Aged Care On-site Pharmacist (ACOP) Measure Tier 1 – Community Pharmacy claims and receives payments

The Aged Care On-site Pharmacist (ACOP) Measure responds to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, in particular Recommendation 38, and is intended to improve medication management and safety for residents through aged care credentialed pharmacists working on-site in RACHs in a clinical role.

 
Under Tier 1 of the Measure, eligible RACHs can identify and partner with a Section 90 community pharmacy to provide an ACOP to the home. Under this arrangement, the community pharmacy claims and receives payments to engage an ACOP to be placed in a particular RACH. RACHs and pharmacies are able to participate in Tier 1 of the Measure from 1 July 2024. Pharmacies will receive funding via monthly claims in the PPA Portal with PPA Portal registration and claiming functionality in relation to Tier 1 of the Measure available from 1 July 2024.

Information about the alternative Tier 2 of the Measure will shortly be available on a separate webpage. Under Tier 2 of the Measure RACHs claim and receive payments to engage an ACOP to work at the home. Note that RACHs can only participate in Tier 2 of the Measure where they have been unsuccessful in sourcing an ACOP from at least one community pharmacy, under Tier 1 of the Measure.   

The ACOP Measure aims to:

  • Improve medication use and safety in the residential aged care home, including safe and appropriate use of high risk medications
  • Provide for continuity in medication management, such as day-to-day review of medications and prompt issue resolution
  • Provide easy access to pharmacist advice for residents and staff
  • Integrate on-site pharmacists with the health care team, including local general practitioners, nurses and community pharmacy
  • Increase understanding and response to individual resident needs.

The role of the ACOP can be found here.

Community Pharmacy Eligibility

See Section 5.1 of the ACOP Measure Tier 1 Rules for community pharmacy eligibility.  

Section 94 Pharmacies and public or private hospitals are not eligible to access funding to provide an ACOP via the Measure.

 

Residential Aged Care Home Eligibility

See Section 5.3 of the ACOP Measure Tier 1 Rules for RACH eligibility. RACHs will be eligible to receive differing levels of ACOP support based upon the number of beds at the home. The following table outlines the ACOP Full Time Employment (FTE) entitlement under the Measure for RACHs of differing sizes.

RACH Bed Band FTE rate, per eligible home† Maximum on-site days per week‡ Maximum on-site days per month Maximum on-site days per financial year* Maximum annual pharmacy payment amount based on FTE (ex GST)
1-50 0.2 1 5 45.5 $27,595.75
51-100 0.4 2 10 91 $55,191.50
101-150 0.6 3 15 136.5 $82,787.25
151-200 0.8 4 19 182 $110,383.00
201-250 1.0 5 23 228 $138,282.00
251-300 1.2 6 28 237.5 $165,877.75
≥301 1.4 7 33 319 $193,473.50

† based on 1FTE ACOP per 250 beds
‡ on-site days are as per regular schedule with RACH
*This is to ensure that pharmacies are not paid over their maximum annual entitlement. If the ACOP works the maximum on-site days each month, then the maximum days which can be worked per financial year will be reached before the end of the financial year.

RACHs providing respite-only care are not eligible to access an ACOP through the Measure.

 

Aged Care On-Site Pharmacist Eligibility

See section 5.2 of the ACOP Measure Tier 1 Rules for ACOP eligibility.

To support uptake of the ACOP Measure and transition of MMR credentialed pharmacists to an ACOP role, MMR credentialed pharmacists will be grandfathered as Aged Care On-Site Pharmacist credentialed temporarily until 30 June 2025.

MMR credentialed pharmacists participating in the Measure will need to have undertaken additional education required to gain Aged Care On-Site Pharmacist credentialing through an Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) accredited training course or APC accredited Aged Care On-Site Pharmacist recognition of prior learning (RPL) process by 1 July 2025.

A RACH and Section 90 pharmacy that have agreed to work together to participate in Tier 1 of the Measure must complete and sign a Service Authorisation. A RACH can only work with one pharmacy and have one active Service Authorisation in the Measure. The community pharmacy is responsible for ensuring the Service Authorisation is submitted using the correct template which can be found here on the PPA website. Community pharmacies must ensure that ACOPs do not start work at the RACH until the Service Authorisation is submitted via the PPA Portal and approved by the PPA. 

The ACOP Measure is designed as an alternative to services delivered under the RMMR and QUM programs and as such a RACH is unable to have an RMMR and/or QUM agreement in place if they are participating in the ACOP Measure.

