News

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Accreditation requirement scrapped for hepatitis prescribing

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All GPs can now initiate and manage treatment of patients with hepatitis B and hepatitis C under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme’s (PBS) Highly Specialised Drugs (HSD) program, with prescriber accreditation requirements removed from 1 September.
 
Prior to Tuesday, GPs and authorised nurse practitioners (NPs) were legally required to be accredited prescribers of medication for the treatment of hepatitis B and hepatitis C to be allowed to prescribe these medicines under the s100 HSD Program, thereby qualifying for PBS subsidy. 
 
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DoHDA) says the change does not preclude the delivery of relevant prescriber education and training programs, but prescriber accreditation requirements ‘no longer form part of the mandated conditions of PBS subsidy’.
 
From 1 September:
 

• any GP or authorised NP can prescribe PBS-subsidised hepatitis B medicines (for both initiation and maintenance treatment) for eligible patients under s100 HSD Community Access arrangements
• any authorised NP (in addition to any medical practitioner) can prescribe PBS-subsidised hepatitis C medicines (for both initiation and maintenance treatment) for eligible patients receiving treatment in a hospital setting under s100 HSD public and private hospital arrangements.

 
In Australia, an estimated 219,800 people were living with chronic hepatitis B in 2023, and an estimated 68,890 with chronic hepatitis C.
 
‘[It] is expected to improve timely patient access to these PBS-subsidised medicines, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas, by expanding the cohort of health practitioners authorised to prescribe them,’ the DoHDA said.
 
It adds that the removal of the accreditation requirement ‘also better aligns legislative requirements with the contemporary clinical landscape for hepatitis B treatment in Australia’.
 
The RACGP has long advocated for GPs’ scope of practice to be extended to initiating and managing the treatment of hepatitis B and C.
 
In its 2023 submission to the draft Fourth National Hepatitis B Strategy 2025–30 and Sixth National Hepatitis C Strategy 2025–30, the RACGP argued that continued prescriber accreditation requirements could be ‘a barrier to the delivery of care’.
 
‘As expert generalists, GPs are professionals who work within their scope of practice and seek relevant education to gain the knowledge and skills they need to serve the needs of their patient populations,’ the college wrote.
 
‘This additional training requirement can be a barrier to the delivery of care. In the case of hepatitis C, this may also result in a considerable underuse of curative medications for the disease.’
 
Chair of RACGP Specific Interests Sexual Health Medicine Dr Sara Whitburn told newsGP the change means GPs and their patients will now face less potential delay to treatment.
 
‘Removing the hepatitis B and hepatitis C prescriber accreditation requirement reduces an administrative and logistical barrier that at times may have delayed treatment initiation,’ she said.
 
Dr Whitburn echoes the college’s argument that GPs would seek the relevant education they needed to manage their patients, without the need for legislated accreditation.
 
‘While the accreditation program provided valuable education and increased prescriber confidence, hepatitis B and hepatitis C management resources remain widely available,’ she said.
 
‘GPs routinely prescribe complex medicines and have access to evidence-based guidance, clinical decision support tools, and educational resources through organisations such as the RACGP and ASHM.’ 
 
Hepatitis Australia Chief Executive Lucy Clynes said the change will enable people living with hepatitis B to access care from the providers they trust.
 
‘With only one in four people with hepatitis B receiving the care they need, making access simple is essential,’ she said.
 
‘Many people with hepatitis B rely on GPs who speak their language or are close to home. This change means they can access care through the providers they already know and trust, just as they would for any other chronic condition.’
 
For more information, a factsheet has been published to accompany the announcement.
 
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hepatitis B hepatitis C highly specialised drugs PBS Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme s100 HSD

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