Reinvestments into pharmacy services
The Australian Government continues to support a thriving community pharmacy sector.
The government will reinvest all money saved from reducing fees paid to pharmacies back into community pharmacies.
This is to support the ongoing vital role of the pharmacy sector and give new opportunities for expanding pharmacists’ scope of practice.
Regional Pharmacy Maintenance Allowance (RPMA)
From 1 July 2023, the Regional Pharmacy Maintenance Allowance (RPMA) budget doubled to $39.8 million per year. This represents $79.5 million over 4 years to make sure Australians in regional, rural, and remote locations have continued access to pharmacies and pharmacy services.
Through the 8th Community Pharmacy Agreement, a further $52 million over 5 years has been provided to the total budget for the Regional Pharmacy Maintenance Allowance (RPMA). The RPMA Payment Matrix for 2024–25 outlines the budget breakdown by regions.
Additional Community Supply Support (ACSS) payment
The new Additional Community Supply Support (ACSS) payment helps pharmacists provide services and cheaper medicines (through 60-day prescriptions) for their patients without increasing patient fees. The ACSS payment has 2 components for s90 Community Pharmacies:
a base level payment associated with the dispensing of all subsidised prescriptions for general schedule items.
an additional payment associated with the dispensing of any subsidised prescription for medicines with increased maximum dispensing quantity when dispensed in their maximum quantity.
The first ACSS payments will be made by the end of October 2024. Services Australia will manage this process alongside regular PBS payments.
National Immunisation Program (NIP)
From 1 January 2024, the Australian Government will provide an extra $114.1 million over 4 years for pharmacists to administer NIP vaccines to people aged 5 years and over. The NIP vaccines that pharmacists can administer in pharmacies will differ across the country, in line with state and territory legislation.
The National Immunisation Program is an uncapped program, which means that payments to pharmacies will be demand driven. The amounts paid to pharmacists may exceed those announced in the budget and the patient will incur no cost.
This initiative replaces current vaccination services where patients need to pay.
Opioid Dependence Treatment (ODT) Community Pharmacy Program
From 1 July 2023, the Australian Government started funding $377.3 million over 4 years for a new Opioid Dependency Treatment (ODT) Program for pharmacists.
This is separate funding to payments pharmacies receive for supplying ODT medicines under the Section 100 Highly Specialised Drugs (HSD) Community Access Program.
We expect pharmacy owners to receive $175 to $191 per patient per month because of this funding.
These changes will provide funded support for more than 50,000 vulnerable patients needing opioid dependency treatment. Patients will only need to pay the PBS co-payment to access critical treatment through local pharmacies.
This uncapped initiative replaces previous patient self-funded services.