In circumstances where a RACH currently receiving RMMR and/or QUM services intends to commence participation in the ACOP Measure, the RMMR/QUM Provider must be given 30 days prior written notice of the RACH’s intention to end their RMMR/QUM Service Agreement. Where a RACH participating in Tier 1 of the Measure wants to change the pharmacy it is partnering with, the current pharmacy must be given 30 days prior written notice of the RACH’s intention to change partners. 

Once notice of cessation is provided and the new Service Authorisation has been approved by the PPA, the ACOP may start working on-site at the RACH. From the date that notice of cessation to an existing RMMR/QUM/ACOP Provider is issued, the terminated Provider can deliver services for a further 30 days. Usual claiming deadlines will apply to services delivered during this 30 day period. QUM services to be claimed under the QUM Program and RMMR services to be claimed under the RMMR Program cannot be undertaken by an ACOP at any point in time in a RACH where they are engaged as an ACOP. This includes during the notice period referred to above.

Claiming

PPA Portal registration and claiming functionality in respect of Tier 1 of the Measure is available from 1 July 2024.

Pharmacies receive funding for ACOPs provided under Tier 1 of the Measure via monthly claims in the PPA Portal.

To participate and claim in respect of Tier 1 of the ACOP Measure, eligible pharmacies must first:

  • Reach agreement with an eligible RACH to provide an ACOP to that RACH under the Measure
  • Create a Service Provider account in the Pharmacy Programs Administrator Portal (note: the majority of pharmacies already have a Service Provider account in the PPA Portal as a result of their participation in other pharmacy programs administered by PPA)
  • Register for the Measure in the PPA Portal (this step must be done by the Main Authorised Person for the pharmacy’s Portal account)
  • Register the relationship with the RACH they have agreed to partner with in the PPA Portal, including uploading the Service Authorisation signed by the pharmacy and RACH.

ACOPs can only work on-site at a RACH under the Measure on or after the Start Date listed in the PPA Portal for that RACH relationship following PPA approval of the Service Authorisation.

Payments to pharmacies can be claimed via the PPA Portal and are submitted as a single monthly claim for each RACH the pharmacy is partnered with based on the number of days an ACOP worked on-site at that RACH during the month. Claims in respect of each calendar month are made in arrears and must be submitted by the end of the following calendar month (i.e. ACOP days worked in July must be claimed between 1 and 31 August). There is a maximum number of days that can be claimed in respect of a participating RACH, based upon that home’s bed numbers and corresponding ACOP FTE entitlement (see RACH Eligibility above). For example, in respect of a RACH eligible to receive 1.0 FTE ACOP, the partnering pharmacy can claim up to 228 on-site days per financial year. This reflects the maximum possible working days for a full-time employee taking into account an assumed 20 days of annual leave and a maximum of 13 public holidays.   

For more information on how to register and claim in the PPA Portal, an ACOP Measure Tier 1 (Pharmacy) Portal User Guide will be made available in the Rules and Other Downloads section on 1 July.

 

Payments

Community pharmacies will be paid $606.50 (plus GST) for each full day that a pharmacy engaged ACOP is working on-site at a RACH. The payment is intended to cover the ACOP’s pay and on-costs.

Time travelling to/from a RACH, and transport or accommodation costs are not included in funding for the Measure.

Information such as how the daily payment rate was calculated, the maximum days that can be worked on-site at particular RACHs, and matters the pharmacy should consider when determining the appropriate payment to be made to the ACOP can be found in section 7.1 of the ACOP Measure Tier 1 Rules.

Community pharmacies, RACHs and ACOPs participating in the Measure may be subject to audits by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (or its representative) to ensure compliance with the ACOP Measure Tier 1 Rules. Participating Providers and individuals must provide all records requested as part of such audit(s).

The ACOP must maintain a weekly timesheet and activities summary, signed by a RACH representative, for auditing purposes.

The community pharmacy must:

  • Retain full and accurate records (i.e. rosters, payslips, the ACOP’s signed weekly timesheet and activities summaries etc) in relation to the engagement and provision of ACOPs for no less than seven years after the request for payment
  • Such records must be kept in a manner that permits them to be conveniently and properly audited.

An audit may include:

  • Requests for verification by the RACH of the ACOP’s days/hours reported by the community pharmacy when seeking payment of Measure funds
  • Requests for verification by the RACH of regular working arrangements and activities undertaken by the ACOP.

