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Medicines (Reducing harm)
Guidelines for Applications for a Director-General's Waiver to allow Electronic Prescribing
10 December 2011
While the electronic transmission of prescriptions is not permitted under the Medicines Regulations 1984 or the Electronic Transactions Act 2002, the Director-General of Health can issue a waiver on a case-by-case basis. On 1 August 2011, the waiver provision in the Medicines Regulations 1984 was updated.
A waiver application must include a business case and project plan setting out the timeframes for implementation. The attached guidelines set out the requirements and information a waiver application must meet. They include:
- consistency with the National Health IT Plan and other electronic prescribing and safer use of medicines initiatives
- security and authentication requirements
- the identification and rationale for any inconsistencies with legislative requirements, contract/funding requirements and/or the Pharmaceutical Schedule.