The Department of Health and Aged Care has awarded Fred IT (the parent company of eRX Script Exchange) a four-year contract to supply the nation's new Prescription Delivery Service (PDS) after requests for tender closed in June 2022. Practices that are currently not using eRX Script exchange as their vendor to send electronic prescriptions will need to connect to eRX Script exchange to continue to do so before 1st October 2023.
Existing arrangements with other service providers such as Medisecure will remain in place with the cost of electronic prescribing reimbursed by the Australian Digital Health Agency until the 30 September 2023. Funding for electronic prescribing will then be covered by the National PDS replacing the existing electronic prescription fee and SMS reimbursement framework which has been in place since the introduction of electronic prescribing in 2020.
The Department of Health and Aged Care has released a fact sheet about the transition and steps practices need to take to ensure they can continue to offer electronic prescribing whilst maintaining a cost neutral service.
