So it seems the hopes of a united pharmacy professsion in Ontario that looked so promising during the summer have been dashed. After failing to secure the concessions from the government that the coalition was hoping for, the powers that be have decided that our profession will be best served by reverting to the status quo where we all try to look out for our own best interests, even if it means stomping our colleagues into the ground.
The events within Ontario took a particularly nasty turn over the past week with the public dispute between the Ontario Pharmacists' Association and Shoppers Drug Mart. At issue is the fact that SDM has apparently said that it will no longer pay for OPA memberships for their pharmacists.
The OPA released a document disapproving of the decision, and saying that it had not met the requests SDM had for representation because they had to preserve the integrity of the association. Ken Burns published a blog that was just as negative towards SDM, essentially calling them out for acting like spoiled children who for once did not get their way.
Like most things, us common folk really don't get the whole story, so are left to analyze the situation from the bits of information the various parties choose to share. I can understand the position of both sides, but in the end have to side with SDM on this one.
On the one hand, OPA is right in saying that they represent pharmacists, and not corporations. As a professional advocacy association they should be advocating for the profession and be free to move the pharmacy agenda forward based on what is best for the individual members, not necessarily their employers. While SDM does not currently have any members on the board, they will have ample opportunity to gain representation with the next election. As the largest employer of pharmacists in the province, they should have no problems securing seats on the board.
However, there is nothing wrong with SDM cutting the costs of OPA membership as an employment benefit. SDM does not owe the Ontario Pharmacists' Association anything. The OPA has clearly stated that it does not represent SDM, or any other employer or corporate interest. Suggesting that by not giving them money in the form of payment for pharmacist memberships is failing the profession in some way is ludicrous. To my knowledge, SDM has never said that it does not support OPA, or that it does not approve of pharmacists or associates being members. In the face of drastic revenue cuts, it was probably a prudent move on the part of the company, and one of the easier decisions that will have to be made as the effects of Ontario's drug reform steamroll the pharmacy profession over the next few years.
In the end, the association should be stronger. If it truly represents the profession and the individual pharmacists, they will have no problems keeping up their membership base. Relying on half of their membership dues to be collected from a pharmacy corporation may have made the work of the association a bit too easy. If they have to earn the support of the membership rather than rely on the generosity of their employers, they will truly have a mandate to represent the profession and all pharmacists in Ontario.
Personally, the only benefit I have ever received from OPA membership is competitively-priced home and auto insurance. I have watched as OPA twice dropped the ball on effectively representing pharmacists during government drug-system reform initiatives. Let's not forget the creation of the IPO was essentially the result of a backlash against the anaemic efforts of the OPA during the 2006 drug reform.
Rather than chastising Shoppers Drug Mart, OPA should be examining itself in the mirror. If pharmacists perceive a benefit of having an OPA membership they will purchase one. If OPA can't attract pharmacists to be members unless someone else is footing the bill, maybe it's time to have a different association representing our interests.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
How Helen convinced Deb to pass drug reform
Ever wonder how your Ontario government uses the tax dollars that it collects from the hardworking people of Ontario? This is the latest propaganda coming from the Ministry of Health regarding drug system reform in the province. As a citizen and taxpayer of Ontario I am offended that this is how they view us. Is it really necessary to release this condescending piece of amateur animation to convince Ontarians that their ridiculous plan is the "right thing to do?" The only explanation I can think of is that this is how Czar Helen was able to convince the Minister of Health and the Liberal MPP's that her plan would benefit Ontario. Fortunately, I have to think the people of Ontario have a bit higher IQ than the average Liberal MPP and will see this as just another piece of garbage from the Ontario Liberal Government. The next time you hit a pothole on the way to collect your unemployment cheque, keep this video in mind...This is your government working for you.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
The fight continues...
This is a difficult time to be a pharmacist in the province of Ontario. The government has passed regulations that will make it very difficult for any of us to stay in business. Throughout the process they have relentlessly attacked the integrity of our profession and attempted to paint pharmacists in a very negative light.
Despite all of our efforts, and there were many, to have the government return to the negotiating table or have the regulations softened, the Minister of Health pressed on with her agenda. There are those who feel that we should have done more to stop the regulations from happening. Still others cling to the false hope that we can stop them from being implemented. I have seen and heard some of the most ridiculous suggestions to date coming from the fringe of the profession that believe riots, hunger strikes and all manner of idiotic behaviour are the answer to our problems. Of course, I respect these guys for their passion and commitment to their profession, but I have to believe their suggestions would do more harm than good in our current situation.
The government and many people in the province know that we are unhappy with the regulations in their current form. We have protested , collected petitions from over 500,000 Ontario voters, spent money educating the public through media and advertising, and have attempted to have an intelligent conversation with the powers that be in the Ministry of Health. It seems as though there has been little impact from any of our activities.
I think anyone who believed that the government was going to fully retreat from their position and that it would be business as usual was looking through rose-tinted glasses. It would have been nice to finish the war before the regulations dropped, but this phase was as much about setting the stage for the next 1-2 years as it was about achieving immediate change.
There has been much written about the plight of pharmacists and the potential impact that the cuts proposed by the government would have on our profession and our business model. We have warned that some pharmacies would go out of business, that dispensing fees would rise considerably, and that services that had previously been offered free of charge would no longer happen or would be subject to fees. We have set the stage to begin charging a fair fee directly to the patients for the services that we said would be affected by these changes. There is no one living in the province or working for the government who should be surprised when this happens.
Yes, we have entered a new phase in our battle for respect and fair funding from the government. This is the time to prove that we were not bluffing, we were not presenting distorted facts or misinformation, and the new reality in pharmacy practice in Ontario, as legislated by the Ontario government, is that patients pay a lot more than they have been used to. The intelligent operators will be able to survive and be able to clearly demonstrate that the government promises of lower drug costs for Ontarians were as sincere as every other promise this premier and government have made during their tenure.
The people of Ontario will have their chance to pass judgement on this government in 2011. Barring a major shift in public opinion, the majority of these Liberals will be out of a job and we can begin to negotiate a fair deal with the new regime at Queens Park.
Our mission now is to take the high road and work with the hand that we have been dealt. We need to find a way to make our business work to support our professional practice within the constraints of government policy. Every time we ask a patient to open their wallet before providing service, we need to make sure they know exactly who is responsible.
It is regrettable that the Loblaws of the world do not seem to share in our common goals for the profession, but we cannot let them dictate the terms of our practice. While we will probably lose a few scripts to them, my experience has been that most patients are looking for more from their pharmacy than simply the lowest price. We need to continue to serve the majority of our patients who appreciate and expect the level of care that they have been accustomed to receiving from us.
In the end, our victory will be achieved through the legions of pharmacy patients who appreciate the care they receive from us and support our efforts to be recognized by the government. We will not gain their support by acting like radical fringe groups or through taking destructive and unprofessional actions. We may gain their support by continuing to provide them with the care they expect and informing them of the reasons that it now costs them a lot more to receive it.
I urge every pharmacist to remain focused on our long term goal of gaining respect from the government and other payers through an adequate professional fee and professional services funding model. I also urge all pharmacists to fight, and fight hard, but to do it with class and professionalism.
Despite all of our efforts, and there were many, to have the government return to the negotiating table or have the regulations softened, the Minister of Health pressed on with her agenda. There are those who feel that we should have done more to stop the regulations from happening. Still others cling to the false hope that we can stop them from being implemented. I have seen and heard some of the most ridiculous suggestions to date coming from the fringe of the profession that believe riots, hunger strikes and all manner of idiotic behaviour are the answer to our problems. Of course, I respect these guys for their passion and commitment to their profession, but I have to believe their suggestions would do more harm than good in our current situation.
The government and many people in the province know that we are unhappy with the regulations in their current form. We have protested , collected petitions from over 500,000 Ontario voters, spent money educating the public through media and advertising, and have attempted to have an intelligent conversation with the powers that be in the Ministry of Health. It seems as though there has been little impact from any of our activities.