Community pharmacies that wrongfully or incorrectly receive payments under this Measure and/or do not meet the requirements set out in the ACOP Measure Tier 1 Rules may be subject to compliance action (as determined by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care) and repayment may be required. Under section 137.1 of the Criminal Code, giving false and misleading information is a serious offence. If an audit/compliance action is to be conducted, community pharmacies will be required to produce documentation within a specified time frame.

Eligibility and Participation Requirements

  1. Section 90 community pharmacies will be able to register in the PPA Portal to provide ACOPs under Tier 1 of the Measure from 1 July 2024.

    Registered community pharmacies will only be able to claim in relation to the Measure in respect of RACHs they have agreed to partner with and provide ACOPs to. A Service Authorisation available here, must be uploaded into the PPA Portal to evidence the agreement of a particular community pharmacy and RACH to work together in relation to Tier 1 of the Measure. 

    ACOPs must not start work at a RACH under the Measure until the corresponding signed Service Authorisation has been reviewed by the PPA and approved in the PPA Portal. See Service Authorisation FAQs below.

    For detailed instructions on registering in the PPA Portal, please refer to the ACOP Measure Tier 1 (Pharmacy) Portal User Guide.

  2. For a RACH to be eligible to receive an ACOP via a community pharmacy under the Measure, the RACH must be:

    – An aged care home that receives a residential care home subsidy from the Australian Government in accordance with the Aged Care Act 1997, or

    – A Multi-Purpose Services (MPS), or

    – An Australian Government funded transition care facility, or

    – Receiving funding under the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care program.

    RACHs providing respite-only care are not eligible to receive an ACOP under the Measure.

    The amount of support, in terms of the ACOP FTE entitlement, that a RACH is eligible to receive corresponds to the number of bed numbers at the RACH. See Table 1 in the ACOP Measure Tier 1 Rules for a breakdown of the FTE entitlement based on the number of beds at a RACH.

  3. Through Tier 1 of the Measure, eligible community pharmacies (see FAQ 5 in this section) will be able to access funding to engage an ACOP to place on-site in an eligible RACH.

    From 1 July 2024, community pharmacies will be able to partner with a RACH to provide an ACOP to work on-site at the home. Pharmacies will be able to claim ACOP funds monthly in arrears.

  4. The RACH must have adopted or commit to adopting the electronic National Residential Medication Chart (eNRMC) within 12 months. It is part of the ACOP’s role description to assist the RACH with the implementation of the eNRMC.

  5. All approved Section 90 community pharmacies can participate in the Measure, provided they are able to identify a RACH that would like to partner with them in relation to the Measure. The community pharmacy placing the ACOP in the RACH may be the community pharmacy supplying medications to the RACH or another pharmacy.

  6. Whilst local community pharmacies will be encouraged to participate in the Measure with their local RACH/s, community pharmacy participation is not restricted based on the pharmacy’s location or proximity to the RACH. This is to support the working relationships already developed between a RACH and their community pharmacy.

  7. ACOPs will be required to be credentialed and hold a valid credential number. In order to be credentialed, pharmacists must complete an ACOP training program accredited by the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC).

    See also FAQ on transition arrangements to participate in the Measure in section below, ACOP Credentialing, Responsibilities and Work Hours.

  8. It is not mandatory for RACHs or community pharmacies to participate. Where an ACOP is not engaged, there will continue to be funding for aged care residents and RACHs to receive pharmacist support under the Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) and Residential Medication Management Review (RMMR) Pharmacy Programs. The continuation of QUM and RMMR Pharmacy Programs in the longer term are subject to future funding arrangements.

Funding/Remuneration

  1. The amount of support, in terms of the ACOP FTE entitlement, that a RACH is eligible to receive corresponds to the number of bed numbers at the RACH. See Table 1 in the ACOP Measure Tier 1 Rules for a breakdown of the FTE entitlement based on the number of beds at a RACH.

    There is a maximum number of on-site days that may be claimed by the pharmacy each month and financial year in respect of each RACH. The maximum number of on-site days that may be claimed is based upon the relevant RACH’s:

    – FTE entitlement, based on the total RACH bed numbers, and; 

    – A calculation regarding the maximum anticipated monthly/annual ACOP work days associated with that FTE entitlement.

    Note that total bed numbers refer to the maximum capacity of the RACH.

