Ontario's MedsCheck program could see changes amid allegations of improper use

Marg Davies says she was shocked when she learned, through her doctor, she'd supposedly had a recent MedsCheck done. 

"I was angry because I knew that I hadn't had one," she said. "There was a charge to the government and that's what bothered me."

MedsCheck, also known as medication reviews, is a government program that reimburses pharmacies in Ontario for reviewing a patient's medications to ensure they're being taken correctly. Davies says hers was processed by a Shoppers Drug Mart in Georgetown, Ont., where she gets her prescriptions filled. 

To be eligible, a patient has to be taking three medications for a chronic condition, have diabetes or live in long-term care. An annual review costs the government $60, or $75 for a person with diabetes, and follow-ups are billed at $25.

"I happened to have gone to my doctor about a month after this had happened," Davies said. "I found out about it. How many other people have had MedsChecks charged to them and they're not aware of it?"

Allegations of improper MedsChecks at Shoppers Drug Mart and corporate pressure to hit billing targets for them, as outlined in a recent CBC News investigation, has prompted some in the industry to take a closer look at the provincial program.

Since the stories were published, the province's regulatory body, the Ontario College of Pharmacists, says it's tracking MedsCheck complaints that could specifically be related to pressure to meet corporate targets. 

"We have also begun to retrospectively analyze cases from previous years in which corporate pressures may have played a role," spokesperson Dave Bourne said.

Some former Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacy employees told CBC they believe the company was taking advantage of the program by pushing staff to bill for consultations patients didn't necessarily need. And dozens of internal records showed the chain has billing targets for Medschecks, and that corporate management pressured owners to meet them.

Associate owners get a cut of the professional services, including MedsChecks, billed by their pharmacies, while the rest goes to the chain.

Shoppers Drug Mart's president previously told CBC there is no corporate pressure to bill and denied the use of targets. The statement was at odds with what multiple current and former Shoppers pharmacists said.

A Shoppers spokesperson did not answer questions related to Davies's allegations, but said in a statement that MedsChecks are "a vital health-care service that can save lives." 

The Ontario Pharmacists Association says it will be sitting down with the provincial government in the coming weeks to discuss potential changes to the program.

Justin Bates, the organization's CEO, says it's wanted to discuss a redesign for years now, but it's recently come to the forefront given CBC's reporting as well as pharmacists' concerns.