I think anyone who believed that the government was going to fully retreat from their position and that it would be business as usual was looking through rose-tinted glasses. It would have been nice to finish the war before the regulations dropped, but this phase was as much about setting the stage for the next 1-2 years as it was about achieving immediate change.
There has been much written about the plight of pharmacists and the potential impact that the cuts proposed by the government would have on our profession and our business model. We have warned that some pharmacies would go out of business, that dispensing fees would rise considerably, and that services that had previously been offered free of charge would no longer happen or would be subject to fees. We have set the stage to begin charging a fair fee directly to the patients for the services that we said would be affected by these changes. There is no one living in the province or working for the government who should be surprised when this happens.
Yes, we have entered a new phase in our battle for respect and fair funding from the government. This is the time to prove that we were not bluffing, we were not presenting distorted facts or misinformation, and the new reality in pharmacy practice in Ontario, as legislated by the Ontario government, is that patients pay a lot more than they have been used to. The intelligent operators will be able to survive and be able to clearly demonstrate that the government promises of lower drug costs for Ontarians were as sincere as every other promise this premier and government have made during their tenure.
The people of Ontario will have their chance to pass judgement on this government in 2011. Barring a major shift in public opinion, the majority of these Liberals will be out of a job and we can begin to negotiate a fair deal with the new regime at Queens Park.
Our mission now is to take the high road and work with the hand that we have been dealt. We need to find a way to make our business work to support our professional practice within the constraints of government policy. Every time we ask a patient to open their wallet before providing service, we need to make sure they know exactly who is responsible.
It is regrettable that the Loblaws of the world do not seem to share in our common goals for the profession, but we cannot let them dictate the terms of our practice. While we will probably lose a few scripts to them, my experience has been that most patients are looking for more from their pharmacy than simply the lowest price. We need to continue to serve the majority of our patients who appreciate and expect the level of care that they have been accustomed to receiving from us.
In the end, our victory will be achieved through the legions of pharmacy patients who appreciate the care they receive from us and support our efforts to be recognized by the government. We will not gain their support by acting like radical fringe groups or through taking destructive and unprofessional actions. We may gain their support by continuing to provide them with the care they expect and informing them of the reasons that it now costs them a lot more to receive it.
I urge every pharmacist to remain focused on our long term goal of gaining respect from the government and other payers through an adequate professional fee and professional services funding model. I also urge all pharmacists to fight, and fight hard, but to do it with class and professionalism.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Billable Hours
The last bill I received from my lawyer included charges for every phone call made on my behalf, every stamp used to mail a letter, every photocopy made and every hour he spent thinking about my matters. The last time I was at a garage, I paid for shop time, shop supplies used, delivery charges for parts ordered on my behalf, and labour at a much higher hourly rate than I ever made as a pharmacist. The last time I visited a physician, I paid a ten dollar fee to obtain his signature on a form and pick it up the next day. We pay service charges, convenience fees and surcharges daily without batting an eye. Why then, should we believe that pharmacists and pharmacy services should be different?
For years, pharmacists have been happy to receive compensation for one task- dispensing prescriptions. Professional allowances have covered the gap between the charged fee and the actual cost of filling prescriptions as well as all of the other services that pharmacies typically offer. At the end of the day pharmacies survived with a respectable profit margin and the system, though far from perfect, worked as well as any other aspect of the health care system. The problem with the system, though, is that only pharmacists and those closely tied to the industry understand how it all works. The average consumer and government official does not understand the intricacies of the system, and it is hard to explain in 15-second sound bites that dominate our media.
The regulations proposed by the Ontario government represent devastating cuts to the profession. The government and many of the groups supporting them have grossly underestimated the value that they receive from pharmacies on a daily basis. The Health Minister has stated that the business model for pharmacy will need to change. There really is no question in that regard. It is certainly a tall order to replace about $300,000 in lost revenue virtually overnight, but we all need to take a hard look at how we operate and rationalize our business. Rita Winn said it best- “it’s time to start charging what we are worth!” Additional paid professional services are an exciting prospect for the future, but we need to be able to survive until these are a reality.
The first area to look at is all of the services that we currently provide without receiving any compensation. These were never funded, but since pharmacies received sufficient PA funds to operate, they were provided gratis in most cases. These include services like requesting refills for patients, compliance packaging, home delivery, providing rush orders of vacation supplies, answering telephone requests for information, advancing emergency supplies of medications, providing duplicate receipts for prescriptions, contacting third party insurance plans on behalf of patients, contacting physicians for changes in cases where it is not a therapeutic intervention, providing patient profiles to patients or lawyers, and the controversial co-pay waiving practices. In my world, these will become either fee for service (ie-charge of $5 for prescription authorization requests, $5 for duplicate official receipts) or services billed by the minute (ie-$5 per minute for calls to third parties on behalf of patients.) These are all interventions using a pharmacist’s unique knowledge and expertise, or supplies and equipment. We need to be directly compensated for every second we are using our expertise on behalf of our patients.
The professional fee for dispensing a prescription also needs to be raised to an appropriate level to compensate for the actual costs involved in dispensing a prescription. The most recent research indicates that the actual costs of dispensing are around $14 per script. The fee needs to be set to achieve an average of about $15 per prescription, recognizing that the maximum collected from ODB is going to be $8 or $9. In most cases, the appropriate professional fee will be between $17 and $21. The cash paying and privately insured will end up subsidizing ODB recipients which is unfair, but that is the system that the government is endorsing through this legislation.
Once the fee schedule is established for all of the routine, non-professional, and low-level professional activities that comprise the average day in the pharmacy and the usual and customary fee is set at a level to appropriately recognize the realities of dispensing we can look at the additional professional services that we will provide in the future.
This will require a huge paradigm shift for a profession that has for too long provided most of their services and expertise for free. The first time we ask our patients to pay us directly for the services that they are receiving will be an uncomfortable experience. I have to believe it will also be very liberating. We will no longer be under the thumb of the Executive Officer or Minister of Health.
Any consumer should realize that nothing in this world is free. Pharmacists have been able to provide numerous services for free BECAUSE of the indirect funding they were receiving from other sources. The funds are gone and not coming back, but the expenses associated with them are all still there. We have no other choice, and I would expect the majority of patients to understand this. We also must be sure the majority of pharmacy operators understand this. We are a profession and we need to compete on professional value and service, not on charges and fees.
If we are successful in implementing new service fee schedules across all pharmacies, the independents may not suffer the dire fate that they have been predicting. In fact, we may find that the new revenue streams allow us to offer even better services and care than we have in the past.
When patients realize the true costs of the services they receive from pharmacy, they can take up the battle with the government in demanding that they become insured services under the Ontario Drug Benefits plan.
I do not support the government or their handling of this whole situation, and I will strongly campaign against them in the next election. In the meantime, however, we all need to take a hard look at our practice and accept the fact that the way we operate must change. Change is never easy, but the only way the government will be able to see the effects of their legislation is by pharmacists taking the necessary steps to protect their profession and their livelihood operating under the legislated system. It will not be an easy summer, but at least we now know where we stand and can made decisions based on actual knowledge and not hypothetical situations.
For years, pharmacists have been happy to receive compensation for one task- dispensing prescriptions. Professional allowances have covered the gap between the charged fee and the actual cost of filling prescriptions as well as all of the other services that pharmacies typically offer. At the end of the day pharmacies survived with a respectable profit margin and the system, though far from perfect, worked as well as any other aspect of the health care system. The problem with the system, though, is that only pharmacists and those closely tied to the industry understand how it all works. The average consumer and government official does not understand the intricacies of the system, and it is hard to explain in 15-second sound bites that dominate our media.
The regulations proposed by the Ontario government represent devastating cuts to the profession. The government and many of the groups supporting them have grossly underestimated the value that they receive from pharmacies on a daily basis. The Health Minister has stated that the business model for pharmacy will need to change. There really is no question in that regard. It is certainly a tall order to replace about $300,000 in lost revenue virtually overnight, but we all need to take a hard look at how we operate and rationalize our business. Rita Winn said it best- “it’s time to start charging what we are worth!” Additional paid professional services are an exciting prospect for the future, but we need to be able to survive until these are a reality.
