Monday, December 7, 2009

Pharmacy Dispensing Fee's in BC

Telus Health (formerly Emergis) has published a report showing average dispensing fee's from various pharmacies across BC from January 2009 through June 2009. PDF availible HERE





As is evident from the Table, the average dispensing fee across BC is $9.09 the least expensive pharmacy's are located, shock and awe, at Costco and Wal-Mart.

If your benefits plan uses paper reimbursment the plan is paying for all of the dispensing fee charged by the pharmacy. If your plan has a drug card with no dispensing fee deductible, then again the plan pays for the whole fee. If on the other hand, the drug card has a dispensing fee deductible, the plan member pays the cost of the pharmacy fee.

Using a dispensing fee deductible encourages members to shop where the fee's, and often drugs, are the cheapest. However, members can only be savvy consumers if they know where to shop. Social engineering is going to be the next frontier in benefit plan cost control. Encouraging members to be savvy shoppers, getting them to change their prescription purchasing habits and eventually lifestyle habits. Simply convincing members to shop at one pharmacy rather than another can result in savings of thousands of dollars in unnecessary costs.

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