National Health (Transitional Electronic National Residential Medication Chart) Special Arrangement 2025
PB 119 of 2025
made under subsections 100(1) and 100(2) of the
National Health Act 1953
Compilation No. 1
Compilation date: 1 November 2025
Includes amendments: F2025L01375
About this compilation
This compilation
This is a compilation of the National Health (Transitional Electronic National Residential Medication Chart) Special Arrangement 2025 that shows the text of the law as amended and in force on 1 November 2025 (the compilation date).
The notes at the end of this compilation (the endnotes) include information about amending laws and the amendment history of provisions of the compiled law.
Uncommenced amendments
The effect of uncommenced amendments is not shown in the text of the compiled law. The details of amendments made up to, but not commenced at, the compilation date are underlined in the endnotes. Any uncommenced amendments affecting the law are accessible on the Register (www.legislation.gov.au).
Application, saving and transitional provisions
If the operation of a provision or amendment of the compiled law is affected by an application, saving or transitional provision that is not included in this compilation, details are included in the endnotes.
Editorial changes
For more information about any editorial changes made in this compilation, see the endnotes.
Presentational changes
The Legislation Act 2003 provides for First Parliamentary Counsel to make presentational changes to a compilation. Presentational changes are applied to give a more consistent look and feel to legislation published on the Register, and enable the user to more easily navigate those documents.
Modifications
If the compiled law is modified by another law, the compiled law operates as modified but the modification does not amend the text of the law. Accordingly, this compilation does not show the text of the compiled law as modified. Any modifications affecting the law are accessible on the Register.
Self‑repealing provisions
If a provision of the compiled law has been repealed in accordance with a provision of the law, details are included in the endnotes.
Contents
Part 1—Preliminary
1 Name
2 Commencement
3 Authority
4 Definitions
5 Schedules
Part 2—Special arrangements for prescribing, supply and claiming of pharmaceutical benefits
6 Pharmaceutical benefits covered by this Special Arrangement
7 Application of Part VII of the Act
8 Prescribing of pharmaceutical benefits
9 Supply of pharmaceutical benefits
10 Claims for supply of pharmaceutical benefit
Part 3—Application and transitional arrangements
11 Definitions
12 Supplies made on transitional prescriptions
13 Claims for supplies made on transitional prescriptions
14 Prescriptions written between 1 November 2025 and registration of the National Health (Transitional Electronic National Residential Medication Chart) Amendment (Aged Care Legislation) Special Arrangement 2025
Schedule 1—Repeals
National Health (Electronic National Residential Medication Chart Trial) Special Arrangement 2018
Endnotes
Endnote 1—About the endnotes
Endnote 2—Abbreviation key
Endnote 3—Legislation history
Endnote 4—Amendment history
Part 1—Preliminary
1 Name
(1) This instrument is the National Health (Transitional Electronic National Residential Medication Chart) Special Arrangement 2025.
(2) This Special Arrangement may also be cited as PB 119 of 2025
2 Commencement
(1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.
Commencement information | ||
Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
Provisions | Commencement | Date/Details |
1. The whole of this instrument | 1 October 2025. | 1 October 2025 |
Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.
(2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.
3 Authority
This instrument is made under subsections 100(1) and 100(2) of the National Health Act 1953.
4 Definitions
Note: A number of expressions used in this instrument are defined in definitions section of the Act, including the following:
(a) Chief Executive Medicare;
(b) Secretary.
In this instrument:
Act means the National Health Act 1953.
approved residential care home has the same meaning as in the Aged Care Act 2024.
approved supplier has the same meaning as in Part VII of the Act.
authority approval number has the meaning given by the Regulations.
CTS claim has the same meaning as in Part VII of the Act.
electronic medication order means an order for a pharmaceutical benefit made using an electronic medication chart.
electronic medication chart means a chart within an electronic medication chart system, for a person, that contains all the standard fields set out in Schedule 1 to the National Health (Pharmaceutical Benefits) National Residential Medication Charts Approval Instrument 2025, as in force on 1 November 2025.
Note: The instrument of approval is available free of charge at www.legislation.gov.au.
electronic medication chart system means a software system, owned and operated by a software vendor, that:
(a) is used for prescribing and recording the administration of pharmaceutical benefits to persons receiving residential care at an approved residential care home; and
(b) is accessible by approved suppliers for the purpose of viewing and annotating electronic medication charts created using the system; and
(c) does not allow electronic medication charts, or electronic medication orders, created using the system to be sent to the national prescription delivery service.
electronic medication order unique identification number means a number issued to an electronic medication order in an electronic medication chart system.
