An important prescribing issue has been reported by a small number of customers on Genie v9.3.6 and earlier versions of v9.3.7 when using a particular workflow pattern, which has been detailed in this announcement. If you are currently running these versions please ensure that you update to the latest Genie v9.3.7 dated 11 September 2020.
Depending on the medication you're prescribing, you may need to include an Authority number on the printed script. Rather than writing these out by hand, you can add this number when printing the script if the medication is marked as Authority in the MIMS/drug data in your Genie database.
This article will guide you through how to do this, as well as what to do if you need to prescribe a medication as Authority when it isn't marked as such.
Before you begin
The process for prescribing an Authority medication is, for the most part, the same as prescribing any other medication. Our Prescribing article covers this process, so you should familiarise yourself with the general prescribing steps, as they won't be covered here.
When searching for a medication to prescribe, you'll notice the Code column in the prescribing window.
Any medication with Authority - PBS/RPBS or Authority (Streamlined) listed in this column will ensure that Genie prompts you for authority approval when printing the script. Select the medication and add the prescription to the patient's record as you normally would.
When you print the script using the printer icon above the prescription area in the Clinical window, Genie will start the print job as normal and will then display this prompt:
Clicking the Authority button will bring up the Authority Approval window. At the top of the window, you will see the phone number relevant to the type of Authority you will need; this is the number to call to receive the approval number to display on the printed script. Once you have this number, enter it into the Phone Approval No. field at the bottom of the window, and then click Print.
Adding Authority to a non-Authority medication
Sometimes, you may be advised by a pharmacist or another clinician that a prescription needs to be printed as an Authority script, only to find that the medication does not come up in your search results with Authority in the Code column.
In this case, you can use the Add New Drug button in the prescribing window to create a new instance of that medication. When Genie asks whether you would like to create a new drug or a copy of the one you've selected, select the Copy option. You will then be able to set the specific code you need for prescribing the medication, and this version of it will be available in searches whenever you need to prescribe it again in future.
For more information about adding medications in this way, see the Adding a new drug section of our Prescribing article.