60 day dispensing from 01 September, but hit comes alongside doubling of Regional Pharmacy Maintenance Allowance (RPMA) and NIP support.
Tonight’s Federal Budget handed down by Treasurer Jim Chalmers has confirmed the previously announced changes which will heavily impact the pharmacy sector.
The increase of maximum dispensing quantity for over 300 PBS-listed medicines will be phased in from 01 September for stable, chronic health conditions, “cutting the number of visits to a pharmacy and GP each year and saving $1.6 billion in out-of-pocket costs over four years”.
The change will save general patients up to $160 a year per medicine if prescribed for 60 days, and concession card holders up to $43.80 per year per medicine, with the move coming on top of the $12.50 decrease in the PBS co-payment for general scripts which became effective on 01 January this year.
A doubling of the Regional Pharmacy Maintenance Allowance involves an investment of $79.5 million over four years to support the continued operation of around 1,093 pharmacies in regional and rural Australia.
As previously announced, Chalmers also confirmed pharmacies would be funded to deliver vaccines to eligible patients under the National Immunisation Program, with an investment of $114.1 million over four years.
In other measures, $3.5 billion has been allocated towards a tripling of bulk billing incentives for GPs, aiming to encourage doctors to provide free consultations for children, pensioners and concession card holders. Doctors will also benefit from increases to Medicare rebates and a boost to the Workforce Incentive Payment, as well as a new Medicare item for consultations lasting more than 60 minutes.
More details in tomorrow’s issue of Pharmacy Daily.
