Community Pharmacy

Contractor Endorsements

(26 January 2012)

To ensure accurate payment, it is important that contractors use the correct endorsements, as detailed in our Endorsing Guidance e.g. the correct endorsement for an item that has not been dispensed is IND electronically and ND on paper; the correct endorsement for an item that has not been collected is INC electronically and NC on paper. Contractors who wish to code their prescriptions for their own use must use the bottom left corner of the prescription, ensuring that they do not write over the prescriber’s details.

Release of Pharmacy Care Record (PCR) Version 5.0

(16 January 2012)

PCR Version 5.0 has been released providing functionality to support High Risk Medicine Care Risk  Assessments. At present, a High Risk Medicine Care Risk Assessment can be completed for “Methotrexate” or “Lithium” – other medication items may be added in the future.

PCR version 5.0 also includes additional improvements to the  patient reports:

• The “Patient Report for Associated Pharmacy” has been changed to allow filtering based on  the “Initial Assessment Complete” status.
• The Outstanding Care Issues report has been change to allow filtering on Care Issue type: “Standard or “High Risk Medicine”

The user guide update provides further information on these changes.

Additional Items Automated for January 2012

(Added 29 December 2011)

The following additional items will be added to the list of items that will be automated by PSD from 1st January 2012.

We first introduced automation from 1st February 2010, with an initial list of 80 items. Working closely with Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS), we have now added additional items every month to the full list of medicines that will be paid from the electronic claim message rather than from the paper prescription. The October list of 2700 items covered 92% of items dispensed under AMS. There remains about 5300 items to cover all drugs dispensed under AMS, (96% of AMS dispensed items - the remaining 4% are non-drugs such as appliances, food products, dressings, etc). PSD has agreed with CPS to add the remaining 5300 drug items over the next 5 months. From 1st November we are added almost 2000 tablets and capsules to the automation list taking it to 4665 items for November dispensing. Over the months December to March 2012 we will complete the automation list for other formulations. In December we are primarily adding Creams, Ointments and Solution items to the list.

Pharmacists are reminded that applying electronic endorsements is essential for endorsements that impact payment, in particular Instalment Dispensing endorsement (IRX) should be added (when relevant) to the electronic claim as well as being noted on the paper prescription.

EMIS Issue

(22 December 2012)

As you may already be aware, GP practices are currently experiencing prescription printing issues. This is manifesting itself as incorrect prescriber details printing on GP10 prescriptions.  Practices have been formally advised by their system supplier of how this can be resolved until a fix is implemented in the New Year.

To fix this, EMIS have advised - "This issue doesn’t present itself when using Issue followed by method Print. Practices should therefore use this method until a fix is identified and released to practices."

Should a script arrive that includes incorrect prescriber details (generally this will be a non-prescriber with 00000 prescriber code) this should be returned to the practice for a replacement with the correct prescriber details and code issued.

Please be assured that a resolution for this problem is being given the highest priority by EMIS”.

Asacol - Change of Pricing Rules

With effect from 1 December, there will be a change of the pricing rule for Asacol.

Practitioner Services (PSD) will hold the two pack sizes (90 and 120) as ‘ORDINARY PACKS’. This means that you can dispense and be paid for the exact quantity prescribed. This is a much simpler rule than the ‘Whole Pack’ rule which has been applied for many years. Click here for a list of capsules and tablets that are classed as 'whole packs'.

The Ordinary Pack rule allows you to dispense and be paid for the exact quantity prescribed or up to 10% more, as long as the quantity dispensed coincides with a full pack, e.g. the most commonly prescribed quantity of Asacol is 168 tablets.

(The previous ‘Whole Pack Rule’ meant that PSD’s system could only pay in multiples of full packs. In practice this meant that pharmacists who did not know this rule would be paid for 120 tablets when they had dispensed and claimed a prescribed quantity which was less than 1.5 packs.)

N.B The whole pack example of Asacol in Appendix 4 of the Endorsing Guidance for Electronic and Paper Prescriptions (v1.2) no longer applies as this will now be paid under the 'Ordinary Pack' rules. We have published another relevant whole pack example on the online version.

2011-12 Electronic Claim Training Payment Amendment to Claim Deadline

(13 December 2011)

NHS Circular PCA(P)(2011)14 advises of an extension to the deadline for reimbursement of claims for the 2011-12 Electronic Claim Training Payment. This circular advises that the deadline for the return of forms is extended to 6 February 2012.

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