The first area to look at is all of the services that we currently provide without receiving any compensation. These were never funded, but since pharmacies received sufficient PA funds to operate, they were provided gratis in most cases. These include services like requesting refills for patients, compliance packaging, home delivery, providing rush orders of vacation supplies, answering telephone requests for information, advancing emergency supplies of medications, providing duplicate receipts for prescriptions, contacting third party insurance plans on behalf of patients, contacting physicians for changes in cases where it is not a therapeutic intervention, providing patient profiles to patients or lawyers, and the controversial co-pay waiving practices. In my world, these will become either fee for service (ie-charge of $5 for prescription authorization requests, $5 for duplicate official receipts) or services billed by the minute (ie-$5 per minute for calls to third parties on behalf of patients.) These are all interventions using a pharmacist’s unique knowledge and expertise, or supplies and equipment. We need to be directly compensated for every second we are using our expertise on behalf of our patients.
The professional fee for dispensing a prescription also needs to be raised to an appropriate level to compensate for the actual costs involved in dispensing a prescription. The most recent research indicates that the actual costs of dispensing are around $14 per script. The fee needs to be set to achieve an average of about $15 per prescription, recognizing that the maximum collected from ODB is going to be $8 or $9. In most cases, the appropriate professional fee will be between $17 and $21. The cash paying and privately insured will end up subsidizing ODB recipients which is unfair, but that is the system that the government is endorsing through this legislation.
Once the fee schedule is established for all of the routine, non-professional, and low-level professional activities that comprise the average day in the pharmacy and the usual and customary fee is set at a level to appropriately recognize the realities of dispensing we can look at the additional professional services that we will provide in the future.
This will require a huge paradigm shift for a profession that has for too long provided most of their services and expertise for free. The first time we ask our patients to pay us directly for the services that they are receiving will be an uncomfortable experience. I have to believe it will also be very liberating. We will no longer be under the thumb of the Executive Officer or Minister of Health.
Any consumer should realize that nothing in this world is free. Pharmacists have been able to provide numerous services for free BECAUSE of the indirect funding they were receiving from other sources. The funds are gone and not coming back, but the expenses associated with them are all still there. We have no other choice, and I would expect the majority of patients to understand this. We also must be sure the majority of pharmacy operators understand this. We are a profession and we need to compete on professional value and service, not on charges and fees.
If we are successful in implementing new service fee schedules across all pharmacies, the independents may not suffer the dire fate that they have been predicting. In fact, we may find that the new revenue streams allow us to offer even better services and care than we have in the past.
When patients realize the true costs of the services they receive from pharmacy, they can take up the battle with the government in demanding that they become insured services under the Ontario Drug Benefits plan.
I do not support the government or their handling of this whole situation, and I will strongly campaign against them in the next election. In the meantime, however, we all need to take a hard look at our practice and accept the fact that the way we operate must change. Change is never easy, but the only way the government will be able to see the effects of their legislation is by pharmacists taking the necessary steps to protect their profession and their livelihood operating under the legislated system. It will not be an easy summer, but at least we now know where we stand and can made decisions based on actual knowledge and not hypothetical situations.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Never give in
"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."
We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.
-Winston Churchill
While I would never compare our struggle with the Ontario government to the threats facing the world when Churchill delivered his first speech as Prime Minister, I can draw great inspiration from his words, some 70 years after they were so eloquently spoken.
The pharmacy community is understandably feeling frustrated as weeks have passed since the announcement of massive front-line health care cuts by the government with little change from their original position. Pharmacists, pharmacy staff, students and patients have rallied at Queen’s Park and at MPP offices, have presented hundreds of thousands of signatures on petitions and have been the subject of hundreds of newspaper articles and media pieces over the past two months. Yet today, the Health Minister announced that the regulations will pass essentially unchanged.
The days and weeks ahead will be very difficult for many pharmacists. Pharmacists will question whether the entire campaign was worth the effort since very little movement was made on the part of the government. We will struggle with the difficult decisions that will need to be made in order to keep our practice afloat. If we want to survive, we can no longer be the easygoing, friendly health care professional providing countless services to patients for free. The days of walking up to a pharmacy counter and obtaining free advice or services from the pharmacist are over.
Our profession will be forced to evolve if we are to remain viable. The way we deliver services and the way we charge for the services that we provide will need to change dramatically. We will need to actively seek new practice opportunities and take full advantage of our expanded scope of practice, even if it means direct patient billing for the services provided. Our dispensing activities, once the main source of pharmacy revenue and main focus of our day will need to become streamlined and more efficient. The fees charged for dispensing will need to increase considerably to cover the previous subsidized funding gap, as well as the gap left on the public drug plan side.
We were all warned in the beginning that this was going to be a marathon and not a sprint. This is truly a war, and one that we must be determined to fight to the end. We have spent a lot of energy educating the public and warning of the potential effects of the funding cuts. The hour is upon us, and the public will soon feel the effects of the reckless Liberal health care cuts.
As pharmacists, we can choose to fight, or we can choose to die. We will do what we need to do to survive, and Ontarians can decide what type of pharmacy care they prefer. My bet is that they like what they are receiving now a whole lot better than what they will be getting by November 2011. We need to make sure they are reminded every day of the people who caused the change.
June 7th will forever live in history as a dark day for the profession of pharmacy in Ontario. The only advice I can give my fellow pharmacists today is this- again from Sir Winston Churchill...
Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.
We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.
-Winston Churchill
While I would never compare our struggle with the Ontario government to the threats facing the world when Churchill delivered his first speech as Prime Minister, I can draw great inspiration from his words, some 70 years after they were so eloquently spoken.
The pharmacy community is understandably feeling frustrated as weeks have passed since the announcement of massive front-line health care cuts by the government with little change from their original position. Pharmacists, pharmacy staff, students and patients have rallied at Queen’s Park and at MPP offices, have presented hundreds of thousands of signatures on petitions and have been the subject of hundreds of newspaper articles and media pieces over the past two months. Yet today, the Health Minister announced that the regulations will pass essentially unchanged.
The days and weeks ahead will be very difficult for many pharmacists. Pharmacists will question whether the entire campaign was worth the effort since very little movement was made on the part of the government. We will struggle with the difficult decisions that will need to be made in order to keep our practice afloat. If we want to survive, we can no longer be the easygoing, friendly health care professional providing countless services to patients for free. The days of walking up to a pharmacy counter and obtaining free advice or services from the pharmacist are over.
Our profession will be forced to evolve if we are to remain viable. The way we deliver services and the way we charge for the services that we provide will need to change dramatically. We will need to actively seek new practice opportunities and take full advantage of our expanded scope of practice, even if it means direct patient billing for the services provided. Our dispensing activities, once the main source of pharmacy revenue and main focus of our day will need to become streamlined and more efficient. The fees charged for dispensing will need to increase considerably to cover the previous subsidized funding gap, as well as the gap left on the public drug plan side.
We were all warned in the beginning that this was going to be a marathon and not a sprint. This is truly a war, and one that we must be determined to fight to the end. We have spent a lot of energy educating the public and warning of the potential effects of the funding cuts. The hour is upon us, and the public will soon feel the effects of the reckless Liberal health care cuts.
As pharmacists, we can choose to fight, or we can choose to die. We will do what we need to do to survive, and Ontarians can decide what type of pharmacy care they prefer. My bet is that they like what they are receiving now a whole lot better than what they will be getting by November 2011. We need to make sure they are reminded every day of the people who caused the change.
June 7th will forever live in history as a dark day for the profession of pharmacy in Ontario. The only advice I can give my fellow pharmacists today is this- again from Sir Winston Churchill...
Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
It didn't need to happen this way
According to Deb Matthews, Minister of Health, her goals with drug system reform are to reduce generic drug prices, eliminate professional allowances, and recognize pharmacists appropriately for the care and service they provide.
