EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
National Health Act 1953
National Health (Electronic National Residential Medication Chart Trial) Amendment (Approved Residential Care Services) Special Arrangement 2 of 2020
Authority
This instrument is made under section 100(2) of the National Health Act 1953 (the Act).
Subsection 100(1) of the Act enables the Minister to make special arrangements for the supply of pharmaceutical benefits. Subsection 100(2) of the Act provides that the Minister may vary or revoke a special arrangement made under subsection 100(1).
Subsection 100(3) of the Act provides that Part VII of the Act, and instruments made for the purposes of Part VII of the Act, have effect subject to a special arrangement made under subsection 100(1).
Purpose
The National Health (Electronic National Residential Medication Chart Trial) Special Arrangement 2018 (the Principal Instrument) allows three electronic medication management software vendors to trial their electronic medication order chart systems for the purposes of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) in twelve approved residential care services. These systems provide a fully electronic version of the paper based residential medication chart currently available in all Australian approved residential care services.
The trial allows approved prescribers (usually general practitioners) within approved trial facilities to prescribe pharmaceutical benefits directly from the electronic National Residential Medication Chart system without developing a second paper-based prescription (often referred to as a medication order). Once rendered and electronically authenticated, these medication orders are sent directly to the approved supplier’s dispensing software (or made available by electronic means) for dispensing. Once dispensed, the pharmaceutical item is sent to the approved residential care service for administration to the patient (which is also recorded in the electronic National Residential Medication Chart system), and a claim for payment is sent electronically to the Chief Executive Medicare by the approved supplier.
The purpose of the National Health (Electronic National Residential Medication Chart Trial) Amendment (Approved Residential Care Services) Special Arrangement 2020 (PB 11 of 2020) (the Amending Instrument) is to amend the Schedule to this Special Arrangement to allow additional residential aged care facilities to participate in the trial. These additional residential aged care services have been added to the trial to support their response to the Novel Coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. The trial enables participating residential aged care services to limit non-essential visitors, particularly during periods of lock down, reduce the administrative burden for prescribers and residential aged care service staff to enable better client centred care and support prescribers to review and prescribe medicines for their patients remotely if necessary.
The extension of the trial is limited to residential aged care services that are currently using one of the three existing electronic National Residential Medication Chart software systems included within the trial. Restricting the trial to existing users has been deliberate, in order to minimise risks to residents and additional stress and pressure upon residential aged care services at this difficult time.
A provision by provision description of the Amending Instrument is contained in Attachment 1.
Consultation
The Department consulted with the facilitating software vendor who supported the amendment, participants and relevant state and territory governments. The residential aged care facilities (and residential aged care providers as appropriate) and pharmacies identified within the Schedule to this instrument, are aware of the amendments to the legislation that enable their participation in the trial, and understand the conditions surrounding their participation
Commencement
The Amending Instrument commences the day after registration.
The Amending Instrument is a legislative instrument for the purposes of the Legislation Act 2003.
ATTACHMENT 1
Provision by provision description of the National Health (Electronic National Residential Medication Chart Trial) Amendment (approved Residential Care Services) Special Arrangement 2 of 2020
Section 1 Name
This section provides for the Amending Instrument to be referred to as the National Health (Electronic National Residential Medication Chart Trial) Amendment (approved Residential Care Services) Special Arrangement 2 of 2020.
Section 2 Commencement
This section specifies that the legislation will come into effect from the day after the instrument is registered.
Section 3 Authority
This section provides that the Special Arrangement is made under section 100(2) of the National Health Act 1953.
Section 4 Schedules
This section provides for the amendments being made to the Schedule to the original instrument, adding additional sites to the Special Arrangement, enabling them to participate in the National Health Electronic National Residential Medication Chart trial.
The Schedule
The Schedule specifies the name, address and approval number of the residential care services participating in this Special Arrangement; the name, address and approval number of the approved supplier associated with each residential care service participating in this Special Arrangement; and the electronic medication management system software vendor associated with each residential care service.