On heels of Wettlaufer inquiry, Ontario set to walk back cuts to a vital prescription counselling service
(The Star Food)

The Progressive Conservative government is poised to back off from controversial cuts to the MedsCheck prescription counselling program and changes to dispensing fees for pharmacists who serve nursing homes, the Star has learned.In the wake of recommendations from the inquiry into the insulin murders of nursing home residents by nurse Elizabeth Wettlaufer, the Tories are rethinking plans unveiled in the spring budget and detailed in a more recent regulatory posting.The MedsCheck program, which mostly helps senior citizens, covers the cost of having a pharmacist counsel patients who are taking three or more different prescription medicines for chronic conditions.Restricting the free MedsCheck consultations to “patients transitioning between health-care settings� and other spending reductions were designed to save $140 million annually by 2022, according to then-finance minister Vic Fedeli’s April fiscal blueprint. Fedeli was demoted to economic development minister in Premier Doug Ford’s massive cabinet shuffle on June 20 when Rod Phillips became treasurer.The cut would leave nursing home residents more vulnerable to potential drug interactions, said a veteran long-term care pharmacist who spoke on condition of anonymity.On Friday, a spokeman for Health Minister Christine Elliott emphasized that the situation remains fluid despite what was in the budget.“While our government identified certain commitments in the budget concerning MedsCheck and pharmacy funding models, the Ministry of Health has been working with stakeholders over the past few months to identify alternative proposals that continue to achieve our objective of a more sustainable Ontario Drug Benefit program,� said Travis Kann.“These discussions have been incredibly productive and demonstrate the value of government and stakeholders working together. We expect to have more to say on the new proposals shortly,� said Kann.The Wettlaufer inquiry and alarms ...