Pangaea Express: AQPP and Health Minister Barrette, the professional allowances saga continues....
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On June 2, 2016, the Quebec Association of Pharmacy Owners (AQPP) and the Quebec Health Minister Gaetan Barrette agreed to enter into negotiations to resolve the dispute around the professional allowances rule implemented on April 13, 2016. (see blog dated May 10 -Pangaea Express: More Quebec Announcements and Tension with Pharmacy) Both parties had agreed to reach an accord by September 16. This did not happen. Consequently, the matter is headed for arbitration.
AQPP accused Barrette of not negotiating in good faith. According to a statement made by AQPP, they tabled a number of proposals and compensation models that were given scant consideration by the Health Minister’s negotiation team. For his part, Barrette, wants to maintain a schedule to uncap professional allowances contained in the previously proposed arrangement with AQPP because Bill 81 (about tendering for generic drugs) has been adopted and will be implemented in a very near future. Bill 81 is aiming at reducing the price of generics which obviously will impact consequently the amount of PA that pharmacists will be receiving.
Stay tuned as this issue is at the core of the future of the pharmacy business and professional practice in Quebec.
For more information, contact Ghislain Gauthier