A new Medicare payment for non-dispensing pharmacists to provide medication management services to patients with complex care requirements has been proposed by the Allied Health Reference Group working on the government's Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS) Review.
The Reference Group suggests the new Medicare item would be accessible up to twice a year, to pharmacists working "outside of usual retail pharmacy operations".
Rationale for the move provided in a consultation document cites an estimated 230,000 medication-related hospital admissions each year, at an estimated annual cost of $1.2 billion to the health system.
"Pharmacy-led medication reconciliation interventions were found to be an effective strategy to reduce medication discrepancies," the report says, also noting that consultations undertaken by pharmacists located within primary health care clinics had been shown to be effective in identifying and resolving medication-related problems in patients with complex care requirements.
Several submissions to the MBS Review supported funding for pharmacists to deliver medication management services as a way of improving health outcomes, including input from the NT Government, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association.
The full consultation document is online at health.gov.au.
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