The government has launched formal discussions on allowing prescription drug delivery for all telemedicine patients, moving to broaden eligibility beyond the limited group currently set to benefit when telemedicine is institutionalized later this year.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Office for Government Policy Coordination said Friday the government is beginning talks on expanding remote drug delivery to improve patients' access to medical care while restructuring the pharmaceutical retail market ahead of the telemedicine institutionalization.
Telemedicine is set to be formally institutionalized when an amendment to the Medical Service Act takes effect on Dec. 24. Under the current plan, a limited group — including residents of islands and remote areas, long-term care recipients, people with disabilities, infectious disease patients and those with rare diseases — will be eligible to have prescriptions filled through delivery after a telemedicine consultation.
The government is drafting subordinate regulations that would permit drug delivery through nearby neighborhood pharmacies while prohibiting the designation of dedicated telemedicine-only pharmacies.
The government has decided to go further and discuss extending delivery to all telemedicine patients. To that end, it plans to review amendments to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, the Medical Service Act and other relevant laws.
Alongside the expansion of delivery eligibility, the government will discuss measures to ensure safety. It plans to examine detailed standards covering quality control of dispensed medicines, confirmation of patient receipt and medication counseling, so that patients can safely receive and take prescriptions obtained through telemedicine.
To gather input from stakeholders, the government will operate a cross-ministry public-private council bringing together the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Office for Government Policy Coordination, as well as pharmacist associations and telemedicine brokerage companies. The council will discuss how to ensure the stable establishment of telemedicine services and create a safe environment for patients to receive medicines.
The government will also improve the system for providing pharmacy inventory information, making it easier for telemedicine users to find pharmacies that carry their prescribed medicines. Since May 6, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service have been supplying telemedicine brokers with weekly data on which pharmacies have purchased and dispensed specific medicines.
Going forward, the government plans to shorten the data update cycle and provide brokers with information on the quantities of medicines purchased and dispensed at each pharmacy, allowing patients to more quickly locate a pharmacy that stocks their prescription.
Significant hurdles remain, however, before delivery can be extended to all telemedicine patients. Coordinating views among stakeholders — particularly pharmacist groups and telemedicine platforms — is expected to be the central challenge. Discussions are likely to continue over ensuring safety during the delivery process, the appropriate form of medication counseling and the potential impact on neighborhood pharmacies.
boo@heraldcorp.com