According to pharmacists, we would like to reduce generic drug prices, eliminate professional allowances, and be recognized appropriately for the care and service that we provide.
Sounds like we all want the same thing...
Let me take you back to last summer, when Health Minister Number Two continued the search for the holy grail of reduced drug spending started by George Smitherman. What if he had called a meeting of all stakeholders in pharmacy and established a working group to really tackle the problems and find real solutions? He could even have had a roundtable discussion about ways to improve the drug benefit system in Ontario- Kind of like the recent Liberal retreat, except with more emphasis on substance and meaningful discussion. What if pharmacists were asked at that time to be partners in the process, rather than just given the token opportunity to present a proposal that was never to be considered? What if the current Minister of Health had engaged the pharmacy community in real discussions around solving drug spending problems earlier this year, instead of simply getting us to agree to a gag order that allowed the government time to hone their sales pitch? What if the Minister of Health, upon seeing the first outcry from the pharmacists and patients announced that she was going to have real discussions with the pharmacy community and work to find common ground? Do you suppose the fight would have intensified to its current level?
There have been multiple opportunities for government to facilitate meaningful discussion with our profession and our patients. They could have easily said that they were interested in our feedback and scheduled meetings with all who were interested in meeting with them without causing any political damage. Instead, all of their offers to meet have been laced with resentful and inflammatory statements. Even today, when informing media that it will take a month or so to implement regulations, Deb Matthews was quick to point out that she was not influenced by pharmacists and there was no room for negotiation on several key aspects of her plan. Why won’t Deb Matthews and the Liberals show us the respect that they say they have for us and invite us back to the table to find real solutions to drug spending concerns in the province?
We have done many things to ensure that our side of the story is heard. Over 500,000 petition signatures and countless emails, phone calls and letters from pharmacists and our patients have seemingly not had an impact on the Liberal government. By all accounts, they are determined as ever to push ahead with the reforms that they have announced despite the consequences.
Unfortunately, it may be time to start demonstrating some of the consequences of this short-sighted policy. It is up to us to find a way to survive under the new rules governing our profession, and survival will require a very radical review of our entire operation. In the end, it is the patients that will lose. The sad thing is that it never needed to end up this way.
According to pharmacists, we would like to reduce generic drug prices, eliminate professional allowances, and be recognized appropriately for the care and service that we provide.
Sounds like we all want the same thing...
Let me take you back to last summer, when Health Minister Number Two continued the search for the holy grail of reduced drug spending started by George Smitherman. What if he had called a meeting of all stakeholders in pharmacy and established a working group to really tackle the problems and find real solutions? He could even have had a roundtable discussion about ways to improve the drug benefit system in Ontario- Kind of like the recent Liberal retreat, except with more emphasis on substance and meaningful discussion. What if pharmacists were asked at that time to be partners in the process, rather than just given the token opportunity to present a proposal that was never to be considered? What if the current Minister of Health had engaged the pharmacy community in real discussions around solving drug spending problems earlier this year, instead of simply getting us to agree to a gag order that allowed the government time to hone their sales pitch? What if the Minister of Health, upon seeing the first outcry from the pharmacists and patients announced that she was going to have real discussions with the pharmacy community and work to find common ground? Do you suppose the fight would have intensified to its current level?
There have been multiple opportunities for government to facilitate meaningful discussion with our profession and our patients. They could have easily said that they were interested in our feedback and scheduled meetings with all who were interested in meeting with them without causing any political damage. Instead, all of their offers to meet have been laced with resentful and inflammatory statements. Even today, when informing media that it will take a month or so to implement regulations, Deb Matthews was quick to point out that she was not influenced by pharmacists and there was no room for negotiation on several key aspects of her plan. Why won’t Deb Matthews and the Liberals show us the respect that they say they have for us and invite us back to the table to find real solutions to drug spending concerns in the province?
We have done many things to ensure that our side of the story is heard. Over 500,000 petition signatures and countless emails, phone calls and letters from pharmacists and our patients have seemingly not had an impact on the Liberal government. By all accounts, they are determined as ever to push ahead with the reforms that they have announced despite the consequences.
Unfortunately, it may be time to start demonstrating some of the consequences of this short-sighted policy. It is up to us to find a way to survive under the new rules governing our profession, and survival will require a very radical review of our entire operation. In the end, it is the patients that will lose. The sad thing is that it never needed to end up this way.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
American Style
When all else fails, attack our friends and neighbours to the south. It’s such a Liberal thing to do. In the past two days several MPP’s have accused Ontario’s pharmacists of “American-style” campaign attacks. In question period today, Deb Matthews called the campaign a “multi-million-dollar American-style campaign of fear-mongering and misinformation.” She must have this confused with something else. I have been exposed to several American political campaigns, and this does not characterize the Ontario Community Pharmacies’ campaign.
In fact, this all started with an “American-style” campaign against pharmacists by the government. The blatant personal character assassination of pharmacists, like that displayed by Deb Matthews as the regulations were announced could be characterized as “American-style.” The distortion of the facts to demonize the profession of pharmacy and pharmacists is reminiscent of some great American negative campaigning. In America, though, the candidates attack each other, and use their own campaign funds to do it. In this case, the government is using resources provided through public tax dollars to spread misinformation, attack and demonize our profession. The only appropriate use of “American-style” in describing this situation is the future of Ontario pharmacy practice if these regulations come to pass.
The campaign by Ontario’s Pharmacists has been entirely factual. We have expressed the reality of the situation that most reasonable people could understand. When you take away almost a Billion dollars every year from pharmacy we will not be able to provide the same level of care and service. We do not like the source of the funding, but the system has evolved because of government neglect and under-funding over the past two decades. While not ideal, professional allowance funding has allowed us to practice our profession and serve the patients of Ontario. Most Liberal MPP’s have stated their support for the government plan, and we have let their constituents know about it. Polling has confirmed that the re-election chances for many Liberals are slim to none. These are all facts, not misinformation.
When this much funding is taken away with no real compensation, pharmacies will need to find ways to absorb the loss. This may mean reduction of services or implementation of additional fees. It may mean pharmacies need to close. Speaking the truth about the consequences of these actions is not fear-mongering. Is it “fear-mongering” to tell someone that they might blow themselves up if they smoke while pumping gas? Is it “fear-mongering” to tell someone that they might be attacked if they corner a wild animal? Is it “fear-mongering” to tell a Liberal in Ontario that they don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of being re-elected come 2011?
Deb Matthews and the Liberals have woken the slumbering beast, and now they’re not quite sure how to handle it. Pharmacists will continue to speak out and have our voices heard. We will continue our campaign of facts and truths to counter the misinformation coming from the Liberal government. We will do it in a decidedly “Canadian-style” with professionalism and class. We can proudly stand behind our message with facts and evidence. We do not need to resort to “American-style” personal character attacks to get our message across. Let’s hope the Liberal government can do the same.
In fact, this all started with an “American-style” campaign against pharmacists by the government. The blatant personal character assassination of pharmacists, like that displayed by Deb Matthews as the regulations were announced could be characterized as “American-style.” The distortion of the facts to demonize the profession of pharmacy and pharmacists is reminiscent of some great American negative campaigning. In America, though, the candidates attack each other, and use their own campaign funds to do it. In this case, the government is using resources provided through public tax dollars to spread misinformation, attack and demonize our profession. The only appropriate use of “American-style” in describing this situation is the future of Ontario pharmacy practice if these regulations come to pass.
The campaign by Ontario’s Pharmacists has been entirely factual. We have expressed the reality of the situation that most reasonable people could understand. When you take away almost a Billion dollars every year from pharmacy we will not be able to provide the same level of care and service. We do not like the source of the funding, but the system has evolved because of government neglect and under-funding over the past two decades. While not ideal, professional allowance funding has allowed us to practice our profession and serve the patients of Ontario. Most Liberal MPP’s have stated their support for the government plan, and we have let their constituents know about it. Polling has confirmed that the re-election chances for many Liberals are slim to none. These are all facts, not misinformation.
