Who is your community pharmacist?

Your community pharmacist is a health professional with five years of specialized university education and it doesn’t stop there. In Nova Scotia, pharmacists are required by law to take continuing education courses each year to improve their skills and to stay current with the latest in health and drug information.

What is a professional fee?

In most pharmacies, the total price of your prescription is the sum of the pharmacy’s drug costs, possibly a mark up (2 – 4%) and a professional fee. A professional fee, often referred to as a dispensing fee, covers the many services your pharmacist provides each time you visit. In addition to the services (listed below) these fees must cover operating costs like salaries, computers, rent, heat, electricity and dispensing supplies such as vials, labels, bags, and so on.

What services am I receiving for the fee that I pay?

The professional fee covers many different services – many of which you may not realize your pharmacist is doing before, during and after filling your prescription.

These services include:

• Checking the prescription;
• Detecting any possible drug interactions; like checking for possible reactions between your medicines and other medicines or food;
• Checking for possible side effects;
• Screening for allergies to the prescribed medications;
• Checking for duplication of therapy;
• Determining whether the drugs prescribed will interfere with any medical condition you may have;
• Preparing your medication and making sure you know the best way to take or use it;
• Making sure an adequate supply of medication is available to help meet your needs;
• Answering your questions and/or concerns that may arise about your medication and/or side effects on an ongoing basis.

Why it is important to stay with one pharmacy?

It makes sense to have all your prescriptions filled at one pharmacy. Did you know that your pharmacist keeps a complete medication profile on you at the pharmacy where you have your prescriptions filled? This profile is a personal record of your medical history – including all the medications you are taking (or have taken), health conditions, allergies and possible drug interactions. It is also a good idea to tell your pharmacist about all the over-the-counter medications you take so that they can be included in your medication profile.

By going to one pharmacy, your pharmacist will be able to continuously update your patient profile – making sure all the information is accurate. And remember – your patient profile is treated as confidential information by your pharmacy.

Why may the professional fee differ from one pharmacy to another?

Like other businesses, prices among pharmacies can differ. Pharmacy is a business and, therefore, is not immune to competition. Pharmacy is a service industry and as such many pharmacies provide services in addition to those listed above. Some pharmacies may provide the following additional services;

• Many provide printed information on the drug you are using when you take the drug for the first time;
• Others provide a telephone follow-up program to find out how you are getting along on your new drug;
• Many pharmacies provide blood pressure clinics or have blood pressure machines on site for self use;
• Still others provide blood sugar, foot, nutritional and/or cholesterol clinics with minimal charges;
• And others provide delivery, extended hours and make available to their clients access to the pharmacy’s literature and video libraries.

The list can go on, but what is important is for you to choose the level of service you need and to understand that these additional services, if provided, are reflected in the pharmacy’s professional fee.