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Finding out prescription drug prices

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    #32
    Geuze
    Registered Users Posts: 13,516 ✭✭✭✭Geuze


    IsaacWunder wrote: »
    Is there any way to find out how much a prescription drug costs? Not accounting for drug payment scheme, etc.


    This may help:

    http://www.hse.ie/eng/staff/PCRS/

    The Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) is part of the HSE, and is responsible for making payments to healthcare professionals, like doctors, dentists and pharmacists, for the free or reduced costs services they provide to the public. So, when you visit the doctor using your Medical Card, or when you are only charged the monthly threshold amount for your medicine under the Drugs Payment Scheme, it is the HSE PCRS who pays the doctor and pharmacist on your behalf.


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    #33
    Miaireland
    Registered Users Posts: 4,065 ✭✭✭Miaireland


    It seemed a bit odd alright, I would have thought that if they were allowed do that kind of advertising it would be everywhere. I could kind of understand if the ad was showing how much there was to be saved by buying generic rather than the branded tablets.


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    #34
    Geuze
    Registered Users Posts: 13,516 ✭✭✭✭Geuze


    http://www.hse.ie/eng/staff/PCRS/Online_Services/

    Here you can find a list of all the reimbursable items.


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    #35
    Greenmachine
    Registered Users Posts: 5,063 ✭✭✭Greenmachine


    MYOB wrote: »
    There are roughly 12000 potential items. The price varies depending on how much you're buying at any given time.

    Do you suggest they install a few cinema screens?

    There is absolutely no way a pharmacy can advertise prices. They could advertise their pricing formula but the average person wont have the foggiest idea what it means, and considering even those who do usually won't have the cost price either.

    12,000 items. Where is that number coming from? If that was the case the average medicine would have maybe 100 users in a year.


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    #36
    L1011
    Registered Users Posts: 69,057 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Greenmachine wrote: »
    12,000 items. Where is that number coming from? If that was the case the average medicine would have maybe 100 users in a year.

    The IPU product file.

    There's over 10,000 IMB licenced products:

    http://www.hpra.ie/homepage/medicines/medicines-information/find-a-medicine/results?query=%&field=

    As well as unlicenced medicines, medical devices, dressings, etc etc

    There are specific medicines that have over 50 different preperations - dosages, pack sizes, manufacturers, etc - and yes, there are medicines that are prescribed to that few people a year.


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    #37
    leeroybrown
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,563 ✭✭✭leeroybrown


    Greenmachine wrote: »
    12,000 items. Where is that number coming from? If that was the case the average medicine would have maybe 100 users in a year.
    The most common medicines are heavily prescribed but there's plenty of items that have a very small user base. They're likely not stocked in your local pharmacy today but if you're prescribed them their supplier can have them in for you in their next delivery.


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    #38
    rubadub
    Registered Users Posts: 32,382 ✭✭✭✭rubadub


    former legend wrote: »
    This is a joke? The price list would be a couple of hundred pages!
    A photo frame might not be the best, but it could have been an excel list or something. It might be hassle for a chemist to create but if I was a pharmacist and DID have very competitive prices I would want people to know about it.
    Deleted User wrote: »
    I'm a pharmacist. You can't advertise prescription medication. So the brochure is out the window. Just ring and ask the pharmacy is the easiest solution.
    What is actually classed as "advertising"? if people ring and ask it seems they are legally able to inform people about prices, I was going to suggest emailing in the enquiry, I have done this for non-prescription items.

    Are they allowed email info on prescription prices? if they can email can they enquire about 2 products? or 12,000 products? Or is the pharmacy not allowed disclose a price list unless its specifically requested? In which case it seems there may be a loophole. i.e. customer says whats the price of these 12,000 items which are cut & pasted, and the pharmacist sends his list of maybe 1,000 which he does have easily at hand.


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    #39
    L1011
    Registered Users Posts: 69,057 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    rubadub wrote: »
    A photo frame might not be the best, but it could have been an excel list or something. It might be hassle for a chemist to create but if I was a pharmacist and DID have very competitive prices I would want people to know about it.

    You'd have to have a very lax definition of "hassle" - the pricing in virtually every pharmacy varies on how much you're buying in a non-linear matter. A pharmacy that's cheapest for one month may not be cheapest for buying 6 months, and so on. They'd have to give pricing for different volumes and prescription lengths of every single item - which, as said above, there are thousands.


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    #40
    JTMan
    Registered Users Posts: 5,540 ✭✭✭JTMan


    rubadub wrote: »
    A photo frame might not be the best, but it could have been an excel list or something.

    Better than Excel, legislate for all pharmacies to be obliged to share their prices with a HSE /NCA price comparison website.

    We need to address the opaque nature of pharmacy pricing.


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    #41
    quadrifoglio verde
    Registered Users Posts: 3,670 ✭✭✭quadrifoglio verde


    MYOB wrote: »
    You'd have to have a very lax definition of "hassle" - the pricing in virtually every pharmacy varies on how much you're buying in a non-linear matter. A pharmacy that's cheapest for one month may not be cheapest for buying 6 months, and so on. They'd have to give pricing for different volumes and prescription lengths of every single item - which, as said above, there are thousands.

