During the debate concerning the upcoming fee increase for pharmacists, the Federal Association of German Pharmacists (ABDA) is demanding rates even higher than those currently proposed by the federal government. ABDA President Thomas Preis stated in the Funke media group’s Monday editions that the planned increase of the pharmacy fee to 9.50 euros per dispensed package of medicine may only be a first step. He contended that this increase is urgently needed because the last adjustment occurred 13 years ago, when it amounted to three percent. Since then, the costs for pharmacies have risen by 65 percent. Price also called for the association of pharmacists to be in a position to negotiate the fees directly with the health insurance funds. He argued that the medical association negotiates fees annually-among other things, based on the overall economic development-leading to regularly higher fees. According to Preis, this mechanism is necessary so that the industry is not again decoupled from rising costs for another 13 years. Furthermore, based on his calculations, the current price per dispensed package of medicine needs to be significantly higher to reflect the cost increases of previous years. The association chief added that the commission’s report precisely determines how the increase should be for all service providers-doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies-within the healthcare sector. If this is factored back over the last 13 years, the fixed rate should now be above 12 euros.
Economy / Finance
