New Brunswick pharmacy care program discontinued — though clients, pharmacists call it a success

A pilot program that allowed pharmacists to manage and prescribe for certain chronic conditions, such as diabetes and asthma, has been a great success, according to the New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association — yet the province will not be extending it. 

The Pharmacy Care Clinic program enabled pharmacists to provide additional care to patients, under Medicare, at clinics in six locations: Fredericton, Moncton, Hampton, Paquetville and Riverview.

Under the pilot, launched by the Higgs government  Aug. 1, 2023, pharmacists were able to offer chronic disease management for patients who had previously been diagnosed with diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and cardio-vascular disease by a doctor or nurse practitioner.

Point-of-care testing and prescribing for patients aged three and older with symptoms consistent with strep throat was also available. 

These clinics handled thousands of appointments, reducing the number of unnecessary visits to emergency rooms, said Anne Marie Picone, executive director of the New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association. 

While patients and participating pharmacies in New Brunswick valued the expanded role, the government of New Brunswick decided not to continue the program past the trial period, Picone said.

She described the pilot project as "fabulous" and said that it "really lived up to its expectations." 

During a six-month period of evaluation, more than 10,000 patients were seen, and patient satisfaction scores showed that 100 per cent of those surveyed would recommend the service to family and friends, and that they would go back.

"They were seen [for] initial visits, they were seen for follow up visits. They were also seen for assessing for strep throat and if necessary they were tested and treated ... it was very, very, very positive experience all around."

Picone said patients without primary care providers in these locations could go to a clinic rather than the ER, "easing the burden" on the health-care system and expanding access to care. 

With the program, 88 per cent of participants were able to get an appointment within two days, data from the New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association shows.

CBC News contacted the Department of Health about the decision to end the pilot. Spokesperson Sean Hatchard said, in a statement, that "the pilot did not significantly impact health outcomes, as highlighted in the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training report."

Stakeholders and primary care providers "expressed concerns that the pilot clinics contributed to further fragmentation of health-care services in New Brunswick," Hatchard said.

After viewing the evaluation report, CBC News is awaiting more details from the department about the rationale for cutting the program.

Department of Health is "transitioning from solo primary care practices to collaborative primary care teams" and community-based pharmacists "will be integrated into collaborative care teams, or family health teams, to manage chronic disease treatment." 

Listen | Why the N.B. Pharmacists's Association says pilot program was a success:

Information Morning - Moncton7:02Pilot project in New Brunswick pharmacies to improve access to primary health care comes to an end

Anne Marie Picone is the executive director of the New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association.

In Nova Scotia, which had a similar program, there was more than a nine per cent decrease in ER visits during the trial, so the province expanded the program, which now has more than 45 clinics participating. 

In a statement, Opposition health critic Bill Hogan said the decision to end the program "is wrong and must be reversed." He said he will ask the premier for an explanation when the legislature returns next week.

Pharmacists in New Brunswick are still authorized to assess and prescribe for more than "30 common ailments, which are typically short-term afflictions that don't need lab or blood testing," according to the pharmacists' association website.