Statement on transitioning of NPS MedicineWise programs and services

NPS MedicineWise will cease all operations on 31 December 2022. This follows the recent decision by the Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Mark Butler, to continue with the redesign of the Quality Use of Therapeutics, Diagnostics and Pathology (QUTDP) Program announced in the March 2022 Federal Budget.

Under the redesign, from 1 January 2023, NPS MedicineWise will no longer receive grant funding from the Department of Health and Aged Care to deliver Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) functions. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) will take on core QUM ‘stewardship’ functions while education programs for health professionals and consumers will move to contestable funding.  

Although NPS MedicineWise will no longer operate, a number of our programs and services will be transitioning to other organisations. This statement sets out the transitioning programs and where you can go to seek further information.

Transitioning programs

Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

The following programs and services will be transitioning to the Commission:

  • MedicineInsight
  • MedicineWise App and Doctor's Bag App
  • Choosing Wisely Australia website (www.choosingwisely.org.au)
  • Delivery of the National Medicines Symposium
  • Delivery of MBS and PBS Practice Reviews
  • Secretariat support for the Council of Australian Therapeutic Advisory Groups (CATAG)
  • Value in Prescribing bDMARDs materials
  • NPS MedicineWise website (www.nps.org.au) and online learning platform (https://learn.nps.org.au). (Excludes Australian Prescriber journal and Good Medicine Better Health).

The following programs are transitioning to the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO)

  • Good Medicine Better Health
  • Resources to support medicines use in remote locations

Competitive tender and grant process

The following programs are currently the subject of a competitive tender and grant process for future delivery being managed by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care:

  • Medicines Line and Adverse Medicine Events Line
  • Australian Prescriber journal
  • National Prescribing Curriculum
  • National educational programs for health professionals and consumers

These programs will continue to be delivered by NPS MedicineWise until December 2022. Following this, future service provision will be subject to outcomes of the competitive processes.

Further information on transitioning programs

Australian Prescriber – The final issue of Australian Prescriber journal to be delivered by NPS MedicineWise will be published on 1 December 2022. A new provider is expected to be identified in the coming months. Further details will be made available by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care as they become available. Until then, the journal will continue to be accessible at www.nps.org.au. To minimise disruption, current subscribers have been contacted regarding permission to continue to receive Australian Prescriber emails under a new provider.

Choosing Wisely Australia Responsibility for the Choosing Wisely Australia initiative will transition to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care from 1 December 2022. Existing Choosing Wisely recommendations as well as consumer and health professional resources will continue to be accessible from www.choosingwisely.org.au after this date. The Commission will be in contact with Choosing Wisely Australia member and supporter organisations in the coming months regarding the future of the initiative. Every effort is being made to ensure continuity of the initiative during this transition.

MedicineInsight – The MedicineInsight program will transition to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care from 1 December 2022. At this time, full custodianship of the data will reside with the Commission. Participating practices have been notified of the change in custodianship and their options to remain in the program.

Medicines Line and Adverse Medicine Events Line will continue to be provided by NPS MedicineWise until 15th December 2022. A new provider of this service is expected to be in place either before or shortly thereafter with a view to minimising the risk of any loss of service to consumers. It is expected that 1300 MEDICINE will be retained as the contact number by the new provider. Further details will be made available by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care as they become available.

MedicineWise Apps The management of the MedicineWise app and Doctor's Bag app will be transitioning to the Commission from 1 December 2022. There is not expected to be any impact on current users of these apps as part of this transition.

Medicines use in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – NPS MedicineWise programs and resources to support medicines use in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities will transition to the NACCHO website (https://www.naccho.org.au) from 1 December 2022. Specifically:

  • Good Medicine Better Health – learning modules and consumer resources developed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners and their communities to improve quality use of medicines and medical tests.
  • Resources to support medicines use in remote locations.
  • Principles for producing best possible medicines lists for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Existing users will be able to access the resources on the NACCHO website.

Every effort is being made to ensure continuity of access to resources during this transition. As a precaution, to ensure users retain access to current certificates of completion for Good Medicine Better Health modules, it is recommended that by 25 November 2022, current users: 

  • complete any commenced activities
  • download any certificates of completion for your records.     

For further information, please contact [email protected]

National Prescribing Curriculum (NPC) – The NPC will continue to be available on the NPS MedicineWise online learning platform (accessed via https://learn.nps.org.au). A new provider of this service is expected to be identified in the coming months. Further details will be made available by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care as they become available. Continuity of access to the NPC is expected to be maintained during this period of transition. Current users of the curriculum are strongly encouraged to continue to access and use the curriculum. For any questions, please contact [email protected]

National QUM programs Online content for the majority of NPS MedicineWise programs currently hosted on the NPS MedicineWise website will continue to be available at www.nps.org.au for the immediate future. Delivery of educational visits to general practice by NPS MedicineWise educational visitors will cease on 30 November 2022.

NPS MedicineWise website (including online learning platform) – Responsibility for the NPS MedicineWise website (www.nps.org.au) will transition to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care from 1 December 2022. Access to the majority of existing consumer and health professional content, including online learning programs, will continue to be accessible from www.nps.org.au and https://learn.nps.org.au after this date. Every effort is being made to ensure continuity of access to resources during this transition. For any questions, please contact [email protected]

Council of Australian Therapeutic Advisory Groups (CATAG) – Funding of CATAG will transition to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care from 1 January 2023. The Commission will be in contact with CATAG members and stakeholders in the coming months to discuss the future direction of CATAG. Every effort is being made to ensure continuity throughout the transition.

Value in Prescribing bDMARDs Responsibility for program materials developed as part of this program and currently hosted on the NPS MedicineWise website will be transitioning to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care from 1 December 2022. All resources will remain available at www.nps.org.au.

Value in Prescribing Immunoglobulins – Program materials developed as part of this program and currently hosted on the NPS MedicineWise website will be transitioning to the Department of Health and Aged Care by 22 December 2022. The future of the Immunoglobulin materials remains a decision for government and is to be confirmed. For further information, please contact Megan Roach, Director – Blood Policy and Programs Section, Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Email: [email protected].

Key contacts:

Should you require further information regarding the future QUDTP program and transitioning functions, please contact:

Olivia Armitage
Transition Coordinator, QUM Program
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
[email protected]

Susan Millett

Acting Director, Quality Use of Medicines
Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
[email protected]


National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
[email protected]