The AJP Podcast Australian Journal of Pharmacy

The Eighth Community Pharmacy Agreement will provide the profession with opportunities to play a greater role in the provision of healthcare, Bruce Annabel says
AJP Podcast presenter Carlene McMaugh talks with pharmacy business consultant and AJP columnist, Bruce Annabel, about the 8CPA, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s Strategic Agreement on Pharmacist Professional Practice, and the opportunities it will provide the sector. 
Among the topics covered are:

8CPA “a very good outcome for the industry” (3 min 09)
$2.111 billion Additional Community Supply Support Payment (ACSS) provides “recognition of the need to provide financial compensation for the impact of 60-day dispensing (4:25)
Pharmacy is not losing any services under 8CPA (6:00)
There is $1.4 billion of services that will be funded outside of the 8CPA and PSA agreement (7:01)
Uptake of 60-day dispensing has been modest to date, but if it reaches close to 60% the ACSS may not be enough to cover losses (11:26)
The government has agreed to pay ACSS fees for double dispensed scripts dispensed since 1 April 2024 (12:24)
Increased funding for professional services under the 8CPA “flags room for growth” (17:00)
8CPA provides a platform for a shift to a new model of community pharmacy (22:13)
Pharmacy has a unique opportunity for pharmacists to come out of their supply role to become health professionals operating in the broader health system (28:30)
Pharmacy can “take up slack” in primary care (29:55)
No need for negativity around 8CPA (30:38).

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Carlene McMaugh

Does the 8CPA mean that community pharmacy is out of the 60-day dispensing woods? And how will scope of practice change how pharmacists work – and how owners manage resources?
AJP Podcast presenter Carlene McMaugh talks with pharmacist and Capital Chemist CEO Andrew Topp about how he – and the pharmacists working and owning across the Capital group – feel about the Eighth Community Pharmacy Agreement and more.
As Topp mentions, the 8CPA encompasses only a third of the certainty the wider profession needs.
“There’s still a little bit to do with the PSA’s component that we’re yet to see, and the wholesalers’ component,” he says. “We’re still learning.”
“By and large I’m positive,” Topp tells McMaugh, saying the 8CPA “acknowledges that there was wrong done to pharmacies – that it was going to pull money out of dispensing” and notes the series of offsets and/or replacements in the income formula.
Topp looks at 8CPA potential winners and losers, what he guessed correctly about it – and his  predictions for monies not yet allocated and the CSO agreement.
“My crystal ball’s been quite defunct over the last couple of years!” Topp admits.
The pair also discuss why pharmacy isn’t we out of the woods yet when it comes to recovery from 60-day dispensing – as well as how scope of practice will change how pharmacists work, and how owners manage resources.
Highlights:
0.44 – What are your views on 8CPA and how it looks?
2.20 – Winners and losers under the 8CPA
3.59 – Did the 8CPA meet industry expectations?
6.27 – Thoughts on the new Strategic Agreement with the PSA
7.44 – Feedback from other pharmacists about the Agreements
10.30 – Moving towards a more ideal pharmacy world
12.34 – Investing in resources to provide scope of practice
13.50 – Are the Agreements and Budget aligned?
15.25 – Are adjustments for 60-day dispensing made by pharmacies likely to stay?
17.02 – Thoughts on the CSO Agreement
18.54 – Did the shortages predicted with 60-day dispensing eventuate?
20.32 – The remote pharmacy maintenance and transition allowances
22.35 – Changes to opioid replacement therapy funding and NIPVIP
Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts and Spotify
Carlene McMaugh

Dr Fei Sim, PSA national president, talks about the first ever agreement with the government on pharmacist’s professional practice programs, and what this means for the profession
In this special episode of the AJP podcast, Dr Fei Sim, national president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) speaks to Carlene McMaugh about a radical change for pharmacy – the first strategic agreement between the federal government and PSA to oversee pharmacy professional practice programs and structures.
Signed concurrently to, and in association with, the Eighth Community Pharmacy Agreement (8CPA), this new strategic agreement will see PSA oversee the operation of programs such as Home Medicine Reviews (HMR), Residential Medication Management Reviews (RMMR), Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) and workforce programs that were covered by previous CPA iterations.
PSA will also assume a role in other non-CPA programs such as the National Immunisation Program Vaccinations in Pharmacy (NIPVIP) and the pending Aged Care On-site Pharmacist (ACOP) program.
Among the topics covered are:
(2 mins 45): The reassurance offered by the new 8CPA, what this includes, and what it means for community pharmacy
(8:40): The new PSA/government strategic agreement – what this means for pharmacy professional practice   
(12:20): The components of the strategic agreement and how it will underpin professional standards and guidelines
(17:00): 7CPA programs and other programs to be included under the strategic agreement framework
(19:40): Providing reassurance to credentialied pharmacists
(24:30): The chance for professional equity, reducing intra-profession competition and securing additional funding for expanded practice
(26:40): Looking at the next steps, working through the plan. Also an upcoming PSA member exclusive webinar  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts and Spotify
Carlene McMaugh

“I love the blend of caring for patients but also having to run a business at the same time,” pharmacy entrepreneur Pasquale DeMaria tells our podcast
“I love the hustle and bustle of it,” DeMaria says, telling host Carlene McMaugh about his work in pharmacy ownership, in bookkeeping – and after a major life event, in maintaining work-life balance.
He says that only a pharmacist can truly understand what it takes to run a pharmacy, given the number of directions they’re pulled in at any time – but points out that there is very little business acumen taught during pharmacy studies.
After years away from pharmacy ownership – following a heart attack which forced him to reevaluate some priorities – DeMaria is now on the hunt for a new store, saying he feels “very positive, I’m liking what I’m seeing” in the pharmacy landscape.
He also highlights the importance of returning the dispensary as the central focus of the pharmacy – and hopes the 8cpa will return confidence not just to buyers and sellers, but also lenders following the introduction of 60 day dispensing.
1.07 – What does pharmacy ownership look like for you at this stage?
2.23 – Thoughts on 8CPA and the pharmacy market
3.41 – What did bookkeeping expertise teach him, and tips for pharmacists listening
6.03 – How has 60-day dispensing affected the numbers of pharmacy
8.06 – How a significant health event has changed his perspectives
10.46 – The move into accounting
12.24 – A new role
13.39 – On being a pharmacy entrepreneur
16.05 – How could work-life balance ideally be kept?
19.25 – How to embrace yourself as a brand
21.38 – Differentiating yourself from the competition
24.23 – How to combat discounters
25.29 – Advice on adapting to a constantly evolving landscape – and doing it well
Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts and Spotify
Carlene McMaugh