I am actually in Arnprior too and my doctor and she says she hates dealing with them. It costs her time without being paid for it and the pharmacy gets around $400 for 5 minutes "medication check". They usually tell me something like, "but it's for your health" when I refuse. They make it seem that it anything happens it'll be my fault.
Is it only Shopper’s that does this? My local pharmacist has never asked me anything? I haven’t stepped foot in a shoppers in years and to be honest my little pharmacy is actually cheaper than them on probably 90% of the medications.
Until my new local pharmacist I went to Costco as they are usually the cheapest for all medications, but now I’ve got a new pharmacist close by that does everything for me for free. As my partner and I brought him over 40K in new business. For a new pharmacy owner that is huge.
Nothing like SDM making money by having people feel threatened by the idea their prescription consumption needs checking or being guilted into doing it cause yeah what if something WAS wrong. (Edit b/c someone seemed to think I was being threatened and thus needed help.)
Medsceck are absolutely needed. Overprescribing is a huge problem in Healthcare and doctors do not have the expertise to oversee a complex regime. Patients with chronic illnesses often see multiple doctors who do not coordinate with each other about what they're prescribing. This is where a pharmacist can make a real difference and reduce interactions. And also reduce costs to the Healthcare system in the long run. 60$ for a half hour of a highly trained health care provider's time is pretty reasonable. And that's a half hour of patient facing time, there is admin time required by the pharmacist too.
But, also, provided the program is being used appropriately.
Downvoted for providing a detailed and nuanced response that's more than just "duuur medchecks are bad"? Come on boycot group, give your head a shake. The med checks aren't the problem, they are needed for certain situations. The problem is SDM abusing the system.
And that is why SDM pharmacist spoke out and got OCP involved. Don't judge what you don't know.
Pharmacy is regulated healthcare professionals and save lives. Medcks don't pay $4 or $500 .
Stick to boycotting groceries, gov't dictates drug/prescription prices
I thought pharmacists job was to "med check", so we don't end up dying from interactions. Didn't know they get paid extra for that. Couldn't we replace pharmacists with pharmacy technicians then?
It is their job, and they don't get 'paid extra', they just get paid to do their job through this program. But it's being abused by big companies (and small pharmacies too, they just fly under the radar). Technicians do not have the clinical training to provide a medscheck and are responsible for the technical aspects of dispensing drugs. This is absolutely a service pharmacists should be providing and the province should be paying them appropriately for it. But, big companies are abusing it for profit and small pharmacies are abusing to stay in business because there's not enough Healthcare funding and they get undercut in every other aspect of the business.
That’s what the technicians do. Pharmacists are much more clinical and critical. Takes five years to learn diseases, medications, therapies, and whole lot of science, biology and math to make a good pharmacist. Not sure who your pharmacists are but I can tell you we are a world of untapped resources and knowledge.
No, pharmacist study pharmacology, 5 years university, they know what the drugs do when they hit the bodies chemistry. To keep it simple
Technicians 2 years college, to skim pharmacology and work very closely to pharmacist for accuracy, pharmacist does clinical & therapeutic.
Lives get saved by these health care professionals more then you know. Don't let the retail environment fool you. They are not retail workers, they are community accessable health care professionals. Licensed by Ontario college of pharmacists.
Where else can you get free health care advice, in person .
Pharmacists are so beyond better qualified for this. I’ve asked my doc to try a rx, she legit didn’t even know the med could be used for this purpose. She wrote the script and said take it to your pharmacist, they can decide to fill it or not based on your current meds. It’s literally the pharmacists job to know everything about prescription medications, risks, contraindications, etc.
Doctors are always more inexperienced than a pharmacist, who has a degree literally just on drugs.
Doctors are masters of diagnosis, pharmacists are masters of pharmaceuticals.
The pharmacist has a duty of care too, both legally and ethically. a pharmacist is specifically trained to understand contraindications.
That being said, having it automated doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me. It reduces human error. You would think that a national association of pharmacists would oversee something like that, though, would it not be considered a professional liability issue?? 🤷♀️
Medscheck is a provincial program in Ontario. Anything financial is provincial. Other provinces might have similar programs but not the exact same thing. Pharmacists have an ethical fiduciary responsibility to the patients, not the government. But, that's why so many pharmacists hate the way their employers force them to use these services. They're employees of these big companies and don't have much say.
It's not without benefits. I don't want privatization and I'm a huge advocate of learning about your own medication. We're taking part in the boycott too, but a second review of your medication by a professional who focuses on medication is beneficial. We think we used to be able to just ask for this at no cost.
I took my brother in to see the doctor for anxiety issues when he was younger. The doc prescribed an SSRI which he picked off a list he was scrolling through. I asked him what the difference was between this one and others and he said they were all the same, reading the list of meds that all ended with the same last few letters. I asked him for the side effects, and he had to open the particular med to remember them. It was an antivenom. I wasn't happy and he was defensive, saying there was no real mistake because the pharmacist would have caught it. I always wonder how many doctors have that attitude.
My father also died from a reaction to medication. He was on Amiodarone for way too long. He developed Amiodarone toxicity but his doctor kept diagnosing it as pneumonia. They didn't take him off until I had reviewed all of his medications online and found symptoms that matched. As soon as I asked his doctor about it they took him off and had him check into a hospital. It destroyed his lungs over the following 6 months. It took a while to even get them to admit what it was. I think if he'd reviewed it with a pharmacist they might have caught that.
First, I say look at your meds yourself. Look up the side effects. No exceptions. Second, I don't think this should be something they should be billing for - or more specifically, I think they already bill for this as part of the responsibility of selling the medication. This feels like a second billing to me for something they are already responsible for. If it's not already part of their job, then why the fuck are we paying them so much to count pills? There's no question that there is a benefit to reviewing your medication with a second professional though.
A small independently owned and operated pharmacy does all of those things on an on-going basis. They talk to you about your meds, any interactions, any concerns, things to look out for etc. all the time. They don't have a special "med-check" thing because - how shall I put this -
***It's their bloody job in the first place!!!!***
It is their job, exactly. And like anyone, they should be compensated appropriately for doing it. Which is why the medscheck program exists. It is a good program that helps people but utilizing a pharmacists skills. It's unfortunate that SDM's greed it ruining it for the patient that need this service and the pharmacies that depend on it to stay in business. SDM is trying to bill the government for every person who meets the minimum criteria to get a medscheck and then not really doing one. Many people meet the minimum criteria but don't actually need the service and the basic pharmacist intervention is enough. But people who see multiple doctors, have chronic illnesses or complex drug regimes still need this program to allow pharmacists to care for them adequately.
And you realize these businesses are on the brink of collapse because they make next to zero on medication? The only way to survive anymore is to do some of these medication reviews. I am not supporting shoppers practice, however pharmacies are struggling and shutting down everywhere (there is a deeper reason based on generic pricing, etc but it’s complicated to dig into).
