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.
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.
How do you achieve these benefits?
Newborns need to be enrolled in the PMS with a pre-enrolment ‘B’ code status no later than two weeks after their birth. A ‘B’ code status automatically creates a recall for immunisations and an alert for full enrolment to be completed. Enrolment forms can be completed when baby attends for 6-week immunisations if you haven’t received them prior.
Eligibility
You can enrol a newborn based on the eligibility of at least one parent, without needing to wait for a birth certificate or newborn nomination. Any of the following documentation would satisfy as proof of eligibility of the mother, parent or guardian, thus making a newborn eligible:
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NZ passport
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NZ citizenship certificate
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NZ birth certificate
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Passport with a resident or permanent resident visa
The PMS NHI lookup function can show NZ citizenship status. Annotate the enrolment form stating, “NHI confirms the patient is a NZ citizen by birth via DIA data share”.
Newborn Enrolment Process
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Identify 1 person in your practice (i.e. equity champion) to be responsible for enrolling newborns
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Check your provider inbox for NIR notifications (NEW NOMINATIONS) daily, act on them promptly
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Set the newborn up with a new patient file in the PMS system with a pre-enrolment ‘B’ code status and link to other family members.
NIR Notification Guideline
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Check all provider inboxes daily then check the NIR folder
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Accept or decline the notification. If enrolment is accepted, enrol the newborn with a ‘B code’ status in the PMS. (Declined enrolments should be returned to AIR so another practice can be nominated)
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Contact the new parent/guardian with a welcome email, phone call or text. The email could include a link to the online enrolment form if your practice has this
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Send a welcome pack with an enrolment form, eligibility information, an appointment day/time for baby’s six-week immunisations and information on how to register on the practice’s patient portal
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Follow-up the welcome pack with a phone call to the parent/guardian to confirm the appointment for 6-week immunisations. If contact cannot be established create a recall for follow-up
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If parent and baby fail to present for the appointment, follow up. If contact/recall process fails and there has been no engagement by family check with LMC, then refer to Pou Manaaki Team at WellSouth, a local community health provider who provides outreach or Immunisation Outreach for help
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For continuity purposes, ensure a process is in place for newborn enrolment tasks to be carried out in the absence of the primary champion
Checking Thalamus Pre-Enrolment
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On a weekly basis check the Thalamus Register Management – Register Updates Dashboard
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Click on ‘Pre-enrolments’ to filter and then to the left-hand menu to ‘View Patients’ as a second check for newborns who may have been missed via AIR notifications
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.