Q. A patient has come in to collect a prescription that was written when they were 59 years old, they are now 60 do they need to pay the prescription charges?

A. The prescription payment is based on the patient’s age when they come to collect the prescription and are asked to pay for it not their age when the prescription is written. The patient is now 60 and would consequently be exempt from paying prescription charges.

The patient should be advised to tick the “over 60” box and sign the declaration on the back of the prescription.

For an electronic prescription the PMR system may determine exemption status based on the dispense notification date and indicate that a prescription charge should be paid. This can be manually overridden to correct the exemption status, and ensure accurate remuneration once submitted.

Tariff Tip written by Sue Swift, UK Drug Tariff and Information Technician