If you have an Alberta Health Care card, you are now eligible to receive enhanced pharmacy services from the Pharmacists at Stafford Pharmacy!
While these services have been provided by pharmacists in some form for years, it was previously the patient who was responsible for paying the cost associated with these services. Pharmacies, in order to recover costs of the pharmacists’ time spent with the patient must offer these services on a “user pay” basis. As of July 1st, 2012 the government of Alberta cover’s the cost of many of these important services. This means that Albertans will have the opportunity for improved healthcare when accessing these Pharmacy Services. The following are services now covered for those Albertans who have an Alberta Healthcare card:
- Comprehensive Annual Care Plan – Albertans living with multiple chronic diseases will be supported by pharmacists through a one-on-one assessment, care plan development and ongoing monitoring. Provision of this service requires an appointment with one of our pharmacists.
- Standard Medication Management Assessment – Pharmacists will conduct individual medication reviews and develop care plans for patients with at least one chronic disease and on at least four different schedule 1 drugs or insulin. Provision of this service requires an appointment with one of our pharmacists.
- Adaptation of a prescription – If the pharmacist identifies that a dosing change ore therapeutic substitution must be made on a new prescription, they can alter the therapy in order to improve the patients health outcomes. This service is provided with the patients consent when the pharmacist deems necessary.
- Prescription Renewals/Extensions – Renewals are done at the pharmacists discretion only after an assessment of the medical condition and drug therapy is completed. This service will enable the care of Albertans by ensuring they have access their medication when required and prevent any interruption in drug therapy associated with disease management.
- Administration of Drugs by Injection – All of our pharmacists are trained to administer medications by injection. Now, when you receive a prescription for a travel vaccine or other injection, you may have it administered at the pharmacy instead of having to return to the doctors office, and there will be no out of pocket cost to you!
- Initiate Drug Therapy – While most of the prescription adaptations have been done by pharmacists to some small degree in the past, the ability to initiate drug therapy, that is for a pharmacist to prescribe is a very new authority gained by pharmacists. Although pharmacists must first go through a very vigorous certification process to obtain their “advanced prescribing authority”. Once gained the pharmacist can participate in patient care as the drug expert they are. We currently have one pharmacist Jaclyn, with advanced prescribing authorization with the remaining staff pharmacists working to obtain their advanced prescribing authority soon.
You may be eligible to have one of our pharmacists assess your medications and create a care plan for you to ensure your drug therapy is optimized for the best health outcomes if you have one or more of the following conditions: high blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure, history of stroke, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or a diagnosed mental health condition.
Pharmacists through their professional organizations continue to urge Alberta Health, to add more pharmacist services within this same patient care program. Already changes have been made to include trial prescriptions and very soon we expect to see smoking cessation and diet/lifestyle programs to be added as expanded program offerings.
If you have questions about these services, or would like to set up an appointment with one of our pharmacists to have your health conditions and medications assessed contact a member of our pharmacy staff today! We invite you to come into the pharmacy to talk with us or phone to set up an appointment at 403-320-6500 Ext. 1. We look forward to helping you get the most out of your drug therapy regimen.
