Enrolment in a primary health organisation
Enrolment in a primary health organisation (PHO) is voluntary, but people are encouraged to join a PHO in order to gain the benefits associated with belonging to a PHO, which include cheaper doctors visits and reduced costs on prescription medicines.
Enrolment information for the public
Most general practices are now part of a PHO. If you are not enrolled in a PHO, ask your regular doctor if they are part of a PHO.
To enrol, usually you will have to sign a form which the doctor, nurse or medical centre receptionist will give you. The form will usually ask you for your personal details such as name, age, date of birth, address and ethnicity. The information collected at enrolment comes under the Privacy Act 1993 and the Health Information Privacy Code 1994, so the privacy of your information is protected.
The leaflet Enrolling with a PHO: Answering your Questions (PDF, 145 KB) describes what a PHO is, and explains enrolment in more detail.
Enrolment demographics
Download the latest PHO Enrolment Demographics (ZIP, 1.8 MB) as at April 2012.
As at 1 July 2007 all First Contact, Service to Improve Access, Health Promotion, Management Fees, Pharmaceutical top-up an Laboratory spend on primary care funding was devolved to District Health Boards (DHBs). The Ministry does not hold information on the amounts that DHBs fund the PHOs.
Enrolment rules and guidelines
The following document was developed for PHOs and DHBs for enrolling PHO populations.
Enrolment Requirements for PHOs outlines the 13 enrolment parameters for PHOs, including operational policies and requirements.
Page last updated: 19 April 2012
Twitter
Facebook