TWC urges pharmacy rebates
October 15, 2013
TERRY White
Chemists
founder and
chairman
Terry White
yesterday urged
new federal
health minister
Peter Dutton
to broaden
the Medicare
provider base
to allow rebates
to be claimed
for in-pharmacy
professional
services such as flu immunisations.
Speaking at the TWC annual
conference on the Gold Coast,
White highlighted the ongoing
evolution of the health sector
in Australia and how the Terry
White Chemists group was ideally
positioned for a pivotal role in the
new landscape.
“Terry White Chemists is on a
trajectory that will lead community
pharmacy into an expanded
patient focused model with
huge professionally rewarding
opportunities,” he said.
“At TWC we have refocused our
attention on what it is that people
expect from their local pharmacist
in terms of care, attention and
trust,” White added, saying that the
group had weathered the attack on
pharmacy by supermarket giants
and “warehouse-style” pharmacies.
“Some pharmacies have
moved dangerously close to
becoming two-dollar shops...
these pharmacies will miss the
opportunity to play an increased
role in preventative health care and
health management,” White added.
Dutton, who also addressed the
Terry White Chemists conference,
was told that pharmacists look
forward to working closely with him
to assist in one of the government’s
most challenging areas.
White urged the minister to “act
in the interests of the health of the
nation to preserve access to freely
available pharmacy advice and
to support advanced community
pharmacy health services.
“The Medicare provider base
includes a range of allied health
professionals and it makes sense
to include pharmacists in that,
particularly given identified trends
towards the convenience and value
that pharmacy offers,” he said.
Pictured above at the conference
are, from left: Pharmacy Guild
executive director David Quilty;
federal health minister Peter
Dutton; Terry White; and Guild
National President and TWC board
member Kos Sclavos.
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