[e-drug] Dispensing fees - what is the experience?

e-drug
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E-DRUG: Dispensing fees - what is the experience?
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Dear e-druggers

I am curious to know about the experience with fixed/flat prescription fees
in your country?

I have read about the experiences in the USA, UK, Denmark and Ireland, but
lack info on which other countries' national health insurance schemes have
tried this method of remunerating community pharmacies and what their
experiences have been. In order to facilitate those who answer my query,
here are my more specific questions:

Does your national system remunerate pharmacies per prescription item at a
fixed rate?
Or is there a fixed plus a variable component relating to the price of the
drug?
How have pharmacies/pharmacists responded to the remuneration scheme?
How have payers evaluated the remuneration scheme?

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide on this issue.

Kind regards,

Anna Birna Almarsdóttir Ph.D., M.S.Pharm.
Professor of Pharmaceutical Policy
University of Iceland, Faculty of Pharmacy
Hagi, Hofsvallagata 53, 107 Reykjavík, Iceland
tel. +354 525 5217; gsm +354 897 7123; fax +354 525 7041
E-mail: annaba@hi.is

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E-DRUG: Dispensing fees - what is the experience? (2)
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In Suriname (country in S America, north of Brazil) the State Health Insurance Fund introduced a flat dispensing fee (1 Surinamese Guilder per package dispensed) for all medicines dispensed to its members. All private pharmacies participated as dispensing units in the scheme. I don't know whether they liked it, but at least in the early eighties, when I worked there, the system worked well.

Jos Perriens
E-mail: perriensj@aol.com

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E-DRUG: Dispensing fees - what is the experience? (3)
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Dear Anna,

In India, there is no such scheme at the moment. However, the Pharmacy Council of India is preparing draft guidelines to introduce several changes in the way pharmacy is practiced in the country. This includes, among others, introduction of dispensing fee for pharmacists. This is expected to be small to begin with, but is hoped to make a big difference for the profession. Of course, it will take a while before it is discussed and implemented.

Regards,

S D Rajendran
Professor of Pharmacy Practice,
JSS College of Pharmacy, Ooty, South India.
E-mail: sdrajendran@hotmail.com