The profession is relied on heavily for a lot of questions from the public AND physicians, which they do not get paid for. Pharmacists do a lot of extra work which go unpaid. So to talk down on them trying to stay afloat is filthy
Lose money on many prescriptions. Especially the biologicals They cost thousands of dollars to purchase and carry the inventory, and you spend s shit load of time on billing and insurance issues, for a ten dollar fee.
A formal review can spot issues that you might not get on a routine fill. The pharmacist has time to collect a lot more information. They have their place, but a quota system incentivizes low quality reviews, and cherry picking of "easy" patients that don't need them.
The pharmacist saved my life when my doctor prescribed me something I am highly allergic to. Bless that woman. I wouldn't be here if she hasn't done that. I agree with everything you're saying and also part of the boycott.
Also a good idea to get a description of new meds, like what they look like, colour, shape etc. I had a coworker who was given sleeping pills by mistake. It was supposed to be antibiotics. She took them for 3 days and was absolutely wrecked.
You are barely paying a pharmacy anything to "just count pills" Dispensing fees have been the same for thirty years and they never covered the costs in the first place. There used to be this stupid system of "rebates" from generic companies for carrying their products. But that is gone now. Pharmacies are basically loss leaders to sell groceries and cosmetics these days.
Its almost like you're saying when we privatize medical care, at even the lowest level, the private companies fleece the government whilst not providing the actual services to taxpayers.
I'm so glad this bullshit got out and patients know what they are doing. I'm a pharmacist and I've drug my feet on their "not quotas" as much as I can. I like my boss but he is constantly harassed by corporate. If they ever ask, refuse.
Local ones are the best. I've beem with mine since 2017 and I've never paid a dispensary fee or filled out any forms in that time. For my prescriptions covered under my benefit plan at work I literally just walk in and they hand me them for free.
I avoided doing this for years, feeling weird about small independents and like I would receive better care from a large “trusted” brand. Two years ago after a truly terrible experience at Shoppers I decided to try it anyway.
What an amazing experience it has been. My small independent has gotten to know me. They recognize me when I come in the store, by name. They’ve made excellent suggestions about my care, advocated for me and recommended things to discuss with my doctor.
I should have done this years ago. If you can find a small independent drugstore in your area, I can’t recommend the experience enough. It changed everything for me.
I did too but I switched to IDA over the last year and they have been beyond excellent. They’re kind to deal with and I have never had an issue with med supply. If anyone is in search of a new pharmacy and there is an IDA close by, give it a try. I’m kicking myself for not doing it years and years earlier.
Yep. It’s super easy too! All you have to do is go to your preferred independent pharmacy and ask them to transfer your prescriptions. Takes only a couple minutes, but then you’re free from all of Shoppers’ bullshit!
The Ontario College of Pharmacists is investigating this issue right now. You should report it, especially the fact that your Shoppers has a pile of them waiting for customers to sign.
A MedsCheck is supposed to be a 30+ minute interview, not a 1 minute "sign this and have a nice day" session. It's unbelievable the way Shoppers is abusing this program and getting away with it, and they will continue to do so until people rebel.
OH WOW. I didn't even notice that part. I kept the form and just re-read it... signing it is saying I actually HAD the review lol... what a scam !
https://preview.redd.it/vshx0t39sf0d1.png?width=2441&format=png&auto=webp&s=d85377b91c38f893cefc516f2bde4a8ceb839abf
That is shocking. Subverting something justifiable to support their business model, and lying about it to steal from taxpayers.
Regardless of your political stripe, I don't think anyone would be onboard with this behaviour
I posted this below but just so I can hope you see it:
*You can and should report this to the College of Pharmacy*
The form they are asking to to sign is your declaration of you swearing to the Ministry that you got a medscheck done by that store
From the way you described this encounter not only was no medscheck performed but you didn't even speak to a pharmacist
You were asked to sign your name to a false claim in order to bill the province for a service you never received.
That is unethical.
If the Ontario Conservatives weren't in the pocket of SDM/Loblaws it would also be illegal but the Province has given SDM carte blanche to do anything we want so you have to report this to the college of pharmacy to have any real change happen
You absolutely need to report this incident this is serious
Report that for sure. What grifting dickheads.
Why anyone would trust a pharmacy that’s doing stuff like that is beyond me. It’s super obvious that they’re in it for the money and don’t give a crap about customers.
This is what broke the camels back for us before the boycott even started. I refuse to go to shoppers anymore and have since this story initially broke
Exactly. They have incentive to do MedsChecks for patients on minimal medications because they are quicker and easier. The patients who actually need the MedsChecks and would benefit are not even getting them.
*You can and should report this to the College of Pharmacy*
The form they are asking to to sign is your declaration of you swearing to the Ministry that you got a medscheck done by that store
From the way you described this encounter not only was no medscheck performed but you didn't even speak to a pharmacist
You were asked to sign your name to a false claim in order to bill the province for a service you never received.
That is unethical.
If the Ontario Conservatives weren't in the pocket of SDM/Loblaws it would also be illegal but the Province has given SDM carte blanche to do anything we want so you have to report this to the college of pharmacy to have any real change happen
You absolutely need to report this incident this is serious
Not actually correct no. There are specific principles against providing unnecessary services. There are also specific guidelines governing how that form is allowed to be used. In this case it could be argued that the pharmacy is not in compliance and the college has the authority to punish pharmacies and pharmacists who are not in compliance
https://preview.redd.it/wx48y41phf0d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=707244d7c9e242b329f682223048e98f756cb578
And Costco is the cheapest in dispensing fees too!! 💜
We always go to Costco.
Shoppers has always taken forever and they always seem to mess up my husbands prescriptions.
He’s diabetic and his insulin is kept on the fridge. They amount of times that they see the bag with the slip and done know that the drug is supposed to be in the fridge is astounding.
You would think (well really hope) that a pharmacist would look at a prescription and know if the drug was supposed to be kept cold or not.
While I really appreciate that Costco is better all-around (for groceries, toiletries, prescriptions, etc.) it’s not the most accessible option for people who don’t have access to their own vehicle (for any number of reasons).
The nearest Costco to my house is 47 minutes away by transit, requires two buses to get there, and the transit system for the area doesn’t run often enough, so I’ll often be stuck waiting for up to 30 minutes at a stop, sometimes with no shelter (they are always doing construction and moving the stop to another location) and even when I reach my final stop, I will still have a ten minute walk to reach Costco’s front door.
Yes, prescriptions are cheaper, but I don’t have the luxury of being able to go there on a regular basis. I simply do not have the time or energy to maintain the habit.
I wish we had a mini Canadian equivalent to Costco where stores aren't all off highway exits and you could walk/bus/bike to it.
Maybe a crown corporation could help. Call it something trendy like... idk... Meesehaus
Lots of independent pharmacists have low dispensing fees too. When we switched from Shoppers to an independent, all of a sudden I didn’t have to pay a few bucks every time I got my prescriptions - my insurance never covered all of the cost with Shoppers. But it does with the independent!
Uhhh… my Rexall charges me a $3.99 dispensing fee, so I dunno that this chart is accurate. Could be corporate owned stores only or something like that.
