EDITORIAL

LETTERS
Article Title Complaint
HIC Issues

EVENTS
The Pharmaceuticals Summit

Where to from Now?
NEIL JOHNSTON
A Management Consultant Perspective

The year 2003 has almost finished on a less than satisfactory note.
With little effort, the soft underbelly of pharmacy has been exposed, and it is not a very pretty sight.
Of course there have been a number of band-aided steps taken, but how much lead-time will that give us?

Review 2003 and the Crystal Ball
NEIL JOHNSTON
Management Consultant Perspective

The past 12 months have been marked by a number of challenges being issued to pharmacy, and 2004 looks as though it will become even more intense.
What is in the crystal ball?
Obviously an increase in the overall number of issues plus an expansion of those covered.
Just revise some of the topics covered below, starting with the Priceline entry into pharmacy, control of consultant pharmacists, U.K deregulation (as a pointer for Australia), Government IT projects, corporatisation as a pharmacy option, the Australian PBS becoming a bargaining tool in the Free Trade Agreement with the US, the first press release of Woolworths interest in pharmacy, RFID and the world future store and the technology changes heralded for retailing, proving your identity and the use of encrypted documents, being tired as a side effect of community pharmacy, and a running commentary as major internal players in pharmacy look to re-arrange the pie as Woolworths, Coles and a range of global entrants line up for their piece of the action.
There will be no rest for an aging pharmacist proprietorship and unless pharmacy looks to rapidly restructure, pharmacy assets will begin to devalue as hostile strategies begin to bite.
Possibly the most serious underlying problem of insufficient qualified pharmacists will begin to trigger some action.
It seems that everyone is just too busy to think past today, and those charged with doing our thinking for us are just not doing it, because to do the right thing will prejudice existing political structures.

Buckle up and hang on for the rollercoaster ride in 2004!

Little Achieved, but Agenda set for 2004
ROLLO MANNING
An Indigenous/Rural/Isolated/Remote Perspective

The Federal Health Minister does not think Woolworth should be allowed to sell prescription drugs.
This was reported on ABC News on 25th November 2003.
The year has finished on a note of "Woolworth's" and this has been one of the the central themes throughout the year
Minister Tony Abbott said "Dispensing drugs is not just like selling groceries," he said.

Predictions, Deregulation & Modelling
CON BERBATIS
Pharmacy Researcher Perspective

EDITOR'S NOTE: In his final article for 2003, Con Berbatis discusses various influences that may occur in a deregulated pharmacy market, dominated by supermarket pharmacies.
He delineates defensive strategies utilising his research involving pharmacies globally, and also comes up with a proposed pharmacy model that is an ultimate Quality Use of Medicine model.
As we all ponder what lies ahead in 2004, Con Berbatis has cleared the pathway and given a sense of direction.
All that is required now is for the whole of pharmacy to fall in line with his thinking and reposition the new boundaries.
It is acknowledged that the Pharmacy Guild of Australia has some difficult decisions to make, but if they are delayed, we may see permanent damage to pharmacy infrastructure.
Political lobbying for more protection can only ever be a short term delaying tactic.

Understanding Consumers
BRETT CLARK
E-Commerce Pharmacy Perspective

It has been well documented that pharmacy is under siege.
Pharmacy faces a current "deregulation by stealth" with hybrid models that purport to keep the ownership of pharmacy with pharmacists.
The risk we face is that while we agree to these structures in order to protect our space, we weaken our model as far as the space that we have control in will be only be that in which the new entrants cannot control, want to control, or can make money from.

The Expert Committee's Report - some initial thoughts
VAL JOHANSON
Complementary Healthcare Council Perspective

The recall of more than 1600 products manufactured by Pan Pharmaceuticals attracted widespread publicity, and attention was drawn to issues relating to the manufacturing and usage of complementary medicines.
The Government responded by establishing the Expert Committee on Complementary Medicines in the Health System, which was guided by the principles of the National Medicines Policy, including access to medicines, standards of quality, safety and efficacy, quality use and importantly, supporting a responsible and viable industry.

Health Communications
PETER SAYERS
Pharmacy Practice Management Perspective

I am wondering when the first major pharmacy court case involving a privacy breach will occur in Australia.
Considering the lack of privacy around faxes (the main communications method in health) and the current spate of disasters surrounding e-mail (virus and spam), it must only be two minutes to midnight at this point in time.
We have now progressed from just spam to spam "bullying".

Change - since 1953
(More in the next five than the past fifty years.
Will you be in the front line - just watch, or bye, bye?)
PAT GALLAGHER
An IT Consultant Perspective

Business life back in 1953 was simple, no doubt about it.
Compared to 2003 everything was reasonably basic.
White coats, pencil behind the ear, telephone on the wall, typewriter on a desk or dispensing bench.
Brown papers bags and empty bottles, with lids, to fill.
Sticky labels and carbon paper.
A ubiquitous, very large, NCR cash register with lots of keys to transact pounds, shillings and pence - with staff that could do mental arithmetic and give correct change as a matter of course.
Perhaps a hand cranked adding machine, hand written prescription records and ledgers, beautifully recorded by people who could write legibly and knew how to spell.
Loyalty programs were conducted as 'put it on tick' - credit shopping between paydays.
The supply chain handled a lot of bulk goods that retailers, chemist or grocery dispensed and re-packed into paper bags and bottles.
Ah bliss. Life in the slow lane, no 24/7 and no email.

2003 in Reflection
KEN STAFFORD
Consultant Pharmacist Perspective

Many journals have an issue where their writers take a look back over the preceding twelve months in "philosophical mode" so I thought I would do my own for this edition of the i2P newsletter.

Radar
KARALYN HUXHAGEN
PSA Councilor Perspective

The National Prescribing Service (NPS) has an exciting new service available for general practitioners, pharmacists and other health professionals.
RADAR (rational assessment of drugs and research) is an online service that will provide independent information on new medicines, revised PBS listings and newly published research relevant to primary care.

Are pharmacists really serious about their future as independent professionals?
TERRY IRVINE
A Pharmacy Organisational Perspective

It is hard not to be critical of what seems to be happening in community pharmacy.
The time limit for Quality Care Accreditation with the full compensation amount is fast approaching, and yet there is still less than 80% of pharmacies that have been accredited even once.
Some, of course, have not only been accredited once, they have been re-accredited!
They are the significant minority.

Onwards and Upwards
HEATHER PYM
Division of General Practice Perspective

The end of another year and a time to reminisce on where the time has gone and more importantly what has been achieved and what is still on the agenda.

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