Community pharmacy owners need to be proactive in maintaining the viability of their stores, with the 8CPA unlikely to be a cure-all for the sector, Capital Chemist Group chief executive, Andrew Topp says

In this podcast, Carlene McMaugh speaks to Topp about the impacts the government’s 60-day dispensing policy is having on community pharmacies, and what the profession needs from the Eighth Community Pharmacy Agreement (8CPA).

Among the topics covered are the high rate of “inaccurate, incomplete or incorrect” 60-day prescriptions pharmacists are being presented (2 minutes: 12), and the need for dispensing to be appropriately funded through the 8CPA (15:27).

(3:33) Pharmacies are seeing “an enormous amount of waste” created 60-day scripts being issued to patients commencing a new treatment.

(4:00) Government advertising 60-day dispensing as two-for-one, has resulted in pharmacy staff being confronted by angry patients whose medications are not eligible.

(7:45) Pharmacists considering shedding staff need to consult widely before making redundancies.

(9:01) Introducing or increasing fees for services should not be a big step for pharmacy owners, because “doing stuff for free in the hope that you’re going to get more prescriptions is not really a great business model for pharmacy”.

(14:05) Time is running out for thinking about how pharmacists can deal with the impacts of 60-day dispensing because they are starting to hit stores now.

(14:52) 8CPA is unlikely to deliver a massive increase in PBS funding for community pharmacies, but adequately remunerating pharmacies for dispensing will be critical to supporting other services.

(17:47) The new national opioid dependence treatment program needs an injection of cash to support pharmacies to deliver the service to vulnerable patients.

(19:15) Same job, same pay – $19 for administering National Immunisation Program vaccines fails to remunerate pharmacists for assessing patients’ suitability for jabs.

(21:41) Medicine shortages are not being helped by the introduction of 60-day dispensing.

(23:34) Details of the 8CPA need to be largely in place by Christmas, if it is to be ready by the 1 March 2024 deadline.

(24:10) The 8CPA is unlikely to be a panacea for all that ails community pharmacies, and proprietors need to make tough decisions to protect the viability of their businesses.

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