Chemotherapy Dispensing

The topics in this section cover how to dispense and report on chemotherapy drugs, as required by the PBS Efficient Funding of Chemotherapy Section 100 arrangements.

About PBS chemotherapy items

Chemotherapy drugs are prescribed in milligrams (mg), micrograms (mcg), or International Units (IU), rather than as a number of vials. If an infusion requiring a mixture of chemotherapy agents is required, each ingredient must have a separate prescription written for it.

When you dispense chemotherapy items, your PBS reimbursement will be based on the cost of the lowest-cost combination of vials (of any brand) that makes up the dispensed quantity. You can choose to dispense a different combination of vials, but you will be reimbursed only for the lowest-cost combination.

For example, if the lowest-cost combination of vials is 1x 200mg, but you choose to dispense 2x 100mg instead, you will receive a reimbursement based on the cost of the 1x 200mg combination.

During the dispensing process, Fred Dispense automatically calculates the lowest-cost combination of vials available on the PBS.

In this section