Wednesday, June 06, 2007

More responsibility should mean more pay: pharmacist

This article really touches the bottom line when it comes to pharmacist prescribing: who is going to pay for it. If pharmacists are expected to go through extra training and take on extra responsibility, it's reasonable that they are reimbursed for this. However, it's unclear where the payment will come from.

In Alberta, the major drug plans will honour pharmacist-written prescriptions, but with the usual dispensing fee structure. Neither the drug plans or the provincial government will pay for the pharmacist's cognitive services. This lack of third party reimbursement will drive patients away from pharmacist prescribing for financial reasons alone.

From CBC News:
If New Brunswick pharmacists are required to take on some of the duties now performed by doctors, they'll expect to be compensated for it, warns Moncton pharmacist John Staples.

Health Minister Mike Murphy indicated on Monday that New Brunswick pharmacists will soon be given more professional responsibility, which could include the power to prescribe some medications.

"There seems to be a consensus that a larger role for pharmacists is needed. There's no question," Murphy said Tuesday. ...more

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