About

Board meetings are generally held four times a year at the College’s office in Toronto. These public meetings are held in March, June, September and December, and are usually one or one-and-a-half days in duration. 

No. The College cannot make laws or rules for the practices of employers, insurance companies or pharmaceutical manufacturers. As PPNs are established by employers who negotiate and purchase group benefit plans from third parties on behalf of their patients, we do not have any current ways to limit their use.

However, we are exploring a number of options to address our concerns and will focus on taking direct action where we have the authority to do so.

We also believe that business models that restrict patient choice are another example of business pressures being applied to pharmacy decisions that interfere with pharmacy professionals’ ability to deliver the kind of care they want to provide to their patients.

A business model or agreement that limits patients’ choice of pharmacists and pharmacies can interfere with continuity of care and timely access to pharmacy services. Patients can be deprived of pharmacy care that meets their diverse needs, whether related to language, cultural safety or anything else that might factor into their choice of a health care provider. Where patient care may be compromised, the College is concerned.

Here’s an example: A patient has been receiving regular medications from their chosen local pharmacy for five years. But because their employer-provided health insurance has entered an agreement with a specific chain of pharmacies only, they must go to a different pharmacy in the next town to receive specialty medication. Now the patient needs to choose between splitting their prescriptions at different pharmacies (which can increase the risk of errors), switching everything to an unknown pharmacy that they can’t easily access or staying with their trusted pharmacy and paying extensive drug costs out of pocket.

The Board comprises elected pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, members of the public who are appointed by the provincial government, and academic appointees. Together, they share a duty to serve and protect the public interest.