Pharmacies and the taking of credit from full DPS customers

d-k3

My pharmacy charges €80 at the start of each month for medicines worth much more than this and ongoing. I use cpap equipment fully refundable under the DPS. After paying €80 for drugs I am charged , the next day if I need unexpected items. This payment is then deducted from the €80 due the following month. I find this messy and unfair and hard to operate the reimbursement requirements ,where the periods of use of the drugs and the equipment don’t always match. It gives me much trouble keeping accounts as well as being forced to give credit to the pharmacy ! Do many pharmacies operate this system as I’d consider changing over?

gipi

I never heard of this arrangement, but I don't have equipment, just medication under the DPS.

I collect my regular meds in the middle of each month and pay 80 euro at that time.

If I have an extra prescription earlier in the same month, I pay that cost and just pay the balance when I collect my regular meds.

For example, this month I had a new prescription at the start of the month. It cost me 12.50, and when I collected my regular meds 2 weeks later, I only had to pay 67.50.

If I have an extra prescription later in the month (after I've paid my 80 euro), I don't pay anything.

I suggest you ask other pharmacies how they would bill you.

HorseSea

The exact same a gipi said above here too, but again I don't have any equipment, unless that is what is making the difference, however I don't see why it should.

watchclocker

This does not sound right. I'm same as other two posters above. I never give pharmacy more than €80 in one calendar month.

I don't have CPAP but I do have other medicines considered to be high tech. If I have to get migraine tablets at start of month for €20 then I pay €60 mid month for hightech meds then if I need an antibiotic on 27th I don't pay anything else.

db

I don't usually hit €80 in a month for DPS but recently I needed extra meds which brought me over the threshold. I had gone into a different pharmacy and he asked me if I had a DPS Card. I didn't buy he checked the system and found that I was registered and was able to include what I had already paid that month to a different pharmacy to limit what I had to pay him. If your pharmacy is messing about over the DPS change to a different one as asap.

Former Former Former

yeah that definitely isn’t right.

Talk to your pharmacist and ask him if it’s usual practice. There’s a good chance they think they’re doing it to suit you and will have no problem rectifying it