Commonwealth Consolidated Regulations

NATIONAL HEALTH (PHARMACEUTICAL BENEFITS) REGULATIONS 1960 - REG 19

         (1)   A prescription, including an authority prescription, is duly written only if a PBS prescriber:

                (a)    prepares the prescription:

                          (i)    in duplicate, by handwriting the prescription in ink on a prescription form:

                                   (A)     that is as nearly as practicable 18 centimetres long by 12 centimetres wide; and

                                   (B)     on which appears the name and address of the PBS prescriber and, subject to subregulation (4), the letters 'PBS'; and

                                   (C)     on the original of which appear the words 'pharmacist/patient copy'; and

                                   (D)     on the duplicate of which appear the words 'Medicare Australia/DVA copy'; or

                         (ii)    in duplicate, by means of a computer on a prescription form:

                                   (A)     that is as nearly as practicable 18 centimetres long by 12 centimetres wide; and

                                   (B)     on which appears the name and address of the PBS prescriber and, subject to subregulation (4), the letters 'PBS'; and

                                   (C)     on the original of which appear the words 'pharmacist/patient copy'; and

                                   (D)     on the duplicate of which appear the words 'Medicare Australia/DVA copy'; and

                                   (E)     that is approved in writing for the purpose by the Secretary; or

                       (iia)    by means of a form:

                                   (A)     on which appear the name and address of the PBS prescriber and the letters 'PBS'; and

                                   (B)     that is approved in writing by the Secretary for the purpose of writing an electronic prescription; or

                        (iii)    by another method approved in writing by the Secretary; and

              (aa)    signs the prescription after it is prepared; and

               (b)    for an authority prescription -- writes on it:

                          (i)    the authority approval number allotted by the Chief Executive Medicare, unless the prescription is to be posted or delivered to the Chief Executive Medicare for authorisation; or

                         (ii)    the streamlined authority code mentioned in
the Declaration under subsection 85 (2), or the Determination under sections 85, 85A and 88, of the Act for the pharmaceutical benefit, and its circumstances or purpose, being prescribed; and

                (c)    specifies on the prescription the date on which the prescription is written and signs the prescription; and

              (ca)    for a participating dental practitioner, authorised optometrist, authorised midwife or authorised nurse practitioner -- states in the prescription the number allotted to his or her approval under regulation 8A; and

               (d)    states in the prescription the name of the person for whom the pharmaceutical benefit is to be supplied and the address of that person; and

                (e)    identifies in the prescription the pharmaceutical benefit by such particulars as are necessary to identify the pharmaceutical benefit; and

                (f)    states in the prescription:

                          (i)    the quantity or number of units of the pharmaceutical benefit to be supplied; and

                         (ii)    if the supply of the benefit is to be repeated -- the number of times it is to be repeated; and

               (g)    if the pharmaceutical benefit to be supplied is not a ready-prepared pharmaceutical benefit -- indicates in the prescription the manner in which the pharmaceutical benefit is to be administered; and

               (h)    if, under regulation 24, the medical practitioner, authorised midwife or authorised nurse practitioner directs in the prescription the supply on the one occasion of a quantity or number of units of a pharmaceutical benefit exceeding the quantity or number of units that could otherwise be prescribed -- writes on the prescription 'Reg 24' or ' Regulation 24'.

Note    Paragraph 105 (b) of the Act empowers regulations to be made about the writing of prescriptions.

         (2)   However, a prescription will not be taken to be duly written by the PBS prescriber if it provides for the supply of a pharmaceutical benefit to:

                (a)    a person if the PBS prescriber has written, on the same day, another prescription for the supply of the same or an equivalent pharmaceutical benefit to the person; or

               (b)    more than 1 person.

         (4)   For the purposes of sub-subparagraphs (1) (a) (i) (B) and (1) (a) (ii) (B), a prescription form that was printed before 1 June 1996 may contain the letters 'NHS' instead of the letters 'PBS'.

         (5)   For subparagraphs (1) (a) (ii), (iia) and (iii), a prescription must not be prepared using a computer program that operates, or may operate, to indicate on a prescription by default, for the purpose of subsection 103 (2A) of the Act, that only the brand of pharmaceutical benefit specified in the prescription is to be supplied.