PBS prescriber has the same meaning as in Part VII of the Act.
pharmaceutical benefit has the same meaning as in Part VII of the Act.
Regulations means the National Health (Pharmaceutical Benefits) Regulations 2017.
residential care means funded aged care services accessed through the service group residential care (within the meaning of the Aged Care Act 2024).
Rules means the National Health (Supply of Pharmaceutical Benefits—Under Copayment Data and Claims for Payment) Rules 2022.
transitional conformant electronic medication chart system means an electronic medication chart system that is listed on the Transitional eNRMC Conformance Register.
Transitional eNRMC Conformance Register means the register with that name maintained by the Australian Digital Health Agency as existing on 1 October 2025.
Note: The Transitional eNRMC Conformance Register is accessible through the Australian Digital Health Agency’s website (http://www.digitalhealth.gov.au).
5 Schedules
Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.
Part 2—Special arrangements for prescribing, supply and claiming of pharmaceutical benefits
6 Pharmaceutical benefits covered by this Special Arrangement
(1) This Special Arrangement applies to each pharmaceutical benefit which is generally available for supply under Part VII of the Act.
(2) This Special Arrangement does not apply to a pharmaceutical benefit that can only be supplied under Part VII of the Act in accordance with any other Special Arrangement under section 100 of the Act.
(3) This Special Arrangement does not apply to the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit in circumstances in which the supply may only be made under Part VII of the Act in accordance with any other Special Arrangement under section 100 of the Act.
Note: The Minister can:
(a) declare under subsection 85(2A) of the Act that a particular drug may only be supplied under special arrangements made under section 100; and
(b) determine under paragraph 85(8)(a) of the Act that a particular pharmaceutical benefit may only be supplied under special arrangements made under section 100; and
(c) determine under paragraph 85(8)(b) of the Act that one or more of the circumstances in which a prescription for the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit may be written are circumstances under which the benefit may only be supplied under special arrangements made under section 100.
7 Application of Part VII of the Act
(1) Each pharmaceutical benefit supplied in accordance with this Special Arrangement is supplied under Part VII of the Act.
(2) A provision of Part VII of the Act, or of the Regulations or other instruments made for Part VII of the Act, applies subject to this Special Arrangement.
Note: See subsection 100(3) of the Act.
8 Prescribing of pharmaceutical benefits
Writing prescriptions by completing an electronic medication chart
(1) A PBS prescriber may only prescribe a pharmaceutical benefit under this Special Arrangement by creating an electronic medication order within an electronic medication chart in accordance with the requirements of section 41 of the Regulations, as modified by this section.
(2) A prescription for the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit under this Special Arrangement may only be made:
(a) for a person receiving residential care at an approved residential care home; and
(b) using a transitional conformant electronic medication chart system.
Creating electronic medication orders ‑ generally
(3) Paragraphs 41(2)(c) and 41(2)(g) of the Regulations do not apply to the creation of an electronic medication order within an electronic medication chart.
Note: The exclusion of paragraph 41(2)(g) enables prescriptions using electronic medication orders to be made under the Special Arrangement for pharmaceutical benefits that are referred to in Schedule 8 of the current Poisons Standard (within the meaning of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989). PBS prescribers and approved suppliers remain subject to any restrictions on prescribing or dispensing Schedule 8 drugs in applicable state or territory legislation.
(4) The PBS prescriber must electronically approve the prescription in the electronic medication chart system.
Creating electronic medication orders ‑ authority prescriptions
(5) The electronic medication order must contain each authority approval number or relevant streamlined authority code (if any) for the prescription.
(6) A prescription for the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit made in accordance with this section is, for the purposes of the Regulations (other than section 61) and the Rules, taken, to be a medication chart prescription written in accordance with section 41 of the Regulations.
Prescription in paper‑based form is not required
(7) The PBS prescriber is not required to also provide the prescription in paper‑based form.
9 Supply of pharmaceutical benefits
(1) An approved supplier may supply a pharmaceutical benefit under this Special Arrangement to a person receiving residential care in an approved residential care home if the prescription for the pharmaceutical benefit was created using a transitional conformant electronic medication chart system and was made available to the approved supplier, before the pharmaceutical benefit is supplied.