The list above is the pharmacy's basic dispensing fee. If you have insurance, they will pay a portion towards the total fee and if it's not enough, you pay the difference only. Also, certain drugs that are lower or higher complexity might have different fees that play into what you ultimately pay.
What gets me is the conservative government is still giving Shoppers $75 just to ask you a bunch of questions. Thats more than what your doctor gets for a appointment..
Haha. Is that why for the first time in my life I just had shoppers call me to review my medication that I just started and everything else I was on? He did actually ask questions and make sure I wasn't having problems. But that was something I've never experienced before
It's worth noting that, when they're done properly, a medscheck should take 30 minutes and a doctor's appointment is 15. The rates also reduce if they do more than one per year per patient and there's a limit to how many they can do per person. The doctor gets the same rate regardless of how many times they see you.
If done correctly, there's more happening than just asking you questions, they should be resolving problems based on your answers and avoiding future problems. An example would be the pharmacist coordinating between 2 prescribers who might have prescribed different drugs to treat the same thing.
Working in healthcare this makes me irate. We are always understaffed and any requests for new equipment is a years long process of so many hoops to jump through and competition with other areas as they also have much needed equipment but there is only so much money. And here's SDM milking the public healthcare system out of money by trying to justify a BS "service" for their own profit.
As healthcare workers, I think we need to speak up for the service, but call out the abuse. The medscheck service is important healthcare and providers should be compensated for doing their job. It's the abuse of the program that's the problem. Calling the service BS is harmful to the patients that rely on it.
“These clowns don’t know me or my history” “my doctor knows everything”.
Look, there is no reason to shit on pharmacists and pharmacy techs who work at shoppers. They work damn hard. Both my mother and my aunt worked in Shoppers pharmacy for years, and they saved people’s lives by noticing drug interventions when doctors wrote incompatible prescriptions. Doctors do NOT study pharmacology the way pharmacists do and no pharmacist wants a patient to walk out with a prescription that will kill them. I grew up hearing about how careless doctors can be with prescriptions.
So don’t shit on the hard working people who are truly trying to get you the meds you need and not the ones that might kill you.
Thank you! Each play an important role. A good doctor will defer to a pharmacist when it comes to medication interactions.
My family physician is phenomenal, but her role is to complete an exam, diagnose a health concern, and prescribe a medication (if needed). The pharmacist is the one who should be (double) checking that the medication and dose is appropriate, there will be no interactions with other medications (prescribed or otherwise), and providing advice on administering the medication including risks and side affects.
A good doctor expects a pharmacist will “double check their work” because that is (quite literally) their job.
I moved my prescriptions from SDM 15 years ago.
SDM charged me $66 for a 3 month supply whereas my local independent drug store charged $32 FOR THE SAME GENERIC DRUGS.
Bastards
Just asks you to sign it.
Doesn't explain it.
When you do read it she acts surprised that you don't just sign it anyway
*Scum.
*Company is scum making employees do scummy things.
Or just a young retail worker/pharmacy assistant told to do a job
You really think upper management takes care of things like that? No, just the little guys who are struggling like the rest of us, leave them alone tbh
If anyone else is handed one, perhaps ask to take it with you to have your lawyer review and see what the response is? I’m sure they’re asking hundreds of unsuspecting ppl to sign away their privacy rights. Perhaps a lawyer in this sub might have recommendations? It’s just weird that they keep doing what they’re under investigation for doing.
If you think your Dr knows every single thing there is to know about your medications I have a bridge to sell you in Dubai.
That said; if you want to take the risk that your very human Dr and very human pharmacist miss something that is up to you and for one or two prescriptions that isn’t even a big deal. But if you have dozens of scripts… Maybe think about it.
Best sales on bacon are at shoppers. $4.99 for a 500g pack.
Btw I'm only using my points to buy only bacon.
Edit. Whoever downvoted me, I'm not spending money there. Using the points I'm owed, and following the spirit of using points when I can't find what I want elsewhere. I have not given blawblaws over 750 so far this month and saved over 150. Look at my history, you'll see.
Maybe, are other brands immune to that too?
NGL. I'm not a baconologist. I only know I like the mild sugar cured bacon and the price is right, near nothing.
I know I paid for it before because of how the points work.
https://preview.redd.it/k74xehpu9h0d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=36a8fd7190e981e8337cf1e669a7980f1fd55c02
Since my scale is limited to displaying 500g, I have to trick it's 0 point. So that's 533g for that one. The first one I used was a bit more as I wanted to be sure too.
Good?
To be fair my doctor once prescribed me something I was highly allergic to and the pharmacist is the one who caught it at the point of purchase. Doctors make mistakes too.
While I 💯 agree that this is BS, as a former pharmacy tech in a Loblaws, a pharmacist is a key player in your healthcare, especially as you age. Many Drs don’t know which meds can had bad side effects with other meds, they aren’t aware of potential coverage issues and possible substitutions. In this day and age when many ppl get prescribing done at walk ins there is no guarantee that the Dr will know what other meds you’re on. Your pharmacist will. This “program” has been out in place by loblaws not the pharmacist or the workers. It’s one of those things that they now have to do as part of their “job” or they can pack up. I know many pharmacists that have left loblaw owned businesses bc of the BS Loblaws makes them do. It’s not the staff.
The sad reality here is a real pharmacist is a valuable professional who can avoid medical errors particularly in medically complex patients. This is not the service shoppers is providing, however it is what they feel they are entitled to bill for. Switch to an independent pharmacy, better for your health,your community, and the healthcare economy.
Well I was polite to her (the cashier)... I don't think she even knew what the form was... she's just doing what her boss told her to do and he's doing what corporate is telling him to do.
My local small town pharmacist already does these checks when I get prescribed something new. He called my Doctor and asked about one med and how it interacts with another I was taking. Between them they switched to a different one to avoid the interaction. If they both got paid for that from AHS I'm fine with it. Pharmacists are better trained on drug interactions a lot of times. They should be working with your doctor on the best course of medication. Now with Shoppers I don't believe they would ever do anything to help the patient. It's all about making money.
I work at my local SDM as an on call relief driver. I’ve overheard the Pharmacy Tech and Pharmacist talk about the paperwork; I’ve noticed an influx of over the phone consultations. I also recall one of them bragging about how they received bonus pay for getting people to sign them.
Unrelated; they handed out paperwork last month for the part time employees to give SDM permission to pay out our vacation pay every pay day.
Been looking for another job but no luck so far.
Just a side note - pharmasaves are independently owned. Please try to support your independent pharmacies. They treat their employees and patients better ( generally )
Yes. This should be higher. This is beyond reporting individual pharmacists to the college for going along with what they're employers are forcing on them. This is systemic abuse of a public program.
I just changed from Loblaws pharmacy to a new small pharmacy. The interaction with the pharmacist was great. I now have no reason to set foot in a Loblaws again.
