Healthy Skepticism Library item: 8645

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Publication type: media release

Support for quality pharmacy services
The Hon Tony Abbott MHR - Minister for Health and Ageing 2007 Feb 27
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/mr-yr07-ta-abb016.htm?OpenDocument&yr=2007&mth=2

Full text:

The Australian Government will provide almost $70 million direct to community pharmacies as part of its commitment to quality assurance in community pharmacy.

From April 2007, up to $5,000 a year will be provided to accredited community pharmacies improve their service to patients.

People who visit an accredited community pharmacy will have access to up-to-date professional information about their conditions and medications. These pharmacies will work to a customer charter designed to deliver the highest quality services and advice to their customers.

The changes to this program will continue to ensure that individual pharmacies have systems to give pharmacy staff up-to-date professional information and to enable pharmacists to provide expert advice.

The program forms part of the Fourth Community Pharmacy Agreement between the Government and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

An additional $5.8 million has been allocated to the Guild and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia to support community pharmacy in the uptake of the program.

The annual quality maintenance allowance replaces less frequent incentive payments provided under previous arrangements.

Pharmacies processing 20,000 prescriptions or fewer a year will receive the minimum of $3,000 a year, while those handling more than 65,000 prescriptions a year will receive $5,000 a year.

The Fourth Agreement provides up to $568 million in funding for pharmacy professional programs over the period of the Agreement, which runs from December 2005 to June 2010.

Media contact: Claire Kimball, 0413 486 926

Fact sheet
Quality Care Pharmacy Program: Quality Maintenance Allowance
Funding of up to $75.8 million for the Quality Care Pharmacy Program is available over the term of the Fourth Community Pharmacy Agreement.

The aim of the Quality Care Pharmacy Program is to ensure the ongoing maintenance of quality customer and professional service in community pharmacies across Australia.

The new ‘Quality Maintenance Allowance’ under the Quality Care Pharmacy Program will replace the previous incentive payments for this Program.

The Quality Maintenance Allowance will see accredited pharmacies receiving the following annual payments, on a sliding scale, depending on annual prescription volume bandwidths:
Band (prescription volume based on claimable prescriptions) Upper Cut off Allowance per year
Band 1 – 0 to 20000 20,000 $3,000
Band 2 – 20001 to 30000 30,000 $3,500
Band 3 – 30001 to 45000 45,000 $4,000
Band 4 – 45001 to 65000 65,000 $4,500
Band 5 – 65001 and above $5,000

The impact of the new funding structure will be monitored by the Professional Programs and Services Advisory Committee, established as part of the Fourth Agreement, the Department of Health and Ageing and the Pharmacy Guild.