical Assessment (AMA) for Vietnam veterans. This fully funded assessment helps monitor and support the long-term health of veterans exposed to service-related risks.
Printable pdf here
31 July 2025 - Checking the status of CSC & HUHC for patients within Medtech and Indici
When patients have a Community Services Card (CSC) or High Use Health Card (HUHC), it can affect their funding and costs within a practice.
Printable pdf here Scroll to page 2 for Indici codes and summary info.
16 July 2025 - Drivers licence medical update
Registered Nurses can complete the drivers medical for enrolled patients in full, freeing up valuable GP time.
Resource Link
Printable pdf here.
3 July 2025 - Patient records when a patient transfers to a new practice
The practice newly enrolling the patient is obliged to accept the paper notes along with the electronic records, if the patient has consented to the transfer of records.
Resource Link
Printable pdf here.
18 June 2025 - General Medical Services (GMS) explained
GMS are subsidies paid to general practices under the Section 88 notice to help reduce patient fees for children and subsidy card holders for standard consults.
Resource Link
General Medical Services claim
Printable pdf here.
4 June 2025 - Retention of patient records and confidentiality
Patient health information is highly confidential and must always be handled with care, even after a patient has left the medical centre or is deceased.
Printable pdf here with links to further information.