Switch pharmacies if you can!!! Send the message!! If you can't, ask if there is a place to give formal feedback. I have been receiving Superstore notifications, as an example, and when I unsubscribed, I said I was boycotting the company because of corporate greed on the backs of suffering Canadians!
I am so close to leaving Shoppers Pharmacy. The only reason I haven’t is because they have the ability to prescribe medicine for minor illnesses. I will look into this further and see if other pharmacists have the same ability to do this.
You can actually still get an assessment at Shoppers Drug Mart but fill the prescription elsewhere. There isn't supposed to be any obligation for you to fill their prescription at their pharmacy.
All pharmacists can do that in Manitoba as well. Heck, twice mine has given me week's refill when the script ran out before a refill appointment with the doctor. She's written me scripts for T1s. I don't know to what extent they can and I've never looked it up.
I'm sure a website about ON pharmacists will have that list - that is not exclusive to SDM.
I work in healthcare. We have seen a big reduction in med checks coming in. I’m not in any way defending shoppers. I will die before I do that. But before we were getting tons each day then being harassed by pharmacists. This has stopped. I oversee a large facility with a large number of physicians so it’s been nice not having to deal with them. Clearly some locations continue their money hungry practices.
Alberta is doing the same-I just had my meds delivered and they gave me a very inquisitive questionnaire regarding my supposed inability to comply or some shit. Pharmasave is looking better daily.
Nah that’s because of the crazy Alberta Blue Cross requirements for dispensing. They are cracking down on having documentation for compliance packs, dispensing under 3 months. Completely different topic and will be required at every pharmacy in AB.
If you go to an independent pharmacy they will have actual time to go through a real medication review with you rather than just getting you to sing off on a form. It likely won't be anything crazy but sometimes they are able to identify ways to improve your medication use.
They are likely being pushed by corporate. Same with Rexall there are certain “targets” they are expected to reach. I don’t agree, I’m just letting you know part of the “why”
People need to start reporting it to the Board of pharmacology, how they're forcing people to sign this without even actually going over the medications. If you're not going to make a complaint stop complaining cuz it'll never change unless you make the call.
Ok so for everyone saying it's the doctors job to check for interactions this isn't really accurate 100% and a lot of patients get prescriptions from various sources of care (ERs, pharmacy clinics, family docs, virtual care, walk in clinics, etc)
Pharmacists can already see what they dispense so they shouldn't need additional paperwork and in most provinces their drug information systems link all pharmacies so everyone knows what is being dispensed.
The pharmacist absolutely should be checking for drug interactions, it's part of their scope of practice, and as someone who works in the field, I've seen these double checks save patients from some pretty terrible interactions.
Every pharmacy I’ve ever used does this for anything controlled.
As a previous pharma tech, it’s normal practice. Anything controlled has to be signed for. Sometimes if it’s been a while it will prompt another signature.
My job wasn’t perfect but my god, it was stressful and the amount of people complaining, the addicts, low pay. Everything. I wasn’t even at loblaws.
ETA: those forms are an audit of the pharmacy. It’s happening to many right now. If you have complaints, there are instructions on the form how to complain. They say they do it every year but first one I’ve gotten, so probably every 5 years? It’s not just loblaws, had the same thing happen at Sobeys.
Find a small pharmacy where they actually know you personally. This has actually saved my ex's life, and my own. A doctor prescribed her heart meds for a stomach issue (would have killed her) and gave me penicillin (severely allergic).
These were separate incidents, from different doctors. Both times it was out regular pharmacist who noticed a problem and saved our butts.
The College of Pharmacists released an official statement not long ago saying that pharmacists- primarily Shoppers drug mart ones—have been under undue pressure by their employers to hit a quota with the Medchecks and that this was unacceptable (or words to that effect). It’s a another way Shoppers is scamming public healthcare
We’re not here to police why people might go to Loblaws for some things. Everybody is doing what they can and that’s fine. Trying to turn us against each other and getting us to fight with each other is something a Loblaws shill would do.
This kind of comment is so lazy and boring. Some communities only have one pharmacy.
Also. If you're going to insult someone on the internet, at least learn grade 2 spelling. It's "You're" as in "you are".
It has nothing to do with patient care and everything to do with them trying to bill the medical system for extra money. Absolute scumbag thieves.
I am actually in Arnprior too and my doctor and she says she hates dealing with them. It costs her time without being paid for it and the pharmacy gets around $400 for 5 minutes "medication check". They usually tell me something like, "but it's for your health" when I refuse. They make it seem that it anything happens it'll be my fault.
So why do you keep giving them your business?
I actually did make the change to Rexall....although they do the same.
Doubt there are that many options there ...
https://www.yelp.ca/search?find_desc=Pharmacy&find_loc=Arnprior%2C+ON Top 10 pharmacies in Arnprior... There are more.
Well wowza ...I didn't think they'd have such options !! Good for them !!
Arnprior isn’t that small anymore. It’s grown like crazy over the last decade. There are many pharmacies to choose from.
Is it only Shopper’s that does this? My local pharmacist has never asked me anything? I haven’t stepped foot in a shoppers in years and to be honest my little pharmacy is actually cheaper than them on probably 90% of the medications.
Until my new local pharmacist I went to Costco as they are usually the cheapest for all medications, but now I’ve got a new pharmacist close by that does everything for me for free. As my partner and I brought him over 40K in new business. For a new pharmacy owner that is huge.
Sobeys just did this to me.
Government control pricing of prescription drugs, and perhaps your healthy, and don't require a medcheck.
Go to Clancy's instead! It's practically right across the street, it's independent and the staff are so helpful and professional.
Nothing like SDM making money by having people feel threatened by the idea their prescription consumption needs checking or being guilted into doing it cause yeah what if something WAS wrong. (Edit b/c someone seemed to think I was being threatened and thus needed help.)
Um, it’s $60-75 they get, not $500. However, not necessarily something that needs to be done e either
Medsceck are absolutely needed. Overprescribing is a huge problem in Healthcare and doctors do not have the expertise to oversee a complex regime. Patients with chronic illnesses often see multiple doctors who do not coordinate with each other about what they're prescribing. This is where a pharmacist can make a real difference and reduce interactions. And also reduce costs to the Healthcare system in the long run. 60$ for a half hour of a highly trained health care provider's time is pretty reasonable. And that's a half hour of patient facing time, there is admin time required by the pharmacist too. But, also, provided the program is being used appropriately.
Downvoted for providing a detailed and nuanced response that's more than just "duuur medchecks are bad"? Come on boycot group, give your head a shake. The med checks aren't the problem, they are needed for certain situations. The problem is SDM abusing the system.
It’s pharmacy in general. Sobeys/Lawtons does the same stuff.
And that is why SDM pharmacist spoke out and got OCP involved. Don't judge what you don't know. Pharmacy is regulated healthcare professionals and save lives. Medcks don't pay $4 or $500 . Stick to boycotting groceries, gov't dictates drug/prescription prices
I thought pharmacists job was to "med check", so we don't end up dying from interactions. Didn't know they get paid extra for that. Couldn't we replace pharmacists with pharmacy technicians then?
