POAC (Primary Options for Acute Care) funds the community administration of two infusion services for eligible patients across the Auckland region:

• Ferinject – IV ferric carboxymaltose iron infusion, for treatment of iron deficiency anaemia where oral iron therapy is ineffective, not tolerated, or clinically inappropriate.

• Zoledronate – IV infusion for eligible patients as part of osteoporosis management.

Any clinic may administer these infusions to its own existing patients under standard POAC claiming.  No registration is required for this.

Registration is only required to accept referrals from external providers. Infusion Centre registration is not needed to treat your own existing patients. It exists solely to enable your clinic to receive and accept Ferinject and/or Zoledronate referrals from external clinicians (e.g. other GP clinics, midwives/LMCs, or hospital teams). Registration requires the clinic to agree to the POAC terms and conditions set out below.

Registering as an Infusion Centre

• Registration is only necessary if your clinic wants to accept referrals for these infusions from external providers. Clinics that only intend to administer Ferinject or Zoledronate infusions to their own existing patients do not need to register, and can claim directly through the standard POAC process.

• Clinics that do wish to accept referrals from other providers register using the online form:

POAC Infusion Centre Registration form

The registration form asks the clinic to:

• Select which service(s) the clinic will accept referrals for (Ferinject and/or Zoledronate), and confirm that clinical staff are suitably credentialed to deliver them.

• Confirm the district the provider is located in (Auckland, Counties Manukau, or Waitemata).

• Provide organisation name, contact person, contact email, physical address and phone number.

• Provide the email address referrals should be sent to.

• Agree to the POAC terms and conditions for registered Infusion Centres (see below) — agreement to these terms and conditions is mandatory and must be confirmed before the registration can be submitted.

Questions about registration can be directed to:

Deanna Williams, POAC Service Manager — deannaw@easthealth.co.nz

Terms and Conditions 

Registration as an Infusion Centre cannot be completed unless the clinic agrees to all of the following terms and conditions. By registering, the clinic confirms its agreement to:

• The clinic will not charge the patient any co-payment for the funded service.

• The clinic will accept referrals in line with the current eligibility criteria for each funded service (see www.poac.co.nz for current criteria).

• The clinic will contact the referred patient promptly to schedule the infusion within the clinically required timeframe.

• The clinic is responsible for arranging the prescription and Pharmac Special Authority application, where this is required and has not already been completed by the referrer.  Note: This is usually required to be completed by Infusion Centre

• The clinic will notify POAC without delay if it is unable to deliver the infusion within the required timeframe, so alternative arrangements can be made for the patient.

• The clinic confirms it has suitably trained and qualified clinical staff, and appropriate facilities and equipment, to deliver the infusion safely and in line with current New Zealand health and safety requirements.

• The clinic will notify POAC promptly of any changes to contact details or circumstances that may affect its ability to deliver this service.

Receiving and Managing a Referral

Once registered, referrals are sent by POAC to the clinic's nominated referral email address. Each referral includes the patient's details and the completed referral form as an attachment. On receiving a referral, the clinic should:

• Contact the patient directly to arrange a mutually suitable appointment time.

• Prioritise appointment scheduling for women in later pregnancy (Ferinject referrals – refer to the EDD noted on the referral).

• Advise POAC as soon as possible, by emailing claims@poac.co.nz, if the patient cannot be contacted or the referral cannot be accepted — so POAC can arrange an alternative provider.

Clinical Requirements

The accepting infusion provider is responsible for:

• Confirming patient identity and referral details.

• Reviewing relevant laboratory results and any recent iron infusions.

• Completing the infusion safety checklist and patient consent process.

• Processing a Pharmac Special Authority application and prescription, if this has not already been completed by the referrer.

• Administering the infusion according to safe clinical practice, and monitoring the patient for any adverse reactions.

• Contacting the referring clinician directly if any information on the referral is incorrect, or if there are any clinical questions.

Service-Specific Information Ferinject (IV Iron Infusion)

• Purpose: treatment of iron deficiency anaemia where oral iron therapy is ineffective, poorly tolerated, or not clinically appropriate.

• POAC funds the infusion administration only — the Ferinject medication is supplied separately via pharmacy under a PHARMAC Special Authority prescription.

• Funding is limited to one iron infusion per patient per referral; no further doses are funded regardless of the calculated total iron requirement. A repeat dose may be separately funded following re-testing of FBC and ferritin (and consideration of phosphate) at least four weeks post-infusion, where POAC funding criteria are met again.

• Further information and the infusion checklist: www.poac.co.nz/ferinject

Zoledronate Infusion

• Purpose: administration of Zoledronate infusion for eligible patients as part of osteoporosis management.  Requirements: Reside in Auckland Region, eGFR >35 and holds a CSC card.

• Further information and the infusion checklist (includes consent form): www.poac.co.nz/zoledronate-infusion

Claiming

Once the infusion is completed:

• Claims should be submitted electronically through the clinic's Practice Management System (PMS), using the POAC referral/claim form.

• Use the correct condition coding for the service provided (Ferinject Infusion or Zoledronate Infusion).

• Quote the POAC reference number provided on the original referral.

• No patient co-payment is to be charged for either service.

• If Infusion Centre does not have access to compatible PMS for claiming, email claims@poac.co.nz for advice.

Current claiming information: www.poac.co.nz/claiming

Contact:

POAC Team — claims@poac.co.nz (claims and referral queries)

Referrals — referral@poac.co.nz | (09) 535 7218 (Mon–Fri, 8.30am–4.30pm)

Registration enquiries — Deanna Williams, POAC Service Manager — deannaw@easthealth.co.nz

Important note: All POAC referrals and claims are subject to the applicable terms and conditions of use.