6CPA progress report
February 11, 2016
Pharmacy Guild of Australia
executive director David Quilty has
chosen to provide a progress report
on the Sixth Community Pharmacy
Agreement (6CPA) together with an
update on Guild activity to support
pharmacy.
Using Forefront to communicate
his message, Quilty said that now
the agreement is seven months in
play, a summary of steps forward
is timely.
“The changes to dispensing
remuneration, including the
Administration, Handling and
Infrastructure Fee (AHI), continue
to provide a much-needed
foundation for dispensing
remuneration,” he said.
Quilty also urged members to
make use of the 6CPA Forecaster
adding that the Guild is also
committed to updating Script Map
for the 6CPA.
Two major changes that took
effect on 01 Jan were the optional
co-payment discount up to $1
and the de-listing of certain OTC
medicines from the PBS.
The $1 discount is being applied
“selectively”, even among
pharmacy chains with a discounting
policy, writes Quilty, with
pharmacists counselling patients
about their options.
With $15m allocated this financial
year to the Pharmacy Trial Program,
it is disappointing, he says, to see
that after seven months, no trials
are underway or announced, in
spite of Guild efforts to expedite
the processes.
The Guild objective relating to
the National Diabetes Services
Scheme (NDSS) is to “bed down the
payment, supply and administration
in time to enable the new
arrangements to commence from
01 July as stipulated in the 6CPA”.
With respect to chemotherapy
compounders, the Guild says
the current Efficient Funding of
Chemotherapy (EFC) payment
system is “unworkable” and is
seeking an alternative method that
“will ensure the Government’s
transparency objective is still
achieved”.
Quilty said the Guild is working
closely and proactively with the
Pharmacy Remuneration and
Regulation Review Panel seeking an
open minded approach, and where
possible, support for the current
community pharmacy model.
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