Temporary measures allowing GPs to email pictures of scripts to pharmacies will end in September, with the Federal Government saying new electronic prescribing systems will fill the gap.

GPs will still have the option of phoning, emailing or faxing a pharmacist to prescribe for a patient they have seen via telehealth but will have to mail the pharmacist a paper script afterwards, under longstanding state-based rules for emergency prescriptions.

The temporary measures were introduced in March last year and essentially removed the need to the mail any paper script at all, allowing GPs to simply send a photograph of a paper script to the pharmacist.

However, since then, more than 22,000 doctors have taken up electronic prescribing and at least 98% of all pharmacies now accept e-scripts, according to the Australian Digital Health Agency.