Hello,
Quick question, yesterday I bought 4 different medications and when later, I looked at the bill, I saw charges for "medications researches"
I gave them the doc paper, they looked in the computer, got me the meds and asked me if I knew how to use them which I said yes. I paid and off I went.
It's an average of 4 CHF and pieces on each meds.
Why?
I found it very strange. For a bill over 200 CHF (!!!!!) for the meds, why they charge fees for doing their job of looking in the computer and reaching for the meds in their drawers?
Confused...
Never mind the bill, I'd give those meds a thorough rinse if I were you.
It's normal in Switzerland. Part of the charter to ensure that small independent chemists, including rural areas, manage to stay opened. We can argue about the pros and cons till we go blue in the face- but that's the way it is done here.
Sorry Sweety, is this a british joke I should understand? maybe I am too tired or drugged?
Ok, I do remember my old pharmacy back then, before we left, who didn't charged us this stupid extra tax.
Il est nécessaire de réaliser des économies si l'on veut que notre système suisse de santé continue à exister à moyen et à long terme. C'est dans ce but que, depuis le 1er juillet 2001, dans un souci de transparence et pour diminuer les coûts des médicaments à charge des caisses-maladie, le travail de votre pharmacien et de ses collaboratrices est rémunéré de deux façons. Pour les médicaments soumis à l'ordonnance médicale et pris en charge par l'assurance de base , les prestations du pharmacien sont rémunérées par les positions tarifaires "Validation médicaments" et "Validation traitements" . Ce système a été développé par les pharmaciens et les caisses-maladie en collaboration avec l'Office fédéral des assurances sociales. Pour tous les autres produits en vente sur ordonnance, mais non pris en charge par l'assurance de base et les produits en vente libre (par ex. gouttes nasales, produits cosmétiques, etc.), la marge, comme pour toute activité commerciale, rémunère le pharmacien.
La " Validation médicaments ", montant moyen forfaitaire de 4.30 (TTC), couvre un ensemble de prestations qui accompagne toute délivrance de médicament, en particulier :
la vérification de l'ordonnance la vérification du bien-fondé du renouvellement d'une ordonnance la vérification du dosage d'utilisation et des limitations éventuelles le contrôle des interactions de l'ordonnance le contrôle des facteurs de risque et des contre-indications (par ex. allergie au médicament) la prise de contact avec le médecin prescripteur, si cela est médicalement nécessaire ou souhaité par le patient la modification de la prescription dans les cas urgents. le choix de la taille d'emballage économiquement optimale en fonction des posologies prescrites
Thanks for the infos.
But since I didnt ask to them to tell me how to use them, since the meds are way more expensive here than other countries, I will say it without any doubts in my mind... This is BS.
They have no reasons what so ever to charge these fees. Do you get extra charges by the store you buy clothes from because they tag the piece, scan it, press a button, take your money and bag it? No
I know my opinion doesn't count and is worth nothing but I find this outrageous!
In some ways, I do agree with you.
But on the other hand, basically anybody can work in a clothes shop. A pharmacist however holds a university degree, a demanding one, and bears a great amount of responsibilities in his job. Mistakes can have extremely serious consequences.
Plus, doctors make mistakes too, sometimes, and pharmacists contribute to ensuring that your meds are prescribed in the right dosage and aren't contraindicated with each other.
That being said, I go to Sunstore where they don't charge the tax
This user groans at Nil for this post:
Chuderwältsch
Get over yourself.
Nil, there is another charge they can also make, it's about Fr 3,50.
Sun Store Pharmacy does not make these charges https://www.sunstore.ch/
https://www.sunstore.ch/de/
Sun Store MM, Gorenmattstrasse 17, 4102 Binningen
Sun Store Shopping-Center, St. Jakobs-Strasse 397, 4052 Basel
Sun Store Pratteln, Burggartenstrasse 14, 4133 Pratteln
I will make sure to go back there again. This is the one we went before and I had an excellent service.
Sunstore gets me now as a fresh new customer.
Thanks for this tip!
My basic insurance is Assura, and I get a 10% discount on my bill if I shop only at Sunstore for my prescription meds. Plus I get 10% off anything I buy there with my Assura insurance card.
Needless to say....
I am going to bed less stupid tonight!
In rural areas, this choice is not available (hmmm posts crossed- so not talking about going to be less stupid- but Sunstore).
It's an interesting question. But as someone who lived in the UK all my adult life, I witnessed the demise of the great majority of independent chemists, both in town, but mostly in rural areas- due to large chains taking over, both in town and in shopping centres/supermarkets- and non prescription drugs sold in supermarkets. Not a problem is you are young and fit and live in town- but awful for the elderly, the handicapped, and poorer families in rural areas. It's a choice- and I buy paracetamol and the like in the UK for cheap when I visit ...but I can truly see the benefits of small independent chemists being given the chance to survive to serve their communities.
Wihtout our local chemist's in the village here- a large % of the population would be truly stuck.
Agree. Sadly, these chemists lose customers like me when other options are available.
A choice - we still go to our local chemist, despite the charge- because we want it to remain opened- just as we spend a bit more at the local small supermarket (not for our main shopping- but regularly) because we want those facilities to remain in the village.
Having witnessed how all the small shops, post offices, chemist's, etc, etc, disappeared from English villages, leaving them as ghost dormitory towns- I hope it does not happen soon here. For us, a small price to pay. Same for paying a bit more for bread locally.
So... if I understand this correctly - impoverished immobile pensioners in rural areas are obliged to pay an extra charge for the privilege of having any service at all, while rich people who visit France, Germany or the United Kingdom regularly have the freedom to stock up on cheap drugs with impunity.
They must be chuffed to bits!
Well- yes.... and no. As cost of prescription medicines including extra charges are taken on by medical insurance, but only if bought in Switzerland. (paracetamol are a bit different, and not on prescription)- cheers.
Important precision: your basic insurance must be Assura to get benefit of that discount by SUNSTORE pharmacy (you have to show your membercard for every purchase you want 10% off). There is no discount on generics, even prescribed.
Make sure to change your basic insurance in time if your not by Assura yet.
We didn't have assura the first time around and we didn't have those extra charges..
I will go back to our old sunstore and should be ok. I'm going to ask them.