    Claims can only be made for days an ACOP actually spent time working on-site at the RACH under the Measure. Days not worked on-site due to annual leave, personal leave, public holidays or any other reason are not eligible for payment.

  2. Under Tier 1, the Measure funding will be paid to the community pharmacy.

  3. The payment model in relation to the Measure has been designed to be flexible to support ACOPs engaged as either permanent employees, casual employees or contractors. In particular, the value of payments available under the Measure have been designed to ensure they are able to support the employment of permanent staff, including paying the ACOP during periods of annual leave, personal leave and on public holidays.

  4. Pharmacies will need to determine the appropriate salary or hourly rates for their ACOPs based upon their individual circumstances including the manner in which they intend to engage the ACOP, for example:

    – ACOPs employed as permanent employees will receive legislated leave entitlements and are likely to receive a lower hourly rate to recognise the periods for which they will be paid when not working. In determining the appropriate salary for a permanent employee, the pharmacy will need to consider the potential that the maximum payment amount is not received in any given year in circumstances where the employee takes one or more days of paid personal leave.

    – ACOPs engaged as casual or contract workers may be able to be paid a higher hourly rate, reflecting the fact the ACOP may not be entitled to leave entitlements and may not be paid when taking annual leave or when absent due to illness.

    Where a pharmacy agrees to engage an ACOP at a rate higher than the government funded amount, the additional payments to the ACOP (above funding provided through the Measure) would be funded by the employer.

  5. The funding and maximum payments outlined in Table 2 of the Tier 1 Rules represent the totality of funding available under the Measure and no additional funds or financial incentives are available. 

  6. No, travel time to the place of work i.e. the RACH, does not count as time on-site.

    Pharmacies cannot charge a RACH to provide an ACOP to work on-site or for any activities undertaken by that ACOP under the Measure. However, should the RACH or pharmacy wish to, they can provide funds to the ACOP for travel related costs associated with getting to and from the RACH. This would be at the expense of the RACH or pharmacy and is not considered to be part of the ACOP pay or on-costs associated with the Measure.

ACOP Credentialing, Responsibilities and Work Hours

  1. To support uptake of the Measure and transition of MMR credentialed pharmacists to an ACOP role, MMR credentialed pharmacists will be grandfathered as ACOP credentialed temporarily until 30 June 2025.

    MMR credentialed pharmacists will be required to commit to gaining an ACOP credential through an APC-accredited ACOP training program or an APC-accredited ACOP recognition of prior learning process within 12 months.

    From 1 July 2025 all pharmacists working in an ACOP role must hold an ACOP credential and have been issued with an ACOP Credential Number from their chosen training provider.

  2. For Tier 1 of the ACOP Measure, only s90 community pharmacies who have agreed to partner with a RACH to provide an ACOP are eligible to claim and receive payment. Sole traders, Pty Ltd Companies and non-PBS pharmacies are not eligible to register or claim under Tier 1 of the Measure. Further information for Tier 2, under which RACHs can engage an ACOP and claim for the Measure will shortly be available on a separate webpage.

  3. The ACOP role description can be found here. The duties the ACOP is to undertake may differ at each RACH and should be discussed between the individual RACH and pharmacy, however must be consistent with the ACOP role description.

    Please note the PPA cannot provide any clinical advice or guidance regarding the specific activities listed in the ACOP role description.

    The ACOP will need to maintain a weekly timesheet and activities summary, to be signed by a RACH employee.

    The pharmacy engaging the ACOP will need to ensure that the weekly time sheet and activities summaries are retained for audit purposes. The pharmacy will be required to provide these records, as well as other relevant documents such as payslips, to the PPA if requested. 

  4. To ensure certainty and continuity of service, ACOPs must work to a regular schedule, as agreed with the RACH.  ACOPs must work in either half day (3.8 hour) or full day shifts at the RACH.

    The ACOP must be on-site on a weekly basis (excepting periods of Annual Leave).  The day worked on-site each week do not need to be the same days each but should be worked out in advance and agreed with the RACH.

    Pharmacies are not permitted to provide ACOPs, when funded under the Measure, to the RACH in an ad-hoc manner based upon pharmacy operational requirements.

    If the RACH is located in a Modified Monash 5-7 location, the ACOP’s days over the month may be worked in a condensed period. For more detailed information, see section 5.8 in the ACOP Measure Tier 1 Rules.

