THE Health Department has confirmed effective immediately pharmacists should include the Residential Aged Care Facility Identification Number (RACFId) every time a PBS or RPBS item is dispensed for all of the pharmacy's nursing home patients.
The changes will apply to all PBS/RPBS items, whether they are part of a PBS claim or are being supplied as under co-payment items.
Previously the RACFId was only required for supplies to nursing homes that had started using the National Residential Medication Chart, or a compliant commercial equivalent charting product.
However now the RACFId will be used for PBS/RPBS supplies to all nursing homes.
The department said the changes were being made "to help improve medication safety in the aged care sector, through data-driven quality use of medicines measures".
"Changes to pharmacy dispensing systems will make it easier for pharmacists to make this change," the department advised, with pharmacists able to obtain the correct RACFId numbers from each of the nursing homes to which they supply medicines.
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