Business Pressures
The College does not have oversight or any regulatory influence over pharmacy funding models as this is not within its legislated mandate. However, we will consider whether and to what extent funding plays a role in the delivery of safe and ethical care to patients.
No. The College will fully exercise its authority but will need to work with other system partners, including government, to address these issues.
Pharmacy professionals have raised similar issues previously. In response, in 2020 in collaboration with system partners, patients, pharmacy professionals and pharmacy ownership representatives, we developed a set of shared accountability principles.
Unfortunately, registrants continued to share with us that they are under increasing pressures from corporate ownership to focus on volume and financial targets over what is in the best interests of patients. It now seems clear that some of those who participated in the development of the principles are choosing not to apply them. We acknowledge that what we have done up until now is simply not enough. We are thankful to registrants for sharing their concerns with us.
Our new strategic plan includes a focus on addressing business interests that impede pharmacy professional autonomy and impact their wellbeing. As shared on this page, we are currently implementing several strategies as part of our strategic goal and zero-tolerance approach.
Most corporate-owned pharmacies have majority pharmacist ownership. While the College does not have authority over corporations, pharmacists–even those who act in their capacity as corporate directors rather than providers of patient care–are accountable to us.
We continue to explore what more we can do to assure ourselves and the public that no matter what ownership models are in place, pharmacy professionals have the autonomy to use their own knowledge, skills and judgment in the delivery of patient care.
No. Patients should trust in the safety and quality of the care provided by their pharmacy professionals. By addressing these pressures now, our goal is to ensure that quality is preserved, and all patient care is guided by the best interest of the patient at all times.
MedsCheck reviews can save lives and are an important part of a pharmacist’s role in helping patients take their medications safely. The service, when done properly and in accordance with program requirements, provides significant benefits to patients and to the health system.
Publicly funded programs are designed and managed by the Ministry of Health so changes to the MedsCheck program are not within the College’s authority.
However, registrants and pharmacies are required to comply with all relevant rules associated with these and other programs and must put patient needs first by practicing according to professional and operational standards and their ethical obligations. The College can take a role in ensuring compliance.
The College has heard from pharmacy professionals about ongoing concerns they have about pressures being placed on them to perform services that get in the way of their ability to provide the kind of care they want to provide to their patients. More significantly, we’ve heard that these pressures can impact pharmacy professionals’ wellbeing and place pressures on them to make decisions that prevent them from meeting their obligations as regulated pharmacy professionals.
Examples include the use of operational plans, volume targets or financial pressures that impede pharmacist autonomy to make decisions in the best interest of their patients.
No. If you wish to file a complaint or report information, please do so through our existing process. More information about complaints and reports are available on our website.
The tool is designed for pharmacy professionals to share their experiences with business pressures. This applies to all pharmacy professionals working in any practice environment, including independent pharmacies.
If you wish to share your information anonymously, submit this online form. While we will not be able to trace actual submitted forms to any sender, the College may be obligated to take action, such as an investigation, based on the information shared with us. If so, any information submitted may be shared with relevant parties. Please consider this when providing your information through this online tool.
Information shared by registrants may be used to:
- Identify new trends that OCP should be aware of so we can respond more quickly
- Identify specific pharmacies or pharmacy corporations where registrants are experiencing these pressures, and to understand the nature of those pressures more clearly
- Contribute to OCP’s actions towards specific pharmacies or corporations in response to concerns shared
- Identify gaps in understanding or communication so OCP can act more quickly to address them.