As you may be aware, on Friday, September 22, 2017, the Alberta Court of Appeal ruled that the Alberta College of Pharmacists (ACP) is within its mandate to establish standards of practice and a code of ethics, which includes addressing inducements.
The Court of Appeal overturned a Court of Queen’s Bench ruling from April 2016 that prevented ACP from enforcing the amendments to its standards and code of ethics, which were first introduced in 2014. The amendments prevent pharmacies from offering loyalty programs, reward points, cash, or other incentives to patients on the condition that they purchase prescribed drugs, Schedule 2 drugs, or professional services.
If you work at a pharmacy that offered inducements, you are likely receiving questions from your patients about this change. To support you in responding to these questions, we have developed a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and a poster you can display in your pharmacy. If you come across common questions that are not included in the FAQs, please email them to us at communications@abpharmacy.ca for consideration.
Visit our inducements page for more information.
