Dear Ministry of Health: Please stop funding MedsCheck

In Ontario, MedsCheck is a program that intended as a one-to-one consultation between pharmacists and eligible patients for approximately 20 to 30 minutes once each year.The practice seemed ridiculous, as these reviews were often done without any clear indication and offered no tangible benefit to patient careOne day I had to instruct my secretary not to scan any medication review letters received from pharmacies after the sheer volume overwhelmed me.Read: Dr. Jabir Jassam: We’re the frontline—not the front deskIn my view, these checks mainly served the interests of employers who are accused of imposing quotas on our pharmacist colleagues. According to many pharmacists if these quotas are not met, pharmacists face uncomfortable consequences.The vast majority of pharmacists do not earn extra money from these reviews since they are paid a fixed salary regardless of whether they conduct them. Numerous pharmacists have confided in me about their quotas and their reluctance to perform these reviews, but they have no choice; otherwise, they risk losing their jobs or facing awkward situations.What’s the benefit to a patient in his 50s who is on two medications for depression and stable to have a medication review? Why should a medication review be done on a patient who has been on the same medications for over 10 years if their doctors have no concerns?Is there any evidence that proves the benefit of medication reviews on patient care?Has any physician truly benefited from these redundant and excessive papers that pile up in our inboxes unnecessarily?Do all physicians actually even read these medication check letters?Is the Ontario Ministry of Health aware of how much this service is being abused just for financial gain?Do they realize how much the health system could benefit if these services were eliminated?I assert that medication reviews are useless, burdensome and contribute to both physician burnout and the potential collapse of our healthcare system. I wholeheartedly urge the ministry to discontinue funding this futile program, which seems to add little benefit to patients and profits pharmacy owners.Dr. Jabir Jassam is a family physician in Ottawa.

Dear Ministry of Health: Please stop funding MedsCheck

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