A decree published on May 30 in the Official Journal extends and specifies the role of the “corresponding pharmacist”. This evolution of the respective roles of the attending physician and the pharmacist is a further step in the delegation of tasks.
Renewing a treatment with a pharmacist without going through the consultation of the attending physician to issue a new prescription is now possible. This is the whole point of having a “corresponding pharmacist”, a device which has just been specified by a decree published on May 30 in the Official Journal.
But beware, if this practice, which aims to improve the management of chronic diseases, is possible, it is also seriously supervised. The corresponding pharmacist, how does it work?
1- Who is the corresponding pharmacist?
This health professional that the patient can choose by informing the Health Insurance must be “pharmacist holder of a pharmacy or manager of a mutual pharmacy”. But above all, it must belong to the same primary care team (PST) than the attending physician. That is to say that he must be part of a group of health professionals whose constitution (most often in the form of a simple association) and action are based on a shared health project.
2 – What is the relationship between the patient and the corresponding pharmacist?
The patient can ask his corresponding pharmacist for the renewal of a chronic treatment and even its adjustment (for example in terms of dosage) without needing to present a new prescription and this within the limit of one year. But the initial prescription issued by the attending physician must include mention of this possibility of renewal. If a treatment is adjusted, the pharmacist must inform the attending physician.
3 – Should each chronic patient have a corresponding pharmacist?
Contrary to the general practitioner that each patient must have to benefit from normal coverage by the Health Insurance, there is no obligation for the patient to have a corresponding pharmacist nor any penalty in terms of reimbursement.
4 – How is this practice received by health professionals?
The corresponding pharmacist is a step further in the “delegation of tasks” which aims to relieve doctors so that they have more time to devote to real “medical time” and to facilitate better patient care. “The integration of the pharmacist in the care pathway is consolidated with this device”, rejoiced in Le Figaro the vice-president of the Union of community pharmacists (USPO), Renaud Nadjahi, considering that this practice reinforced the role of “carer” of the pharmacist. On the other hand, the doctors are reserved, in particular on the possibility given to the corresponding pharmacist to adapt the treatments. “Everyone has a core business that must be respected! Adapting a dosage is a medical decision”, underlined, also in Le Figaro, Jean-Paul Ortiz, president of the CSMF, the main union of liberal doctors.
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