When this much funding is taken away with no real compensation, pharmacies will need to find ways to absorb the loss. This may mean reduction of services or implementation of additional fees. It may mean pharmacies need to close. Speaking the truth about the consequences of these actions is not fear-mongering. Is it “fear-mongering” to tell someone that they might blow themselves up if they smoke while pumping gas? Is it “fear-mongering” to tell someone that they might be attacked if they corner a wild animal? Is it “fear-mongering” to tell a Liberal in Ontario that they don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of being re-elected come 2011?
Deb Matthews and the Liberals have woken the slumbering beast, and now they’re not quite sure how to handle it. Pharmacists will continue to speak out and have our voices heard. We will continue our campaign of facts and truths to counter the misinformation coming from the Liberal government. We will do it in a decidedly “Canadian-style” with professionalism and class. We can proudly stand behind our message with facts and evidence. We do not need to resort to “American-style” personal character attacks to get our message across. Let’s hope the Liberal government can do the same.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Where's Helen??
In the days since the government announced new regulations regarding pharmacy funding in Ontario, one voice has been remarkably silent.
Ontario’s drug czar, the all-powerful Executive Officer of the ODB, Helen Stevenson has been silent for most of this campaign. There was the one sick attempt to gain sympathy by trotting out the story of this poor single mother receiving “death threats” from pharmacists. That story quickly died when someone else pointed out that it is actually a 4-year old story, and the accused were never confirmed to actually be pharmacists, and charges were never actually laid. I believe she also proclaimed her support for the government plan a few weeks ago, but she really hasn’t been heard from at all over the past month.
I have to think that the move to keep Helen on ice has been calculated by the Liberals. Even the bumbling Liberals have to recognize that the public knowing too much about Ms. Stevenson would not help their case. Just for fun, let’s take a look at a few fun facts about Helen Stevenson.
1. Prior to her appointment as Ontario’s Drug Czar, or whatever her official title is, Helen Stevenson, through her consulting group Savattuq Inc. received over $1 Million in untendered contracts from the Ontario Liberal government to devise the plan to destroy pharmacy practice in the province. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/11/10/untendered-contract-health-ontario123.html
2. Helen Stevenson, the bureaucrat appointed by the Ontario government to run the Ontario Drug Benefit program, has a Masters of Science in Management degree and a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
3. Helen Stevenson, the bureaucrat with no health care training appointed by the Ontario government to run the Ontario Drug benefit plan received a salary of $280,524.11 in 2009.
4. On numerous occasions, Helen Stevenson, the unqualified, overpaid bureaucrat appointed by the Ontario government to run the Ontario Drug Benefit program has listed drugs against the recommendation of the Committee to evaluate drugs after “pricing agreements” were worked out with the manufacturer. http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/providers/program/drugs/ced_rec_table.html.
The untendered contracts are fairly old news with the Liberals. They claim to have cleaned the system up since being exposed through the e-health scandal. I would think many Ontarians would find it interesting that this consultant, who had been receiving exorbitant consulting fees from the Liberal government suddenly found herself making exorbitant salaries from the public purse in a position for which she really had no relevant training or experience.
It is even more interesting that Helen Stevenson has the power to single-handedly decide whether drugs will be listed on the Ontario Drug Benefit formulary, yet has no qualifications or experience actually delivering health care services. This is one of the most powerful bureaucrats in the Ministry of Health- and she has absolutely NO QUALIFICATIONS for the position.
There is a committee established to review new drug submissions and recommend coverage based on a variety of measures- efficacy, safety, value, etc. This committee is made up of professionals who actually have the relevant knowledge necessary to make recommendations regarding drug coverage. I cannot believe the number of “do not cover” recommendations made by the committee that were overturned by Helen Stevenson after “pricing agreements” were established.
It seems that the only requirement to have a drug listed on the Ontario Drug Benefit formulary is deep pockets (or the ability to train a pit-bull.) You don’t have to have a drug that is actually superior to anything else on the formulary, or innovative in any way, since the person making the listing decisions doesn’t know what “evidence” is anyway. All you need to do is charm your way into a “pricing agreement” with the EO.
Of course, drug manufacturers are no fools, so they must be working the cost of their “pricing agreement” with Helen into the overall cost of the drug, thus artificially increasing the cost of brand name medication. This means that Ontarians, particularly those with no drug coverage, are paying too much for their brand name drugs. I wonder if Deb Matthews knows about this? Sounds to me like something she’d be against...
Shouldn’t there be more outrage with this situation?
We are paying a woman with no experience or training in delivering health care, hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to make unilateral decisions that affect the health of thousands of us daily. Health care decisions, like listing certain medications, should be made by the experts, and not Helen Stevenson. There should be very compelling reasons for decisions of the committee to be overturned by the EO- and secret deals worked out in Helen’s private office should not be one of them. Pricing negotiations should only take place after it has been established that there is a therapeutic benefit to listing the drug on the ODB plan.
I have no doubt the whole Helen Stevenson era will end as another Liberal government scandal. There is so much potential for corruption in the current system. The Liberal government has concentrated too much power in the hands of this overpaid, under-qualified, heartless bureaucrat. In fact, I can smell the stench of corruption from miles away.
I think I understand now why Helen has been keeping a low profile throughout this campaign. It is certainly not in her best interests to have the Ontario public know what that ridiculous salary actually pays for. I am looking forward with great anticipation to the day this fraud is exposed for what she really is. Hopefully there will still be pharmacists in this province to witness her downfall.
Ontario’s drug czar, the all-powerful Executive Officer of the ODB, Helen Stevenson has been silent for most of this campaign. There was the one sick attempt to gain sympathy by trotting out the story of this poor single mother receiving “death threats” from pharmacists. That story quickly died when someone else pointed out that it is actually a 4-year old story, and the accused were never confirmed to actually be pharmacists, and charges were never actually laid. I believe she also proclaimed her support for the government plan a few weeks ago, but she really hasn’t been heard from at all over the past month.
I have to think that the move to keep Helen on ice has been calculated by the Liberals. Even the bumbling Liberals have to recognize that the public knowing too much about Ms. Stevenson would not help their case. Just for fun, let’s take a look at a few fun facts about Helen Stevenson.
1. Prior to her appointment as Ontario’s Drug Czar, or whatever her official title is, Helen Stevenson, through her consulting group Savattuq Inc. received over $1 Million in untendered contracts from the Ontario Liberal government to devise the plan to destroy pharmacy practice in the province. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/11/10/untendered-contract-health-ontario123.html
2. Helen Stevenson, the bureaucrat appointed by the Ontario government to run the Ontario Drug Benefit program, has a Masters of Science in Management degree and a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
3. Helen Stevenson, the bureaucrat with no health care training appointed by the Ontario government to run the Ontario Drug benefit plan received a salary of $280,524.11 in 2009.
4. On numerous occasions, Helen Stevenson, the unqualified, overpaid bureaucrat appointed by the Ontario government to run the Ontario Drug Benefit program has listed drugs against the recommendation of the Committee to evaluate drugs after “pricing agreements” were worked out with the manufacturer. http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/providers/program/drugs/ced_rec_table.html.
The untendered contracts are fairly old news with the Liberals. They claim to have cleaned the system up since being exposed through the e-health scandal. I would think many Ontarians would find it interesting that this consultant, who had been receiving exorbitant consulting fees from the Liberal government suddenly found herself making exorbitant salaries from the public purse in a position for which she really had no relevant training or experience.
It is even more interesting that Helen Stevenson has the power to single-handedly decide whether drugs will be listed on the Ontario Drug Benefit formulary, yet has no qualifications or experience actually delivering health care services. This is one of the most powerful bureaucrats in the Ministry of Health- and she has absolutely NO QUALIFICATIONS for the position.
There is a committee established to review new drug submissions and recommend coverage based on a variety of measures- efficacy, safety, value, etc. This committee is made up of professionals who actually have the relevant knowledge necessary to make recommendations regarding drug coverage. I cannot believe the number of “do not cover” recommendations made by the committee that were overturned by Helen Stevenson after “pricing agreements” were established.
