Nova Scotia pharmacies can now charge slightly higher dispensing fees according to a new agreement reached after protracted negotiations with government.

From July 1, the dispensing fee increased from $10.60 to $10.73. This will rise to $10.90 in April next year and $11.05 on April 1, 2013.

The new fee structure follows a two-month negotiation period between the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia (PANS) and government. The profession was upset when, in April, the government passed the Fair Drug Pricing Act, which moved to cut the cost of generic drugs sold to Pharmacare recipients before a new fee structure was agreed. The price of generics will fall to 35 per cent the cost of equivalent brand name drugs by July 2012.

PANS said the move would slash revenue on each Pharmacare prescription by 40 per cent and called for an immediate increase in the dispensing fee as well as payment for new professional services. PANS claimed the actual cost of dispensing was closer to $15.

Nova Scotia’s Pharmacare programs are used by more than 200,000 people and the new system will save the province about $6 million this year. Nova Scotia pays some of the highest costs for generic drugs.

The new agreement also allows pharmacists to charge for new responsibilities such as medication reviews, prescription adaptation and therapeutic substitution for Pharmacare clients, but PANS President Rose Dipchand said pharmacists will suffer very real losses.

Allison Bodnar, PANS executive director, said at the time that government had made “a number of modest improvements” during negotiations.

“I recognize this was a difficult process,” said health minister, Maureen MacDonald.

Original source: www.CanadianHealthcareNetwork.ca