Pharmac wants to rank medicine funding applications within 18 months, as part of a four-year push to make its decisions quicker and more predictable, the drug-buying agency said on 8 October.
The Timely Assessment Programme follows Pharmac's 12-month Reset Programme and the work of its Consumer and Patient Working Group, which wrapped up at the end of June.
Ranking is the stage where Pharmac weighs an application against other medicines competing for the same budget.
In the first year, Pharmac's programme page says it aims to cut its backlog of older applications, bring in the 18-month target for ranking them, and make it easier to see how an application is progressing.
It will also review the Exceptional Circumstances Framework, the rules for funding a medicine for one person in unusual circumstances.
"The programme aims to support quicker and more predictable funding assessment processes, improve transparency, and make engagement with Pharmac easier for patients, whānau and applicants," Pharmac's Director Strategy, Policy & Performance, Michael Johnson, said.
A new consumer advisory group will be set up, with an interim committee in place for six months while it is established.
Pharmac said the work would be shaped by feedback from consumer and patient advocates, staff and suppliers, and would cover both medicines and medical devices.
Some health insurance policies cover medicines Pharmac doesn't fund. More on health insurance.
