July 2023

Opioid Dependence Treatment 1 July 2023 Changes.

From 1st of July ODT medicines will become part of the S100 Highly Specialised Drugs (HSD) Program (Community Access) arrangements.

Under this program, PBS eligible patients will pay the PBS co-payment to access their prescribed treatment (for up to 28 days’ supply per pharmaceutical benefit prescribed) and the amount paid will contribute towards their PBS Safety Net threshold. Additional private dispensing or dosing fees cannot be charged by section 90 community or section 94 hospital pharmacies to patients for access to ODT medicines under the PBS.

An ODT Community pharmacy program will be available for section 90 community pharmacies to submit claims through the PPA portal for services associated with in-pharmacy and take-away dosing.

The operation of state and territory ODT programs are and will continue to be governed by the respective policies, guidelines and regulations within each of those jurisdictions.

For more information on these changes as well as transitional arrangements, please refer to PBS factsheet for pharmacists.

Transitional arrangements

Temporary transition arrangements for existing ODT prescriptions are being put in place to enable patients to continue to access the medicines that they need.

For Paper prescriptions written before 1 July, refer to page 5 of the PBS Factsheet .

Electronic prescriptions written before 1 July 2023 will be dispensed differently during the transition period. This is because administrative systems do not support suppliers submitting PBS claims for electronic ODT prescriptions written prior to 1 July 2023 in the usual way.

PBS prescriptions written for ODT medicines on or after 1 July 2023 can be electronic.

Fred Dispense instructions for ePrescriptions during the transition

We are providing the additional information below in good faith to assist you. It is recommended that you consult the PBS Factsheet for official advice.

The example below is provided to assist relevant pharmacies during the transition period and should be viewed in conjunction with the PBS Factsheet referenced above.

Scenario - Prescription for Methadone Syrup was dispensed as an ePrescription on 28 June 2023 with a weekly takeaway dose.

Step 1 Annotate a photocopy of the prescription

1. Go to the Wait screen for the prescription in the usual manner.

   

2. Click on the green image or press <CTRL + Right Arrow> to expand the view of the script.

   If you don't see a green image, then select Setup > eHealth Configuration > Electronic Prescribing Configuration and select the Display Script Information checkbox.

   

   The script details are displayed.

   

3. Take a screenshot of the script details—press Windows logo key + Shift + S to open the Snipping Tool.

4. Position your mouse at the top left corner of the script details and drag to the lower right.

   

   The image is captured and stored in the clipboard.

5. Open a blank word document and paste the image ( CTRL + V).

6. Print the document and annotate as outlined on page 5 of the PBS Factsheet .

Step 2: Dispense the remainder of the script (on or after 1 July)

1. Start the dispensing process for the patient.

2. When prompted for an Authority, fill in the Authority Number and either Streamlined Code or Phone Approval No and click Yes.

   Refer to Table 4 in the PBS Factsheet .

   

   * Use either the PBS Authority Approval Number or the relevant Streamline Authority Code depending on the quantity that is required to be dispensed.

   If you are dispensing a prescription for quantity exceeding maximum PBS quantity, make sure you tick the A2022CD or other emergency code checkbox as shown below. Also note when ticking this box you will need to ensure P2023OD is entered and not A2022CD.

   

3. In the Quantity field, enter the remaining amount to be dispensed.

4. Continue dispensing in the usual manner.

Other Resources

In addition to the PBS Factsheet referenced above, the following resources may help you with the transition:

• An Opioid Dependence Treatment (ODT) quantity calculator is available from the PBS Opioid Dependence Treatment Program page to support prescription transition.

• Webinar:Navigating major changes to how you deliver the VIC Pharmacotherapy (Opioid Replacement Therapy) Program from 1st July 2023 (Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, 29 June 2023 at 7:00 pm)

• If you have questions or need support, refer to the PBS Contacts for Health Professionals or call 1800 020 613 Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.00pm (AEST).

Duoresp/Biresp 11301T Claiming Issue – July 2023

Changes to the pack size and maximum quantity of budesonide 400 microgram/actuation + formoterol (eformoterol) fumarate dihydrate 12 microgram/actuation powder for inhalation, 2 x 60 actuation (PBS item code 11301T) from 1 to 2 in July 2023 as well as double dagger indicator have had unintended consequences on prescriptions written before 1st July and supplied after July.

Services Australia have implemented a temporary PBS authority approval number that will allow an ‘increased quantity’ of 2 to be submitted and claimed for this item.

Regarding the R144 error for a quantity of 2 for item 11301T:

• Use Authority Prescription number as per prescription

• Use Authority Approval Number J2023BF

• Disregard PBS Online Warning 151 if returned

In Fred Dispense:

• For existing scripts that have R144 errors, edit and enter J2023BF in the Streamline Code or Phone Approval No. field. Make sure that the A2022CD or other emergency code checkbox is selected.

  

• For new scripts/repeats for 11301T with script date prior to 1 July 2023, please enter J2023BF into the Streamline Code or Phone Approval No. field. Make sure that the A2022CD or other emergency code checkbox is selected.

• For new scripts for 11301T with script date on or after 1 July 2023, an emergency code is not required. Enter valid streamline code from script into the Streamline Code or Phone Approval No. field.

Electronic Prescription Fee changes

The 15-cent electronic prescription fee (EPF) paid to pharmacies via the Community Pharmacy Agreement will end on 30 June 2023. The ending of the EPF will maintain a cost-neutral arrangement for pharmacies as they will no longer be charged a 15c fee for eligible prescriptions by the Prescription Delivery Services. The Australian Digital Health Agency will continue to reimburse the cost of electronic prescribing SMS notifications to 30 September 2023. SMS notifications will then be funded through the national PDS.

For more information see Connecting to the National Prescription Delivery Service from the Department of Health and Aged Care.

ePrescription repeat tokens - Printing on A5 paper

The February 2023 release of Fred Dispense included an option to print ePrescriptions in A5 format. This enabled pharmacies to print the tokens on half a sheet of A4 paper. The July 2023 release now includes the ability to print on A5 sheets of paper.

To enable token printing on A5 paper

1. From the Setup menu, select eHealth Configuration > Electronic Prescribing Configuration.

2. Make sure the Print Token in A5 Format checkbox is selected.

3. Select the Print Token on A5 Paper checkbox and Save.

   

4. Select Setup > System configuration.

5. Under eScript A5 Token Printer, select the relevant printer.

   Make sure blank A5 paper is available in the relevant tray.

See Print A5 ePrescription repeat tokens for more details.

End of financial year and stocktaking help

It's nearly time for End of Financial Year Reporting and Stocktaking. To assist you with these processes, refer to the following Fred Office Plus resources:

• Stocktakes
• Stocktake options at a glance
• Reports

Important reminder for department stocktakes

If you plan to do a department stocktake, make sure that all product items are assigned to a department. Otherwise, items will be missing from your stock count.

How to make sure items are assigned to departments in Fred Office

1. Select Reporting > Inventory Reports > Item Pricing Details.
2. Click Open Report.
3. Select the No Department checkbox and then click Run Report.
4. For each product item in the list, assign it to a department:
   1. Double click an item to display the stock card.
   2. Select a Department.
   3. Click Save and Close.

Running the monthly update for Fred Dispense

Download the update procedure Checklist