ADHA Electronic Prescribing Conformance Register means the register, however described, maintained by the Australian Digital Health Agency that identifies dispensing software products that are conformant to a conformance profile for dispensing software, as existing 5 August 2026.
Note: The Electronic Prescribing Conformance Register is accessible through the Australian Digital Health Agency’s website (http://www.digitalhealth.gov.au).
conformant dispensing software means:
(a)CPv2.3 dispensing software; or
(b)CPv3.0 dispensing software.
CPv2.3 dispensing software means dispensing software that is recorded on the ADHA Electronic Prescribing Conformance Register as conformant to conformance profile version 2.3.
CPv3.0 dispensing software means dispensing software that is recorded on the ADHA Electronic Prescribing Conformance Register as conformant to conformance profile version 3.0.
electronic medication chart means a chart within an electronic medication chart system, for a person, that contains all the standard fields set out in Schedule 1 to the National Health (Pharmaceutical Benefits) National Residential Medication Charts Approval Instrument 2025, as in force on 1 November 2025.
Note: The instrument of approval is available free of charge at www.legislation.gov.au.
6Pharmaceutical benefits covered by this Special Arrangement#
(1)This Special Arrangement applies to each pharmaceutical benefit which is generally available for supply under Part VII of the Act.
(2)This Special Arrangement does not apply to a pharmaceutical benefit that can only be supplied under Part VII of the Act in accordance with any other Special Arrangement under section 100 of the Act.
(3)This Special Arrangement does not apply to the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit in circumstances in which the supply may only be made under Part VII of the Act in accordance with any other Special Arrangement under section 100 of the Act.
Note: The Minister can:
(a) declare under subsection 85(2A) of the Act that a particular drug may only be supplied under special arrangements made under section 100; and
(b) determine under paragraph 85(8)(a) of the Act that a particular pharmaceutical benefit may only be supplied under special arrangements made under section 100; and
(c) determine under paragraph 85(8)(b) of the Act that one or more of the circumstances in which a prescription for the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit may be written are circumstances under which the benefit may only be supplied under special arrangements made under section 100.
(1)Each pharmaceutical benefit supplied in accordance with this Special Arrangement is supplied under Part VII of the Act.
(2)A provision of Part VII of the Act, or of the Regulations or other instruments made for Part VII of the Act, applies subject to this Special Arrangement.
Note: The exclusion of paragraph 41(2)(g) enables prescriptions using electronic medication orders to be made under the Special Arrangement for pharmaceutical benefits that are referred to in Schedule 8 of the current Poisons Standard (within the meaning of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989). PBS prescribers and approved suppliers remain subject to any restrictions on prescribing or dispensing Schedule 8 drugs in applicable state or territory legislation.
(6)A prescription for the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit made in accordance with this section is, for the purposes of the Regulations (other than section 61) and the Rules, taken, to be a medication chart prescription written in accordance with section 41 of the Regulations.
(ii)was created using an electronic medication chart system that allows for electronic medication prescriptions, created using the system to be sent to the national prescription delivery service and is dispensed using CPv2.3 dispensing software; and
(c)a reference in section 51 to writing “immediate supply necessary” on the prescription is taken to be a reference to including those words in the electronic medication order.
(1)An approved supplier may make a claim for payment for the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit under this Special Arrangement in accordance with the Rules, as modified by this section.
(1A)An approved supplier must not make a claim for payment for a supply mentioned in paragraph 9(1)(a)(i) unless:
(b)the claim is made using CPv2.3 dispensing software.
(2)Where a claim for payment for the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit of a kind mentioned in subsection (3) is made, for item 25 of the table in clause 1 of Schedule 1 to the Rules, the Patient Category details for a patient in the Residential aged care facility patient (medication chart prescription) category are 0 (zero).
(3)For the purposes of subsection (2), the kind of supply of a pharmaceutical benefit is a supply using software made available by Fred IT Group Pty Ltd (ABN 68 109 546 901) and which is:
(a)a supply where writing the prescription for the supply required authorisation by the Chief Executive Medicare under section 19 of the National Health (Listing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Instrument 2024 (not including where writing the prescription was taken to have been authorised); or
(b)a supply of a pharmaceutical benefit having a drug (within the meaning of Part VII of the Act) that is referred to in Schedule 8 of the current Poisons Standard (within the meaning of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989).
(7)If the Chief Executive Medicare notifies the approved supplier in writing that a copy of an electronic pharmacy record is required to be submitted, the approved supplier must submit a copy of the record to the Department administered by the Minister who administers the Human Services (Centrelink) Act 1997.
(8)A notification given under subsection (4) or (7) may apply to one or more electronic medication orders or electronic pharmacy records, as appropriate.
(a)former Special Arrangement means the National Health (Electronic National Residential Medication Chart Trial) Special Arrangement 2018, as in force immediately before the transition time;
(b)transition time means 1 October 2025;
(c)transitional prescription means a prescription for the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit under the former Special Arrangement that was made:
(i)before the transition time; and
(ii)in accordance with section 41 of the Regulations as modified by section 7 of the former Special Arrangement.
Despite the repeal of the former Special Arrangement, section 9 of the former Special Arrangement continues to apply to the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit based on a transitional prescription, as if the repeal had not happened, whether the supply was made before, on or after the transition time.
13Claims for supplies made on transitional prescriptions#
(1)This section applies where a claim for payment is made after the transition time for the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit made on the basis of a transitional prescription, whether the supply was made before, on or after the transition time.
(2)Despite the repeal of the former Special Arrangement, section 10 of the former Special Arrangement continues to apply to the claim, as if the repeal had not happened
14Prescriptions written between 1 November 2025 and registration of the National Health (Transitional Electronic National Residential Medication Chart) Amendment (Aged Care Legislation) Special Arrangement 2025#
(1)In this section:
(a)old Aged Care Act means the Aged Care Act 1997, as in force immediately before 1 November 2025;
(b)relevant period means on or after 1 November 2025 and before the time the National Health (Transitional Electronic National Residential Medication Chart) Amendment (Aged Care Legislation) Special Arrangement 2025 is registered on the Federal Register of Legislation;
(c)relevant prescription means a prescription for the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit written in accordance with this Special Arrangement as in force during the relevant period;
(d)relevant supply means a supply of a pharmaceutical benefit made on the basis of a relevant prescription.
(2)Sections 8 and 9 of this Special Arrangement apply to a relevant prescription and a relevant supply as if references to a person receiving residential care in or at an approved residential care home include references to a person receiving residential care at a residential care service (as those terms are defined in the old Aged Care Act).