It seems that the only requirement to have a drug listed on the Ontario Drug Benefit formulary is deep pockets (or the ability to train a pit-bull.) You don’t have to have a drug that is actually superior to anything else on the formulary, or innovative in any way, since the person making the listing decisions doesn’t know what “evidence” is anyway. All you need to do is charm your way into a “pricing agreement” with the EO.
Of course, drug manufacturers are no fools, so they must be working the cost of their “pricing agreement” with Helen into the overall cost of the drug, thus artificially increasing the cost of brand name medication. This means that Ontarians, particularly those with no drug coverage, are paying too much for their brand name drugs. I wonder if Deb Matthews knows about this? Sounds to me like something she’d be against...
Shouldn’t there be more outrage with this situation?
We are paying a woman with no experience or training in delivering health care, hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to make unilateral decisions that affect the health of thousands of us daily. Health care decisions, like listing certain medications, should be made by the experts, and not Helen Stevenson. There should be very compelling reasons for decisions of the committee to be overturned by the EO- and secret deals worked out in Helen’s private office should not be one of them. Pricing negotiations should only take place after it has been established that there is a therapeutic benefit to listing the drug on the ODB plan.
I have no doubt the whole Helen Stevenson era will end as another Liberal government scandal. There is so much potential for corruption in the current system. The Liberal government has concentrated too much power in the hands of this overpaid, under-qualified, heartless bureaucrat. In fact, I can smell the stench of corruption from miles away.
I think I understand now why Helen has been keeping a low profile throughout this campaign. It is certainly not in her best interests to have the Ontario public know what that ridiculous salary actually pays for. I am looking forward with great anticipation to the day this fraud is exposed for what she really is. Hopefully there will still be pharmacists in this province to witness her downfall.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Stopcuts Students Inspiring
Despite just finishing another year of pharmacy school, and the gruelling final exam schedule, pharmacy students in Ontario have embarked on a whirlwind tour of the province to spread the message of the devastating health care cuts proposed by the Liberal government. They could have returned to their homes for a summer of relaxation, or to summer jobs (though those may be scarce thanks to the Liberals) but instead decided to devote 15 days of their lives to fight for their profession and cut through the spin and deception coming from the government. They have represented their profession honourably, and have been able to deliver a message that could not have come from any other source.
They had the courage to stand up to Deb Matthews when she suggested that pharmacists were the problem and that she was really on their side. They were even able to jolt her out of her routine of simply repeating the same tired spin lines that she has been peddling for the past month. They walked door to door in unfamiliar cities, never knowing who or what they were going to encounter, to inform the public that pharmacy care is at risk. They have displayed poise and professionalism in front of television cameras and through their interactions with media. In all respects, they have represented pharmacists with professionalism, dignity and honour.
It wasn’t long ago that I was a pharmacy student. I can still remember the passion I felt for my profession at that time. I had very idealistic views of a profession that I believed was finally coming into its own and was eager to see us reach a higher level as professionals. The realities of practice have sometimes frustrated me, but the enthusiasm displayed by the pharmacy students of the stopcuts tour has been a source of inspiration. I now feel more energized than ever about my chosen profession. I am now more determined than ever to do whatever I can to prevent the destruction of our profession at the hands of misinformed government officials.
Students in Ontario are having an experience that they will remember for their entire lives. I am sure the friendships that they form as a result of this tour will last long into their professional lives. This tour could be the catalyst for much innovation in pharmacy practice in the future. I will be looking for the students of the stopcuts tour to make an impact on our profession for years to come. They will be forever remembered as the “stopcuts students” of 2010, the year all pharmacists finally came together with one voice. If the enthusiasm and passion displayed by the pharmacy students of Ontario is any indication, our profession is well-positioned for whatever our future may hold.
They had the courage to stand up to Deb Matthews when she suggested that pharmacists were the problem and that she was really on their side. They were even able to jolt her out of her routine of simply repeating the same tired spin lines that she has been peddling for the past month. They walked door to door in unfamiliar cities, never knowing who or what they were going to encounter, to inform the public that pharmacy care is at risk. They have displayed poise and professionalism in front of television cameras and through their interactions with media. In all respects, they have represented pharmacists with professionalism, dignity and honour.
It wasn’t long ago that I was a pharmacy student. I can still remember the passion I felt for my profession at that time. I had very idealistic views of a profession that I believed was finally coming into its own and was eager to see us reach a higher level as professionals. The realities of practice have sometimes frustrated me, but the enthusiasm displayed by the pharmacy students of the stopcuts tour has been a source of inspiration. I now feel more energized than ever about my chosen profession. I am now more determined than ever to do whatever I can to prevent the destruction of our profession at the hands of misinformed government officials.
Students in Ontario are having an experience that they will remember for their entire lives. I am sure the friendships that they form as a result of this tour will last long into their professional lives. This tour could be the catalyst for much innovation in pharmacy practice in the future. I will be looking for the students of the stopcuts tour to make an impact on our profession for years to come. They will be forever remembered as the “stopcuts students” of 2010, the year all pharmacists finally came together with one voice. If the enthusiasm and passion displayed by the pharmacy students of Ontario is any indication, our profession is well-positioned for whatever our future may hold.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
“Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”
While the future is still uncertain with respect to pharmacy practice in Ontario, there has been one positive consequence of the government actions of the past year. I have never seen the profession so united. Having a common enemy in Deb Matthews and the Ontario Liberals has brought our profession together like nothing else ever could.
There is still some mistrust, which is evident through the media and facebook comments, as we all try to adapt to this newfound unity. Conspiracy theorists within our profession are having a heyday. Does SDM have a secret side deal, perhaps worked out over Christmas dinner at the Peterson’s? Do pharmacists practicing at Pharmaplus really care as much as pharmacists practicing at Pharmasave? Are we all being played by “the coalition?” Who is really pulling the strings?
The pharmacy profession is unique in that we are all practicing the same profession, but are still competing with each other on a commercial level. Competition can be a positive influence as it drives all of us to be better professionals. Unfortunately, it has also allowed some of us to reduce our professional practice to a commodity, competing on price and fee-waiving rather than professional standards. The commercial nature of our profession has had both positive and negative influences in shaping our practice and the ways that we interact with each other.
The truth is we are all pharmacists. We are all part of the same great profession. Sure, some pharmacists have more passion for their practice and some pharmacists do indeed care more than others about providing care to their patients. Some pharmacists view their profession as little more than a paycheque while others view it as an identity. Some pharmacists “work as” pharmacists while others “are” pharmacists. This has absolutely nothing to do with where they practice. I have experience in a wide range of practice settings from the largest chain to the smallest independent. I can honestly say that I have been inspired by pharmacists in all settings and I have been disappointed by pharmacists in all settings.
I see a lot of the questioning of motives and fear of what others may do as a natural part of getting to know one another. It’s like getting used to living in a new neighbourhood, or relating to new co-workers. We all know that we want to trust each other, and that the common bond between us is much stronger than the forces that threaten to pull us apart. Let’s face it- we’ve spent several decades as a very fragmented group. While we have been standing strong together for almost a year now, the idea of a united front for all pharmacists is still new. There are bound to be some differences of opinion with all parties still mindful of their own interests.
Looking at the big picture, the Ontario Community Pharmacies Coalition has proven that we are much stronger united than divided. The profession of pharmacy wins when we are able to put aside the differences between our practice environments and fight for our profession. A strong, respected pharmacy profession is good for Shoppers Drug Mart. It is also good for Rexall, Pharmasave, for every independent pharmacy and for every pharmacist in our province.
We need to be defined by the profession we practice, not by the logo hanging on our building. While the focus still needs to be on our battle with the government, we must continue to build on the unity that we have achieved through the Ontario Community Pharmacies Coalition in the future. Our future will be bright if we continue to stand as a strong, united profession.
There is still some mistrust, which is evident through the media and facebook comments, as we all try to adapt to this newfound unity. Conspiracy theorists within our profession are having a heyday. Does SDM have a secret side deal, perhaps worked out over Christmas dinner at the Peterson’s? Do pharmacists practicing at Pharmaplus really care as much as pharmacists practicing at Pharmasave? Are we all being played by “the coalition?” Who is really pulling the strings?