  5. To ensure continuity of service, it is intended that in general, it should be the same ACOP or ACOPs working on-site at the RACH on a week-to-week basis. It is recognised that there may be staff turnover from time-to-time, however pharmacies should not be switching ACOPs sent to the same RACH on a regular basis. Specifically:

    – Where a RACH is entitled to 0.2 FTE based on their bed band, only one ACOP should be rostered by the pharmacy to work on-site at the home.

    – In cases where the RACH is entitled to 0.4 FTE based on their bed band, a maximum of 2 different ACOPs can be rostered by the pharmacy to the home to share the role responsibilities.

    – In cases where the RACH is entitled to 0.6 FTE or more based on their bed numbers, a maximum of three different ACOPs can be rostered by the pharmacy to the RACH under the Measure to share the ACOP responsibilities.

  6. No, if a RACH is participating in the Measure, they are not able to have an active RMMR or QUM Service Agreement at the same time. The ACOP role incorporates medication management, such as day-to-day monitoring and review of residents’ medication and support prompt resolution of medication issues with local General Practitioners and the supplying pharmacy.

    QUM services to be claimed under the QUM Program, and RMMR services to be claimed under the RMMR Program cannot be undertaken by a pharmacist at any point in time in a RACH where they are also engaged as an ACOP for that RACH.

  7. All the ACOP’s activities need to be conducted on-site in the RACH. However, ACOPs can participate in RACH level Medication Advisory Committee (MAC) meetings if these are conducted virtually. A provision for a corporate level MAC meeting has not been implemented. Further details are provided in the ACOP Measure Tier 1 Rules.

  8. Not on days when the ACOP is working on-site at the RACH under the Measure. In keeping with pharmacists working on-site in a clinical role, medicine or medical device supply or delivery (e.g., from a pharmacy to a RACH) or medicine re-packaging (e.g., into Dose Administration Aids) are not funded through this Measure.

  9. No, vaccinations administered and claimed as part of the NIPVIP Program or the CVCP Program must occur outside of claimed ACOP working hours.

  10. Yes, provided all activities related to the provision of the vaccinations occur outside of claimed ACOP time on-site.

  11. Yes, obtaining employment in a RACH as an ACOP does not preclude other employment opportunities.

  12. Yes, working as an ACOP does not preclude other employment opportunities. The ACOP must work on-site in the RACH to a regular schedule as agreed with the RACH.

  13. The ACOP will undertake frequent and timely reviews of medications. Unlike the RMMR program, a referral from an eligible medical practitioner is not a requirement. It is expected that the ACOP will build collaboration with the health care team at the aged care home, including the GP.

    The ACOP will provide the results of any reviews of medications to the responsible GP and monitor for any action taken, recommending case conferencing if necessary.

    In addition, the ACOP will identify residents who may benefit from more frequent reviews of medications, including but not limited to:

    – Following hospitalisation

    – Following a specialist appointment

    – Following a fall.

Service Authorisations and RACH related questions for community pharmacies

  1. All approved Section 90 community pharmacies can participate in the Measure, provided they are able to identify a RACH that would like to partner with them in relation to the Measure. The community pharmacy placing the ACOP in the RACH may be the community pharmacy supplying medications to the RACH or another pharmacy.

    The Main Authorised Person for the pharmacy’s PPA Portal account can register the pharmacy for the Measure in the PPA Portal from 1 July 2024. The relationship and associated Service Authorisation with the RACH should then be registered.

    For detailed instructions on registering in the PPA Portal, please refer to the ACOP Measure Tier 1 (Pharmacy) Portal User Guide.

  2. Pharmacies must have agreed to partner with a RACH to provide them with an ACOP under Tier 1 of the Measure.

    This must be in the form of a signed Service Authorisation using the template approved by the Department of Health and Aged Care. This will need to be uploaded by the pharmacy into the PPA Portal when registering the relationship with the RACH. Please note signed Service Authorisations that are not in the approved template will be rejected by the PPA. The registration must have been approved in the PPA Portal before an ACOP can begin working at the RACH under the Measure.

  3. Each individual NAPS ID is required to have a separate Service Authorisation to participate in the Measure. Whether RACHs require one or two Service Authorisations will depend on whether the whole RACH has one or two NAPS IDs.

