Opioid Dependence Treatment (ODT) Community Pharmacy Program
The new ODT Community Pharmacy Program previously announced by the Minister for Health and Aged Care during May 2023 now has Program Rules that detail the requirements pharmacies must meet in order to participate.
The Program is designed to improve access to and affordability of ODT within the community pharmacy sector, by supporting the delivery of pharmacy services for people in treatment programs for opioid dependence and therefore the ODT Community Pharmacy Program has been established to:
- Introduce nationally consistent payment arrangements for ODT staged supply services provided by Section 90 (s90) community pharmacists
- Provide s90 community pharmacies with a fee for on-site pharmacist administration of injectable buprenorphine by a suitably qualified pharmacist (Subject to their respective state and territory policies and regulations).
Participating Service Providers must agree to accept the payment received under this Program as full payment and provide all aspects of the Program at no cost to participating patients, other than a patient PBS medication co-payment (if applicable).
The following medicines listed on the Section 100 Highly Specialised Drugs Program (Community Access) of the Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits (the PBS Schedule) for the treatment of opioid dependence from 1 July 2023 are eligible for payments under this program:
- methadone oral liquid
- buprenorphine sublingual tablets
- buprenorphine + naloxone sublingual films
- long-acting injectable buprenorphine products.
Service Providers that are interested in participating are required to familiarise themselves with the ODT Community Pharmacy Program Rules.
Please visit the ODT Community Pharmacy Program Page for further program information.