There are several ways to reduce customer confusion about generic medicines, writes Kos Sclavos, national president of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia...Generic medicines are widely used in Australia and account for around 40% of prescriptions filled on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).Consumers often have a choice of medicine brand and the pharmacy assistant is the first point of call in asking patients if they want the generic version of the medicine. Your pharmacy should have a system in place, perhaps by use of ‘script in form’ to facilitate this process, and this allows patients to choose.The pharmacy owners... Read more
Symbion’s 500-plus Gold and Silver Pharmacy Choice members are set to benefit from a new partnership with North Coast TAFE which will give them access to dynamic training courses online.
Using a range of technologies, the new training program is intended for both pharmacists and pharmacy assistants and is designed to extend member knowledge and enhance customer satisfaction, with the aim of growing front of store sales.
‘At Pharmacy Choice we see it as our role to help our customers’ businesses improve and... Read more
There’s already community confusion about the April 1 Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme price cuts, with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia receiving reports from members that customers don’t understand the price changes.
Guild executive director Wendy Phillips says in the Guild’s newsletter, Forefront, that ‘in particular, some pharmacy customers have gained the impression that the cost to consumers for all of their medicines will be cheaper as a result of these changes.
‘The confusion seems to largely stem from... Read more
Australian pharmacy is on the cusp of change: on Sunday, April 1, we’ll see the biggest set of price reductions in the history of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
Publicly funded generic medicines on the PBS will undergo an overnight average minimum 23% price reduction, delivering substantial savings to the government.
The Generic Medicines Industry Association (GMiA) says few patients will benefit from the price disclosure reform: it says those who need most relief, such as concessionary patients, all pay... Read more
It’s Wound Awareness Week around Australia from 26 March and community pharmacies have a big role to play, writes Bill McGuiness, national president of the Australian Wound Management Association (AWMA)…
Pharmacists source and provide a range of vital wound care products to customers by request or on recommendation by practitioners like GPs and wound specialists.
With an estimated 270,000 Australians suffering from leg ulcers alone at any one time, it can be a significant part of the pharmacy role.
... Read more
By Megan Haggan
Almost every week of the year sees a different aspect of health highlighted in an awareness event: everything from Asthma Week or World AIDS Day to Youth Week now has its own special day, week or even month aimed at highlighting the impact of the disease on sufferers, raising funds for research into treatment, or just letting sufferers know where to go for help.
As key stakeholders in community health, pharmacies are well placed to not only take advantage of the marketing and promotion... Read more
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