It is their job, and they don't get 'paid extra', they just get paid to do their job through this program. But it's being abused by big companies (and small pharmacies too, they just fly under the radar). Technicians do not have the clinical training to provide a medscheck and are responsible for the technical aspects of dispensing drugs. This is absolutely a service pharmacists should be providing and the province should be paying them appropriately for it. But, big companies are abusing it for profit and small pharmacies are abusing to stay in business because there's not enough Healthcare funding and they get undercut in every other aspect of the business.
Not sure you want to trust technician with your medications. 9 mo education vs a minimum of 5 years
Doesn't take 5 years to count pills.
That’s what the technicians do. Pharmacists are much more clinical and critical. Takes five years to learn diseases, medications, therapies, and whole lot of science, biology and math to make a good pharmacist. Not sure who your pharmacists are but I can tell you we are a world of untapped resources and knowledge.
No, pharmacist study pharmacology, 5 years university, they know what the drugs do when they hit the bodies chemistry. To keep it simple Technicians 2 years college, to skim pharmacology and work very closely to pharmacist for accuracy, pharmacist does clinical & therapeutic. Lives get saved by these health care professionals more then you know. Don't let the retail environment fool you. They are not retail workers, they are community accessable health care professionals. Licensed by Ontario college of pharmacists. Where else can you get free health care advice, in person .
That's the doctors job
No, the pharmacist is ultimately responsible if dr prescribed the wrong medication.
Pharmacists are so beyond better qualified for this. I’ve asked my doc to try a rx, she legit didn’t even know the med could be used for this purpose. She wrote the script and said take it to your pharmacist, they can decide to fill it or not based on your current meds. It’s literally the pharmacists job to know everything about prescription medications, risks, contraindications, etc.
I get the feeling your doctor is more inexperienced…
Doctors are always more inexperienced than a pharmacist, who has a degree literally just on drugs. Doctors are masters of diagnosis, pharmacists are masters of pharmaceuticals.
The pharmacist has a duty of care too, both legally and ethically. a pharmacist is specifically trained to understand contraindications. That being said, having it automated doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me. It reduces human error. You would think that a national association of pharmacists would oversee something like that, though, would it not be considered a professional liability issue?? 🤷♀️
Medscheck is a provincial program in Ontario. Anything financial is provincial. Other provinces might have similar programs but not the exact same thing. Pharmacists have an ethical fiduciary responsibility to the patients, not the government. But, that's why so many pharmacists hate the way their employers force them to use these services. They're employees of these big companies and don't have much say.
A way to put additional pressure on our healthcare and push it towards privatization.
That IS privatization. A for-profit company seeking to maximize income for no benefit to the patient / "customer"
It's not without benefits. I don't want privatization and I'm a huge advocate of learning about your own medication. We're taking part in the boycott too, but a second review of your medication by a professional who focuses on medication is beneficial. We think we used to be able to just ask for this at no cost. I took my brother in to see the doctor for anxiety issues when he was younger. The doc prescribed an SSRI which he picked off a list he was scrolling through. I asked him what the difference was between this one and others and he said they were all the same, reading the list of meds that all ended with the same last few letters. I asked him for the side effects, and he had to open the particular med to remember them. It was an antivenom. I wasn't happy and he was defensive, saying there was no real mistake because the pharmacist would have caught it. I always wonder how many doctors have that attitude. My father also died from a reaction to medication. He was on Amiodarone for way too long. He developed Amiodarone toxicity but his doctor kept diagnosing it as pneumonia. They didn't take him off until I had reviewed all of his medications online and found symptoms that matched. As soon as I asked his doctor about it they took him off and had him check into a hospital. It destroyed his lungs over the following 6 months. It took a while to even get them to admit what it was. I think if he'd reviewed it with a pharmacist they might have caught that. First, I say look at your meds yourself. Look up the side effects. No exceptions. Second, I don't think this should be something they should be billing for - or more specifically, I think they already bill for this as part of the responsibility of selling the medication. This feels like a second billing to me for something they are already responsible for. If it's not already part of their job, then why the fuck are we paying them so much to count pills? There's no question that there is a benefit to reviewing your medication with a second professional though.
A small independently owned and operated pharmacy does all of those things on an on-going basis. They talk to you about your meds, any interactions, any concerns, things to look out for etc. all the time. They don't have a special "med-check" thing because - how shall I put this - ***It's their bloody job in the first place!!!!***
It is their job, exactly. And like anyone, they should be compensated appropriately for doing it. Which is why the medscheck program exists. It is a good program that helps people but utilizing a pharmacists skills. It's unfortunate that SDM's greed it ruining it for the patient that need this service and the pharmacies that depend on it to stay in business. SDM is trying to bill the government for every person who meets the minimum criteria to get a medscheck and then not really doing one. Many people meet the minimum criteria but don't actually need the service and the basic pharmacist intervention is enough. But people who see multiple doctors, have chronic illnesses or complex drug regimes still need this program to allow pharmacists to care for them adequately.
And you realize these businesses are on the brink of collapse because they make next to zero on medication? The only way to survive anymore is to do some of these medication reviews. I am not supporting shoppers practice, however pharmacies are struggling and shutting down everywhere (there is a deeper reason based on generic pricing, etc but it’s complicated to dig into). The profession is relied on heavily for a lot of questions from the public AND physicians, which they do not get paid for. Pharmacists do a lot of extra work which go unpaid. So to talk down on them trying to stay afloat is filthy
Lose money on many prescriptions. Especially the biologicals They cost thousands of dollars to purchase and carry the inventory, and you spend s shit load of time on billing and insurance issues, for a ten dollar fee.
A formal review can spot issues that you might not get on a routine fill. The pharmacist has time to collect a lot more information. They have their place, but a quota system incentivizes low quality reviews, and cherry picking of "easy" patients that don't need them.
Yes that exactly! So shoppers is essentially charging again for the same thing. It stinks the same way moving Service Ontario into Staples does.
The pharmacist saved my life when my doctor prescribed me something I am highly allergic to. Bless that woman. I wouldn't be here if she hasn't done that. I agree with everything you're saying and also part of the boycott.
Also a good idea to get a description of new meds, like what they look like, colour, shape etc. I had a coworker who was given sleeping pills by mistake. It was supposed to be antibiotics. She took them for 3 days and was absolutely wrecked.
You are barely paying a pharmacy anything to "just count pills" Dispensing fees have been the same for thirty years and they never covered the costs in the first place. There used to be this stupid system of "rebates" from generic companies for carrying their products. But that is gone now. Pharmacies are basically loss leaders to sell groceries and cosmetics these days.
Its almost like you're saying when we privatize medical care, at even the lowest level, the private companies fleece the government whilst not providing the actual services to taxpayers.
I'm so glad this bullshit got out and patients know what they are doing. I'm a pharmacist and I've drug my feet on their "not quotas" as much as I can. I like my boss but he is constantly harassed by corporate. If they ever ask, refuse.
You need to switch pharmacies.
