Owing Scripts

[Revised March 2013]

From the Medicare Australia (Department of Human Services) web-site March 2013

Owing prescriptions

The National Health (Pharmaceutical Benefits) Regulations allow for medicine to be supplied before the written prescription has been supplied. Where in a case of urgency: a prescriber advises you of the details of the prescription; or faxes you the written, signed prescription.

After contacting you, the prescriber is required to provide you with the original PBS prescription within seven days. When the prescription is provided, the script does not need to be cancelled out of your dispensing system. The prescribing date on the earlier record should be changed to the date the prescription was signed by the prescriber. The date of supply should not be amended.

Prescriptions requiring prior approval still require approval before being dispensed. Medicare Australia recommends asking the prescriber for the Authority approval number to ensure approval has been obtained.

Some quick reminders about owing scripts:

owing scripts are not claimable until you receive the paper prescription
on receiving the prescription, the prescribing date within your system should be changed to the date the prescriber signed the prescription
if the date of prescribing is more than seven days after the date of supply, the script is still payable provided it meets all other requirements (including Authority approval requirements).
in the absence of a patient signature normal receipting rules apply. You are required to certify supply by indicating the date on which the supply was made and the reason why the patient signature could not be obtained.

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Note: if the rx arrives after 7 days then please annotate the physical copy:" I certify dispensed on xx/xx/xx as per Dr's phone order (sign)"

If 'RxOne' knows a script is Script Owing, it will track it, print it out in prescription or list format on request, exclude it from Claims until received by the pharmacy, and automatically include in the next claim once received.

Using 'RxOne' 'Script Owing' tracking is convenient for most pharmacies but some, with large numbers of Script Owing/faxed scripts that usually arrive within a few hours, prefer to use a "faxed script cardboard box" or "exceptions cardboard box". They put the faxed copy into that after dispensing, and destroy it when the signed original comes in, and only enter the residue that carries over the claim period as 'Script Owing' to prevent claiming.

To mark a script as 'Script Owing'

- While dispensing the item, click the 'Script Owing' button or click in the 'Script Owing' tick box on the 'Status' panel. Scripts Owing will be displayed in Red in Patient History. When editing an Owing Script the F9 ‘Owing Rx’ Text will be highlighted Red.

To print 'Script Owing' reminder

Can be printed from within the script (Print, Owing Script Reminder)

To suppress 'Owing Script Reminder'

From Dispensary, Options, RxOne Options, Print Owing Script Reminder, to tick or untick the 'owing script reminder'.

When to printout Script Owings?

'Script Owings' can be set for 'print immediately' or be printed only when requested as the user chooses. To set this option;

1. From the 'RxOne' 'Start menu', Tools, Options, Switchboard.

2. Click on 'Print Script Owings immediately' to insert or remove the tick. On 'Immediate printout' a prescription format form will be printed as soon as the patient is 'Finished'.

Script Owing report.

Can be done anytime regardless of the above 'immediate' setting.

1. From the main dispensing screen, Script reports, Owing Scripts.

2. Select from 'all', by Person, By Doctor, or by Rest Home; then whether you want a summary or prescription format.

Note; If report is by person and Script Owing Rx (rather than summary), the option to Remove Item from list removes the item from this report only. The item still remains marked as a 'Script Owing Rx' . To cancel a Script Owing script, see the 'Reset Script Owings' functions below.

To reset a specific 'Script Owing' script

On receipt of a particular Script Owing, 'RxOne' needs to be advised so that it no longer includes it in the 'Script Owings' reports, and so that it will add the item to the next Claim.

1. Edit the script concerned & untick 'Script Owing' box on the 'Status' panel. Or, click on the 'Script Owing' button.

To reset (cancel) ALL 'Script Owing' scripts in bulk

A special function is provided to reset 'scripts owing' in bulk.

Serial numbers for Scripts Owing

There is an option to print a symbol in front of the serial number for any owing scripts. To do so, go to Dispense main screen, click "Options", select "RxOne Options" and tick "Print @ on labels when unticking Owing Scripts".

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