AUGUST ,Edition # 32 , 2001

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EDITOR'S NOTE:
It never ceases to amaze me how poor a job of public relations we have done in respect of selling pharmacy to other professionals, particularly GP's.
We take for granted, that because we know what we are doing and why, all others will instinctively know and understand. It should not be an excuse that these "other" professionals are guilty of the same indiscretion, and all efforts should be made to address this imbalance from the pharmacy perspective. Heather Pym illustrates a couple of obvious knowledge gaps, and I am indebted to Heather for sharing this information through the newsletter.

This week has provided interesting insights into pharmacists working with GPs'. The first insight was at a meeting I was running with some of the Division GPs to elaborate on EPC items.
These EPC (Enhanced Primary Care) items are new to GPs and provide good rebates for Care Planning, Case Conferencing and Health assessment for defined groups of patients.
All of them have the potential to involve a pharmacist, which is the reason I participated in the meeting.
We had also invited pharmacists to participate, a couple replied affirmatively but didn't show.
As disappointed as I was, my own involvement proved to be worthwhile.
As I already know the GPs well having on the whole visited them in their surgeries individually at least 5 times over the past two years, I have their trust.
This helped in coping with the comments they made and I was enthusiastically invited to speak on matters such as compliance and the role of the pharmacist in medication reviews.
One of the concerns voiced strongly was the fact that "chemists are now setting up chat areas with their patients and telling them all sorts of things".
There was a deep misunderstanding of the need to counsel customers on their medication and what they are seeing of the pharmacist coming out of the dispensary!
Well, this provided me with the opportunity of explaining our 'duty of care', the perils of the patient getting the wrong medication as when deaf Mrs Jones fronts for Mr Smith's drugs and neither reads the labels.
Or the young woman receiving an antibiotic when you know she had the pill dispensed last week with a Rx from another clinic!
These everyday misadventures that can happen to anyone in busy Rx practice and it was reassuring to show them how the improved 'forward pharmacy' system could enhance our joint care.
GPs also understand 'stress on the job' and the lack of available professional expertise.
Thank goodness there were example after example to cite.
Do forward pharmacy pharmacists ever think to approach their GP practice down the road and inform them of their new dispensing arrangements?
It was good to be able to let them know that here in Victoria a counseling open area is 'THE LAW".
My second insight from the meeting was a perception of reluctance from the GPs to embrace the local pharmacist getting involved as another professional with their patient at this stage.
'Medication review', I am told is what they do each time they prescribe for one of their patients!
The Enhanced Primary Care Medicare items provide an opportunity for an explanation of how to work with a pharmacist clearer.
At the moment there is no fee payable to the pharmacist for participation in a Case Conference on a particular patient, although there are many opportunities in the course of day for a GP to do this.
Similarly a Health assessment and a Care Plan must include a medication review (at this stage done by the GP - a cursory look over of current prescriptions!).
I believe, having talked to the Division GPs at this stage, that when they can receive payment for referrals to a pharmacist for professional input then they will see the benefit of doing this.
A few well-done reviews initially with positive outcomes will convert them. Anything less will 'cook the goose' very early in the piece.
Ends

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