How eScripts work
An electronic prescription, often called an eScript, is a digital version of a paper prescription. During the consultation your doctor sends an SMS or email containing a link to a token, which is a unique QR barcode. Each medicine gets its own token, so check they have all arrived before you leave the appointment.
If you do not have a mobile phone, the Australian Digital Health Agency suggests speaking with your prescriber about other options.
Filling your prescriptions in Abermain
- Show the token on your screen at the counter, or hand over the paper script.
- The pharmacist scans the token, which works as a key to unlock your prescription from a secure, encrypted delivery service.
- Once you have the medicine, you can delete the token that was used for it.
- If the prescription has repeats, the pharmacy that dispensed it issues a fresh token for the next supply.
A barcoded paper script still has to come in with you: Digital Health explains that the paper copy is legally required before a pharmacist can supply the medicine.
Keeping track with the Active Script List
An Active Script List is a digital list of your electronic prescriptions and barcoded paper scripts. It suits people on several medicines, because once you are registered there is no need to keep hold of each token. You give a participating pharmacy consent to view the list, and it dispenses from there.
According to Digital Health, you set one up by visiting a pharmacy with your mobile phone and 100 points of identification. Call us on (02) 4930 4442 to ask about registering with Abermain Chemist.
Paying for your medicines
Services Australia works out the PBS Safety Net over a calendar year, and it usually resets on 1 January. When you or your family reach the threshold, you apply for a Safety Net card to get cheaper medicines, and adding family members' totals together can get you there sooner.
Script and eScript questions
I deleted my eScript token. What now?
Ask for it to be resent. For an original prescription, contact the doctor who wrote it; for a repeat, contact the pharmacy that issued that repeat. That is the Digital Health guidance for lost tokens.
Can someone collect my medicine for me?
Yes. You can forward your token to a family member, carer or friend, and they present it at the counter on your behalf. A paper script can be handled like that too: whoever is collecting brings it in, which Digital Health confirms is allowed for a family member or agent.
How long does an eScript last?
Electronic prescriptions stay valid for the same time as paper ones. Digital Health says that in most cases this is 12 months, though it can be shorter for some medicines.
Would you rather not come in? Dispensed medicines can travel with our free medication delivery, and anyone juggling several scripts can have them packed into a free Webster-pak. Dispensing is the starting point for all of our medication management in Abermain.
Bring your script to Cessnock Road
Walk in with a paper prescription or an eScript token during opening hours. If you have a question about a medicine or a repeat, phone the pharmacy first. Mention any concession card you hold when you hand your script over. Picking up for someone else? Bring their token or paper script with you.