Electronic prescribing

What is electronic prescribing?

Electronic prescribing is an alternative to paper prescriptions, providing patients with convenient access to their medicines, and improving safety by reducing the risk of transcription errors. Electronic prescriptions are not mandatory and patients will have a choice to receive either an electronic or a paper prescription (but not both).

Electronic prescriptions support secure and efficient access to medicine supply for Australians – in person via their doctor or via a telehealth consultation – sent directly to the patient’s mobile phone number or email. Electronic prescriptions are available nationally as a ‘token’ (SMS or email) or can be added to an Active Script List (ASL). 

To dispense electronic prescriptions, you will need the capability built into your dispensing software system. Check if your clinical information system is conformant.

Both electronic and paper prescriptions will need to comply with the relevant Commonwealth and State and Territory legislation requirements.

What are the benefits?

Benefits of electronic prescribing extend to the patient, healthcare provider and, more broadly, the healthcare system. These include:

• convenience and choice for patients
• supplements delivery of telehealth services to ensure continuity of patient care
• provides an opportunity to protect community members and healthcare providers from exposure to infectious diseases (such as COVID-19)
• maintains patient privacy and integrity of personal information through token encryptions and data protection measures 
• reduces the risk of lost paper prescriptions 
• reduces administrative burden for healthcare providers and organisations.

How electronic prescriptions work

Using a SMS or email ‘token’ to dispense an electronic prescription:

1. A patient requires a prescription and has chosen to receive it as an electronic prescription.
2. The prescriber issues the patient with an electronic prescription via SMS or email.
3. The patient takes or shares their electronic prescription token with their preferred pharmacy. 
4. The pharmacy scans the token to view the electronic prescription and dispenses the medicine.
5. If the prescription has repeats, then a new token is sent to the patient via SMS or email by the pharmacy.

How to assist a customer when they encounter an error when opening an electronic prescription via SMS.

Clicking the link for your electronic prescription in the SMS message, may automatically open using a preferred app. If an error occurs, access to the prescription can occur by following the below steps:

1. Return to the SMS message containing the prescription link.
2. IOS platform:
   1. Press and hold the link to bring up a menu of options.
   2. Select an alternative method to open the link, such as Safari or another compatible browser.
3. Android platform:
   1. Copy and paste the link in you default browser such as Chrome or another compatible browser.

This should allow you to successfully access the electronic prescription.

What is an Active Script List (ASL)?

An Active Script List (ASL) is a token management solution that contains a consolidated list of a consumer’s active prescriptions. Consumers need to register for an ASL by visiting a pharmacy that is enabled to offer this service, and a part of the process is requesting an Activation Code from a pharmacist.

Once registered, the consumer no longer needs to keep track of each electronic prescription tokens. Having an ASL allows a consumer to walk into any pharmacy of their choice and if the pharmacy has access to the consumer’s ASL, they can dispense the required medicines.

What are the benefits of ASL?

• patients no longer need to keep track of the SMS or email tokens,  this information will now be stored in one consolidated list. 
• It overcomes the issue of misplacing token/s and the need for them to be reissued, and
• it may be more convenient for patients who take multiple medicines.

How ASL works

Instead of presenting a token, patients will provide confirmation of their identity and request the pharmacy dispense medicines from their ASL.

Initially, a patient will need to attend their preferred pharmacy to register for an ASL. They may need to provide 100 points of identification (PDF, 83.08 KB)and accept the terms and conditions, agreeing that all prescriptions will go to their ASL unless they withdraw their consent.

After the set-up is complete, an ASL can be accessed by:

1. The patient visits their healthcare professional, and a prescription is issued which will be automatically added to the ASL, unless the patient requests otherwise. The patient does not need a token but can request to receive one.
2. Next time the patient visits their nominated pharmacy, the scripts can be accessed directly from the ASL. 
3. If there are repeats, they will be automatically added to the ASL, unless the patient chooses to have them sent as a token via SMS or email. 

Check that you are using the most up to date version of your software with ASL functionality enabled.

Generating an Activation Code

For a consumer to view their ASL on their mobile application, like my health app, they require an Activation Code to link their ASL to the application. The Activation Code must be provided by a pharmacist. Each Activation Code is unique to the individual consumer, allowing them to use their specific code repeatedly to link their ASL to various third-party applications. 

This Activation Code is available via the pharmacy’s dispensing software. 

How to get the Activation Code:

1. Search for the consumer within your dispensing software.
2. Once verified with the consumer, open their profile and check that they are registered for an ASL. If they are not registered, proceed with the registration process. 
3. Once registration is verified as complete, go to the section in your software where ASL details are displayed.
4. Find the option/button to generate or retrieve the Activation Code. 
5. Once the Activation Code is generated, provide it to the consumer so they can use it to access their ASL in third-party applications. 

If you require assistance generating or retrieving the Activation Code, please contact your dispensing software helpdesk for specific instructions. 

State and territory regulations

The same regulations for prescribing and supplying medicines exist for both paper and electronic prescriptions. Clinicians are required to adhere to the National Health Act 1953 and relevant state or territory regulations when prescribing and supplying medicines using an electronic prescription. This is particularly important for controlled medicines. Please contact your relevant jurisdiction for more information.

Education and Training

eLearning modules

Free CPD accredited online training can assist with providing an introduction to what an electronic prescription is, how it is prescribed and dispensed, the benefit of Active Script List, and the policy requirements and legislation that underpin the process.

Find out about:

• Electronic Prescriptions and Active Script List (MySL) in Community Pharmacy
• Active Script List (MySL) in Community Pharmacy.

Webinars

Register for a free webinar for healthcare providers to learn more about electronic prescribing in your practice, as well as other digital health topics.