16Prescriber bag supplies—obtaining benefits by practitioners

#### 16 Prescriber bag supplies—obtaining benefits by practitioners (1) For sections 93, 93AA and 93AB of the Act, a practitioner who is not an approved medical practitioner may obtain a pharmaceutical benefit only if he or she lodges with an approved pharmacist: (a) an order, in duplicate, signed by the practitioner, in accordance with a form approved in writing by the Secretary; or (b) an order, in accordance with subregulation (1A), that is: (i) signed by the practitioner; and (ii) in accordance with an electronic form approved in writing by the Secretary. (1A) For paragraph (1)(b), an order is lodged with an approved pharmacist if: (a) it is lodged in accordance with any approved information technology requirements and by an approved electronic communication; and (b) the practitioner, or an agent of the practitioner, who will receive the pharmaceutical benefit asks the approved pharmacist to supply the pharmaceutical benefit under the order; and (c) the approved pharmacist consents, within the meaning of subsection 5(1) of the Electronic Transactions Act 1999, to the order being lodged, in accordance with any approved information technology requirements and by an approved electronic communication; and (d) the order is accessible by the approved pharmacist. (2) A practitioner who is not an approved medical practitioner may obtain a pharmaceutical benefit under subregulation (1) only once in a calendar month. (3) A practitioner, or an agent of a practitioner, who receives a pharmaceutical benefit under subregulation (1), must: (a) prepare a receipt for the benefit supplied, using the part of the order form identified for that purpose, that includes the following information: (i) the date of supply of the benefit; (ii) if the benefit is received by an agent of the practitioner—the agent’s address; and (b) if the order is lodged in accordance with paragraph (1)(a)—give the receipt to the approved pharmacist supplying the benefit; and (c) if the order is lodged in accordance with paragraph (1)(b): (i) submit the receipt, in accordance with any approved information technology requirements and by an approved electronic communication; and (ii) ensure the receipt is accessible by the approved pharmacist supplying the benefit.