July • August 2003 - Ontario College of Pharmacists

COUNCIL
OCP COUNCIL REPORT
Misconduct Regulation, namely:
“Offering or distributing, directly
or indirectly, a gift, rebate, bonus
or other inducement with respect
to a prescription or prescription
services.”
The matter of loyalty programs
has been before the College for
several months, with a review
being prompted both by external
requests for review and internal
concerns respecting ongoing
enforcement challenges resulting
from different interpretations of
the existing policy and causing
confusion in the marketplace.
It is Council’s position that
offering loyalty points, air miles
or other incentives to induce
patients to have prescriptions
filled at more than one pharmacy
is inconsistent with the current
pharmaceutical care model that
promotes high-quality care
through long-term pharmacistpatient
relationships. The
College has long supported the
view, shared by many health care
professions, that it is in the
patient’s best interest to find (and
stay with) one health care
provider, and in our case, one
pharmacy, that best meets the
patient’s health care needs and is
the custodian of all the patient’s
health information.
Council also acknowledges
current trends to support an
enhanced role for the pharmacist
in primary care reform and
payment for cognitive services,
and considers this revised policy
to be in keeping with these
trends. The College has also
expended significant resources
on public communication initiatives
to help shift the public’s
perception of the pharmacist and
it believes that this new policy is
consistent with this objective. It
is vital for the public to see pharmacists
more as health care
professionals than retailers and
that they view prescriptions more
as important and serious entities
necessary for their health than
simple commodities or products.
The new policy is:
1. Bonus points, loyalty points or
air miles may not be awarded
on prescriptions, prescription
services, or other professional
services related to the practice
of pharmacy in Ontario.
2. Points may not be redeemed, or
used as legal tender, for the
purchase of prescriptions.
3. Prescriptions, prescription
services, or other professional
pharmacy services may be paid
by a major credit card that is
linked to awards, loyalty points
or air miles through special
agreements with financial
institutions, except where
directly or indirectly, a special
gift, bonus, or other
inducement is offered to a
prescriptions, prescription
services or other professional
pharmacy services.
4. This policy does not affect the
College’s current position
respecting pharmacies and
parking charges. Pharmacies
that reimburse parking charges
(for a client who is having a
prescription filled) are not in
violation of current regulations
(professional misconduct), as
long as such reimbursement is
not advertised.
Council additionally, agreed
that the current advertising regulation
and related issues
respecting prescription services,
such as inducements, soliciting
and waiving of co-payments,
need to be reviewed.
In an effort to inform pharmacists,
designated managers
and owners, a notice with this
new policy was faxed to all pharmacies
in June. As well, owners
and directors of pharmacy chains
are being invited to meet with the
College for an information and
question and answer session on
the new policy.
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Pharmacy Connection July • August 2003