How to choose your pharmacist?

Here are the answers to your most frequently asked questions

The law protects you: you have the right to choose your pharmacist, and no one can force or pressure you to switch pharmacies. If you are being pressured by a private insurer or by a benefits plan administrator to do so, the Régie urges you to report the situation.   

You can contact the Régie:  

  • by phone:   

418 528-5659 (Quebec City area) or 1 877 858-2242 (elsewhere in Quebec).  

  • by mail:   

Dénonciation  
Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec, Case postale 6600, dépôt Q086 Québec (Québec) G1K 7T3  

A pharmaceutical opinion refers to instances when your pharmacist intervenes to adjust or interrupt a treatment. The Régie de l’assurance maladie and certain private plans cover the costs of this service as they recognize its value, both on a therapeutic and economic level. You not only receive better healthcare, but your pharmacist saves the healthcare system from unnecessary costs that often arise from a medication’s harmful effects.  

To avoid adversely impacting the pharmacological treatment you are following, your pharmacist must have access to any relevant information. Don’t hesitate to consult him:  

  • before buying over-the-counter medication  
  • when buying products in another pharmacy  
  • when buying  products at a natural health product retailer 

By purchasing all your prescription drugs at the same pharmacy, you help your pharmacist monitor your drug therapy more effectively. This allows your pharmacist to access all the information he recorded previously in your patient file, which in turn ensures he can provide the best possible monitoring of your drug therapy and your health. When you go to your pharmacist, he has everything he needs to give you sound advice.   

Three key components should have a bearing on your choice of a pharmacist.  

  • Opening hours and proximity: for instance, you might choose a pharmacy open at a time that suits you best and situated close to your home or on the way to or from work.  
  • The quality of the services provided by your pharmacist.  
  • The “chemistry” between you and your pharmacist: choose a trustworthy pharmacist you’re comfortable discussing your lifestyle and health with.  
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