Safeway Pharmacy ordered to stop Air Miles reward program

[Sr. Mints]

Kind of wandering . .

I know accumulating Shoppers Optimum points is pretty hopeless for prescriptions, but I've been buying video games there on 20X the points days, etc. over the last ~decade, and it has really paid off for me. I've 'earned' a PS3, Wii, Wii U, 3DS, and 3DS XL by cashing in my points on bonus points days - and I don't even play most of them; I'm an Xbox guy.

I'd likely be buying the games anyway, so I might as well get them at Shoppers for the same price as Bestbuy/Amazon/Etc.

[Ducay]

Coming from a family involved in the pharmacy game, a big problem relates to:

-Incentives for switching pharmacies was getting out of hand, people were switching back and forth to get the "bonus for moving your scripts". Leads to patient care issues, things can get missed, etc.
-Unnecessary refills were being taken just to get the points (exceeds meds, narcotics end up kicking around for people to take, insurance costs are higher due to it too).
-Focus goes from getting good care from your pharmacist who gets to know you and your history, into going from place to place back and forth just to get $0.50 worth of more airmiles.

You wouldn't give out AirMiles on hospital visits or GP visits, which are somewhat similar (though not perfect) analogies. They're trying to make it more about health and your overall wellbeing, and into less a commercial dealing.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Ducay

Coming from a family involved in the pharmacy game, a big problem relates to:

-Incentives for switching pharmacies was getting out of hand, people were switching back and forth to get the "bonus for moving your scripts". Leads to patient care issues, things can get missed, etc.
-Unnecessary refills were being taken just to get the points (exceeds meds, narcotics end up kicking around for people to take, insurance costs are higher due to it too).
-Focus goes from getting good care from your pharmacist who gets to know you and your history, into going from place to place back and forth just to get $0.50 worth of more airmiles.

You wouldn't give out AirMiles on hospital visits or GP visits, which are somewhat similar (though not perfect) analogies. They're trying to make it more about health and your overall wellbeing, and into less a commercial dealing.

I hear those arguments, but I have a few rebuttals.

1) The switching incentive was getting out of hand here in BC too, agreed. However, that was really done for two reasons. Firstly, governments were discussing ending incentives and secondly because they are actually now legislating prices which in many cases make the current system unprofitable. The future is high volume only. The only way to get there is to buy loyalty

2) In all my years practicing I've not once seen anyone fill prescriptions they didn't need, or full them early. Virtually all insurance carriers do not allow early refills anyways so it's a moot point about insurers. Perhaps on 10x air miles days Safeway's patients would wait, but I kind of doubt that. There was no incentive to wait at Shoppers as it's the same amount of points every day.

3) Patients deserve choice here too. Incentives did not diminish that at all. If they had the better relationship, they're not likely to leave. Maybe they find a better relationship?



Either way the points were going. Other provincial governments have abolished the practice and I'm totally Ok with that. It serves no real benefit to the overall profession, and likely casts a negative connotation on our integrity.

I'm NOT Ok with our colleges embarrassing the profession and over reaching their authority in an effort to tip a competitive balance one way or the other. It is dirty backroom politics and is way worse than offering the points in the first place.

[GP_Matt]

Street Pharm, do you know why the big companies don't just encourage/allow their members to attend the annual meetings? You clearly have the numbers to prevent this and yet no one shows up to vote.

It will also reflect poorly on the profession if the legislature decides they want to fix the problem. You are self governing but only at the pleasure of the government.

I do come from a profession where we see 60-70% attendance at annual meetings and a healthy mix of independents and corporations. We would likely see similar rules passed if only the independents show up.

[greyshep]

I just scanned the thread, didnt see this posted in here...

Online petition against this decision:

http://www.iearneditpetition.ca/

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

Street Pharm, do you know why the big companies don't just encourage/allow their members to attend the annual meetings? You clearly have the numbers to prevent this and yet no one shows up to vote.

It will also reflect poorly on the profession if the legislature decides they want to fix the problem. You are self governing but only at the pleasure of the government.

I do come from a profession where we see 60-70% attendance at annual meetings and a healthy mix of independents and corporations. We would likely see similar rules passed if only the independents show up.

Companies are not at the AGMs, as only pharmacists are members. Companies encourage members to join so the companies employees have a voice too, but apathy is/was relatively high in the profession unfortunately. Add in the fact that the College is a governing body, NOT a lobbying organization, that's the Pharmacy Association.