    Agreed on this, some pharmacies charge you one dispensing fee for 1 month or 6 months, while others charge you 1 dispensing fee per month whether it's 1 month or 6 months as they don't have a markup on the medicine, just the fee.


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    #42
    rubadub
    Registered Users Posts: 32,382 ✭✭✭✭rubadub


    MYOB wrote: »
    You'd have to have a very lax definition of "hassle"
    Well if I was one of the many rip off merchants I would not go to the hassle of doing it. As I said if I was the cheapest I would want people to know it and so might go to the expense of doing it -as it could pay for itself by resulting in far more sales once word gets out.

    It does not really need to be that complicated, you are basically letting a customer in behind the counter and enter in the quanities and other details etc into the computer and it will do the rest automatically, just as I expect most do now. However instead of repeatedly asking the pharmacist over and over for different variations they could do it themselves, and if the pricing formulaes were somewhat exposed it might become evidient what the best way to order actually is. -Just like the 100's of sites I already buy from.

    I order from an electronics site with over 500,000 parts in stock, with non-linear price breaks,delivery charges clearly listed, and alternatives (similar to generics), discount structures etc, all customer friendly. I am surprised some larger pharmacy with nothing to hide is not doing the same, even if only on the more popular ones. Unless it really is illegal.

    The delivery fees are analgous to dispensing fees, I very often buy more at once online to save on these costs, it I was just given a blank price and had to repeatedly ask in greater quantities it would do my head in.
    MYOB wrote: »
    A pharmacy that's cheapest for one month may not be cheapest for buying 6 months
    OF course not, I would shop around just like I do on the 100's of sites I visit now.

    JTMan wrote: »
    Better than Excel, legislate for all pharmacies to be obliged to share their prices with a HSE /NCA price comparison website.
    I would not like to see this, let the rip off merchants stay away. Comparison sites are open to abuse by the companies who may find ways to appear the cheapest. In another thread someone mentioned a rip off pharmacy who always had 1 item really cheap, as they knew it appearred in some papers comparison.

    Also it would be a huge task to keep up to date, I can't think of any other retailer forced into doing this. However if it really is illegal to do it I think it should be changed.


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    #43
    allthedoyles
    Registered Users Posts: 6,893 ✭✭✭allthedoyles


    I take three different types of medication , and I ask pharmacy for prices before buying.

    The price of the other 12,000 items does not interest me .


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    #44
    L1011
    Registered Users Posts: 69,057 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    rubadub wrote: »
    Well if I was one of the many rip off merchants I would not go to the hassle of doing it. As I said if I was the cheapest I would want people to know it and so might go to the expense of doing it -as it could pay for itself by resulting in far more sales once word gets out.

    It does not really need to be that complicated, you are basically letting a customer in behind the counter and enter in the quanities and other details etc into the computer and it will do the rest automatically, just as I expect most do now. However instead of repeatedly asking the pharmacist over and over for different variations they could do it themselves, and if the pricing formulaes were somewhat exposed it might become evidient what the best way to order actually is. -Just like the 100's of sites I already buy from.

    I order from an electronics site with over 500,000 parts in stock, with non-linear price breaks,delivery charges clearly listed, and alternatives (similar to generics), discount structures etc, all customer friendly. I am surprised some larger pharmacy with nothing to hide is not doing the same, even if only on the more popular ones. Unless it really is illegal.

    The delivery fees are analgous to dispensing fees, I very often buy more at once online to save on these costs, it I was just given a blank price and had to repeatedly ask in greater quantities it would do my head in.

    There's no functionality in any of the three dispensing system families in use in Ireland to provide such an export. Hence what you are proposing is a manual process.


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    #45
    former legend
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,309 ✭✭✭former legend


    rubadub wrote: »
    A photo frame might not be the best, but it could have been an excel list or something. It might be hassle for a chemist to create but if I was a pharmacist and DID have very competitive prices I would want people to know about it.

    Having it as an Excel list doesn't solve the problem of it being hundreds of pages long.
    rubadub wrote: »
    What is actually classed as "advertising"? if people ring and ask it seems they are legally able to inform people about prices, I was going to suggest emailing in the enquiry, I have done this for non-prescription items.

    Are they allowed email info on prescription prices? if they can email can they enquire about 2 products? or 12,000 products? Or is the pharmacy not allowed disclose a price list unless its specifically requested? In which case it seems there may be a loophole. i.e. customer says whats the price of these 12,000 items which are cut & pasted, and the pharmacist sends his list of maybe 1,000 which he does have easily at hand.

    Like, what's the point of all this when you can just ring up, ask for a price and have done with it? Seriously, what would it achieve, knowing the price of 11,990 medicines that you will never need?

    People are so used to just coming on the net and getting everything spoonfed to them that they've forgotten how to do anything else.

    If the OP is still following this thread; pick up the phone, ask the nice people in the pharmacy what it will cost, then repeat as necessary.


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