Australian pharmacies may start charging customers for currently free services such as blood pressure checks and delivery, a new CommBank report finds.
The revenue raised by putting up the price tags would be used to offset any losses caused by new 60-day dispensing rules which come into effect next month.
The new rules will allow single prescriptions with 60 days’ worth of medication, instead of 30 days, to be dispensed in what has been described as a win for rural Australians and those struggling to afford medicine amid the cost of living crisis. However, it’s also being viewed as a move being made at the expense of pharmacists.
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“There are hundreds of thousands of rural Australians who drive more than 100 kilometres to see a GP or go to the chemist,” Rural Doctors Association of Australia president Megan Belot said. “Reducing this burden will save them exponentially more money.”
It is estimated the prescription changes will free up GP consults and halve the cost of 320 common medicines for about six million Australians.
But the Coalition has argued that reduced dispensing fees will put huge financial pressure on pharmacies, especially those in regional areas.
Health Minister Mark Butler said the estimated $1.2 billion in savings from the dispensing measure across the next four years would be reinvested in community pharmacies, but it appears many pharmacists aren’t relying on his promise.
Pharmacists are now looking to mitigate the potential impact by passing on the costs to customers, according to the CommBank Pharmacy Insights report produced with the University of Technology Sydney and IQVIA.
“Pharmacists are considering a range of strategies,” the report said.
”This includes 79.2 per cent who are evaluating charging for services currently provided free of charge, including delivery fees and blood pressure checks.
“Over half are also considering increasing professional services, including vaccinations and consultations.
“While some may consider reducing staff to manage costs, far more must still overcome shortages.
Southwest Sydney pharmacy owner Quinn On told The Australian that a $10 to $15 charge could be expected for blood pressure checks, and that free wound dressing and free delivery of medication for regulars and elderly patients would also come with a charge.
He also questioned whether he could continue to afford to employ the midwife who offers baby weighing four-and-a-half hours a week at his pharmacy, while facing the effects of the 60-day dispensing change.
“I get a line-up of people every Friday morning,” he said. “I am now looking at can I continue to provide that service.”
Peaks and troughs in reported pharmacy confidence show that cost management changes, which also includes pivoting to digital technologies, have indeed been prompted by the new dispensing changes.
However, the report also indicated that many of the pharmacy strategies aligned with growth opportunities already identified by pharmacists in November last year.
– With AAP
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