PUBLICATION of NPS MedicineWise's journal, Australian Prescriber, is set to continue after the organisation is disbanded on 31 Dec.
The Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care is set to conduct a competitive tender and grant process to ensure the future delivery of the highly regarded journal, alongside other services currently provided by NPS.
In a message to subscribers this morning NPS CEO, Katherine Burchfield, said the National Prescribing Curriculum, education programs for health professional and consumers, and the Medicines Line and Adverse Medicine Events Line would also be subject to tender processes.
As part of the Federal Government's redesign of the Quality Use of Therapeutics, Diagnostics and Pathology Program, announced in the Mar Budget, Burchfield said seven programs currently provided by NPS will be transitioned to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.
These programs include the delivery of the National Medicines Symposium, MedicineInsight, the Choosing Wisely Australia website, the delivery of Medicare Benefits Schedule and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme practice reviews, value in prescribing bDMARDs, the NPS MedicineWise website and learning platform, and the MedicineWise and Doctor's Bag apps.
Burchfield added that the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation will assume responsibility for the provision of resources to support medicines use in remote locations, and the Good Medicine Better Health program.
Writing in the organisation's 2022 annual report, Burchfield said there was "much to celebrate" despite the disappointment of the Federal Government's decision to go ahead with plans to defund NPS MedicineWise (PD 17 Nov).
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 18 Nov 22
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 18 Nov 22
