WESTERN Australia Health has announced it will overhaul the state's current pharmaceutical prescription monitoring system, with $1m allocated for the purpose.
The funding will be used to replace the current Monitoring of Drugs of Dependence System (MODDS) with a modified Electronic Recording and Reporting of Controlled Drugs (ERRCD).
WA Health chief pharmacist Neil Keen said the current MODDS was almost 20 years old and unable to be upgraded to meet current business needs.
"The ERRCD is a base system, available via free sub-licence from the Australian Government, that supports real time data transmission from pharmacies, online access to health professionals and administrative and compliance activities by regulators," Keen explained.
The system is made up of three components: a regulator portal to support poisons legislation, real-time reporting for secure dispensing of controlled drugs through integration with pharmacy dispensing systems, and a health practitioner portal providing secure up to date information on patient dispensing histories.
The new system should be up and running by late 2018, with training and support available to pharmacists and prescribers closer to the date, WA Health said.
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