Claiming for Faxed Prescriptions

A reminder about claiming in relation to faxed prescriptions.
The following is from the DHBNZ Pharmacy Procedures Manual of 1 March 2010:

“Section 4.1 Prescription Requirements
4.1.1 Prescriber Information
In addition to the legal requirements of a prescription, the following information is required for subsidy purposes:

Claiming wastage when dispensing part pack of reconstituted liquid antibiotic

The February 09 Pharmaceutical Schedule Update contained information on the claiming of wastage when dispensing a part pack of a reconstituted liquid antibiotic.

You can now claim wastage at the time of dispensing.  You no longer have to wait a few days in case the balance might be used for another prescription.  Graeme asked how to process this.  I have asked Pharmac and Wanganui Sector Support and here is the information I have received.

Generic substitution and claiming rules explained

Medicines Regulation 42(4) permits generic substitution when authorised by the prescriber – either specifically for a particular prescription or generally for some or all prescriptions.  From a legal perspective, providing pharmacists are substituting within proper agreements they do not have to obtain the prescribers endorsement signatures – just have to annotate the prescriptions and sign them themselves.