Written by Carol Moreira on June 24, 2011 for CanadianHealthcareNetwork.ca
Details won’t be released until PANS shares information with members, final approvals are received.
Nova Scotia pharmacists and the provincial government today (June 24) reached a tentative agreement on a new tariff structure following two months of negotiations.
Local pharmacists cried foul in May after the government passed the Fair Drug Pricing Act, which will gradually reduce what seniors and others enrolled in Pharmacare programs pay for drugs.
The provincial government has made a number of modest improvements through the course of negotiations that will help us move forward in a positive direction together
The Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia (PANS) estimated that the move to cut the cost of generics to 35 per cent the cost of equivalent brand name medications by July next year would slash their revenue on each prescription by 40 per cent.
The association called for an increased dispensing fee and payment for new professional services introduced last year under an expanded scope of practice.
The association said the agreement reached today provides new funding for medication reviews, prescription adaptation and therapeutic substitution for Pharmacare clients, although pharmacists will still suffer very real losses.
“While there continues to be a major shortfall in compensation to pharmacies for core dispensing services, which may result in fewer services and longer wait times, the provincial government has made a number of modest improvements through the course of negotiations that will help us move forward in a positive direction together,” said Allison Bodnar, PANS executive director.
Details of the agreement won’t be released until PANS has shared the information with its members and final approvals are received from government.
Nova Scotia’s drug spending has been ballooning at an average rate of 9 per cent annually for the last decade, costing around $300 million last year.
“I recognize this was a difficult process,” said health minister, Maureen MacDonald. “I want to thank pharmacists, pharmacy owners and PANS for working with us to reach this tariff agreement and provide uninterrupted service for those enrolled in Pharmacare.”