From the 1st of July 2022 the Department of Health (the Department) implemented an eNRMC Transitional Arrangement to allow Residential Aged Care Services (RACSs) to begin adopting and benefiting from eNRMC products.
- Under the Transitional Arrangement, Pharmacists will require individual access to the Transitional eNRMC software
- Pharmacists must manually transcribe the medication order information from the Transitional eNRMC software directly into Minfos
Pharmacists already servicing a RACS under the eNRMC Trial should contact the RACS to discuss the eNRMC Transitional Arrangement. However, the requirements for dispensing and claiming of PBS medicines under the existing trial and the eNRMC Transitional Arrangement are the same.
Pharmacies servicing RACSs that have adopted Transitional eNRMC Products have several obligations. Pharmacists must:
- follow all PBS dispensing legislation (including state and territory legislation relevant to their location)
- ensure they have access to view and annotate the electronic medication charts for the consumers they are dispensing medicines for
- ensure they understand how to view and annotate the electronic medication charts or seek training from the software vendor
- ensure they are aware of the processes for dispensing and claiming from a Transitional eNRMC Product
Claiming
To claim under the eNRMC Transitional Arrangement it is required that the claim includes certain information. The following table sets out how PBS medicines should be prescribed, supplied, and claimed under the eNRMC Trial. Minfos will automatically populate the claim to PBS Online with the required information as long as you dispense the script as outlined:
| Summary | Trial | Transitional eNRMC | To claim in Minfos |
General schedule PBS medicines (no authority requirements) | YES (Patient Category R – NRMC) | YES (Patient Category R – NRMC) | Dispense as a paper NRMC. |
All Schedule 8 medicines | YES (single PBS supply only) (Patient Category N – non NRMC) | YES (single PBS supply only) (Patient Category N – non NRMC) | Dispense as a paper prescription*. |
PBS Items requiring Streamline Authority (Non-Schedule 8) | YES (Patient Category R –NRMC) | YES (Patient Category R –NRMC) | Dispense as a paper NRMC. |
PBS Items requiring Telephone Authority Approval | YES (Patient Category N – non NRMC) | YES (Patient Category N – non NRMC) | Dispense as a paper prescription*. |
PBS Items requiring Written Authority Approval (*a printed paper copy of the eNRMC must be submitted to Services Australia for approval) | YES (Patient Category N – non NRMC) | YES (Patient Category N – non NRMC) | Dispense as a paper prescription*. |
Required Prescription Format for PBS claiming. | P = Paper | P = Paper | Minfos will automatically populate this value in the claim if dispensed as per the above. |
NRMC Duration | 4 months | 4 months | For scripts dispensed as a paper NRMC, Minfos will prompt when 4 months is reached. For scripts dispensed as a paper prescription* from an NRMC you will need to manage the expiry date i.e. Minfos will not prompt when the chart has expired. |
Note:
- N = Patient is in a Residential Aged Care Facility and the supply is from a non-NRMC i.e. paper script
- *For transitional arrangements dispense item from eNRMC as a paper script i.e. do not include the chart date
- R = Patient is in a Residential Aged Care Facility and the supply is from a NRMC
- Standard dispense from NRMC, refer to Dispense from a NRMC for more information on how to dispense from a NRMC in Minfos.
Note: The above information has been provided from PBS eNRMC National Rollout and eNRMC transitional arrangement collection.