Electronic Prescriptions (escripts)

What escripts adds

With escripts connected, activating a prescription in Scripter also sends it electronically to the escripts exchange — Australia's veterinary e-prescription network. The owner receives a QR code (by email, and on your screen) that any participating pharmacy can scan to dispense. Nothing about your workflow changes otherwise, and the paper prescription always remains valid on its own — if the exchange is ever unreachable, Scripter falls back to your normal paper flow automatically.

Connecting your account

One-time setup, about a minute:

1. Complete Scripter verification first — escripts relies on your verified registration details.
2. Create your escripts account at the escripts site and claim your board registration there. escripts verifies you independently (it's the national prescriber register — this is what lets pharmacies trust the signature on your scripts).
3. In Scripter: Account → Verification → escripts card → Connect to escripts. No form — Scripter uses your registration state and number automatically.

The card shows your status:

If connecting says "No escripts identity found", finish step 2 — you haven't claimed your registration on escripts yet. You can pause electronic sending any time from the same card; prescriptions revert to paper-only.

What changes when you prescribe

A few fields now matter more, because the exchange enforces your state's rules automatically:

• Prescribing state — defaults from your clinic's state; it determines which jurisdiction's rules (validity period, repeat limits, paper handling) apply.
• Species class (companion / production) — pre-selected from the species you pick; override it for food-producing animals kept as pets or vice versa.
• Schedule 8 — the S8 checkbox now travels with the prescription. S8 scripts get stricter rules (e.g. single medication, shorter validity, paper deadlines).
• Quantity — write it as amount + unit (e.g. "20 tablets", "1 bottle") so it transmits cleanly.
• Microchip (optional) — helps pharmacies confirm they're dispensing for the right animal and powers cross-prescription safety checks.

Each medication on your prescription becomes its own electronic script (that's how the exchange works — one medication per script, which is also the S8 rule).

After you activate: the owner code

When the prescription is sent, Scripter shows a dialog with, per medication:

• a QR code and an 8-character pharmacy code — show it to the owner to photograph, or just click Done if the email went through;
• an "Emailed to owner" badge when escripts delivered the link to the owner's email.

The owner takes the QR/code to any participating pharmacy (there's a pharmacy search on the escripts owner site). The pharmacist scans it, sees the verified prescription, and dispenses. Repeats are handled by the exchange — after each supply the owner automatically gets a fresh code for the next one.

Cancelling

Cancelling in Scripter also cancels the electronic scripts immediately — the owner's code stops working straight away. One special case: if a pharmacy is mid-dispense (they've locked the script at the counter), the electronic cancel is refused until they finish or release it; Scripter will tell you if that happens.

When something can't be sent

Scripter never blocks a prescription because of escripts. Two notices you might see in the confirmation dialog:

• "One medication wasn't sent electronically" with a list of missing fields (e.g. structured quantity, prescribing state) — complete those fields and re-activate, or rely on the paper script. Freeform medications can't be transmitted (no structured drug name) — use guided entry for anything you want sent electronically.
• "escripts was unreachable" — a temporary exchange outage. Your paper prescription is unaffected and remains the legal instrument; print and dispatch as usual.

Paper still matters

Until a state is approved for fully paperless operation, the paper rules of your state continue to apply (e.g. Queensland's requirement to send the paper original to the dispensing pharmacy within the statutory deadline). escripts tracks these deadlines on the pharmacy side, but the obligation remains yours.