About electronic prescribing
Electronic prescribing allows healthcare providers and consumers to use an electronic prescription as an alternative to paper prescriptions. It forms part of an Australian Government budget measure to make the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) more efficient.
Electronic prescriptions are part of the broader digital health and medicines safety framework. They enable the prescribing, dispensing and claiming of medicines, without the need for a paper prescription. While paper prescriptions are still available, healthcare providers and consumers can choose an electronic prescription to be issued instead.
Electronic prescribing does not fundamentally change existing prescribing and dispensing processes. Consumers can still choose which pharmacy they attend to fill their prescription.
All medicines can be prescribed and dispensed from an electronic prescription, in all states and territories. Prescribers and Pharmacists will need to use the appropriate clinical software; and continue to meet PBS and state or territory legislative requirements for these medicines as they would for paper prescriptions.
The Australian Government encourages community pharmacies and prescribers to learn about using electronic prescriptions. This includes getting the software ready and participating in the training opportunities the Australian Digital Health Agency, peak bodies and software providers are offering.
How does it work?
Prescribers can create electronic prescriptions in their software during consultations by using conformant software.
This means that the electronic prescribing software conforms to the Electronic Prescribing Conformance Scheme maintained by the Australian Digital Health Agency and securely connects to the National Prescription Delivery Service (NPDS) for the electronic prescription to be retrieved and supplied at the patient’s chosen pharmacy.
After an electronic prescription is written, a unique electronic token (in the form of a QR code) is created and sent to the patient as an SMS or email. The token is a key that unlocks the electronic prescription from the NPDS. Patients can send or present the token to the pharmacy of their choice to enable dispense and supply of the medicines.
We are continuing to work with the Australian Digital Health Agency to deliver the technical framework to help clinical software systems create, collect and store electronic prescriptions. This technical framework outlines the requirements for clinical software to:
- maintain consumer choice of prescriber and pharmacy for supply of their medicines
- adhere to privacy and security principles
- ensure alignment with legislation.
Why electronic prescribing is important
Electronic prescribing is important because it:
- provides greater choice for consumers
- makes prescribing and dispensing medicines more efficient and convenient
- may reduce prescribing and dispensing errors
- increases medicines safety
- supports electronic medication charts in hospitals and residential aged care homes
- removes the need for handling and storing a physical paper prescription
- supports digital health services such as telehealth services to ensure continuity of care
- provides an opportunity to protect community members and healthcare providers from exposure to infectious diseases
- maintains consumer privacy and integrity of personal information.
Our current work
National Prescription Delivery Service
The National Prescription Delivery Service (NPDS) is a national e-health service contracted by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. It allows prescriptions to be transferred between the participating prescribing and dispensing systems. When an electronic prescription is written by a prescriber, that prescription is delivered electronically to the dispenser via the NPDS.
The NPDS was launched on 1 July 2023. To continue prescribing eligible medicines, prescribers and dispensers were required to connect to the NPDS. All eligible prescription data has been held in the NPDS since November 2023.
The Australian Government has committed to continued investment for prescription delivery services and enhancements. This supports and strengthens, the exchange of nearly 300 million prescriptions each year.
Benefits of the National Prescription Delivery Service
The NPDS streamlines prescription delivery management and includes:
- Government-funded prescription exchange, including SMS fees
- Long-term funding certainty to enable innovation and efficiency
- Clearer governance, including managing issues, risks and cyber security
- Enhanced capacity for patient-centered support and care
- Reduced complexity of the prescription delivery ecosystem
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, the Australian Digital Health Agency, and Fred IT Group continue to work together; in collaboration with software developers, clinicians, and pharmacists to support connections to the NPDS.
For questions on policy relating to the NPDS, contact NPDS@health.gov.au.
Electronic prescribing in public hospitals
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s Digital Health Blueprint 2023–33 outlines many planned improvements to digital health infrastructure, including the expansion of electronic prescribing into public hospitals and other health settings.
Introducing electronic prescribing into public hospitals will support high quality patient care and improve the efficiency and sustainability of the healthcare system.
Active Script List 2 release
The Active Script List (ASL) is a token management solution that safely stores electronic prescription tokens, eliminating the consumer's need to keep track of SMS or emails from prescribers or pharmacists.
Once an ASL is in place, a consumer can go to any ASL enabled pharmacy to have their prescriptions filled following identity verification and consent, without needing to show an electronic token.
ASL Release 1 allowed consumers to register for an ASL via 'assisted registration' with their pharmacist.
ASL Release 2 will allow a consumer to self-register and self-manage their ASL, delivering increased functionality of ASL capabilities to healthcare professionals.
This release requires:
- Amendments to the Healthcare Identifiers Regulations 2020 (HI Regulations)
- The introduction of an identity management solution
- Development and implementation of customer centric mobile applications
The completion of this project will:
- Support improved customer choice and control
- Improve clinical safety
- Reduce the administrative burden on consumers and healthcare professionals
- Support the implementation of other digital health initiatives:
The Australian Government has recently updated the ‘my health app’ to allow consumers access to their ASL. To find out more about the ‘my health app’, including how to download it, please visit the Australian Digital Health Agency’s website.
