Medicare want to promote and spread their information through social media if the article in the Pharmacy News, 16th Dec is true.
But I’m not sure that’s the case. This reason is given as a reason for stopping the print production of “Bulletin Board”, the Medicare newsletter for pharmacists and only produce an online version.
So you go and sign up to the online bulletin.
And here’s where I am sure Medicare couldn’t give a toss about spreading information to all and sundry. You have to be associated with a bricks and mortar pharmacy – NOT an individual pharmacist or any other interested party – to sign up.
So Medicare want their information disseminated but restrict access to it in the first instance.
Only in a government department.
Tagged as:
Bulletin Board,
Medicare,
social media
This post is a sharp, but hopefully short glimpse in to the pedantry of prescription writing.
I was recently contacted by a representative of an electronic patient management system. They had a request from doctor saying he didn’t want to put the form of drug on the script (e.g. he didn’t care if ramipril tabs or capsules were used).
In this case the script wasn’t one used only at a remote health service but a prescription that a pharmacy would use to claim remuneration under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
Firstly I would have thought a brief discussion of the form with the patient would be beneficial; i.e. the patient might take a capsule but not a tablet. My understanding was that the form of drug had to be placed on all PBS scripts for a pharmacist to claim remuneration.
I was wrong. Well sort of wrong. An email to a Medicare Pharmaceutical Advisor sorted it out:
Dear Andrew
As discussed, quoting the National Health (Pharmaceutical Benefits) Regulations, Regulation 19.1.e. that governs prescription writing in Australia states that doctors must write a prescription in a manner that
“identifies (in the prescription) the pharmaceutical benefit by such particulars as are necessary to identify the pharmaceutical benefit”
For example, writing “diazepam 5mg” alone does not provide sufficient particulars to identify it the item required is a tablet or an injection
So in the Ramipril example initially given the doctor does have to specify whether he wants tablets or capsules.
This is but one of the myriad rules pharmacists have to ensure the script complies with before we can even check to make sure it is the right drug, right dose, no interactions with your other medications etc before you receive it in your hands
Photograph taken by Psyberartist and used under Creative Commons licence
Tagged as:
Medicare,
National Health Regulations,
prescription
The working conditions of retail pharmacy are often discussed in forums and blogs. The lack of toilet breaks, or in Australia, the breaking of the law that occurs when the pharmacist on duty leaves the pharmacy to visit the shopping centre loo. Auspharmlist regularly has posts on this topic and our American friends blog about it often.
But I think this takes the cake. In a Medicare Australia call centre in Parramatta managers were following staff into the toilet to enforce a three minute toilet break policy.
But that’s not all. Staff had to complete a “compliance diary” where they also had to include the length of their toilet stops. If at least 92% of your time was not on the phone you were “threatened” with counselling and disciplinary action.
Now apparently this is not a national policy. And it is no longer carried out in Parramatta. Since the news article.
Anyway, I’d be buggered. I don’t wear a watch.
Source: Daily Telegraph
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Tagged as:
Medicare,
toilet,
working conditions
