The National Health (COVID-19 Supply of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Special Arrangement 2020 ended on 31 March 2023.
For PBS Safety Net claims, signature exemptions for Prescription Record Forms (PRFs) no longer apply after this date.
From 1 April 2023, all PBS Safety Net PRFs must be signed by the applicant or their agent.
Pharmacists can’t:
- sign as the applicant’s agent
- certify the PRF if the applicant or agent hasn’t signed.
The pharmacist’s signature must be on:
- each supply of a medicine recorded on the PBS/RPBS Safety Net prescription record form and application for a Safety Net card form (PB240)
- PRFs sourced from external pharmacies
- PRFs you give to the patient or another pharmacy.
We’ll return any claims for Safety Net cards issued from 1 April 2023 that don’t meet these requirements. They’ll need to be corrected by the pharmacy before the claim can be resubmitted.
There will be no transition period once the Special Arrangement ends.
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