B.C. community pharmacies must register their licensed pharmacy locations as PharmaNet sites in PRIME. This page explains how to register a PharmaNet site in PRIME.
All new sites must be registered before any health professional accesses PharmaNet at the site. Pharmacy staff accessing PharmaNet must enrol in PRIME as individual users. Learn more at individual enrolment in PRIME.
A PharmaNet site is a physical location where PharmaNet is used to deliver in-person patient care, plus a PharmaNet software vendor used at that location. Pharmacies are only permitted to access PharmaNet using a single vendor and connection.
Registration in PRIME is a request for Ministry of Health approval to access PharmaNet. PRIME is an online application.
Note: PRIME does not send confirmation emails. You will be notified by your PharmaNet software vendor when the site is approved and/or ready for use.
An organization must contract an approved PharmaNet software vendor before registering a site.
Once a vendor is contracted, the site should identify a signing authority to register the site in PRIME. This person:
To register the site, the Signing Authority will need:
After the required information is provided, the signing authority will sign the Organization Agreement for PharmaNet Access.
Note: If there is an organizational requirement for a second person or more to sign the agreement, application of a seal, or other requirements that cannot be completed online, the signing authority must ensure that all such requirements are met before any user accesses PharmaNet at the site.
The signing authority and the site’s PharmaNet software vendor are notified when the site registration is complete. The vendor arranges for software to be installed and sets up access accounts at the registered site for all users approved for PharmaNet access.
For more detailed instructions, follow the step-by-step site registration guide.
To register a PharmaNet access site go to the PRIME site registration portal and follow the steps below.
Click Access Site Registration to start.
The person registering the site ("signing authority" in PRIME) should have:
Click Next to acknowledge the Collection of Personal Information Notice.
Select BC Services Card app.
For more information about logging in with a BC Services Card, visit BC Services Card.
PRIME will proceed to the next screen.
Choose whether to have a notification sent to a mobile device instead of entering a pairing code so you can skip the pairing step in subsequent logins.
Click Continue.
This screen displays the information that is shared between the Signing Authority's BC Services Card and PRIME.
Click Continue.
Enter the organization name.
If the organization does business under a different name than organization name, enter a Doing Business As name.
Click Save and Continue.
Select the type of care setting and the software vendor the site uses.
Visit Pharmacy access to PharmaNet for software vendor contact info.
Click Save and Continue.
Scan and upload a copy of the site's business licence.
Provide the business licence's expiry date.
You may also provide a copy of your college pharmacy licence, if you have one, in lieu of a business licence.
If you do not have a business license yet, click the I don't have a business licence toggle, and enter a reason in the text box that appears below.
If you are located in a municipality or region that does not issue business licenses, please upload a screenshot of the municipality website indicating that a business license is not issued.
Note: You cannot submit your PRIME site registration until you provide a business licence.
Enter the site name. Please enter a site name even if it is the same as the name of the organization.
If the organization does business under a different name than is on the licence, you must provide a "doing business as" name.
Provide the site ID or PEC code if you know it.
Enter the site's address as it appears on the business licence. The rest of the address is auto-populated.
Click Save and Continue.
Specify the days and times the site is open for business.
Click Save and Continue.
The next three steps will require you to enter information for three different functions. One person can perform all three of these functions.
If all three roles are performed by one person at your site, click the Same as button to auto-populate the information for each subsequent role.
If each role is performed by a different person, enter their information as requested on each screen.
Enter the PharmaNet administrator's name, job title, and contact information.
Click Save and Continue.
Enter the privacy officer's name, job title, and contact information.
Click Save and Continue.
Enter the technical support's name, job title, and contact information.
Click Save and Continue.
If you are legally authorized to sign on behalf of your organization, and your organization allows signing online agreements, click I can sign online agreements.
If you cannot sign online agreements, proceed to Step 18.
Scroll down to read the Organization Agreement for PharmaNet Use.
Click the checkbox to agree to the Organization Agreement for PharmaNet Use as the organization's authorized representative
Click Accept Organization Agreement.
A pop-up window appears to confirm acceptance of the Organization Agreement.
Click Accept Organization Agreement.
If the organization has signing requirements that prevent you from signing an online agreement, download a copy of the organization agreement by clicking the Download Agreement button.
Print a copy of the agreement, sign it by hand, and upload it back to PRIME.
Click Accept Organization Agreement.
A pop-up window appears to confirm acceptance of the Organization Agreement.
Click Accept Organization Agreement.
Review the information provided in the registration.
Click the pencil icon to edit any section.
Check the box to certify that all information provided is true and complete.
Click Submit.
A pop-up window appears to confirm the registration submission.
Click Save Site.
You will see confirmation of your acceptance of the Organization Agreement for PharmaNet Use.
This means the submission is under review by the Ministry, and the Signing Authority will be contacted once the application has been reviewed.
Click Continue.
In the Site Management screen, you will see the site that has been added and a note that the site is waiting for approval.
You may now log out of PRIME.
Questions about PRIME should be directed to 1-844-397-7463 or to PRIMESupport@gov.bc.ca.
Information for pharmacy staff
If you will be accessing PharmaNet at a pharmacy, you must enrol in PRIME. Learn how to enrol at individual enrolment in PRIME.
Pharmacy students: If you are graduating soon, you will likely be registering with the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia (CPBC) and eventually enrolling in PRIME to request approval from the Ministry of Health to access PharmaNet. To save time, set up the BC Services Card app on your mobile device as soon as you can—before you start registration with the College. As soon as you are registered with the College, you will be able to enrol in PRIME immediately, even on the first day of a new job. You will need the email address of the person in your workplace who sets up PharmaNet accounts.
Pharmacy managers: To help your staff enrol in PRIME, you will need to identify a PharmaNet administrator who either creates PharmaNet accounts for staff, or communicates with the PharmaNet software vendor to do so. Your staff will need this person's email address when they enrol in PRIME.
How to help your staff enrol in PRIME:
Note: if you change software vendors at your site, you may need to ask your staff to log in to PRIME and share their approval with the new vendor.
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PRIMESupport@gov.bc.ca
1-844-397-7463