Mandating electronic prescribing for high-risk medicines
As part of the Australian Government’s initiative to strengthen the environment for the safe provision of medicines, both the regulatory framework and standards for the electronic prescribing infrastructure will be revised to mandate electronic prescribing for high-risk medicines.
The mandate aims to enhance medicine safety, reduce misuse, improve data quality, reduce the risk of errors associated with paper prescriptions, and address the challenges of incorrect PBS payments.
Initially this mandate will apply to PBS medicines that fall within the scope of ‘high-risk’ medicines, such as those included in Schedule 8 of the Poisons Standard. A nationally consistent approach for non-PBS medicines is being developed.
PBS regulatory framework
The regulatory framework to allow for electronic prescribing under the PBS has several components.
Changes to the National Health (Pharmaceutical Benefits) Regulations 2017 allow the use of an electronic prescription under the PBS.
Four instruments under these regulations support the use of electronic prescriptions, including electronic prescriptions that are medication charts.
- The Form of the Electronic Prescription 2019 defines the information fields required when a PBS prescriber writes an electronic prescription.
- The Electronic Prescriptions Information Technology Requirements 2019 details system requirements for participating in electronic prescribing.
- The Form of the PBS Hospital Medication Chart details requirements for paper and electronic forms of medication charts for use in hospitals.
- The Form of the National Residential Medication Chart details requirements for paper and electronic forms of medication charts for use in residential care facilities.
The following policies guide electronic prescribing:
- Electronic Prescribing Active Script List (ASL) Privacy Framework
- Electronic Prescriptions Security and Access Policy
- Electronic Prescriptions Privacy Policy
- Electronic Prescriptions Data Usage Policy
- PBS hospital medication chart
- National residential medication chart
For further information regarding the Commonwealth Privacy requirements, see the Electronic Prescribing Privacy Impact Assessment Public Summary.
Further information about the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s privacy policy.
Changes to the National Health (Claims and under co-payment data) Rules 2012 allow PBS claims from electronic prescriptions. The rules state what information approved suppliers must provide about supplying PBS medicines from electronic prescriptions.
As of March 6, 2025, an amendment to the Healthcare Identifiers Regulations 2020 was approved. This amendment is known as The Healthcare Identifiers (Active Script List Registration) Regulations 2025.
This amendment enables the implementation of capabilities listed under the 2018-19 budget measure, Improving access to Medicines – ePrescribing for Safer Medicines.
The instrument will provide additional authorisations for the handling of healthcare identifiers for the purpose of consumers self-registering for the ASL.
For more information on our legislative framework please see the Electronic prescribing resources.
State and territory requirements
Australian Capital Territory
In the Australian Capital Territory, the Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 2008 enables electronic prescribing.
Read more about medicines management in the ACT during COVID-19.
New South Wales
In New South Wales, an exemption from the New South Wales Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation enables electronic prescribing. See more information for:
Northern Territory
In the Northern Territory the Electronic Transactions (Northern Territory) Act 2000 enables electronic prescribing. Read about medicines and poisons control in the Northern Territory.
Queensland
In Queensland, the Medicines and Poisons Act 2019 and supporting Medicines and Poisons (Medicines) Regulation 2021 enables systems that meet the conditions specified in the Departmental Standard – Requirements for an electronic prescription management system (Version 1), to electronically prepare, transfer, retrieve and record prescription information (electronic prescription) for a medicine, and to record dispensing activities.
South Australia
In South Australia, the Controlled Substances (Poisons) Regulations 2011 enable electronic prescriptions. Read information for consumers, health professionals and software vendors.
Tasmania
In Tasmania, Regulations 21 and 46 of the Poisons Regulations 2018 enable electronic prescriptions, where approved by the Tasmanian Secretary for Health. The Secretary for Health must approve any software system used in Tasmania to prescribe, transmit, or dispense electronic prescriptions. Read about electronic prescribing in Tasmania.
Victoria
Read about electronic prescribing in Victoria.
Western Australia
In Western Australia, the Medicines and Poisons Regulations 2016 enable electronic prescribing. The Western Australian Department of Health must approve each product that is part of an electronic prescribing system. Read about electronic prescribing in Western Australia.
Learn more
See Claiming online for PBS medicines for more information on the changes made to the PBS claim-for-payment system.
Read the summary of COVID-19 regulatory changes impacting pharmacy across Australia.
Contacts
Contact the Department with questions about the legislative framework for electronic prescribing.
Contact the Australian Digital Health Agency with questions about the electronic prescribing technical framework.
Contact Services Australia with questions about the:
- PBS or Repatriation Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits (RPBS) claim systems
- Healthcare identifiers service.
Electronic prescribing contact
