Pharmacies are being urged to submit applications for the Regional Pharmacy Transition Allowance (RPTA) Program, which was announced by the Government in Jul with the intention of providing temporary assistance to owners as they transition business arrangements for 60-day prescriptions. According to an explanatory document, when combined with the Regional Pharmacy Maintenance Allowance (RPMA) “the total support for some eligible pharmacies, on average, will largely offset reductions in dispensing revenue for 2023-24”. The allowance commenced on 01 Sep and is paid monthly in arrears to eligible proprietors of Section 90 pharmacies, and is calculated based on the remoteness of the pharmacy according to the Modified Monash Model (MMM) as well as its PBS and RPBS script volume between 01 Apr 2022 and 31 Mar 2023. Pharmacies located within MMM categories two to seven may be eligible to receive the RPTA. The allowance will be phased down over the next four years and will cease on 30 Jun 2027. Applications opened on Mon 09 Oct via the Pharmacy Programs Administrator (PPA) Portal. To receive the payments, the Main Authorised Person (MAP) for the pharmacy must register for the RPTA Program, and then an eligible community pharmacy must also submit a new application. Eligible pharmacies need only submit an application for the RPTA once, with no annual renewal procedures required. Sep RPTA payments will be made in two batches, with eligible pharmacies who submitted an application by 20 Oct to receive their Sep RPTA payment before the end of the month; while those who submit between 21 Oct and 31 Oct will receive their Sep payment at the same time that Oct payments are processed, in the first half of Nov – for full details and to register CLICK HERE. BP