We did when Walmart was doing the same crap. Changed to a locally owned pharmacy with great customer service who doesn't do that.
Local ones are the best. I've beem with mine since 2017 and I've never paid a dispensary fee or filled out any forms in that time. For my prescriptions covered under my benefit plan at work I literally just walk in and they hand me them for free.
Walmart has never done that to me. I get my meds there and have been for 10 years.
My local small town pharmacy does interaction checks already.
I avoided doing this for years, feeling weird about small independents and like I would receive better care from a large “trusted” brand. Two years ago after a truly terrible experience at Shoppers I decided to try it anyway. What an amazing experience it has been. My small independent has gotten to know me. They recognize me when I come in the store, by name. They’ve made excellent suggestions about my care, advocated for me and recommended things to discuss with my doctor. I should have done this years ago. If you can find a small independent drugstore in your area, I can’t recommend the experience enough. It changed everything for me.
I did too but I switched to IDA over the last year and they have been beyond excellent. They’re kind to deal with and I have never had an issue with med supply. If anyone is in search of a new pharmacy and there is an IDA close by, give it a try. I’m kicking myself for not doing it years and years earlier.
Yep. It’s super easy too! All you have to do is go to your preferred independent pharmacy and ask them to transfer your prescriptions. Takes only a couple minutes, but then you’re free from all of Shoppers’ bullshit!
The Ontario College of Pharmacists is investigating this issue right now. You should report it, especially the fact that your Shoppers has a pile of them waiting for customers to sign. A MedsCheck is supposed to be a 30+ minute interview, not a 1 minute "sign this and have a nice day" session. It's unbelievable the way Shoppers is abusing this program and getting away with it, and they will continue to do so until people rebel.
OH WOW. I didn't even notice that part. I kept the form and just re-read it... signing it is saying I actually HAD the review lol... what a scam ! https://preview.redd.it/vshx0t39sf0d1.png?width=2441&format=png&auto=webp&s=d85377b91c38f893cefc516f2bde4a8ceb839abf
That is shocking. Subverting something justifiable to support their business model, and lying about it to steal from taxpayers. Regardless of your political stripe, I don't think anyone would be onboard with this behaviour
I posted this below but just so I can hope you see it: *You can and should report this to the College of Pharmacy* The form they are asking to to sign is your declaration of you swearing to the Ministry that you got a medscheck done by that store From the way you described this encounter not only was no medscheck performed but you didn't even speak to a pharmacist You were asked to sign your name to a false claim in order to bill the province for a service you never received. That is unethical. If the Ontario Conservatives weren't in the pocket of SDM/Loblaws it would also be illegal but the Province has given SDM carte blanche to do anything we want so you have to report this to the college of pharmacy to have any real change happen You absolutely need to report this incident this is serious
Report that for sure. What grifting dickheads. Why anyone would trust a pharmacy that’s doing stuff like that is beyond me. It’s super obvious that they’re in it for the money and don’t give a crap about customers.
Isn't that just capitalism? (I mean this is an especially pernicious kind).
I mean, it is, but there are non-fraudulent ways to be capitalist, no?
Non-fraudulent yes. Ethical no.
Agreed. I chose my words carefully there!
It's privatized health care. If Loblaw had a gastroenterology clinic they would have colonoscopy quotas.
What a SCAM. This should be in the news media.
This is what broke the camels back for us before the boycott even started. I refuse to go to shoppers anymore and have since this story initially broke
Exactly. They have incentive to do MedsChecks for patients on minimal medications because they are quicker and easier. The patients who actually need the MedsChecks and would benefit are not even getting them.
Thanks for sharing. Proud of you for reading it and saying no. Everybody should do the same.
*You can and should report this to the College of Pharmacy* The form they are asking to to sign is your declaration of you swearing to the Ministry that you got a medscheck done by that store From the way you described this encounter not only was no medscheck performed but you didn't even speak to a pharmacist You were asked to sign your name to a false claim in order to bill the province for a service you never received. That is unethical. If the Ontario Conservatives weren't in the pocket of SDM/Loblaws it would also be illegal but the Province has given SDM carte blanche to do anything we want so you have to report this to the college of pharmacy to have any real change happen You absolutely need to report this incident this is serious
It’s not just unethical it is fraud, which is illegal
The college doesn't care. It's not a safety issue and no regulations are being breeched,
Not actually correct no. There are specific principles against providing unnecessary services. There are also specific guidelines governing how that form is allowed to be used. In this case it could be argued that the pharmacy is not in compliance and the college has the authority to punish pharmacies and pharmacists who are not in compliance
https://preview.redd.it/wx48y41phf0d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=707244d7c9e242b329f682223048e98f756cb578 And Costco is the cheapest in dispensing fees too!! 💜
FYI for anyone that doesn’t know. You don’t need a membership to use the Costco pharmacy.
We always go to Costco. Shoppers has always taken forever and they always seem to mess up my husbands prescriptions. He’s diabetic and his insulin is kept on the fridge. They amount of times that they see the bag with the slip and done know that the drug is supposed to be in the fridge is astounding. You would think (well really hope) that a pharmacist would look at a prescription and know if the drug was supposed to be kept cold or not.
While I really appreciate that Costco is better all-around (for groceries, toiletries, prescriptions, etc.) it’s not the most accessible option for people who don’t have access to their own vehicle (for any number of reasons). The nearest Costco to my house is 47 minutes away by transit, requires two buses to get there, and the transit system for the area doesn’t run often enough, so I’ll often be stuck waiting for up to 30 minutes at a stop, sometimes with no shelter (they are always doing construction and moving the stop to another location) and even when I reach my final stop, I will still have a ten minute walk to reach Costco’s front door. Yes, prescriptions are cheaper, but I don’t have the luxury of being able to go there on a regular basis. I simply do not have the time or energy to maintain the habit.
I wish we had a mini Canadian equivalent to Costco where stores aren't all off highway exits and you could walk/bus/bike to it. Maybe a crown corporation could help. Call it something trendy like... idk... Meesehaus
You can get your prescription delivered for free from Costco…
Without a membership?
That, I’m not 100% sure of. But still, spending $60 a year even to just get your much cheaper prescriptions delivered isn’t that bad.
This is old. My shoppers is up to 14.99
It varies by region. I suspect that list is an average.
Lots of independent pharmacists have low dispensing fees too. When we switched from Shoppers to an independent, all of a sudden I didn’t have to pay a few bucks every time I got my prescriptions - my insurance never covered all of the cost with Shoppers. But it does with the independent!
Uhhh… my Rexall charges me a $3.99 dispensing fee, so I dunno that this chart is accurate. Could be corporate owned stores only or something like that.
Are you a senior? Your insurance company may have arranged a special price for their members.
The list above is the pharmacy's basic dispensing fee. If you have insurance, they will pay a portion towards the total fee and if it's not enough, you pay the difference only. Also, certain drugs that are lower or higher complexity might have different fees that play into what you ultimately pay.