    For example, where a home has a NAPS ID for one part of the home and a different NAPS ID for another part of the home, two separate Service Authorisations will be required, one for each NAPS ID, as they will need to register these as two separate relationships within the PPA Portal. The FTE entitlement will then be calculated separately for each Service Authorisation based on the bed numbers associated with that NAPS ID. Claims for on-site days will need to be made separately for each NAPS ID, however it may be the same ACOP(s) providing on-site days across both.

  4. All Service Authorisations must be signed by the pharmacy owner and the RACH Manager.

    Where the RACH is part of a broader corporate or not-for-profit group the Service Authorisation must also be signed by someone at the head office. This is to ensure that both the head office and staff at the RACH are aware of and agree to the partnership between the RACH and the community pharmacy.

  5. No. There is no set end date to a Service Authorisation. Should either party wish to end the relationship, 30 days prior written notice to terminate must be provided to the other party. 

  6. You should first reach out to the RACH to confirm if they already have an ACOP/RMMR/QUM Service Provider.

    If the RACH is unaware of whether they have an active ACOP/RMMR/QUM relationship then the PPA can inform a pharmacy if a RACH already has a Provider; however, for privacy reasons, we are unable to tell pharmacies who the RACH’s Provider is.

    A RACH can only hold an ACOP relationship with one pharmacy. Additionally, a RACH cannot participate in ACOP if they have not provided notice of contract termination to any RMMR/QUM Service Providers. If they are intending to begin participating in ACOP or to change ACOP Providers, the RACH must give 30 days written notice to their current ACOP/QUM/RMMR Provider(s) of the change. For more detailed information see section 5.5 in the ACOP Measure Tier 1 Rules.

  7. It is the RACH’s responsibility to notify the ACOP and the pharmacy of any upcoming changes to the RACH and its operational status (closure, merger) that might impact its eligibility for the Measure. A pharmacy can only submit claims under the Measure if the RACH they have a partnership with was operational and had a current NAPS ID during the month of work being claimed.

  8. The PPA is provided data on the number of funded operational beds at an eligible RACH by the Department of Health and Aged Care. The bed number reflects the total number of eligible beds at the RACH regardless of whether they are occupied by a resident. This bed number will be used to assign the RACH a bed band for claiming purposes.

  9. The bed bands and associated FTE allocated to each RACH will be based on bed number data provided to the PPA in June and December each year. Increased or decreased RACH ACOP FTE entitlements will be implemented for the first full month after the data is provided.

    For example, a bed number increase from 150 to 160 beds in December data will result in a higher bed band and an increase in associated FTE entitlement from 0.6 FTE to 0.8 FTE. This change will apply to the ACOP days able to be worked and claimed under the Measure. The change in FTE entitlement will apply from January.

  10. To terminate a partnership between a pharmacy and a RACH, 30 days prior written notice to terminate must be provided to the other party. 

    The RACH cannot sign an ACOP Service Authorisation (or a Service Agreement for RMMR/QUM) with a new Provider until they have given notice to the old ACOP Provider.

  11. Should the RACH decide to receive RMMR/QUM Program services instead of a pharmacist under the ACOP Measure you will have 30 days from the date you are notified of the termination of your ACOP Service Authorisation for ACOP activities to continue. Normal claiming deadlines will apply to claims submitted for this 30 day period. During these 30 days the RMMR/QUM Program Service Provider may also be undertaking activities at the home.

  12. No, at no point in time can a pharmacist provide RMMR services to be claimed under the RMMR Program or QUM services to be claimed under the QUM Program in a RACH where they are engaged as an ACOP. This includes during the period of time described in the question above.

  13. Yes, under the Measure an individual s90 community pharmacy can have a Service Authorisation with more than one RACH.

  14. No, you cannot charge a resident or the RACH for providing an ACOP or for any activities undertaken by the ACOP under Tier 1 of the Measure.

  15. Yes, this statement is referring specifically to not charging a RACH to place an ACOP in the RACH or for activities undertaken by an ACOP, as per the ACOP role description and as funded under the Measure.

  16. No, PPA patient consent forms are not required as the PPA does not require resident specific information to make ACOP Measure payments to the pharmacy. Please note this advice only applies to PPA claiming, the RACH may require other consent to be obtained for activities undertaken by the ACOP. The ACOP should check this with the RACH.

Claiming

  1. From 1 July 2024, pharmacies can register in the PPA Portal for the Measure. Those pharmacies who have a partnership with a RACH can then register their relationship with that RACH by completing and uploading the Service Authorisation.

