About National Harmonised Integrated Pharmacy System (NHIPS)

The National Harmonised Integrated Pharmacy System (NHIPS) is one of the three major programmes that the Singapore public healthcare sector has embarked on to transform care delivery.

NHIPS is an initiative under the National Pharmacy Strategy which aims to harmonise medication dispensing and streamline medication-related billing process through a common pharmacy platform. This enables pharmacists to provide a seamless and more cost-effective service, while ensuring patients receive safer care and a more integrated experience.

Serving as the main repository for all medication-related information, NHIPS will be seamlessly integrated with over 20 systems, including the Next Generation Electronic Medical Record and National Billing System.

Cross-filling of prescriptions amongst participating pharmacies

Better multi-channel communication with patients

Single source of truth of medication information for providers

Interoperability with other national systems

NHIPS at a glance

Opportunity

The transformation of pharmaceutical services across public healthcare clusters was hindered by disparate pharmacy systems, system limitations and differing workflows. To enable patients to obtain medication cross-fills easily and enjoy a similar experience across different institutions, there needs to be harmonisation of process and data.

Solution

NHIPS replaces, consolidates and harmonises disparate pharmacy systems, data and workflows across public healthcare institutions. It standardises medication terminologies and formularies and delivers a central data repository for all medication-related information, facilitating information exchange and integration with over 20 systems. This enables pharmacists to deliver seamless and more consistent service to patients.

Impact

NHIPS impacts all patients across the three public healthcare clusters and more than 4,300 pharmacy staff. Patients benefit from improved accessibility and timeliness to medications and better multi-channel communication. For providers, NHIPS is the single source of truth, with features that enhance efficiency and patient safety. Despite system consolidation and data harmonisation, workflows remain configurable based on the institution’s needs.

Future Outlook

As an enabling initiative under the National Pharmacy Strategy, NHIPS will transform outpatient medication management and supply through the consolidation of multiple isolated pharmacy systems, putting patients at the center of the ambulatory medication supply process. With NHIPS, patients can look forward to a safer and more integrated care experience.