Western Canada: Some B.C. pharmacies offering kickbacks to vulnerable patients

are offering to often vulnerable patients shone sunlight into an odious practice that has apparently been going on for years with the knowledge of the pharmacists’ regulating body.

Andrea explains that pharmacies charge a dispensing fee for each prescription, and these fees make up a significant portion of their overall revenue. For patients on income assistance and with First Nations health benefits, a pharmacy that is enrolled with PharmaCare can bill the publicly funded program for up to $10, for each of up to three medications, per patient, per day.

The practice ties a patient to a pharmacy, even if their needs might be better met at a different clinic. It can also lead patients to fill prescriptions they don’t need so they qualify for the kickback, costing the taxpayer-funded drug plan. Lisa Howard, a family physician who provides primary and addictions care in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, said she and her colleagues have reported problem pharmacies to the college on several occasions.

A statement provided by spokesperson Lesley Chang said the college “has a long-standing concern about the negative effects of incentive programs in the practise of pharmacy.”

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