GPs accuse pharmacists of refusing to fill 60-day scripts to protect their cash flow
GPs have also told AusDoc about pharmacists rejecting scripts for very thin reasons.
Dozens of GPs say pharmacists have rejected their 60-day scripts — sometimes with no better justification than protecting their revenue.
The Federal Government undermined pharmacies’ dispensing fee revenue in 2023 when it finally allowed GPs to write 60-day scripts for hundreds of common long-term medications such as dabigatran or simvastatin.
While it has partly compensated pharmacists under the new Community Pharmacy Agreement, which began on 1 July, doctors responding to an AusDoc survey have claimed that some pharmacists are refusing to fill 60-day scripts for spurious reasons.
One Queensland GP said only a quarter of their 60-day scripts were filled by pharmacists, who were “literally sending patients back to get 30-day scripts”.