The pharmacy profession is unique in that we are all practicing the same profession, but are still competing with each other on a commercial level. Competition can be a positive influence as it drives all of us to be better professionals. Unfortunately, it has also allowed some of us to reduce our professional practice to a commodity, competing on price and fee-waiving rather than professional standards. The commercial nature of our profession has had both positive and negative influences in shaping our practice and the ways that we interact with each other.
The truth is we are all pharmacists. We are all part of the same great profession. Sure, some pharmacists have more passion for their practice and some pharmacists do indeed care more than others about providing care to their patients. Some pharmacists view their profession as little more than a paycheque while others view it as an identity. Some pharmacists “work as” pharmacists while others “are” pharmacists. This has absolutely nothing to do with where they practice. I have experience in a wide range of practice settings from the largest chain to the smallest independent. I can honestly say that I have been inspired by pharmacists in all settings and I have been disappointed by pharmacists in all settings.
I see a lot of the questioning of motives and fear of what others may do as a natural part of getting to know one another. It’s like getting used to living in a new neighbourhood, or relating to new co-workers. We all know that we want to trust each other, and that the common bond between us is much stronger than the forces that threaten to pull us apart. Let’s face it- we’ve spent several decades as a very fragmented group. While we have been standing strong together for almost a year now, the idea of a united front for all pharmacists is still new. There are bound to be some differences of opinion with all parties still mindful of their own interests.
Looking at the big picture, the Ontario Community Pharmacies Coalition has proven that we are much stronger united than divided. The profession of pharmacy wins when we are able to put aside the differences between our practice environments and fight for our profession. A strong, respected pharmacy profession is good for Shoppers Drug Mart. It is also good for Rexall, Pharmasave, for every independent pharmacy and for every pharmacist in our province.
We need to be defined by the profession we practice, not by the logo hanging on our building. While the focus still needs to be on our battle with the government, we must continue to build on the unity that we have achieved through the Ontario Community Pharmacies Coalition in the future. Our future will be bright if we continue to stand as a strong, united profession.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Why we fight
With all of the misinformation swirling around out there from the government spin machine I think it is important for all pharmacists to focus on the real reason for our campaign. Despite what Deb Matthews and company say, this is not about fair drug prices, it is not about reducing costs, it is not about taking on “big pharmacy” and it is most certainly not about improving health care. From my perspective, this is what our fight is about...
This is about the elderly patient, who has mixed up her medications for the third time in the past week and is looking for help in keeping organized. She’s not ready to move to a nursing home yet, but without her pharmacist to help her manage her medications she knows that is her only option.
This is about the young mother, who approaches the pharmacist late at night with a prescription for her infant son, obtained after spending 8 hours in the Emergency room. She received little information from the over-extended ER physician and wonders if the antibiotic is really needed.
This is about the young man who has fallen on hard times and unfortunately turned to chemicals to help him cope. He’s working to turn his life around, and the supportive care he receives through the methadone program has been helping him get back on his feet.
This is about the man who has been swallowing antacids by the dozen and still can’t get any relief for his heartburn. After a short conversation with his pharmacist he heads to the ER where he learns that emergency bypass surgery is needed to prevent the imminent massive heart attack that he had been dismissing as acid reflux.
This is about the patient with terminal cancer, living her final days at home, who relies on her pharmacist to deliver the medication she needs, whenever she needs it, to allow her to spend her final hours with her family by her side.
This is about the thousands of patients every day who rely on Ontario’s pharmacists to prevent drug interactions, prevent adverse drug reactions, provide appropriate non-prescription and non-drug therapy, provide referrals for physician care when appropriate, provide information to help them manage chronic conditions and provide support and encouragement when needed most.
To say that this is simply about fair generic drug prices is wrong. Any savings that may be realized through the generic drug side will certainly be spent many times over when our ability to provide quality care that the people of Ontario count on is compromised. I didn’t become a pharmacist to debate generic drug spending or professional allowances with the government. I became a pharmacist to provide patient care and make a real difference in their lives. All I ask for now is some respect from the government and the right to have the means necessary to continue to serve my patients, preferably through a fair fee for the services that I already provide. We can talk about additional professional services later.
As a pharmacist, nothing is more satisfying that having a patient say “thank you.” Thank you for making a difference, or thank you for caring, or thank you for taking the time, or thank you for saving my life. It kills me to know that I may soon be letting my patients down through no fault of my own. Our very ability to practice our profession and positively impact the health of our patients is at stake here. This is why I will stand with my profession and fight this battle to the end. I encourage all pharmacists to do the same.
This is about the elderly patient, who has mixed up her medications for the third time in the past week and is looking for help in keeping organized. She’s not ready to move to a nursing home yet, but without her pharmacist to help her manage her medications she knows that is her only option.
This is about the young mother, who approaches the pharmacist late at night with a prescription for her infant son, obtained after spending 8 hours in the Emergency room. She received little information from the over-extended ER physician and wonders if the antibiotic is really needed.
This is about the young man who has fallen on hard times and unfortunately turned to chemicals to help him cope. He’s working to turn his life around, and the supportive care he receives through the methadone program has been helping him get back on his feet.
This is about the man who has been swallowing antacids by the dozen and still can’t get any relief for his heartburn. After a short conversation with his pharmacist he heads to the ER where he learns that emergency bypass surgery is needed to prevent the imminent massive heart attack that he had been dismissing as acid reflux.
This is about the patient with terminal cancer, living her final days at home, who relies on her pharmacist to deliver the medication she needs, whenever she needs it, to allow her to spend her final hours with her family by her side.
This is about the thousands of patients every day who rely on Ontario’s pharmacists to prevent drug interactions, prevent adverse drug reactions, provide appropriate non-prescription and non-drug therapy, provide referrals for physician care when appropriate, provide information to help them manage chronic conditions and provide support and encouragement when needed most.
To say that this is simply about fair generic drug prices is wrong. Any savings that may be realized through the generic drug side will certainly be spent many times over when our ability to provide quality care that the people of Ontario count on is compromised. I didn’t become a pharmacist to debate generic drug spending or professional allowances with the government. I became a pharmacist to provide patient care and make a real difference in their lives. All I ask for now is some respect from the government and the right to have the means necessary to continue to serve my patients, preferably through a fair fee for the services that I already provide. We can talk about additional professional services later.
As a pharmacist, nothing is more satisfying that having a patient say “thank you.” Thank you for making a difference, or thank you for caring, or thank you for taking the time, or thank you for saving my life. It kills me to know that I may soon be letting my patients down through no fault of my own. Our very ability to practice our profession and positively impact the health of our patients is at stake here. This is why I will stand with my profession and fight this battle to the end. I encourage all pharmacists to do the same.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Loblaws sees great opportunity in demise of Independent Pharmacy
We are down to the last week of consultation on government legislation that will change our profession forever. Despite a few hiccups at the start, it is starting to feel like the tide has turned in our favour. Once we are able to cut through all of the government spin, our patients realize what the real impact of the legislation may be. Even Liberal MPP’s seem to be starting to get the message and are at least appearing sympathetic rather than trying to remember the talking points provided to them by the Minister of Health.
Then along comes Loblaws...
In a release today, they told the world that they see great opportunity in this legislation and will be expanding their pharmacy network, hoping to scoop up business from failed independent pharmacies.
This confirms my view that grocery store pharmacies are the scum of the Earth. They even confirm that they are leeches on the profession, hoping to suck the life out of the independent pharmacies that have made our profession what it is today. The pharmacists in these operations answer to grocery clerks turned managers who don’t see the difference between dispensing methadone and selling banana’s. They devalue our profession to the point where we are just a loss-leader there to get people into the store under the premise of purchasing cheap drugs while they rob them blind on their produce purchases. Why we ever let these parasites latch onto our profession is beyond me.
