COMMUNITY pharmacists are being urged to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to make sure they are registered for the Closing the Gap (CTG) Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) co-payment program by 31 Jan 2022, by the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).
Since the introduction of the national registration system for the program, run by Services Australia, the organisation noted that "not all patients who previously received CTG scripts were transferred to the new database, resulting in some people paying more for medicines".
"Potentially thousands of people who have previously had CTG scripts may be affected," NACCHO said.
"NACCHO is urging all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to talk with their health service, GP and/or pharmacy to check if they are correctly registered for the program through the new HPOS system.
"If this is not resolved as of Feb 2022, then the cost of that person's medicines will increase.
"Health service providers, including Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) and GPs, may want to communicate directly with their local pharmacies to see if they have received PBS warnings on their dispensing systems (warning code 810).
"Pharmacists can check if patients are registered, but only PBS prescribers or Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners can register patients via the Services Australia HPOS, through the 'PRODA' portal."
Meanwhile, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia has previously advised pharmacists to contact prescribers when they receive 810 code warnings, to register patients on the program.
The Guild has also called for reforms to regulations around Continued Dispensing to allow CTG scripts to be dispensed under the program.
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