Shoppers did/does really encourage participation, but it hasn't moved the Apathy needle much.

[GP_Matt]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Companies are not at the AGMs, as only pharmacists are members. Companies encourage members to join so the companies employees have a voice too, but apathy is/was relatively high in the profession unfortunately. Add in the fact that the College is a governing body, NOT a lobbying organization, that's the Pharmacy Association.

Shoppers did/does really encourage participation, but it hasn't moved the Apathy needle much.

Thanks, I always assumed the company discouraged attendance. I didn't think the problem was apathy. I am going kayaking with a few pharmacists tonight, I will give them a hard time for being so lazy as one owns two Shoppers and the other is an employee.

[Minnie]

Alberta judge rules against plan to ban pharmacy loyalty reward program

Link

Albertans can continue to collect reward points for pharmacy purchases.

A Court of Queen's Bench judge has ruled the regulator of Alberta pharmacists does not have the legal power to impose a ban on consumer loyalty programs.

The Alberta College of Pharmacists wanted to impose such a ban on pharmacists and pharmacies in 2014, but the Sobeys grocery chain challenged the plan in court.

"There is no evidence of actual or reasonable possible harm to customers (patients) as a result of loyalty programs or other forms of inducements," Justice Vital Ouellette said in his written judgment.

Ouellette also said inducement prohibitions do nothing to protect consumers from incompetent or unethical pharmacists.

He said the College's plan would amount to controlling the way commercial businesses operate and compete among themselves in terms of prices offered to consumers and costs.

[Frequitude]

Why isn't this apparent prescription abuse a, you know, prescribing problem. Take it up with the doctors.

edit: I now see that this is a very old thread.

[btimbit]

Good. Such a stupid idea in the first place. Loyalty programs don't dictate how much prescriptions I get, just where I get them from.

[JonDuke]

As someone who gets a schwackload of AirMiles each month because I get my insanely overpriced meds at Safeway, I'm super happy about this. Plus, I've always been super happy that they "reward" you based on the total cost, not the post-insurance, out of pocket cost.

[rubecube]

Before you celebrate too much, wait to see how the appeals process goes. We're back to getting boned again in BC.

http://bc.ctvnews.ca/no-more-reward-...rule-1.2756784

Loyalty point collectors of British Columbia, be warned: the days of collecting reward points when you fill a prescription have come to an end.

The decision came Wednesday, when the BC Court of Appeal overturned a previous ruling that allowed pharmacists to issue loyalty points for customers.

The College of Pharmacists of BC had long been fighting to prevent companies like Sobeys, which owns Canada Safeway, and Shoppers Drug Mart from issuing loyalty points for pharmacy purchases. They believe offering rewards like Air Miles and Optimum points can encourage improper use - and even put people’s lives at risk.

[Reaper]

They believe offering rewards like Air Miles and Optimum points can encourage improper use - and even put people’s lives at risk.

It makes sense in the same way that the existence of cups and glasses encourage alcoholism.

[Street Pharmacist]

It's like deja vu watching Alberta go through this

[calculoso]

As far as I know, it is not possible to get Shoppers Optimum Points (for example) in Ontario

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by calculoso

As far as I know, it is not possible to get Shoppers Optimum Points (for example) in Ontario

Many provinces have stopped incentives, though usually is governmental rather than regulating body. That's my beef with the processes so far

[Weitz]

It's so silly. The Pharmacists don't care about "abuse" they just care that people would rather go to where they get the rewards and probably cheaper prices too.

[You Need a Thneed]

Insurance Companies must hate these reward programs.

You pay an extra bit of money at Safeway, but get a crazy amount of Airmiles.
The insurance company has to pay 80% or more of the total cost, as is essentially paying the pharmacy a whole bunch more to give you a bunch of Air Miles.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

It's like deja vu watching Alberta go through this

Do you know when the rewards programs are going to be shut down again in B.C.? I see Rexall is still advertising them. Any chance this goes to the Supreme Court?

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Do you know when the rewards programs are going to be shut down again in B.C.? I see Rexall is still advertising them. Any chance this goes to the Supreme Court?

They're currently finished in BC as of the end of February or so. It went like this: College of Pharmacists banned points, court reversed it, court of appeal reinstated the ban