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Pharmacy Brand Switch Payments

What is a brandswitch payment?

BrandSwitch

Brandswitch payments are included in the current Pharmacy Services Agreement to recognise the additional counselling required for switching patients between brands of certain medicines. Brandswitch payments commence from 1 November 2010

How much is a brandswitch payment worth?

An additional dispensing fee plus 1 cent (excluding GST)

How do I claim a brandswitch payment?

• Payment can be claimed via a Pharmacode® specific to each eligible pharmaceutical. This can be ‘dispensed’ in the pharmacy software, to each patient who switches to the identified brand. • Since the Brandswitch fee is a special subsidised Pharmacode® listed on the Pharmaceutical Schedule, it is automatically included in pharmacy claims once it is ‘dispensed’ just like any other subsidised item on the Schedule

What medicines are eligible for brandswitch payments?

Medicines used generally for chonic conditions, subject to Sole Supply change and not available over-the-counter. Additional criteria for expenditure, timing of any prior change and patient numbers are also considered. The criteria were agreed by the Pharmacy Services Advisory Group

When do I claim the brandswitch payment?

Once the medicine has been granted Sole Supply status. This means the patient may have already been dispensed the new brand, and the brandswitch payment claimed on the second dispensing

Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8

Listing for tender winning brand

Tender winning brand Sole Subsidised Supply Brandswitch payment able to be claimed Reference pricing of non-tender winning brand

What prescriber code or patient category do I use when claiming the brandswitch Pharmacode®?

The same as used for the pharmaceutical eligible for brandswitch payment

Is a co-payment payable on the brandswitch fee?

No, the brandswitch fee does not count towards Prescription Subsidy Card either

How many brandswitch payments can I claim?

You can claim one brandswitch payment per patient per medicine that has been changed. When a patient is on two strengths of the same medicine, only one brandswitch fee may be claimed

How long have I got to claim the brandswitch fee?

Brandswitch fees can only be claimed for during the first three months of the Sole Supply period You will be sent resources to help explain these brand changes to patients, to order more, free of charge, please visit www.pharmaconline.co.nz

For any further queries, please contact PHARMAC on: 0800 66 00 50