Please be advised that Continued Dispensing (Emergency Measure) arrangements will be implemented from 1 January 2024 until 1 March 2024 to improve access to Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medicines and assist in managing the demand on the health system during the flooding disaster in Far North Queensland.
As the changes are expected to affect vendors of dispensing support software, an extraordinary Software Vendors Forum has been scheduled for 10:00am on Thursday 21 December 2023 to outline the changes and answer vendors’ questions about implementation arrangements.
Note that these emergency arrangements will not apply to the supply of pharmaceutical benefits in accordance with special arrangements made under Section 100 of the National Health Act 1953 or supplies made under ‘prescriber bag’ arrangements.
Manual updates to PBS Online are being implemented by Services Australia at very short notice to allow for the payment of claims for PBS supplies made under these emergency arrangements from the date of commencement. A copy of the data file provided to Services Australia is now available for download from the PBS Developer’s website.
We understand that vendors of third-party dispensing software used by pharmacies to claim payment for PBS supplies may not be able to make corresponding updates to their systems by 1 January 2024 to enable the contemporaneous lodgement of claims in respect of items included in the Continuous Dispensing (Emergency Measure) arrangements. Where a pharmacy is unable to lodge a Continued Dispensing claim with PBS Online for this reason, they may be advised to submit their claims instead at the next available opportunity, which is expected to be on or before 1 February 2024. Advice to pharmacists about these arrangements is currently being developed, but is expected to be finalised and distributed shortly.