(2) Sections 45, 47 and 51 of the Regulations apply to the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit by an approved supplier under this Special Arrangement, with the following modifications:
(a) a reference to a medication chart prescription is taken to be a reference to an electronic medication order;
(b) section 45 applies as if:
(i) it required the approved supplier, or a person authorised for the purpose by the approved supplier, to verify in the electronic medication order that the pharmaceutical benefit has been supplied and the date on which it was supplied; and
(ii) paragraph 45(2)(c) were omitted;
(c) a reference in section 51 to writing “immediate supply necessary” on the prescription is taken to be a reference to including those words in the electronic medication order.
10 Claims for supply of pharmaceutical benefit
(1) An approved supplier may make a claim for payment for the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit under this Special Arrangement in accordance with the Rules, as modified by this section.
(2) Where a claim for payment for the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit of a kind mentioned in subsection (3) is made, for item 25 of the table in clause 1 of Schedule 1 to the Rules, the Patient Category details for a patient in the Residential aged care facility patient (medication chart prescription) category are 0 (zero).
(3) For the purposes of subsection (2), the kind of supply of a pharmaceutical benefit is a supply using software made available by Fred IT Group Pty Ltd (ABN 68 109 546 901) and which is:
(a) a supply where writing the prescription for the supply required authorisation by the Chief Executive Medicare under section 19 of the National Health (Listing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Instrument 2024 (not including where writing the prescription was taken to have been authorised); or
(b) a supply of a pharmaceutical benefit having a drug (within the meaning of Part VII of the Act) that is referred to in Schedule 8 of the current Poisons Standard (within the meaning of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989).
(4) If the Chief Executive Medicare notifies the approved supplier in writing that a copy of the electronic medication order is required to be submitted, the approved supplier must submit a copy of the electronic medication order to the Department administered by the Minister who administers the Human Services (Centrelink) Act 1997.
Electronic pharmacy records
(5) For each supply of pharmaceutical benefit based on an electronic medication order in respect of which a claim is made under section 99AAA of the Act by an approved supplier, the supplier must:
(a) prepare an electronic pharmacy record; and
(b) retain the electronic pharmacy record for not less than two years after the day on which the pharmaceutical benefit was supplied.
Note: This subsection establishes record keeping requirements that correspond to the requirements contained in section 61 of the Regulations.
(6) The electronic pharmacy record must contain all information required to be given to the Secretary by an approved supplier in relation to the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit to a person receiving residential care in a approved residential care home by Schedule 1 to the Rules for a CTS claim.
(7) If the Chief Executive Medicare notifies the approved supplier in writing that a copy of an electronic pharmacy record is required to be submitted, the approved supplier must submit a copy of the record to the Department administered by the Minister who administers the Human Services (Centrelink) Act 1997.
(8) A notification given under subsection (4) or (7) may apply to one or more electronic medication orders or electronic pharmacy records, as appropriate.
Part 3—Application and transitional arrangements
11 Definitions
In this Part:
(a) former Special Arrangement means the National Health (Electronic National Residential Medication Chart Trial) Special Arrangement 2018, as in force immediately before the transition time;
(b) transition time means 1 October 2025;
(c) transitional prescription means a prescription for the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit under the former Special Arrangement that was made:
(i) before the transition time; and
(ii) in accordance with section 41 of the Regulations as modified by section 7 of the former Special Arrangement.
12 Supplies made on transitional prescriptions
Despite the repeal of the former Special Arrangement, section 9 of the former Special Arrangement continues to apply to the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit based on a transitional prescription, as if the repeal had not happened, whether the supply was made before, on or after the transition time.
13 Claims for supplies made on transitional prescriptions
(1) This section applies where a claim for payment is made after the transition time for the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit made on the basis of a transitional prescription, whether the supply was made before, on or after the transition time.
(2) Despite the repeal of the former Special Arrangement, section 10 of the former Special Arrangement continues to apply to the claim, as if the repeal had not happened
14 Prescriptions written between 1 November 2025 and registration of the National Health (Transitional Electronic National Residential Medication Chart) Amendment (Aged Care Legislation) Special Arrangement 2025
(1) In this section:
(a) old Aged Care Act means the Aged Care Act 1997, as in force immediately before 1 November 2025;
(b) relevant period means on or after 1 November 2025 and before the time the National Health (Transitional Electronic National Residential Medication Chart) Amendment (Aged Care Legislation) Special Arrangement 2025 is registered on the Federal Register of Legislation;
(c) relevant prescription means a prescription for the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit written in accordance with this Special Arrangement as in force during the relevant period;
(d) relevant supply means a supply of a pharmaceutical benefit made on the basis of a relevant prescription.
