Each of the pilot schemes for electronic transmission of prescriptions (ETP) will cover up to 50 general medical practitioners and the principal pharmacies in the locations which reflect the dispensing of those GPs' prescriptions, according to the Prescription Pricing Authority.
In the December issue of Impact, the PPA's newsletter for contractors, the PPA says that it has set up a separately funded information technology group to handle the ETP pilots. This has been done so that the authority's Category D recovery programme is not affected. (The PPA plans to clear its backlog by September, 2001.)
The PPA plans to be in a position to receive prescription data electronically by April, 2001, and to carry out testing of the pilots from April to December, 2001. Satisfactory pilots will run until June, 2002, with formal evaluation completed by December, 2002.