Z Dispense can be used to dispense prescriptions, report on scripts dispensed, pack medications and send SMS reminders. This guide aims to cover the basic functions of the Z Dispense program.

To open Z Dispense

1. Double-click the Z Dispense icon  on the desktop

Login

To login to Z Dispense, you will need your Pharmacist Initials and Z Office Password. If you don't have a Z Office password, you can leave this blank.

You are able to type in the Pharmacist Initials field or use the drop down menu to find your pharmacist's initials.

Z Dispense Layout

The Z Dispense screen has 6 main components:

1. The Main Menu
2. The Dispensing Screen
3. The MIMS Info
4. The POS Info
5. The Script History
6. The PBS Activity Log

You can change between two dispensing layouts (BARNEY and RAPIDfire) by press Ctrl+Shift+Tab on your keyboard.

Entering a Patient

Type the patient's surname first then their first name. If they don't exist in the system, select Add New Patient and add all their details. To update the patient selected, press the Pencil button () or press F8 on your keyboard.

Script Types

To dispense a dental prescription, emergency bag or other in the Barney layout, change the Type field to D or B respectively.

The codes for other script types can be found at the bottom of the Z Dispense screen when you have the Type field selected.

To dispense a dental prescription, emergency bag or other in the RAPIDfire layout, click on the Supply Type drop-down menu and select the appropriate option.

Selecting a Drug

To search for a drug, type into the Drug/Item Presc field. You can narrow down your search by adding the form and strength to your search i.e. searching 'amox cap 500' will search for drugs named 'amox', with form 'cap' and strength '500'.

To search for a drug that has two parts to the name, separate the parts of the name with a comma e.g. 'pana,fort'.

To check for available generics, press F11 after selecting the drug.

Entering Directions

Enter the directions into the Directions field. Most standard sigs will work in Z Dispense and you can create your own custom sigs if you wish. You can enter 'S' into the directions for most medications and it will give you 'standard' directions for the medication. If they have used the medication before, entering 'SS' will use the same directions as their last script. A preview of the 'S' and 'SS' directions will be shown at the bottom of the Z Dispense screen when the Directions field is selected.

Deferring a Script

In the BARNEY layout, add a 'D' to the repeats field i.e. if the script has 5 repeats, enter '5D' into the Repeats field.

In the RAPIDfire layout, select 'Defer this Script' in the Supply Type drop-down menu.

Dispensing a Reg 24

In the BARNEY layout, add an 'R' to the repeats field i.e. if the script has 5 repeats, enter '5R' into the Repeats field.

In the RAPIDfire layout, select 'Reg 24' in the Supply Type drop-down menu.

Script History

You can select how much script history to display by changing the option at the top of the Script History and pressing Refresh.

From the script history, you can right-click a script and select any of the options from the menu. There are options to print, view script details, edit the script and more. The letter that corresponds with each of the options is actually a keyboard shortcut so if you left-click the script in the script history and press a keyboard shortcut it will perform the corresponding action.

In the View Script window, you can check the script's claim status and check if the script has been sold.

Printing a CMI

To print a CMI for the medication you are currently dispensing

1. Press CMI in the MIMS Info section of the Dispense screen
2. Press Print

To search for a medication and print the CMI

1. Go to Z Dispense > Tools > MIMS Info
2. Search for the medication
3. Press CMI
4. Press Print

Printing a PRF

1. Go to Z Dispense > Reports > Patient Reports > Prescription Record Form
2. Select the patient and the year
3. Press OK
4. Press Print

Closing the Claim

Closing the claim is a two-step process.

Closing the Claim

Closing the claim will roll the claim period over to the next period (e.g. 1801 > 1802).

1. Go to Z Dispense > Claims > Actions > Close Claim
   
   
   
   
2. Select 'Yes' to the confirmation prompt
   
   

Finalising the Claim

Finalising the claim will send the claim off to Medicare.

1. Go to Z Dispense > Claims > Actions > Finalise Claim with PBS
   
   
   
   
2. Input your pharmacist initials in the 'Acknowledged By' field, press ENTER to refresh the Claim for Payment / Payment Reconcilliation report and then select 'Finalise Claim'
   
   
   Note

   From the November 2021 update for Z Dispense (v2.4.68+), you will no longer need to press ENTER after entering your initials. After inputting your initials, press Finalise Claim to finish the process.