FUNDING needs to be allocated for pharmacist-delivered telehealth services including medication reviews to avoid a "tsunami" of medicines-related hospitalisations during the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) warns.
Responding to the Federal Government's decision to provide $669 million to support telehealth services under the Medicines Benefits Schedule (MBS), PSA National President, Dr Chris Freeman, told Pharmacy Daily that pharmacists needed to be supported to provide Home Medicines Reviews, Residential Medication Management Reviews and MedChecks using telehealth.
"This announcement was related to the MBS, which unfortunately pharmacists are excluded from," he said.
"We have long stated, and will continue to state, that pharmacists should be part of those eligible allied health professions that can provide services on the MBS.
"It just makes sense when we are talking about integrated care.
"We will continue to work with the Department of Health, and the Minister's office over the coming week to ensure that pharmacists are about to deliver medication reviews through telehealth facilities.
"This is a fundamental to ensuring we don't have a tsunami of medication-related problems and that we also protect pharmacists and their health during this time of crisis."
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Chair, Dr Charlotte Hespe, voiced her support for funding pharmacist-delivered telehealth services, during a PSA-hosted COVID-19 webinar on Wed.
"We're so preoccupied with COVID [at the moment], but the vast majority of people have their normal illnesses that we have to manage," she said.
"And one of the main things with these people is about the safety of their medication management, so it is key that we continue to have these conversations and make sure the best quality of care and the safety of how we do that is maintained at this time."
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