In general, monthly prescriptions are dispensed by pharmacies on a monthly or 28-day basis depending on the type of medicine and the form in which it is packaged by the manufacturer. A prescriber may, on occasion, request that patients are only supplied with one week's supply of medicine at a time, due to the nature of the medicines involved and/or any ongoing safety concerns for the patient. In such circumstances, the prescription would be required to be dispensed by the pharmacy on a weekly basis, and this would be governed by the particular patient's care needs. This is known as phased dispensing and a fee is paid to a pharmacist for this service.
Claims by pharmacists for phased dispensing fees are only valid in certain narrow circumstances, where the dispensing on multiple supply occasions is:
- at the request of a patient's physician;
- due to the inherent nature of the medicine in terms of product stability and shelf life;
- where a patient is commencing new drug therapy with a view to establishing patient tolerance and acceptability before continuing on a full treatment regimen;
- in exceptional circumstances where the patient is incapable of safely and effectively managing the medication regimen.