Action | Prohibition against incentives to transfer prescriptions |
Stage | NOIRA |
Comment Period | Ended on 12/16/2015 |
To whom it may concern,
Please consider the banning of transfer incentives. This practice of incentivizing patients to change pharmacies multiple times solely based on coupon accumulation, is not only embarrassing for the profession but also opens us to unsafe medication practices. There is a potential for transcribing errors and also patients may accumulate unnecessary prescriptions solely based on financial outcome (ex. A patient buys unneeded $4 prescription because can get $25 coupon). The burden it places on pharmacies continues to create an unsafe working place. I cannot think of any other medical practice that give incentives for switching practices.
Please consider that this practice continues the public impression that pharmacies are equivalent to Cellular plans or Car insurance instead of as hospitals or medical practices. We should behave as professionals if we hope to be thought of as such in the public eye. Please end the gimmicks of transfer coupons.
Thank you.