Pharmacy Daily | No ‘Big Bang’ with e-scripts: ADHA

PHARMACISTS are being reassured that there will not be a "Big Bang" moment with the accelerated introduction of electronic prescriptions.

Speaking at a webinar hosted by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) last night, Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) Medicines Safety Program Director, Andrew Matthews, said the rollout plan was following a normal trial process, with end-to-end testing to be conducted in Communities of Interest (COI) over the coming months.

Matthews noted that one COI - in Anglesea, Victoria - has been processing e-scripts since 06 May, with more COI sites to be established through Jun.

"We need to coordinate a prescription exchange service and a dispense product at a GP practice and a pharmacy, and test the end-to-end process," he said.

"I'm pleased to say they are genuine legal prescriptions and it's happening right now.

"There are a small number of electronic prescriptions being actively and legally processed and dispensed, in a very controlled environment between one GP practice and one community pharmacy.

"There'll be a small number of those COI set up throughout Jun and that's the learning we'll get from all that before any proactive rollout.

"There's no 'Big Bang' approach.

"There's a staged and steady approach that is part of the normal test process."

Under the current testing process, only "token model" electronic prescriptions are being issued, with the ADHA planning to introduce the Active Script List model to COI sites from Aug, with a progressive deployment of e-prescribing expected to be complete by Sep.