Microtest first on digital retinopathy

Primary care system supplier Microtest has become the first of the GP suppliers to receive full roll-out approval for the GP to Diabetic Retinopathy Screening (GP2DRS) service.

The service aims to automate data sharing between more than 8,000 GP practices in England and 100 diabetic retinopathy screening services and all GP Systems of Choice suppliers are expected to deliver the service.

The English National Screening Programme for Diabetic Retinopathy is leading the service and commissioned integration specialists Quicksilva Software Solutions and consultancy OLM Professional Services to develop the bespoke GP2DRS application. Late last year it was announced that testing of the database was underway with trial sites aimed to be working by March.

Connecting for Health said Microtest was the first GP Systems of Choice supplier to complete all its assurance activities and after a successful pilot period was awarded full roll out approval on 22 March.

The functionality developed by Microtest will identify patients aged 12 and over on the practice system who have a diagnosis of diabetes, transmit the data to a central repository so patients can be invited for annual screening and continue to monitor and transmit data to the central repository with any updates to the data. Patients will be asked for consent to transfer their data during a diabetes review.

The functionality enables the English National Screening Programme for Diabetic Retinopathy todeliver phase one of its project.

In phase two, due to be introduced in summer and autumn 2011, data will be sent automatically from the central repository to local services’ databases. In phase three, with an unconfirmed delivery date of 2012, local services will be able to transfer screening results back to GP systems.

Microtest said its solution requires no intervention from staff and automatically communicated with the Quicksilva database. The company said authorised practice staff can at any time view reports for verification purposes, track the GP2DRS system or view which patients are being flagged. It said GP practices will see their overheads reduced significantly by the automated retinopathy screening process as staff time is freed up.

Chris Netherton, managing director of Microtest, added: “Microtest is delighted to be involved in the GP2DRS project and provide our practices with the necessary software which will help to safeguard the sight of diabetic patients. We are also very proud to be leading the way, ahead of other GPSoC suppliers, in delivering this valuable service.”

CfH said the GP2DRS service is funded by the English National Screening Programme for Diabetic Retinopathy so there are no charges for calling off the service through GPsoC. It has also published its schedule of when other system suppliers are expected to achieve full roll out approval for the functionality.

This shows INPS is due to received approval next month, approval for EMIS LV and EMIS PCS is due in June, approval for iSoft Synergy and Premiere is due in July and approval for EMIS Web is scheduled for October. Dates for CSC supplying TPP’s SystmOne have yet to be confirmed.