A review of the use of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medications in Australian hospitals has highlighted significant variations in approaches to procuring PBS medicines as well as prescribing, dispensing and claiming models.
Key issues raised by stakeholders included ongoing and worsening supply shortages, along with a push to mandate the integration of electronic prescribing on discharge.
The review highlighted that public hospitals, private hospitals and community pharmacies all receive different reimbursements for similar activities, due to inconsistencies in S90 and S94 hospital pharmacy fees, compounding fees and hospital wholesaler mark-up arrangements.
This can result in a lack of fairness and "provides for potential gaming of the system," the report said.
Hospital pharmacies sometimes faced issues where patients presented with scripts they cannot dispense, causing confusion and frustration as well as inhibiting patient-centred care.
There was also concern about the complexity of programs such as the S100 Efficient Funding of Chemotherapy arrangements, and inconsistent access rules for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.
View the full report at pbs.gov.au.
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