ATHABASCA – Pharmacies in the Athabasca, Barrhead and Westlock areas received their COVID-19 vaccines and flu shots Oct. 16, which signifies the start of what for many is the busiest time of the year.
This year’s rollout came with a twist — pharmacies can no longer bill up to five COVID assessments a day, at $20 each, and starting Jan. 1, 2024, pharmacies will only be able to bill $17 for COVID shots, down from $25. That number will drop again to $13 April 1, 2024, the same amount pharmacies receive for flu shots.
“Two days’ notice is just ridiculous,” said Rita Lyster, who’s worked as a pharmacist in the region for 41 years. “We have to hire more staff, there’s a shortage of pharmacists, and you’ve budgeted based on that $25. At $25, you can cover your costs. At $17, no, and at $13 absolutely not.”
Lyster, who’s previously served on the board of the Alberta Pharmacists Association, said the announcements were a “slap on the face to pharmacists, who’ve bailed out this government throughout the whole COVID epidemic.”
“We’re very efficient at doing COVID shots, and we only get paid if a person comes in,” said Lyster, contrasting it to AHS programs during the pandemic. “There were days when these (AHS) programs were staffed with five people and would give out one vaccine. If (pharmacists) want to bring on extra staff, we need to make sure that they’re able to pay their own way and cover their own costs.”
The loss of revenue from assessments is another setback for local pharmacies that have stepped into a different role in the post-COVID healthcare landscape. Both Lyster and Neil Cameron, who owns the Value Drug Mart in Athabasca, said they’re spending more time each day answering questions from concerned callers.
“It doesn’t mean that we don’t do these assessments anymore, we just won’t be getting paid for them. We’re very accessible, so clients will call in with their symptoms. We do those all day long,” said Lyster.
Poor communication
Cameron said the season has been well received, but exceptionally busy, with his pharmacy filling up its schedule early each week.
“We book up quick, the extra workload adds to it — most people are getting (COVID and flu shots), so it adds some extra time in which can be difficult to manage,” said Cameron. “Thankfully, pharmacists have stepped up over the last few years with public immunizations, but it’s a challenge. These announcements are often sprung on us at the community pharmacy level, so it makes it tough.”
In Cameron’s opinion, the last-minute changes were just another example of poor communication between the province and community pharmacies.
“It’s disappointing for sure, we aren’t going to be in a spot where we are trying to add on extra capacity anymore,” he said. “I often joke that I just need Alberta Health to step aside and just let us manage the program, so we get what we need when we need. They seem to have an iron fist over the whole aspect, and that’s when we run into issues.”
Great West Media reached out to Health Minister Adriana LaGrange’s office for comment, but did not hear back before deadline.
–with files from Riley Tjosvold
