Page 3 - Submission to the 2015-16 Federal Budget

Summary
Team-based models of primary care have emerged in response to growing health system demands created by increasingly complex patients.
Such models are correlated with improvements in equity, access and lower costs, as well as improvements in population health.2
Furthermore, as Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) spending per person is projected to increase by 22% by 20203, having a pharmacist contribute to more cost‐effective prescribing provides a mechanism for ensuring the future sustainability of the PBS for all Australians.
This submission aligns with the key elements
of Australia’s policy on Quality use of medicines and in particular focuses on the safe and effective use of medicines to achieve the best possible results4 by: monitoring outcomes; minimising misuse, over‐use and under‐use; and improving people’s ability to solve problems related to medication, such as adverse effects or managing multiple medicines.
Pharmacists are highly qualified health professionals yet their skills, knowledge and expertise are often under‐recognised and under‐utilised. Australia now has a large and growing pharmacist workforce that is highly trained and with a much younger age‐profile than most other health professions.
Pharmacist‐delivered medication management and education services are the missing link in most general practices and Aboriginal Health Services. There are opportunities in these settings for a non‐dispensing pharmacist to work with other members of the health care team to improve medication use and reduce errors for consumers with chronic disease.
This submission highlights two key areas in which existing health resources can be better coordinated and targeted within a collaborative primary health care model to improve health outcomes for Australians. Specifically, it identifies opportunities to better utilise the skills and expertise of pharmacists to address the Government’s policy objectives in the following areas:
1 Improving health outcomes and
cost-effectiveness of primary care
PSA recommends that Government introduces a Pharmacist Incentive Payment (PhIP) to integrate pharmacists within general practices to deliver medication management services within a collaborative framework.
2 Improving health outcomes for
Indigenous Australians
PSA recommends that Government supports Aboriginal Health Services to integrate pharmacists within their teams to deliver essential medication adherence and education services in a culturally appropriate environment.
Integratingpharmacistsintoprimarycareteams I©PharmaceuticalSocietyofAustraliaLtd. 3