Pharmacy chain unsuccessfully tries to prevent Ontario government from releasing MedsCheck claim data

A pharmacy chain recently tried to prevent the Ontario government from releasing how much money it was making through the MedsCheck programAn individual had filed a Freedom of Information request for the number of MedsCheck claims associated with a specific pharmacy chain and the government expenditure for those claims between May 2015 and May 2025. MedsCheck is an Ontario government program that allows pharmacists to offer a 20-to-30-minute one-on-one consultation with patients to review their medication that can be done in person, virtually or over the phone. Each MedsCheck costs the government up to $75, which can make it a quite lucrative service. Pharmacists at some major corporate pharmacy chains have complained about facing pressure from management to hit minimum MedsCheck quotas, leading to unnecessary consultations, low-quality care, professional burnout and moral distress.The province approved the request for disclosure, but because the pharmacy chain is considered an “affected party” of the request, the province was required under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to give the company a heads-up that this information was going to be released. That prompted the pharmacy chain in question to appeal the province’s decision to the Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) of Ontario.However, in her July 15 ruling, IPC adjudicator Elana May ultimately dismissed the appeal and ordered the province to release the requested records by Aug. 19, 2026. However, her decision does not name the pharmacy chain in question. In order for a third-party applicant to obtain an exemption to prevent the release of the records, all three of the following conditions must be met:The records must reveal a trade secret or scientific, technical, commercial, financial or labour relations information.The information must have been supplied to the government in confidence.The disclosure of the records must have the prospect of harming the third-party. May ruled that the records in question don’t count as information “supplied” to the government, given that the requester was asking for aggregate sums collected by the government and not individual claim submissions sent by the pharmacy chain—thus, failing the three-part test.“The record contains only the aggregate total number of approved claims and the aggregate reimbursement total. Those aggregate figures cannot be linked to the information submitted in any particular claim,” May wrote.

Pharmacy chain unsuccessfully tries to prevent Ontario government from releasing MedsCheck claim data

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