The Provincial Government is finalizing the agreement it set out in October to pharmacies between the Alberta Government, the Alberta Pharmaceutical Association and Alberta Blue Cross.
Health Minister Fred Horne states the agreement is one that recognizes the expanding role of pharmacists and “...Offers four years of predictable funding to help pharmacists plan their business.” He adds this is the first update of the Pharmacy Agreement since 2003.
The plan lays out funding structures for fees pharmacists receive for counselling, medication purchases and reimbursement from the province.
“From this point, it doesn’t seem like prices will change for customers”, said Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacist/owern Arsen Gincher.
“Counselling service fees were previously built in with dispensing fees - now the activity (counselling) is separated.”
Gincher explains the money invested into new patient services for extended or enhanced counselling, for things such as prescription renewal or adaptation and smoking cessation, can now be measured, where previously the government had no way of doing this.
“They want to see people are getting benefits from pharmacists’ intervention," said Gincher.
Riverside Value Drug Mart’s pharmacist/rwner Ray Ainscough is attending a meeting February 24 of RxA, the Alberta Pharmacists Assocation, to get more information on the technical details of the agreement.
Pharmacy manager for Freson Bros. Pat Doyle, says the new agreement would be signed in April.