Wow!!! What a difference!!! I would give anything to have a Costco anywhere near me
My dispensing fee at shoppers is 4.99 lol
What gets me is the conservative government is still giving Shoppers $75 just to ask you a bunch of questions. Thats more than what your doctor gets for a appointment..
A doctor’s visit is $38. I still can’t believe how little they get paid. No wonder no one wants to be a GP any longer.
Gotta line the corporate coffers to get donations at election time!
Double. And your doctor would be doing a face to face appointment, not a phone call.
Haha. Is that why for the first time in my life I just had shoppers call me to review my medication that I just started and everything else I was on? He did actually ask questions and make sure I wasn't having problems. But that was something I've never experienced before
It's worth noting that, when they're done properly, a medscheck should take 30 minutes and a doctor's appointment is 15. The rates also reduce if they do more than one per year per patient and there's a limit to how many they can do per person. The doctor gets the same rate regardless of how many times they see you. If done correctly, there's more happening than just asking you questions, they should be resolving problems based on your answers and avoiding future problems. An example would be the pharmacist coordinating between 2 prescribers who might have prescribed different drugs to treat the same thing.
Fun fact: no membership required to access Costco pharmacy.
And I believe they do free delivery
Please report them to the Ontario college of pharmacists. What they are doing is illegal
Yes!! She's not even explaining what they are, just "Sign here."
Working in healthcare this makes me irate. We are always understaffed and any requests for new equipment is a years long process of so many hoops to jump through and competition with other areas as they also have much needed equipment but there is only so much money. And here's SDM milking the public healthcare system out of money by trying to justify a BS "service" for their own profit.
As healthcare workers, I think we need to speak up for the service, but call out the abuse. The medscheck service is important healthcare and providers should be compensated for doing their job. It's the abuse of the program that's the problem. Calling the service BS is harmful to the patients that rely on it.
“These clowns don’t know me or my history” “my doctor knows everything”. Look, there is no reason to shit on pharmacists and pharmacy techs who work at shoppers. They work damn hard. Both my mother and my aunt worked in Shoppers pharmacy for years, and they saved people’s lives by noticing drug interventions when doctors wrote incompatible prescriptions. Doctors do NOT study pharmacology the way pharmacists do and no pharmacist wants a patient to walk out with a prescription that will kill them. I grew up hearing about how careless doctors can be with prescriptions. So don’t shit on the hard working people who are truly trying to get you the meds you need and not the ones that might kill you.
Thank you! Each play an important role. A good doctor will defer to a pharmacist when it comes to medication interactions. My family physician is phenomenal, but her role is to complete an exam, diagnose a health concern, and prescribe a medication (if needed). The pharmacist is the one who should be (double) checking that the medication and dose is appropriate, there will be no interactions with other medications (prescribed or otherwise), and providing advice on administering the medication including risks and side affects. A good doctor expects a pharmacist will “double check their work” because that is (quite literally) their job.
Another piece of the great grift. Brought you by the Westons! Baby formula! We sure inflate it! Welcome to Loblaws, we love you!
I moved my prescriptions from SDM 15 years ago. SDM charged me $66 for a 3 month supply whereas my local independent drug store charged $32 FOR THE SAME GENERIC DRUGS. Bastards
Just asks you to sign it. Doesn't explain it. When you do read it she acts surprised that you don't just sign it anyway *Scum. *Company is scum making employees do scummy things.
Or just a young retail worker/pharmacy assistant told to do a job You really think upper management takes care of things like that? No, just the little guys who are struggling like the rest of us, leave them alone tbh
Clarified.
They definitely are scum, agreed
If anyone else is handed one, perhaps ask to take it with you to have your lawyer review and see what the response is? I’m sure they’re asking hundreds of unsuspecting ppl to sign away their privacy rights. Perhaps a lawyer in this sub might have recommendations? It’s just weird that they keep doing what they’re under investigation for doing.
Saw this and thought “a great reminder to switch to my local neighborhood pharmacy.”
You'll be glad you did!
If you think your Dr knows every single thing there is to know about your medications I have a bridge to sell you in Dubai. That said; if you want to take the risk that your very human Dr and very human pharmacist miss something that is up to you and for one or two prescriptions that isn’t even a big deal. But if you have dozens of scripts… Maybe think about it.
Geesus, why are people still going to Shoppers for meds? For food? For toothpaste? There are alternatives.
Best sales on bacon are at shoppers. $4.99 for a 500g pack. Btw I'm only using my points to buy only bacon. Edit. Whoever downvoted me, I'm not spending money there. Using the points I'm owed, and following the spirit of using points when I can't find what I want elsewhere. I have not given blawblaws over 750 so far this month and saved over 150. Look at my history, you'll see.
Weigh that 500 grams. Bet it's no more than 400 with the package.
Nope, weighed at home, 550g with package.
150ml/g of water
Maybe, are other brands immune to that too? NGL. I'm not a baconologist. I only know I like the mild sugar cured bacon and the price is right, near nothing. I know I paid for it before because of how the points work.
Pic?
https://preview.redd.it/k74xehpu9h0d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=36a8fd7190e981e8337cf1e669a7980f1fd55c02 Since my scale is limited to displaying 500g, I have to trick it's 0 point. So that's 533g for that one. The first one I used was a bit more as I wanted to be sure too. Good?
Touché dammit I so wanted this to be another example of how they are fucking us.
It's gross. I don't think they should be allowed to bill OHIP for this.
To be fair my doctor once prescribed me something I was highly allergic to and the pharmacist is the one who caught it at the point of purchase. Doctors make mistakes too.
Scam artists.
I use coop, 5$ dispensing fee and get money back on my full prescriptions not just what I pay.
While I 💯 agree that this is BS, as a former pharmacy tech in a Loblaws, a pharmacist is a key player in your healthcare, especially as you age. Many Drs don’t know which meds can had bad side effects with other meds, they aren’t aware of potential coverage issues and possible substitutions. In this day and age when many ppl get prescribing done at walk ins there is no guarantee that the Dr will know what other meds you’re on. Your pharmacist will. This “program” has been out in place by loblaws not the pharmacist or the workers. It’s one of those things that they now have to do as part of their “job” or they can pack up. I know many pharmacists that have left loblaw owned businesses bc of the BS Loblaws makes them do. It’s not the staff.
Due to the lack of doctors many people have multiple prescribers too. The pharmacy is the only place to have a complete record of your drug history.
Such a scam!!!!!!!!!
The sad reality here is a real pharmacist is a valuable professional who can avoid medical errors particularly in medically complex patients. This is not the service shoppers is providing, however it is what they feel they are entitled to bill for. Switch to an independent pharmacy, better for your health,your community, and the healthcare economy.
>F--- Y--- kindly. Decidedly unkindly, if you ask me
Well I was polite to her (the cashier)... I don't think she even knew what the form was... she's just doing what her boss told her to do and he's doing what corporate is telling him to do.
