HMR action urged
January 31, 2013
THE Pharmacy Guild of Australia
has suggested an immediate
moratorium on all Home Medicines
Reviews, due to a “very large
overexpenditure” in the program.
According to a release from the
Guild this morning, the rapid overexpenditure
has demonstrated the
unsustainability of the program as
it currently operates, “putting at
risk the patient benefits from other
parts of the Fifth Community
Pharmacy Agreement”.
The Guild says that at the current
spending rates there’s an estimated
potential overspending of more
than twice the annual budget for
the program.
“The Guild has longstanding
concerns that the HMR model and,
in particular the Direct Referral
Pathway, is unsustainable, given the
potential high demand for this
service,” the statement said.
The excess spending is largely
attributable to the emergence of
“aggressive business models”
where part of the fee is paid to
medical practices to secure access
to their patients, with reviews
occurring inside the medical centre.
“We cannot allow the HMR
program or the role of Accredited
Pharmacists to be compromised,”
the Guild said, with an urgent govt
decision being sought.
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