Even Deb Matthews weighed in on their announcement- saying that there is a “good future for people in pharmacy.” Really Deb?? Were you not the person who said that your bill was about taking on the big corporations? In Canada, corporations don’t get much bigger than Loblaws. Is it really good to have highly trained professionals competing with high school kids for the Employee of the Month title? Nothing says “I am a professional “ like standing in the middle of a grocery store talking about hemorrhoids while the butcher chops up a dead cow twenty feet away.
I hope there are enough self-respecting pharmacists that will stand up to these dirt bags and thank them for their support of our profession by refusing to work in their new “pharmacies.” Personally, I would never lower myself to practice in one of those dumps, even if they were the last pharmacy on Earth.
Maybe I’m giving these morons too much credibility. Grocery retailers really aren’t a force in pharmacy and probably never will be. The fight we face now is for the very survival of our profession. We need to remain strong and united as a profession against these cuts. If anything, this announcement from Loblaws should only strengthen our resolve. They have stated what they see as our future- kind of makes me want to take some action to make sure it never happens.
Then along comes Loblaws...
In a release today, they told the world that they see great opportunity in this legislation and will be expanding their pharmacy network, hoping to scoop up business from failed independent pharmacies.
This confirms my view that grocery store pharmacies are the scum of the Earth. They even confirm that they are leeches on the profession, hoping to suck the life out of the independent pharmacies that have made our profession what it is today. The pharmacists in these operations answer to grocery clerks turned managers who don’t see the difference between dispensing methadone and selling banana’s. They devalue our profession to the point where we are just a loss-leader there to get people into the store under the premise of purchasing cheap drugs while they rob them blind on their produce purchases. Why we ever let these parasites latch onto our profession is beyond me.
Even Deb Matthews weighed in on their announcement- saying that there is a “good future for people in pharmacy.” Really Deb?? Were you not the person who said that your bill was about taking on the big corporations? In Canada, corporations don’t get much bigger than Loblaws. Is it really good to have highly trained professionals competing with high school kids for the Employee of the Month title? Nothing says “I am a professional “ like standing in the middle of a grocery store talking about hemorrhoids while the butcher chops up a dead cow twenty feet away.
I hope there are enough self-respecting pharmacists that will stand up to these dirt bags and thank them for their support of our profession by refusing to work in their new “pharmacies.” Personally, I would never lower myself to practice in one of those dumps, even if they were the last pharmacy on Earth.
Maybe I’m giving these morons too much credibility. Grocery retailers really aren’t a force in pharmacy and probably never will be. The fight we face now is for the very survival of our profession. We need to remain strong and united as a profession against these cuts. If anything, this announcement from Loblaws should only strengthen our resolve. They have stated what they see as our future- kind of makes me want to take some action to make sure it never happens.
Monday, May 3, 2010
What happened?
Everything seemed to be going so well...
The government was finally going to recognize and utilize pharmacists to their full potential. They recognized us as the medication experts and were finally going to allow us to use the full extent of our training to improve the health of our patients. Bill 179 was the first step to realizing our full potential as a profession. It was the chance to finally see our profession advance to the levels we had talked about back when I was in pharmacy school. Sure there were still a few details to be worked out, but we were really on the right track. Pharmacy was ready to take that next leap...
What happened??
There were rumblings last summer that something was amiss with King Dalton and his Liberals. They were looking to balance their books and decided that cutting healthcare was the best way to do it. Pharmacy seemed like a good place to start. They released an outrageous proposal as a starting point for “discussions” with our profession. At the time my thoughts were that they were simply using this tactic to get our attention- that they were letting us know how “bad” it could be, hoping that we would swallow their “real” proposal more easily knowing that it could have been much worse.
We played along through the “discussion” period- presenting proposals to the government that would save money and still preserve the level of care our patients were used to receiving. We endured the meetings being cancelled, and then cancelled again and finally decided that we had enough. We were going to start talking to our patients about the plans the Liberals had in store for us. Then the government started to worry- they didn’t want us talking about their precious bill until the time was right. They agreed to resume “discussions” but only as long as we didn’t talk about it to anyone. Pharmacists, being the trusting souls we are, agreed to return to the table, hoping that some common sense finally was starting to filter through Queen’s Park.
Unfortunately, nine months later, the baby that the Liberal’s delivered was just as ugly as the one they talked about when the idea was first conceived. Only this time, the government was prepared...
I never imagined it would come to this...our profession under attack by the very people we elected to run our great province. I never imagined I would be the victim of a smear job by the Minister of Health who has attempted every trick in the book to discredit and demonize a profession with a proud history.
I learned from the Minister of Health that I have been taking “kickbacks” for years while gouging the public. I learned that the price of a drug that might be used for blood pressure was 5 times more expensive here than in New Zealand, and that a diabetes drug was 2 times more than in the US. I learned that the “high price” for a round white tablet was $1.56 while a “fair price” was $0.28. Ontario was paying “too much” for generic drugs and that it is “the right thing to do.” I guess to the Liberal mind, pulling random numbers out of the air and selling them to the public with no context is “the right thing to do.”
I am still hoping that some of that common sense will strike enough Liberal MPP’s to permeate Deb’s thick armour. We didn’t ask for this battle, but we have come together admirably to fight it. We are doing the right thing in defending our profession. Maybe one day we will even be able to get back to real discussions about moving our profession forward. For the time being, we are down to the wire now in the fight of our lives and need to keep pushing....if we lose this one we won’t have a profession left to fight for.
The government was finally going to recognize and utilize pharmacists to their full potential. They recognized us as the medication experts and were finally going to allow us to use the full extent of our training to improve the health of our patients. Bill 179 was the first step to realizing our full potential as a profession. It was the chance to finally see our profession advance to the levels we had talked about back when I was in pharmacy school. Sure there were still a few details to be worked out, but we were really on the right track. Pharmacy was ready to take that next leap...
What happened??
There were rumblings last summer that something was amiss with King Dalton and his Liberals. They were looking to balance their books and decided that cutting healthcare was the best way to do it. Pharmacy seemed like a good place to start. They released an outrageous proposal as a starting point for “discussions” with our profession. At the time my thoughts were that they were simply using this tactic to get our attention- that they were letting us know how “bad” it could be, hoping that we would swallow their “real” proposal more easily knowing that it could have been much worse.
We played along through the “discussion” period- presenting proposals to the government that would save money and still preserve the level of care our patients were used to receiving. We endured the meetings being cancelled, and then cancelled again and finally decided that we had enough. We were going to start talking to our patients about the plans the Liberals had in store for us. Then the government started to worry- they didn’t want us talking about their precious bill until the time was right. They agreed to resume “discussions” but only as long as we didn’t talk about it to anyone. Pharmacists, being the trusting souls we are, agreed to return to the table, hoping that some common sense finally was starting to filter through Queen’s Park.
Unfortunately, nine months later, the baby that the Liberal’s delivered was just as ugly as the one they talked about when the idea was first conceived. Only this time, the government was prepared...
I never imagined it would come to this...our profession under attack by the very people we elected to run our great province. I never imagined I would be the victim of a smear job by the Minister of Health who has attempted every trick in the book to discredit and demonize a profession with a proud history.
I learned from the Minister of Health that I have been taking “kickbacks” for years while gouging the public. I learned that the price of a drug that might be used for blood pressure was 5 times more expensive here than in New Zealand, and that a diabetes drug was 2 times more than in the US. I learned that the “high price” for a round white tablet was $1.56 while a “fair price” was $0.28. Ontario was paying “too much” for generic drugs and that it is “the right thing to do.” I guess to the Liberal mind, pulling random numbers out of the air and selling them to the public with no context is “the right thing to do.”
I am still hoping that some of that common sense will strike enough Liberal MPP’s to permeate Deb’s thick armour. We didn’t ask for this battle, but we have come together admirably to fight it. We are doing the right thing in defending our profession. Maybe one day we will even be able to get back to real discussions about moving our profession forward. For the time being, we are down to the wire now in the fight of our lives and need to keep pushing....if we lose this one we won’t have a profession left to fight for.
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