Funding boost will see ePrescribing expand into hospitals

Since the first electronic prescription was generated in May 2020, roughly 14% of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation PBS (RPBS) prescriptions have been electronic prescriptions.
 
Electronic prescribing (ePrescribing), is an Australian Government initiative designed to make the PBS more efficient and is part of a broader digital health and medicines safety framework to improve the delivery of healthcare for clinicians and consumers.
 
Removing the need for the paper script, GPs and other prescribers can send prescriptions (including repeats) directly to the patient’s phone or email. Patients maintain freedom to have their medicines dispensed at whichever pharmacy they choose and are still able to request a paper prescription if they prefer.
 
Electronic prescriptions can improve efficiency and clinical safety for general practices and pharmacies. They can also improve the experience of telehealth services for GPs and their patients by reducing the burden for both parties of managing a paper script.
 
During the initial set-up phase, the Government covered the cost of the SMS script on a fixed term basis. However, with eRx Script Exchange recently securing the contract to become the sole delivery service, the cost of SMS prescriptions is now funded indefinitely for practices connected to the eRx Script Exchange gate, which is funded by the National Prescription Delivery service.
 
Dr David Adam, member of the RACGP Expert Committee – Practice Technology and Management (REC–PTM), told newsGP the ongoing funding for electronic prescriptions via SMS is a win for practice owners.
 
‘Knowing that the cost of the SMS prescription is covered on an ongoing basis means that our practice can commit to offering it to our patients,’ he said.
 
‘It’s one less cost that they need to worry about as a business.’
 
There are a range of ePrescribing enhancements in the pipeline, with the Government investing $111.8 million into the initiative over four years starting from 2023–24.
 
One particularly noteworthy upcoming improvement will be the implementation of mandatory use of ePrescribing for high-risk and high-cost medicines, which will link to the National Real Time Prescription Monitoring system to assist with the safe provision of these types of medicines.
 
The plans for upcoming ePrescribing enhancements are laid out in the Department of Health and Aged Care’s Digital Health Blueprint 2023–33, described as a ‘roadmap to ensure that digital systems drive better care for all Australians’.
 
The blueprint features a raft of improvements to the ePrescription system and other key pieces of digital health infrastructure including My Health Record, MyMedicare and electronic medication charts.
 
It also includes work to ensure a seamless ePrescribing experience for consumers accessing care from multiple clinical settings, including hospitals.
 
The expansion of ePrescribing into public hospitals and other health settings, such as out-patient hospital care, at-home outreach services and oncology or palliative care provided in hospitals or other facilities is a major priority area of the blueprint.
 
A representative from the Australia Digital Health Agency told newsGP the introduction of ePrescribing in hospitals represents an important step in creating a safe and efficient health system in Australia.
 
‘Electronic prescribing will provide patients with easier access to medicines and a more consistent experience as they transfer between care settings,’ they said.
 
‘It is expected that hospitals may experience benefits through earlier discharge of patients, efficient medication reconciliation, a significant reduction in paper-based processes, and a potential improvement in clinical workflows.’
 
Meanwhile, Dr Adam noted that the increased use of electronic prescribing by rolling it out to hospitals should make it easier for patients to manage their prescriptions and make telehealth appointments more effective for patients and doctors.
 
‘Work on improving the prescribing and dispensing experience for residential aged care facilities is also welcomed for GPs and our patients and families,’ he said.
 
‘Another step will be to encourage more non-GP specialists to adopt electronic prescribing which would ensure patients have the same experience with different parts of the healthcare sector.’
 
However, he still holds concerns about the mandatory use of ePrescribing for certain medications.
 
‘Electronic prescribing is a useful step forward and has benefited from its clear positioning as one option for prescriptions,’ Dr Adam said.
 
‘Unfortunately, the reliability of prescribing, dispensing and exchange services, as well as access to electronic prescribing in the setting of homes and RACFs, still needs significant improvement before its use can be made mandatory.’
 
The Agency has said it will engage with hospital sector stakeholders before developing a digital solution for the effective implementation of ePrescribing in hospital settings, with assistance from a technical working group.
 
To find out more about electronic prescribing, visit the Australian Digital Health Agency’s website or complete the CPD accredited eLearning module Electronic prescriptions and Active Script List in your practice.
 
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