Complete guide
Home Medicines Review: what it is and how to get one
A free visit from an accredited pharmacist who comes to your home, goes through every medicine you take, and writes to your GP with what they find.
What it actually is
A Home Medicines Review, also called a DMMR, is funded by the Australian Government. Your GP refers you, an accredited pharmacist visits you at home for about an hour, and a written report goes back to your doctor.
The important word is home. A pharmacist behind a counter sees what has been dispensed. A pharmacist at your kitchen table sees what is actually in the house.
Started by a specialist, never seen by your GP.
Put aside 6 months ago because it made you dizzy.
Two brand names, one ingredient, both in the cupboard.
That gap between the prescribing record and reality is where most medicine-related harm comes from. The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia puts it at around 250,000 hospital admissions a year, with another 400,000 emergency presentations. At least half is considered preventable.
Who qualifies
Four things, and your GP judges the last one.
- A current Medicare or DVA card
- Living in the community, which includes your own home, a unit, living with family, or independent living in a retirement village
- At risk of a problem with your medicines
- Able to give consent, or a carer who can
Living independently in a retirement village counts. Residential aged care is covered by a separate program.
Any one of these is reason enough
The most common trigger.
However many separate medicines that involves.
Including anything started or stopped in hospital.
Warfarin, digoxin, lithium, methotrexate.
Or a medicine is not working the way it should.
Doses, timing, eyesight, memory, language or dexterity.
Nobody is holding the whole list.
Medicines very often change during an admission.
What it costs
Nothing. No gap, no booking fee, no travel charge, nothing to claim back. Providing it free is a condition of the program.
Your GP's part is covered by Medicare and the pharmacist's visit is funded by the Australian Government. Both are paid in full, so there is no gap and nothing that reaches you.
How to arrange one
A review has to be started by a doctor, so the way to get one is to ask. No case to make, no paperwork to bring. At your next appointment:
“I take a few different medicines and I would like to understand them better. Could I have a Home Medicines Review?”
Your GP decides whether it suits you and sends the referral. The pharmacist service does the rest, including ringing you to arrange a time.
The 90 day rule. Once the referral is written the visit has to happen within 90 days for it to be funded. A referral quietly expiring is one of the most common reasons a review never happens. We track that date.
On the day
45 to 60 minutes, at a time you agreed. Bring in whoever helps you: a partner, an adult child, a carer. They often remember what you do not.
The only preparation is to put everything in one place.
Tablets, capsules, liquids.
Inhalers, patches, creams, eye drops, injections.
Vitamins, supplements, anything off a supermarket shelf.
Anything begun by someone other than your GP.
And the ones you only take sometimes. These matter most.
Webster pack or dosette box, if you use one.
Saying honestly that you have not been taking something changes the whole picture. Nobody is checking up on you.
What the pharmacist is looking for
Not second-guessing your GP. Looking at the whole list at once, which is something no individual prescriber gets to do.
Two medicines that are each fine alone and a problem together.
Most often the same drug under two brand names.
Particularly as kidney function changes with age.
Dizziness, constipation, drowsiness, memory trouble.
Still taken years after the reason for starting has passed.
Inhaler technique, timing, and which ones get skipped.
Afterwards
The pharmacist writes to your GP with what you are genuinely taking, what they found and a short list of suggestions. You keep a plain-English summary. Your GP decides what changes. Nothing is altered without them.
The outcome is often fewer medicines rather than more, because a review is usually the first time anyone has asked whether each one is still needed.
How often
Generally once in 12 months, sooner if your condition or your medicines change significantly. Up to 2 follow-up visits are also funded, the first no earlier than 1 month and no later than 9 months after the interview. Follow-ups get overlooked, and they are where much of the practical benefit sits, because they check whether the changes worked.
A change coming on 1 July 2027
From that date a patient is only eligible if they have a GP chronic condition management plan prepared or reviewed within the previous 18 months. Transitional arrangements for existing GP Management Plans and Team Care Arrangements end on 30 June 2027.
In plain terms: if you are likely to want a review after mid-2027, ask your GP whether your care plan is current. Most patients will not be affected. The ones who are will find out at the worst possible moment unless somebody checks first.
Common questions
Is a Home Medicines Review free?
Yes. There is no charge to the patient at any point. No gap payment, no booking fee, no travel charge and nothing to claim back. You need a current Medicare or DVA card.
Who can refer me for a Home Medicines Review?
Your GP. A Home Medicines Review has to be initiated by a medical practitioner, so a pharmacist cannot arrange one directly and neither can you. What you can do is ask your GP for one at your next appointment.
How long does a Home Medicines Review take?
The visit itself is usually 45 to 60 minutes. The written report goes to your GP afterwards, and most services take 1 to 2 weeks to send it. Ours goes back within 7 days.
Do I have to leave the house?
No. That is the point of it. The pharmacist comes to you, because what is in your cupboard at home is the thing nobody has ever actually looked at.
Will the pharmacist change my medicines?
No. A pharmacist conducting a review cannot alter your prescriptions. They write to your GP with what they found and what they suggest, and your GP decides what happens.
How often can I have one?
Generally once every 12 months. There are exceptions where your condition or your medicines have changed significantly. Up to 2 follow-up visits are also available after an initial review.
What if I live in a retirement village?
If you live independently in a retirement village, that counts as a community setting and you are generally eligible. Residential aged care is covered by a different program.
Ask your GP, or ask us first
Happy to explain how it works before you raise it at your appointment. It is free, there is no obligation, and nothing to pay at any stage.