DHBs want access to migrant details

If DHB's could electronically look at Immigration New Zealand's database, patients wouldn't have to prove they were eligible. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Health chiefs are demanding faster action on improved access to state immigration records, so they can stop haranguing patients to prove they are New Zealanders.

A data-sharing system is being developed to check if patients are eligible to be enrolled in state-funded primary health organisations, but no decisions have been made on a similar set-up for district health boards' own patients.

The Waitemata DHB's chief financial officer, Rosalie Percival, said that if it could electronically look at Immigration New Zealand's database, it wouldn't have to ask patients themselves to prove they were eligible for state-funded health and disability services.

It was frustrating, she said, for New Zealand citizens to have to provide proof, particularly if they were already receiving services from other state agencies.

Under orders from the Health Ministry, DHBs are cracking down on eligibility, asking patients to demonstrate entitlement by sending in a copy of their New Zealand passport or other documentary proof, or risk being billed. The policy is that acutely unwell patients are treated first and asked later, while people seeking non-urgent care are asked before assessment or treatment.

Those eligible include New Zealand citizens and permanent residents, Australians, Britons, holders of a two-year or longer work permit, refugees, and visitors whose accidents are covered by ACC.

Some New Zealand citizens have objected strongly to the Herald after receiving letters telling them to prove their entitlement to their DHB or pay up. Some have received invoices and still refused to pay, leaving them at risk of having a bad debt registered against their name.

Mrs Percival said Waitemata expected to send invoices to ineligible patients this financial year totalling more than $5 million, of which it was expected $3.25 million - 65 per cent - would be recovered.

She said this money was important for Waitemata, which wanted to increase elective surgery for eligible patients. It was enough to pay for 650 elective surgeries, based on the average price of $5000.

But checking eligibility - which included writing letters to patients and phoning Immigration NZ to ask its staff to check on individuals' records - cost the board around $200,000 a year, unnecessarily.

"The crazy thing is that we employ four people who spend a lot of time ringing Immigration and checking and they will have people at the other end, when it could just be done automatically. If we could check people [by having access to Immigration's database] we wouldn't even have to ask for a birth certificate, or very few people."

A Labour Department spokesman said Immigration New Zealand was permitted, under new legislation, to give health providers information to verify eligibility.

"INZ has not used these provisions as systems development is required as well as agreements with the health providers.

"Further work is required before any decisions can be made in regard to implementation of any of these proposals."

But acting Immigration NZ head Jan Clark said an information-matching programme was being developed with the Health Ministry to help primary health organisations to identify patients ineligible to be enrolled because of their immigration status.

COST OF HEALTH

$1373.10 a day - medical or surgical ward stay.

$1215.55 - clinical assessment and treatment for more than 10 hours, adults emergency department.

$40.25 a minute - general rate for operating rooms and anaesthesia.

$189.75 per 15 minutes - surgical staff.

$238.05 - blood transfusion, per unit.

$6602.15 - renal stone removals.

Source: Auckland District Health Board's schedule of fees. GST included.