Residential aged care homes have been given another three months to transition to electronic prescribing-conformant electronic National Residential Medication Chart (eNRMC) systems.
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has extended the implementation deadline from December 31, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
The transitional arrangement that allows aged care homes to continue using existing eNRMC systems has also been extended until March 31.
The department said the extension followed feedback from aged care providers and software vendors about the complexity of migrating residents’ medication charts.
It said the additional time was intended to reduce operational risks while maintaining accurate prescribing and continuity of care during the transition.
Conformant eNRMC systems are intended to improve visibility of medicines that have been prescribed, supplied and administered, as well as reduce administrative work and improve medication management.
Residential aged care providers and software vendors have been asked to continue transition work, including system migration, staff training, testing and medication chart re-creation ahead of the new deadline.
The department said it would continue working with software vendors and aged care peak bodies to monitor progress and address issues during implementation.
The eNRMC conformance status tracker and Australian Digital Health Agency conformance register are also being updated to reflect the revised timeframes.
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