Advice for approved pharmacists supplying PBS medicines to patients in areas affected by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie – March 2017
Page last updated: 30 March 2017
Please note: The information on this page is no longer current and is only included here for historical reference.
Current information is maintained on the 'PBS Arrangements to Support Australians Affected by Natural Disasters and Emergencies' Fact Sheet.
Pharmacists should note that the following arrangements apply in areas that have been affected by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie. These arrangements have immediate effect and apply until at least 30 April 2017.
Patient Entitlement
If patients do not have their Medicare, DVA or Centrelink card the pharmacist should ring the PBS Inquiry line 132 290 (press option 1), for assistance with a patient’s Medicare or concessional details.
Dispensing medicines under the 3 day emergency supply rule without a prescription
A patient can receive a 3 day supply of medication without a prescription, in accordance with state emergency supply provisions.
A pharmacist may dispense using the ‘owing prescription’ provision
The pharmacist can confirm the patient’s current medication details with the prescriber, or a prescriber may direct a pharmacist to supply a medicine to a patient in an emergency situation. Patients may be issued the amount authorised by the prescriber. The prescriber is required to forward a paper prescription to the pharmacy to cover the emergency supply as soon as practicable, in accordance with state law.
Continued Dispensing
For patients requiring urgent supply of oral contraceptives or cholesterol lowering medicines (statins), pharmacists may dispense a single PBS quantity under Continued Dispensing arrangements. Supply of medicines under these circumstances must be consistent with the Guidelines for the Continued Dispensing of eligible prescribed medicines by pharmacists. Information about Continued Dispensing is available from the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia website.
Medicines subject to the 4/20 day PBS rule
In cases where the patient may have lost medication due to Ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie, the pharmacist may provide a subsequent supply, but must endorse the prescription with the words 'immediate supply necessary' and sign the PBS prescription.
PBS Authority line 1800 888 333 (PBS) 1800 552 580 (RPBS)
If a prescriber contacts the PBS Authority line for a patient who has lost their medication and the related approved authority prescription/repeats, the Department of Human Services can approve a new Authority inside normal time frames.
Emergency relocation of a pharmacy
Pharmacists seeking to temporarily relocate their approved pharmacy due to damage from Ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie should send an email to acpamail@health.gov.au or phone (02) 6289 2425 quoting the name of the affected pharmacy, its current PBS approval number, addresses of the current and temporary premises, and expected timeframe for return to the approved premises. The Department of Health will advise wholesaler distributors of the temporary approval to supply PBS medicines at alternative premises to facilitate delivery of PBS medicines to the temporary address. NB: The PBS pharmacy approval number will not change for these temporary relocations. Pharmacists are also required to continue to comply with State legislation with regards to the temporary premises they will be using.
Medicine distribution arrangements
The Department of Health is monitoring PBS supply arrangements in areas affected by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie to ensure that patient access to essential medicines can continue during this emergency.
Telecommunications impact on PBS online
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie may affect telecommunications capacity in some areas. Approved pharmacists in these areas may not have real-time connection to the Department for prescription verification and entitlement checking. Any service interruption will not affect your PBS claim as your dispensing software will store all claimed items until the telecommunications and connection with the Department through PBS Online are restored and validation can occur.
Claiming - Missing prescriptions/no paperwork
If your pharmacy has lost or damaged prescriptions due to Ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie you should complete a Statutory Declaration and keep it with your records for compliance purposes. The Statutory Declaration should include a statement about loss of prescriptions as a result of the natural disaster/emergency, and an undertaking that an insurance claim has not been made.
Pharmacists can download a Statutory Declaration form or purchase one from any post office or newsagent.
Issued by the Pharmaceutical Access Branch Department of Health 2017 v1.0
