Page 15 - Retail Pharmacy Assistants September 2020

By Peter Howard.
When Covid-19 first hit Australia, the government’s response included the rapid introduction of two initiatives aimed at limiting virus transmission between patients and
primary healthcare workers.
Remote telehealth was introduced for prescribers and their
patients, while image-based dispensing was launched to protect patients and those working in community pharmacies.
We’ve come a long way since those initiatives were launched. Corum Group CEO David Clarke spoke to Retail Pharmacy Assistants about the difficulties ad-hoc or unplanned initiatives can create.
“I’m not going to be critical of the government because, at the time, e-prescribing wasn’t ready,” he said. “As messy as it was, image-based dispensing stopped people with a disease walking into a pharmacy.
“However, while it’s easy for patients to take a photo of a script and then fax, SMS, email or somehow post it to the pharmacy, pharmacists hate it, because administratively, it’s awful.
“They need someone standing by with a fax machine.
There are scripts coming in by email, while someone’s phone is receiving them by SMS. There’s no structure, and it becomes difficult to set up systemic processes within the organisation to deal with that.
“There’s a massive comparison between the efficiency you can get by structuring something properly, achieving full interconnectivity between systems, versus an ad hoc, unplanned mish-mash.”
Having served its purpose, it’s likely image-based prescribing will soon be cancelled, as the technologies needed for e-prescribing are now ready and being rolled out.
Starting this month, patients can present at pharmacies with e-prescription tokens, and pharmacy assistants are likely to be asked questions about the process.
e-Prescription process
An e-prescribing starts when the prescriber creates an e-prescription and uploads it to a prescription exchange service (eRx or MediSecure).
When the e-prescription enters the exchange:
1. The exchange sends the e-script to the prescription delivery
service (PDS) where it remains until dispensed.
2. The service sends a token (a QR barcode) to the patient via
their choice of SMS, ADHA approved app or email.
The patient then either forwards, or presents the token at their
chosen pharmacy, where it acts like a key, allowing the pharmacy to access and dispense the prescription held in the PDS. Once dispensed, the token is cancelled, and the exchange sends the patient a new token if any repeat remains.
Like image-based dispensing, this gives patients options. Unlike image-based prescribing, there’s no inefficient running between fax, email and SMS in the pharmacy.
Australia’s e-prescribing has been properly planned so all the necessary functionality can be handled with the right technology.
Active Script List
With the token e-prescribing model successfully launched, the Active Script List (ASL) model is expected to be available from the end of September 2020.
Under the ASL model, patients can choose to give pharmacies, doctors, and other third-party intermediaries permission to access to their personal list of active scripts, including repeats, for a period that can range from very short, to ongoing. At all times, the patient retains control of all permissions.
Doctors with permission and third-party intermediaries with permission can view the patient’s list of active scripts. Pharmacists with permission can dispense items requested by the patient but must obtain proof of the patient’s identity before retrieving the e-prescription from the patient’s ASL.
EFFICIENCY THROUGH TECHNOLOGY 13
E-PRESCRIPTIONS: TOKEN FOR GRANTED
Starting this month, patients can present at pharmacies with e-prescription tokens, and pharmacy assistants are likely to face questions about the process. Are you ready?
RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • AUG 2020