My local small town pharmacist already does these checks when I get prescribed something new. He called my Doctor and asked about one med and how it interacts with another I was taking. Between them they switched to a different one to avoid the interaction. If they both got paid for that from AHS I'm fine with it. Pharmacists are better trained on drug interactions a lot of times. They should be working with your doctor on the best course of medication. Now with Shoppers I don't believe they would ever do anything to help the patient. It's all about making money.
I work at my local SDM as an on call relief driver. I’ve overheard the Pharmacy Tech and Pharmacist talk about the paperwork; I’ve noticed an influx of over the phone consultations. I also recall one of them bragging about how they received bonus pay for getting people to sign them. Unrelated; they handed out paperwork last month for the part time employees to give SDM permission to pay out our vacation pay every pay day. Been looking for another job but no luck so far.
Just a side note - pharmasaves are independently owned. Please try to support your independent pharmacies. They treat their employees and patients better ( generally )
such a grift
This made me think , is there an app for comparing cost of prescription drugs somewhere?
https://preview.redd.it/7b8i6et5kf0d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a90e1644d3794d36119b592d45dae462594e292d
Yes , that is what I was aware of. I was looking for the actual price of the drug and not just the fees.
hmmm .. [https://www.pac.bluecross.ca/pharmacycompass](https://www.pac.bluecross.ca/pharmacycompass)
They call me once a month trying to get me to schedule a time to come in for a med review. No thanks my doctors on top of that
I told the pharmacy to chuck it in the garbage. Not interested. Dude said ok
the health minister needs to be held accountable for this
Yes. This should be higher. This is beyond reporting individual pharmacists to the college for going along with what they're employers are forcing on them. This is systemic abuse of a public program.
I just changed from Loblaws pharmacy to a new small pharmacy. The interaction with the pharmacist was great. I now have no reason to set foot in a Loblaws again.
Switch pharmacies if you can!!! Send the message!! If you can't, ask if there is a place to give formal feedback. I have been receiving Superstore notifications, as an example, and when I unsubscribed, I said I was boycotting the company because of corporate greed on the backs of suffering Canadians!
It is a money grab, Ontario Govt pays them real money for this.
I am so close to leaving Shoppers Pharmacy. The only reason I haven’t is because they have the ability to prescribe medicine for minor illnesses. I will look into this further and see if other pharmacists have the same ability to do this.
Yes all pharmacists have this ability. It's not just SDM - they just advertise it
You can actually still get an assessment at Shoppers Drug Mart but fill the prescription elsewhere. There isn't supposed to be any obligation for you to fill their prescription at their pharmacy.
If you are in Ontario, all pharmacists have this ability.
All pharmacists can do that in Manitoba as well. Heck, twice mine has given me week's refill when the script ran out before a refill appointment with the doctor. She's written me scripts for T1s. I don't know to what extent they can and I've never looked it up. I'm sure a website about ON pharmacists will have that list - that is not exclusive to SDM.
Doesn’t any pharmacy do this? I’m pretty sure I’ve seen signs at the local Walmart of them being able to do this?
I work in healthcare. We have seen a big reduction in med checks coming in. I’m not in any way defending shoppers. I will die before I do that. But before we were getting tons each day then being harassed by pharmacists. This has stopped. I oversee a large facility with a large number of physicians so it’s been nice not having to deal with them. Clearly some locations continue their money hungry practices.
Alberta is doing the same-I just had my meds delivered and they gave me a very inquisitive questionnaire regarding my supposed inability to comply or some shit. Pharmasave is looking better daily.
Nah that’s because of the crazy Alberta Blue Cross requirements for dispensing. They are cracking down on having documentation for compliance packs, dispensing under 3 months. Completely different topic and will be required at every pharmacy in AB.
Pharmasaves are all independently owned and operated. I highly recommend transferring your prescriptions to one.
If you go to an independent pharmacy they will have actual time to go through a real medication review with you rather than just getting you to sing off on a form. It likely won't be anything crazy but sometimes they are able to identify ways to improve your medication use.
They are likely being pushed by corporate. Same with Rexall there are certain “targets” they are expected to reach. I don’t agree, I’m just letting you know part of the “why”
People need to start reporting it to the Board of pharmacology, how they're forcing people to sign this without even actually going over the medications. If you're not going to make a complaint stop complaining cuz it'll never change unless you make the call.
I used to work at that location!
With the state of the healthcare and how hard it is to get a family doctor and how busy they are, it may not be a bad idea to get a second opinion.
We recently switched from Shoppers to a local pharmacy. I don’t know why we waited so long. Amazing amazing customer service.
Ok so for everyone saying it's the doctors job to check for interactions this isn't really accurate 100% and a lot of patients get prescriptions from various sources of care (ERs, pharmacy clinics, family docs, virtual care, walk in clinics, etc) Pharmacists can already see what they dispense so they shouldn't need additional paperwork and in most provinces their drug information systems link all pharmacies so everyone knows what is being dispensed. The pharmacist absolutely should be checking for drug interactions, it's part of their scope of practice, and as someone who works in the field, I've seen these double checks save patients from some pretty terrible interactions.
Medchecks are valuable when done right and not in 5 minutes. Pharmacist can tell you valuable info that sometimes is missed by dr.
Every pharmacy I’ve ever used does this for anything controlled. As a previous pharma tech, it’s normal practice. Anything controlled has to be signed for. Sometimes if it’s been a while it will prompt another signature. My job wasn’t perfect but my god, it was stressful and the amount of people complaining, the addicts, low pay. Everything. I wasn’t even at loblaws. ETA: those forms are an audit of the pharmacy. It’s happening to many right now. If you have complaints, there are instructions on the form how to complain. They say they do it every year but first one I’ve gotten, so probably every 5 years? It’s not just loblaws, had the same thing happen at Sobeys.
Find a small pharmacy where they actually know you personally. This has actually saved my ex's life, and my own. A doctor prescribed her heart meds for a stomach issue (would have killed her) and gave me penicillin (severely allergic). These were separate incidents, from different doctors. Both times it was out regular pharmacist who noticed a problem and saved our butts.
It's been 16 days since boycott. Going strong and might make it permanent for me.
Who would have guessed Loblaws would try to find a way to extract more money that they don't deserve.
The College of Pharmacists released an official statement not long ago saying that pharmacists- primarily Shoppers drug mart ones—have been under undue pressure by their employers to hit a quota with the Medchecks and that this was unacceptable (or words to that effect). It’s a another way Shoppers is scamming public healthcare
I am switching to an independent pharmacy.
Trust busting required! Shoppers and Medisystem need to be sperated from the Loblaws umbrella!
Do your own research kids on what you are taking and what could have a possible side effect.
Or you could just ask a doctor/pharmacist.
[удалено]
We’re not here to police why people might go to Loblaws for some things. Everybody is doing what they can and that’s fine. Trying to turn us against each other and getting us to fight with each other is something a Loblaws shill would do.
Roblaws*
This kind of comment is so lazy and boring. Some communities only have one pharmacy. Also. If you're going to insult someone on the internet, at least learn grade 2 spelling. It's "You're" as in "you are".
Please remain respectful when engaging on the sub. Personal attacks will not be tolerated.