Quality First: Addressing Business Pressures on Pharmacy Practice

The College has zero tolerance for any business practices that impede pharmacy professionals’ ability to provide effective and safe care to their patients.

One of four goals within the College’s 2024-2028 Strategic Plan is focused on ensuring pharmacy business practices do not interfere with the wellbeing of pharmacy professionals or their ability to meet the Standards of Practice or Code of Ethics. This includes practices such as operational plans, volume targets or financial pressures that impede pharmacist autonomy to make decisions in the best interest of their patients. This also includes the emergence of models such as Preferred Provider Networks (PPNs) that limit patient choice and continuity of care.

The objective behind this work is to make sure that quality always comes first over business interests so that patients can continue to rely on their pharmacists to make decisions that are right for them and that make quality care the goal of every interaction. On this page you will find important information and updates on our progress against this strategic goal including outcomes of activities performed to date.

Financial and volume pressures on pharmacists

The College has heard from pharmacy professionals about ongoing concerns they have about pressures being placed on them to perform services that get in the way of their ability to provide the kind of care they want to provide to their patients. More significantly, we’ve heard that these pressures can impact pharmacy professionals’ wellbeing and place pressures on them to make decisions that prevent them from meeting their obligations as regulated pharmacy professionals.

Recognizing these growing concerns, the College decided to accelerate its plans to collect information and perform the necessary research needed to determine the regulatory steps it can take in response to these concerns. This work is now underway.