    An ACOP must not start working at the RACH under the Measure until a Service Authorisation has been submitted and subsequently approved by the PPA, please see section 5.5 in the ACOP Measure Tier 1 Rules for more information.

    Claims in respect of each calendar month are made in arrears and must be submitted by the end of the following calendar month.

    For instructions on how to register and claim for the Measure please refer to the ACOP Measure Tier 1 (Pharmacy) Portal User Guide.

  2. Claims are submitted in arrears for days worked at a RACH by the ACOP over a calendar month.

    Claims are due by the end of the calendar month following the month in which the on-site days have been worked, e.g. the monthly claim for on-site days worked in August must be submitted between the first and last day of September. Claims that are outside this timeframe, that are not eligible, or that do not meet the ACOP Measure Tier 1 Rules cannot be submitted and will not be paid.

    A separate single claim must be submitted by the pharmacy for each RACH the pharmacy has partnered with and provided an ACOP to during the month.

  3. Community pharmacies will be paid $606.50 (plus GST) for each day that a pharmacy-engaged ACOP is working on-site at a RACH. The payment is intended to cover the cost of the ACOP including their pay and on-costs. See Funding/Remuneration FAQs above.

    There is a maximum number of on-site days that can be claimed each financial year in respect of each RACH. The maximum number of on-site days that may be paid is based upon the relevant RACH’s:

    – FTE entitlement, based on the number of RACH beds (refer to Section 5.6 and Table 2 below for details), and; 

    – A calculation regarding the maximum anticipated annual ACOP work days associated with that FTE entitlement.

    Payments made under the Measure cannot be used for anything other than the ACOP’s pay including on-costs. 

    For detailed information about payments to pharmacies, please see section 7.1 in the ACOP Measure Tier 1 Rules.

  4. The PPA Portal will pay claims for days worked up to the maximum monthly or financial year entitlement. This is based on:

    – The maximum number of days which could be worked in a month based on a regular working schedule and the RACH’s relevant FTE

    – The maximum number of days which could be worked in a financial year without exceeding the maximum annual payment amount.

    Claims containing days worked over the maximum monthly or financial year entitlement will receive an error message advising that the days claimed must not exceed the relevant cap. For more information see section 7 in the ACOP Measure Tier 1 Rules.

  5. The ACOP must:

    – Maintain a weekly activities summary and time sheet. This must be signed by a RACH representative. A template can be found here.

    The pharmacy must:

    – Retain copies of the ACOP weekly timesheet and activities summary completed by the ACOP, signed by a RACH representative, for no less than seven years after the request for payment

    – Retain full and accurate records (i.e. timesheets, payslips etc) in relation to the engagement and provision of ACOPs, for no less than seven years after the request for payment

    – Such records must be kept in a manner that permits them to be conveniently and properly audited.

  6. No, claims can only reflect actual time spent on-site performing services under the Measure. Where the ACOP was unable to work at the RACH, that day should not be claimed. If however, an alternative ACOP worked on-site during this time, these days can be counted and claimed. The alternative ACOP’s details will need to be entered into the claim form and evidence will need to be retained relating to their engagement.

  7. The PPA cannot provide specific information on MBS items as we do not administer the Medicare Benefits Schedule. Pharmacists, Specialists and GPs with MBS item questions will need to contact the administrator of the Medicare Benefits Schedule, Services Australia.

FAQs for RACHs

  1. A RACH can approach community pharmacies to ask if they would like to partner with them to provide an ACOP to work on-site under the Tier 1 of the Measure.

    RACHs wanting to claim and receive payments to engage an ACOP will have the opportunity to do so under Tier 2 of the Measure. Further information regarding the engagement of ACOPs by RACHs will be published shortly on a separate ACOP Measure Tier 2 webpage.

  2. No, a RACH may choose to have the ACOP on-site for reduced hours that better suits their needs. A regular working schedule must still be in place in addition to the requirement for the ACOP to be on-site for half day (3.8 hours) blocks.

    For example, a RACH may be eligible under the Measure funds to have an ACOP on-site for a total of 20 days in a month. The RACH may choose to have the ACOP on-site for a total of 15 days in that month.

  3. No, if a RACH is participating in the ACOP Measure, they are unable to participate in the RMMR Program or the QUM Program.

  4. Yes. Transition out periods are covered in the ACOP Measure Tier 1 Rules.

The Aged Care On-Site Pharmacist (ACOP) Measure for Pharmacy Resources

ACOP Role Description


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