This is so true. I use a single pharmacy, which offer to handle all of the paperwork, so I don't miss out. But if there's a shortage of something and they're out, I just miss out on that script fill by going elsewhere. I could grab a sticker from that pharmacy and take it back to mine but that's too much mental load honestly.
this post was submitted on 23 Mar 2025
30 points (100.0% liked)
Australia
4140 readers
32 users here now
A place to discuss Australia and important Australian issues.
Before you post:
If you're posting anything related to:
- The Environment, post it to Aussie Environment
- Politics, post it to Australian Politics
- World News/Events, post it to World News
- A question to Australians (from outside) post it to Ask an Australian
If you're posting Australian News (not opinion or discussion pieces) post it to Australian News
Rules
This community is run under the rules of aussie.zone. In addition to those rules:
- When posting news articles use the source headline and place your commentary in a separate comment
Banner Photo
Congratulations to @[email protected] who had the most upvoted submission to our banner photo competition
Recommended and Related Communities
Be sure to check out and subscribe to our related communities on aussie.zone:
- Australian News
- World News (from an Australian Perspective)
- Australian Politics
- Aussie Environment
- Ask an Australian
- AusFinance
- Pictures
- AusLegal
- Aussie Frugal Living
- Cars (Australia)
- Coffee
- Chat
- Aussie Zone Meta
- bapcsalesaustralia
- Food Australia
- Aussie Memes
Plus other communities for sport and major cities.
https://aussie.zone/communities
Moderation
Since Kbin doesn't show Lemmy Moderators, I'll list them here. Also note that Kbin does not distinguish moderator comments.
Additionally, we have our instance admins: @[email protected] and @[email protected]
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
What sticker?
The way the form is set out, it's supposed to be hand written, with fields about the medicine, the pharmacist that dispensed it, the date, and it's cost. Instead most pharmacists will just use the copy of the prescription label that gets printed out, because that includes all the above details. Here's the form in question: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/pb240
You also have seperate forms for the actual application, which must be done by a pharmacist: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/pb241
As well as a whole form to claim a refund if you didn't get a medication for the safety net cost (either free for concession, or the reduced concession charge for general patients): https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/pb132
If the system were digitised none of these forms would need to exist. Keeping in mind that this data already is in a centralised system. I can go to myhealthrecord and see a list of all the scripts I've had filled and when. The only info it's missing is how much I've paid, as pharmacies often subsidise the rate a bit. I pay $6.90 for my scripts instead of $7.70, and the safety net is based off real cost you've paid.
Anyway, sorry for the info dump, just something I've been frustrated with since I started interacting with this system.
Thanks. I opted out of MyHealthRecord before it kicked in. This vindicates me: the justification for them is to streamline services but, from what you told me, they are not even doing that (in this instance).
The thing is, that prescription history is still saved as far as I'm aware, you just don't have access to it without a MyHealthRecord. That's, no offence, kind of the misconception a lot of folks had about MHR. All that data is collected about you either way and already had been for years.
The other thing about it people got shitty about is that when a child turns 14 their parent loses access to their MHR. However, that's just in line with the rest of our medicare rules that mean a 14yo can access healthcare privately and independently.
It never occurred to me.
Prescriptions are only a small part of our health record.
Does it really work that way?
I thought you could get multiple pharmacies to give you the list of PBS stuff they've dispensed for you.
There's a form for it online. I didn't realise the pharmacist had to send it off.
I think technically it can be filled out with the help of the pharmacist, but they need to issue the card to you and then you tell Services Australia it's been issued essentially. This is the form in question: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/pb240
Yeah ok.
It looks as though you can get a list from whatever pharmacies you've been to, and then get one pharmacy to fill out the form and issue the card.
It totally is a big mess.