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In Australia pharmacists can automatically switch to the generics unless a doctor says they can't on the prescription. I am totally okay with that for almost al
by jazoom 8y ago
In Australia pharmacists can automatically switch to the generics unless a doctor says they can't on the prescription. I am totally okay with that for almost all scripts I write because it's the same drug and it saves the patient money.
- will_brown 8y agowell you may not mind if a pharmacist changes your Rx from name brand to generic to save the patient a little money. But this is more of the pharmacist interfering with your relationship with the patient... So imagine you write a therapy, and the patient gets a call from the pharmacists to the extent: 1. Your Doc Wrote the expensive drug, but if you agree we can save you $x by contacting your doc and encouraging them to change it; 2. Your Doc only wrote a 30 day fill, do you want us to ask for 90 days? (Consider these are your sickest patients, only your patients with chronic diseases, so you probably give them 30 days on purpose to get them back into the office to check their blood). It may sound reasonable on its face but: 1. Your patient loses faith you are acting in their best interest; 2. It’s framed in a way that the pharmacist knows more than you; 3. It’s not disclosed to the patient or to you as the doc, that the pharmacy getting paid bonuses by the insurance company to do it; and 4. If you disagree with the request for change (it doesn’t matter why, it will harm your rating with the insurer and you will potentially be dropped from the insurance network and lose your patients with that plan/insurer).
- jazoom 8y agoI wasn't at all saying the way it's done in USA is good. I was suggesting that making it allowed unless explicitly disallowed might be a better way to go.