(2) Sections 8 and 9 of this Special Arrangement apply to a relevant prescription and a relevant supply as if references to a person receiving residential care in or at an approved residential care home include references to a person receiving residential care at a residential care service (as those terms are defined in the old Aged Care Act).
Schedule 1—Repeals
National Health (Electronic National Residential Medication Chart Trial) Special Arrangement 2018
1 The whole of the instrument
Repeal the instrument.
Endnotes
Endnote 1—About the endnotes
The endnotes provide information about this compilation and the compiled law.
The following endnotes are included in every compilation:
Endnote 1—About the endnotes
Endnote 2—Abbreviation key
Endnote 3—Legislation history
Endnote 4—Amendment history
Abbreviation key—Endnote 2
The abbreviation key sets out abbreviations that may be used in the endnotes.
Legislation history and amendment history—Endnotes 3 and 4
Amending laws are annotated in the legislation history and amendment history.
The legislation history in endnote 3 provides information about each law that has amended (or will amend) the compiled law. The information includes commencement details for amending laws and details of any application, saving or transitional provisions that are not included in this compilation.
The amendment history in endnote 4 provides information about amendments at the provision (generally section or equivalent) level. It also includes information about any provision of the compiled law that has been repealed in accordance with a provision of the law.
Editorial changes
The Legislation Act 2003 authorises First Parliamentary Counsel to make editorial and presentational changes to a compiled law in preparing a compilation of the law for registration. The changes must not change the effect of the law. Editorial changes take effect from the compilation registration date.
If the compilation includes editorial changes, the endnotes include a brief outline of the changes in general terms. Full details of any changes can be obtained from the Office of Parliamentary Counsel.
Misdescribed amendments
A misdescribed amendment is an amendment that does not accurately describe how an amendment is to be made. If, despite the misdescription, the amendment can be given effect as intended, then the misdescribed amendment can be incorporated through an editorial change made under section 15V of the Legislation Act 2003.
If a misdescribed amendment cannot be given effect as intended, the amendment is not incorporated and “(md not incorp)” is added to the amendment history.
Endnote 2—Abbreviation key
ad = added or inserted | orig = original |
am = amended | p = page(s) |
amdt = amendment | para = paragraph(s)/subparagraph(s) |
C[x] = Compilation No. x | /sub‑subparagraph(s) |
ch = Chapter(s) | pres = present |
cl = clause(s) | prev = previous |
cont. = continued | (prev…) = previously |
def = definition(s) | pt = Part(s) |
Dict = Dictionary | r = regulation(s)/Court rule(s) |
disallowed = disallowed by Parliament | reloc = relocated |
div = Division(s) | renum = renumbered |
ed = editorial change | rep = repealed |
exp = expires/expired or ceases/ceased to have | rs = repealed and substituted |
effect | s = section(s)/subsection(s) |
gaz = gazette | /rule(s)/subrule(s)/order(s)/suborder(s) |
LA = Legislation Act 2003 | sch = Schedule(s) |
LIA = Legislative Instruments Act 2003 | SLI = Select Legislative Instrument |
(md) = misdescribed amendment can be given | SR = Statutory Rules |
effect | sub ch = Sub‑Chapter(s) |
(md not incorp) = misdescribed amendment | sub div = Subdivision(s) |
cannot be given effect | sub pt = Subpart(s) |
mod = modified/modification | underlining = whole or part not |
No. = Number(s) | commenced or to be commenced |
Ord = Ordinance |
|
Endnote 3—Legislation history
Name | Registration | Commencement | Application, saving and transitional provisions |
National Health (Transitional Electronic National Residential Medication Chart) Special Arrangement 2025 (PB 119 of 2025) | 30 Sept 2025 (F2025L01201) | 1 Oct 2025 (s 2(1) item 1) |
|
National Health (Transitional Electronic National Residential Medication Chart) Amendment (Aged Care Legislation) Special Arrangement 2025 (PB 131 of 2025) | 14 Nov 2025 (F2025L01375) | 1 Nov 2025 (s 2(1) item 1) | — |
Endnote 4—Amendment history
Provision affected | How affected |
Part 1 |
|
s 2..................... | rep LA s 48D |
s 4..................... | am F2025L01375 |
s 5..................... | rep LA s 48C |
Part 2 |
|
s 8..................... | am F2025L01375 |
s 9..................... | am F2025L01375 |
s 10.................... | am F2025L01375 |
Part 3 |
|
s 14.................... | ad F2025L01375 |
Schedule 1 |
|
Schedule 1................ | rep LA s 48C |