Pharmacy First claim period extended for IT-related delays

Pharmacy owners will be given additional time to claim for the provision of four services if IT issues, outside their control, prevent timely submissions. Effective February 2025, this provision applies to Hypertension Case-Finding, Pharmacy Contraception Service, Pharmacy First, and Smoking Cessation Services. Currently, claims must be submitted via the Manage Your Service (MYS) portal by the 5th of the following month, with late claims accepted only within three months of the actual submission date. Under the new rule, pharmacy owners will have an additional twelve months (from the date by which the claim should have been submitted) to claim payment if they can provide evidence of an IT issue beyond their control that delayed the claim submission. This new provision will be included in Part VIC of the February 2025 Drug Tariff, which will also have a clarification about de-registration from the four advanced services. The clarification will state that pharmacy owners who de-register from providing one of these services cannot re-register for four months after their 30-day notice period ends.