Reactions to new agreement
May 4, 2010
A NUMBER of industry bodies
have responded swiftly to the Fifth
Community Pharmacy Agreement
announcement, with broad support
for many of the measures.
The Pharmaceutical Society of
Australia welcomed the increased
emphasis on professional programs
and services in the agreement.
“The introduction of a range of
new programs such as clinical
interventions and Medicines Use
Reviews under the new agreement
is a very positive development,”
said acting National PSA President,
Grand Kardachi.
“It is critical that the funding for
these programs is sufficient to
provide an incentive for greater
uptake by pharmacists, which in
turn will ensure the programs are
sustainable,” he said.
The PSA also hailed the new
Practice Payment Incentive scheme
which will require pharmacists to
meet measurable outcomes in
order to qualify for payments.
Kardachi also urged that
processes be put in place to ensure
good governance of all programs.
Meanwhile, the Society of
Hospital Pharmacists of Australia
welcomed the change in dispensing
processes in residential aged care
(see p1) which eliminates the need
for separate medication charts and
prescriptions.
However SHPA said that the
agreement “remains a silo based
funding stream” which doesn’t
allow community health needs to
be addressed in a “consistent and
seamless way in all pharmacy
practice settings”.
SHPA ceo Yvonne Allinson said
“the integration of medicines
funding and pharmacy services is
further complicated by the Fifth
Community Pharmacy Agreement,
because it has not been developed
from a whole of health system
viewpoint”.
And Medicines Australia ceo Dr
Brendan Shaw said that he was
looking forward to seeing the
details, but the indications are that
the agreement “appears to be good
news for patients.
“This agreement puts in place the
framework to ensure those
medicines are available through
pharmacies to all Australian
patients, even in the most remote
locations”.
Shaw said pharmacy plays an
important role in providing advice
to patients, and the pact would see
pharmacists “have the support and
infrastructure available to be able
to provide that advice effectively”.
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