Financial Review Wrong On E-scripts

Financial Review wrong on e-scripts

An article in The Australian Financial Review this morning (page three) falsely asserts that the Pharmacy Guild has negotiated an unfair advantage in the development of electronic prescribing in Australia.

Either wilfully or through ignorance, the article wrongly claims that an electronic prescription payment being negotiated with the Government as part of the Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement would be paid only to a particular e-script provider - eRx Script Exchange - part owned by the Guild. This is false.

The Government would not and has not approved such a payment specific to one provider. In the competitive market in which the development of electronic prescriptions is occurring, the Government most certainly would not `pick winners' and the Guild would not expect it to.

Any payment for electronic prescriptions negotiated in the final Agreement will be available per prescription conveyed electronically, regardless of the e-script system provider.

The Guild is seeking a correction from the Australian Financial Review.

For further information: Greg Turnbull 0412 910 261


National Secretariat
Level 2, 15 National Circuit, Barton, ACT 2600 Australia
PO Box 7036, Canberra Business Centre, ACT 2610 Australia
Telephone: + 61 2 6270 1888
Facsimile: + 61 2 6270 1800
Email: [email protected]
Internet: www.guild.org.au



SOURCE: The Pharmacy Guild of Australia