Is there a medication dispensing charge?

GAAmam said:
when I collected the prescription there were 3 DPS receipts in the bag each for €29.
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If you are paying more than €80 per month you should be able to avail of the Drug Payment Scheme with a max payment of €80. Whatever about only saving €7 (29 x 3 = €87) you or members of your family could quite easily be given another prescription at some stage by your G.P. and therefore that would not cost you extra. Your pharmacist should be advising you of this qualification. You should also need to query with her why she is splitting it into 3 separate transactions and costing you more.
 
Sue Ellen said:
If you are paying more than €80 per month you should be able to avail of the Drug Payment Scheme with a max payment of €80. Whatever about only saving €7 (29 x 3 = €87) you or members of your family could quite easily be given another prescription at some stage by your G.P. and therefore that would not cost you extra. Your pharmacist should be advising you of this qualification. You should also need to query with her why she is splitting it into 3 separate transactions and costing you more.
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You can't combine multiple months' prescriptions of the same drug in the same month for DPS purposes - only one month of each drug / prescription can count per month for the threshold/cap
 
messyleo said:
You can't combine multiple months' prescriptions of the same drug in the same month for DPS purposes - only one month of each drug / prescription can count per month for the threshold/cap
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Yes you're right it must be one month's issue which should be more than €80. Perhaps if other members of the family get prescriptions also then they might meet the limit.
 
Thanks for the responses. I know I can only qualify for the €80 ceiling if my (and my family’s) drugs cost over €80 for a given month. I was more unsure why she gave me 3 separate DPS receipts and seems to have charged me 3 dispensing fees. I will query with her, if she has given me one ‘set’ for July and August this should be clear on the receipt. As an aside the equivalent 3 months supply on Healthwave is €39…
 
GAAmam said:
I have a longterm illness for which I take daily meds. I asked the pharmacist for 3 months supply the other day and when I collected the prescription there were 3 DPS receipts in the bag each for €29. If my memory serves me correclty I used to collect 3 months supply and be charged approximantly €50. I think she has put in 3 seperate 'transactions' for 3 seperate months so I have been charged the dispensing fee 3 times over. Anyone know if my assumption is correct?
tia - just don't get the way pharmacies charge for drugs...
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Charging full whack for multiple months supplies is not unusual. Boots, Pure and Lloyds offer no discounts.
The independent pharmacies will normally offer you a discount.

As others have pointed out, DPS works on a monthly basis. So you can only get one months supply on DPS.
I'm not sure it's legal under the DPS rules to give more than one month supply except in exceptional circumstances.

Have a look at the receipt, I guessing that under the scheme type it will be "Private Script".
This means that it's not DPS and the pharmacists can charge whatever they like.
When you ordered 3 months supply you have legitimate expectation that you will get one supply and not three
based on your past experience "I used to collect 3 months supply and be charged approximately €50."
I think you can bring back the receipts and quote the PSI's code of conduct and they should refund the €37 difference.

The PSI's code of conduct has seven very hifalutin principals.
I'd reckon your pharmacist failed at least 6 of them with this transaction

Put the Patient First: No, It's costing you more.
Act Professionally: No, should have asked you why you wanted 3 months and explained that it would cost three times the monthly cost.
Communicate Effectively: No, should have asked you why you wanted 3 months and explained that it would cost three times the monthly cost
Work With Others: ?
Show Leadership: No, this is shabby at best.
Maintain Competence: No, this is incompetence.
Be Open and Honest No, should have asked you why you wanted 3 months

thepsi.ie/gns/Pharmacy_Practice/code-of-conduct.aspx

If they refuse I'd threaten to complain to the PSI.
Don't complain about the price that's outside their scope.
Complain about the lack of proper professional, competent, open and honest communication.

Good luck,Let us know how you get on.
 
GAAmam said:
Thanks for the responses. I know I can only qualify for the €80 ceiling if my (and my family’s) drugs cost over €80 for a given month. I was more unsure why she gave me 3 separate DPS receipts and seems to have charged me 3 dispensing fees. I will query with her, if she has given me one ‘set’ for July and August this should be clear on the receipt. As an aside the equivalent 3 months supply on Healthwave is €39…
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The receipts will say which month they apply to somewhere. This will probably be a small 06, 07 and 08 and that would be the only difference between them.
 
Thanks for the input all; I queried with the pharmacist and was told that the chemist no longer issues multiple months under the one dispensing charge. My drugs were dispensed under the DPS scheme, so effectively a months' supply for June/July & August; the Pharmacist said even if they were non-DPS the price would be moreorless the same. She said they normally only issue one months supply at a time but will facilitate people as often customers are on holidays etc. She said they don't mark-up drugs but do have a dispensing fee
I told her that I like to support local etc but the price difference between her shop and healthwave is massive - in response she advised that she thinks these discount retailers will go bust over time...
 
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