Pharmacies Urged To Register From 1 - 31 July 2009 To Receive Early-bird Payment

Main Category: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 02 Jul 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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Community pharmacies are urged to register to participate in Phase 2 of the Dose Administration Aids (DAA) and Patient Medication Profile (PMP) programs.

Pharmacies registering from 1 to 31 July 2009 will be eligible for the full incentive payment of $2,250 for DAA and $1,250 for PMP (+GST). While registrations will still be accepted after July, a lesser incentive payment will apply.

"We need as many pharmacies as possible to participate in Phase 2 of these programs to ensure the ongoing and sustainable delivery of these important services," said Mr Kos Sclavos, .National President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

In response to feedback from community pharmacy, the DAA and PMP programs, managed by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, have been reviewed and revamped to make participation in them easier and systems more user-friendly. The amount of time and data required has been reduced, and the payment deadlines have been simplified.

"DAA and PMP services offer clear benefits to patients and the wider community. Patients have better medication management, and better continuity of care. The community have fewer hospitalizations associated with medicine misadventure and delayed admissions to aged care services," said Mr Warwick Plunkett, National President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.

Medication misadventure is estimated to cost the health sector $380 million a year (Source: 'Improving Medication Safety' by the Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Healthcare, 2002). The DAA program allows pharmacist to organise patients' medicines into weekly blister packs. The PMP allows pharmacists to produce a comprehensive profile of the patient's medicines, including information about instructions for use, appearance and generic substitution availability.

The DAA and PMP Programs are funded under the Better Community Health Initiative of the Fourth Community Pharmacy Agreement by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. In mid-June, all pharmacies will receive a new Pharmacy Readiness Kit with information and new PMP promotional materials to support their participation.

For more information visit the Guild website at http://www.guild.org.au

Source
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia