Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) - Patient Category Report

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) began in 1948, and continues to provide timely, reliable and affordable access to necessary medicines for Australians today. The PBS is managed by the Department of Health and administered by the Department of Human Services.

The Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) is subsidised by the [Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA)] (http://www.dva.gov.au/), and can be used by veterans who have a DVA White, Gold or Orange Card.

Under the PBS, which includes the RPBS, the Australian government subsidises the cost of medicine for most medical conditions. Most of the listed medicines are dispensed by pharmacists, and used by patients at home. Some medicines are administered in hospital. Read more about the PBS on their website.

The PBS Schedule is part of the wider Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and lists all of the medicines available to be dispensed to patients at a Government-subsidised price. The Schedule is updated monthly.

The Patient Category Report: this report contains the number and total benefit amount of PBS and RPBS services by patient category. The patient category determines how much the patient contributes to the cost of their medicine and refers to the patient's eligibility status at the time of supply of the benefit. Patient categories are listed in the file's metadata. Current and historical patient co-payment amounts and safety net thresholds can be found on the [PBS website] (http://www.pbs.gov.au/pbs/home).

Statistics are supplied for both the PBS and RPBS, and are provided in the following formats:

Excel: The human readable data for the current year is located in an individual excel file. Historical data (1992-2014) may be found in the relevant zipped excel file.
CSV: The machine readable data for the current year is provided in an individual csv file. Historical data (1992-2014) may be found in the relevant zipped csv file.

Additional Medicare statistics may be found on the Department of Human Services website and data.gov.au.

Disclaimer: The information and data contained in the reports and tables have been provided by Medicare Australia for general information purposes only. While Medicare Australia takes care in the compilation and provision of the information and data, it does not assume or accept any liability for the accuracy, quality, suitability and currency of the information or data, or for any reliance on the information or data. Medicare Australia recommends that users exercise their own care, skill and diligence with respect to the use and interpretation of the information and data.