About 10 days I published a confused little blog.
Wednesday, May 09, 2018
Does Anyone Know What This Is About? It Seems Pretty Obscure To Me.
Here is the link:
Then this appeared:
Paperless scripts surprise
Government needs to spell out the detail around Budget e-script announcement, Guild says
Pharmacy stakeholders are as yet unaware of concrete plans to help the sector be ready for the government’s October 2019 deadline for electronic prescribing.
Last week’s Federal Budget announced $28.2 million was to be dedicated over five years from 2017-18 to upgrade the e-prescribing software system used by clinicians.
“This measure supports a national electronic prescribing system that will contribute to PBS efficiency, compliance, drug safety and data collection,” Treasurer Scott Morrison said.
According to the Budget papers, this ‘paperless’ prescription plan is scheduled to begin from 10 October 2019.
According to the Budget papers: “It will enable prescribers to use clinical prescribing software to issue an electronic PBS prescription as a legal form of prescription. Currently all prescriptions are paper based. This measure gives prescribers and consumers the option of a full digital experience.
“Their prescription will be able to be electronically transmitted from the prescriber to the pharmacy, reducing the reliance on paper and manual processing.”
However the Pharmacy Guild of Australia is seeking to gain more information around this date, and the government’s plans, which both the Guild and other industry stakeholders were unaware of in advance of the announcement.
More here:
Then this turned up:
Confusion as government sets launch date for paperless scripts
Details remain sparse
15th May 2018
A Federal Government pledge to allow doctors to use their clinical software to issue legally valid e-prescriptions from October next year is already causing confusion.
The government earmarked almost $30 million for paperless prescribing in last week's budget.
But it’s not clear what the money - significantly more than the extra cash allocated for the Health Care Homes reforms - will be actually spent on.
It is highly likely legislation will have to be amended because the paper script is presently the only legal ‘version of record’.
Budget papers also say the reform will give doctors and patients “the option of a full digital experience” - although it will not be compulsory for doctors to issue electronic scripts.
More here:
And then this:
Why the Guild is worried about the electronic prescription system
It says there is not enough detail about how it will work
16th May 2018
The Pharmacy Guild has raised concerns that Australia’s new electronic prescription system will allow doctors to steer patients to specific pharmacies to have their script filled.
The federal government is spending $28 million over five years to upgrade e-prescribing software so doctors no longer have to provide a paper script.
The changeover to a fully automatic system is scheduled for 10 October 2019.
Budget papers say the reform will give doctors and patients “the option of a full digital experience” although it will not be compulsory for doctors to issue electronic scripts.
But the papers fail to spell out how the scheme will work, prompting the Guild to seek more detail from the government.
One of the Guild’s priorities is measures to avoid “prescription channelling”, where GPs send their electronic prescriptions to favoured pharmacies only.
More here:
It really seems pretty confused. If the Pharmacy Guild is not totally across this then no one is. This is typical of the way Digital Health seems to be happening with a still absent – (as of Sat 19 May) ADHA Board. Heavens knows what will happen when they attempt to implement opt-out.
Those who read here will know all the wrinkles to all this process that commenters are raising and to me we really need an ADHA Opt-out Question And Answer Blog where all these can be addressed. Good PR and clarity in one stroke!
What do others think!
David.
4 comments:
I am sure the ADHA has captured someone at some stage saying it was a grand idea. This politeness culture does get people wedded to things they might not have actually intended to support, not saying no does not make a yes. Still Telstra will sort it out, after all the cancer screening went well
Elimination of paper scripts is an essential element in Real Time Prescription Monitoring (RTPM) and the Electronic Reporting and Recording of Controlled Drugs (ERRCD)which Victotia's Coroner John Olle first recommended be introduced as a matter of high priority 10 years ago, and many Coroners have repeatedly made similar recommendations on numerous occasions since. Despite the Government budgeting many millions of dollars on at least 3 occasions nothing of note has eventuated. Another fiasco, another wasted opportunity.
@6:54PM The private script exchanges MediSecure and eRx were well placed and had technology developed and Agreements in place to work together to deploy RTPM 4 years ago but political obstruction and ineptitude by by governments and bureaucrats sabotaged the private sector's RTPM initiatives. The private exchanges lost millions.
Millions were also spent on developing the ERRCD system and many promises made way back to last Labor govt.... all to naught
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