Fiona Cassie

New Zealand

Southern Correspondent at New Zealand Doctor

Journalist. Specialising in health, science and whatever else takes my fancy.

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Articles

Beyond the numbers: Where data meets real life

1 week ago | nzdoctor.co.nz | Barbara Fountain |Stephen Forbes |Fiona Cassie

+Opinion Beyond the numbers: Where data meets real life Intelligence generated from GPNZ’s data dashboard can be pooled to highlight trends, gaps and opportunities at scale [Image: Dominik Leiner on Unsplash] GPNZ’s growing data dashboard is showing the value of general practice at scale – and helping shape what comes next, writes Justin Butcher As we move into the second half of 2025, the primary care data landscape continues to be a strong focus for General Practice New Zealand, ensuring...
Whakarongorau secures two-year extension on contract for Healthline and other telehealth services

1 week ago | nzdoctor.co.nz | Patrice Dougan |Fiona Cassie

+News News Brief Whakarongorau secures two-year extension on contract for Healthline and other telehealth services  The contract to provide the National Telehealth Services has been extended by two years [Image: Maria Symchych Navrotska on iStock] The company, owned by ProCare and Pegasus, has held the contract since 2015, and it was due to expire at the end of this month  The hold of Whak Kia ora and welcome to New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa Not a subscriber?
No returns: Pharmacy group to refuse returned medicines and sharps in protest

1 week ago | pharmacytoday.co.nz | Jody Hopkinson |Fiona Cassie |Barbara Fountain

Academic pharmacist Nataly Martini discusses the medical management of asthma in adults and adolescents, which has evolved to prioritise early anti-inflammatory treatment. She also explains how to improve patient outcomes by proactively identifying poor asthma control and supporting equitable access to education and treatment
Conference question on full-time GP workforce branded ‘misogynistic, archaic’

2 weeks ago | nzdoctor.co.nz | Martin Johnston |Fiona Cassie |Richard Medlicott

+News Rotorua GPCME 2025 Conference question on full-time GP workforce branded ‘misogynistic, archaic’ A question about full-time work sparked a debate at the GPCME, with one panellist saying GPs need a 1950s’ housewife to be able to work full-time [Image: Eva Katalin on iStock] Essentials Panellists at a plenary session at the Rotorua GPCME on Friday were asked to square the workforce crisis with a workforce that doe, READ MORE Kia ora and welcome to New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa Not a...
A 9 per cent capitation offer on table: conditional on capping fees increase

2 weeks ago | nzdoctor.co.nz | Martin Johnston |Fiona Cassie

+News A 9 per cent capitation offer on table: conditional on capping fees increase The draft funding offer to general practices obtained by New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa includes $30 million “performance-based” funding targeted at newborn immunisation rates [Image: Drante on iStock] Draft PSAAP funding offer summary 6 June 2025 Kia ora and welcome to New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa Not a subscriber? Unlock this article by subscribing here.
Nursing pay limbo shows health systems evolve, not follow design

2 weeks ago | nzdoctor.co.nz | Fiona Cassie |Patrice Dougan

If governments and agencies spend so much time and energy formulating plans, why is so much that happens in health unexpected, unintended or unwanted? “Every system is perfectly designed to get the results that it does.” I regularly heard this aphorism by American management consultant W. Edwards Deming, quoted by health sector leaders and gurus of change in the 2010s. The Deming quote is a call to get problem-solvers enthused about designing a better system.
Getting by with a little help from his friends: Mark Vella receives King’s Birthday Honour

2 weeks ago | nzdoctor.co.nz | Alan Perrott |Fiona Cassie |Barbara Fountain

+News King’s Birthday Honours Getting by with a little help from his friends: Mark Vella receives King’s Birthday Honour Chief executive of Total Healthcare PHO, Mark Vella, has been honoured as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit [Image: Supplied] Want a King’s Birthday Honour?
Rural network’s kaumātua honoured for six decades’ service to Māori

3 weeks ago | pharmacytoday.co.nz | Fiona Cassie

+News King’s Birthday Honours Rural network’s kaumātua honoured for six decades’ service to Māori Recently retired kaumātua for Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network, Bill Nathan, was honoured for his service to Māori in the King’s Birthday Honours [Image: Supplied] The kaumātua who helped guide Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network’s bicultural partnership has been honoured for his six decades of service to Māori Kia ora and welcome to Pharmacy Today Kaitiaki Rongoā O Te Wā Not a subscriber?...
Listen to the community, says King’s honouree

3 weeks ago | nzdoctor.co.nz | Fiona Cassie

+News King’s Birthday Honours Listen to the community, says King’s honouree Hauora Māori will not be pushed back in time, says newly minted member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, Hariata Vercoe of Rotorua [Image: Supplied, Joshville on Wikimedia] Essentials Hariata Vercoe, awarded a New Zealand Order of Merit, champions the idea that communities know their own needs best – the role of, READ MORE Kia ora and welcome to New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa Not a subscriber? Unlock this article...
Listen to the community, says King’s honouree  Hariata Vercoe

3 weeks ago | nzdoctor.co.nz | Fiona Cassie

+News King’s Birthday Honours Listen to the community, says King’s honouree Hariata Vercoe Hauora Māori will not be pushed back in time, says newly minted member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, Hariata Vercoe of Rotorua [Image: Supplied, Joshville on Wikimedia] Essentials Hariata Vercoe, awarded a New Zealand Order of Merit, champions the idea that communities know their own needs best – the role of, READ MORE Kia ora and welcome to New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa Not a subscriber? Unlock...