Betaferon prescriptions- how do you endorse yours ?

[mrmeds]

Call me paranoid but i think i've discovered a policy by the ppa, nhsbhsa , xvytewbutfdbsk or what ever they call themselves to delay paying expensive rx's in full

I've just had one returned whic i endorsed as 3 x 15 Betaferon 9.6meg units supplied. Its in the C & D, but they 've asked for supplier, pack size and basic price exc vat. I ' ll tell them how much it is, its 'king expensive andf i've already paid roche a month ago .


I'm madder than a sack of ferrets over this.

Previoulsy they have only paid me for 42 when i stated i'd supplied 3 x 15 for 3 months. When i went to college 3 x 15 = 45 , not 42, but I did only go to a polytechnic. Maybe its all changed now everywheres a uni

pah pah pah and pah again !

[bobbin]

Call me paranoid but i think i've discovered a policy by the ppa, nhsbhsa , xvytewbutfdbsk or what ever they call themselves to delay paying expensive rx's in full

I've just had one returned whic i endorsed as 3 x 15 Betaferon 9.6meg units supplied. Its in the C & D, but they 've asked for supplier, pack size and basic price exc vat. I ' ll tell them how much it is, its 'king expensive andf i've already paid roche a month ago .


I'm madder than a sack of ferrets over this.

Previoulsy they have only paid me for 42 when i stated i'd supplied 3 x 15 for 3 months. When i went to college 3 x 15 = 45 , not 42, but I did only go to a polytechnic. Maybe its all changed now everywheres a uni

pah pah pah and pah again !

Hi there,

We've had similar problems with ultra-expensive items. It is extremely frustrating and can cause severe cashflow problems. The PPA take too long to pay pharmacies as it is.

In this case, the reason that you weren't paid is because they PPA staff wouldn't have been able to find Betaferon 9.6 mega units on their database. The PPA's database is based on the NHS Dictionary of Medicines and Devices........the PPA do *not* use the C+D and so you cannot use the C+D as a guide to whether or not they will understand your endorsements. Betaferon appears in the NHS dm+d as follows........

Betaferon 300microgram powder and solvent for solution for injection vials (Bayer Plc)

There is no mention of 9.6 millions units..........and the staff at the PPA may not have realised that this is the same as 300mcg. AFAIK, there is only one strength of Betaferon..........but the PPA staff are trained to follow strict protocols and are not permitted to use common sense!

I would endorse.........

3 (three) x 15 vials dispensed of Betaferon 300microgram powder and solvent for solution for injection vials (Bayer Plc). Basic Price = £1789.89.

Although the PPA already have a price for this product on their system, I would definitely endorse the Basic Price because Betaferon is exceptionally expensive and any errors affecting payment are clearly not acceptable! The term 'Basic Price' refers to the total net price (ie. excluding VAT) of the item dispensed (NOT the price per pack which will be considerably less if more than one pack is dispensed).

When endorsing prices, an extremely common error by pharmacists and dispensers alike is to endorse a price without making it clear what the price actually refers to eg. is it the Basic Price, the price per pack or an OOP expense? With ultra-expensive items, it is highly advisable to endorse the basic price to avoid any miscalculations by bored PPA staff.

Endorse such prescriptions clearly and do not be afraid to write in the doctor's area of the script, if necessary. Tiny endorsements squeezed into the endorsements column may be illegible. Also, do not attach any type of stickly labels to the script. If the script sticks to the back of another form it will be missed by the PPA's scanners and you will not receive any payment at all.

With such expensive items, always take a photocopy of the script before you submit it. Store the photocopies in an appropriate file so that you can check your payments later.

When endorsing, if you need to check how a product is listed in the NHS dm+d, it is available here.....

Prescription Pricing Authority - DMD Browser

If you want to search for a product using the generic name, search under VMP (Virtual Medicinal Product). If you want to search for a brand name such as Betaferon, search under AMP (Actual Medicinal Product). Do not type more than one word into the search box at once. The dm+d is slow and not exactly user-friendly but it is actually very useful and I use it a lot. It is especially useful when you receive a generically written prescription for an unusual product which is not in the BNF or on your computer system. The dm+d can often tell you who makes the product or what the brand name is.

Finally, if you have any locums in while you are on holiday, ask them to leave out any scripts for super expensive, specialist items so that you can check the endorsements yourself. Do not trust unknown locums to care whether or not you get paid correctly!

I hope my advice is helpful and will allow you to avoid any further incidents If you have any further questions feel free to ask.

Bobbin

[Pharmanaut]

Another tip I've seen in a pharmacy.
If you have to look something up for endorsing all the time, for example the price of a 'non-tariff generic'; write it on the front cover of the drug tariff.
eg; Vitamin B Co Tabs (28) Actavis : 298p
It was a real time saver, and the endorsement was what the pharmacy wanted!

If this is a regular script you could write a similar note about the betaferon, copy it over with the new price each month?

Every time the PPA (whoever they are now) change processes a new twist in endorsing occurs leading to delayed payment.
Check the PSNC site regularly for these.

If there is a dispenser looking after endorsing - show them where the site is if they don't already know.

http://www.psnc.org.uk/

Also its the place to monitor for NCSO, which you could also write on the front of the tariff!

Good luck and may all your payments be accurate.

[johnep]

Bobbin you are a marvel. Very helpful info.
thanks,
johnep

[bobbin]

Another tip I've seen in a pharmacy.
If you have to look something up for endorsing all the time, for example the price of a 'non-tariff generic'; write it on the front cover of the drug tariff.
eg; Vitamin B Co Tabs (28) Actavis : 298p
It was a real time saver, and the endorsement was what the pharmacy wanted!

If this is a regular script you could write a similar note about the betaferon, copy it over with the new price each month?

Every time the PPA (whoever they are now) change processes a new twist in endorsing occurs leading to delayed payment.
Check the PSNC site regularly for these.

If there is a dispenser looking after endorsing - show them where the site is if they don't already know.

Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC)

Also its the place to monitor for NCSO, which you could also write on the front of the tariff!

Good luck and may all your payments be accurate.

Also, some PMR systems allow you to program endorsements for non-tariff generics into the computer.

[Pharmanaut]

Also, some PMR systems allow you to program endorsements for non-tariff generics into the computer.

The endorsement suggested for beta-interferon would be too long for most computer systems?

I hope there are mechanisms to help us not to miss endorsements when we are submitting claims on EPSR2.
I imagine the PPA (or whoever!) is rubbing their hands with the thought of delaying even more payments.
For automating the payment system read, automating delaying payments.

[roper]

Thank you for this - I am a locum and often don't know where to find a cost price etc for a product in a strange pharmacy. I am also not aware if the script comes back as a resub as the continuity is not there in the same way as when managing. I always hated endorsing though and freely admit that as I never have put my money into pharmacy ownership I don't fully understand the processes after we send scripts to PPA. As a manager for Hills/Lloyds (it's that long ago) I never got to see the statements, although I dealt with my fair share of resubs and "disallowed items" etc.

[bobbin]

Thank you for this - I am a locum and often don't know where to find a cost price etc for a product in a strange pharmacy. I am also not aware if the script comes back as a resub as the continuity is not there in the same way as when managing. I always hated endorsing though and freely admit that as I never have put my money into pharmacy ownership I don't fully understand the processes after we send scripts to PPA. As a manager for Hills/Lloyds (it's that long ago) I never got to see the statements, although I dealt with my fair share of resubs and "disallowed items" etc.

Hi,

The dm+d shows the manufacturer's list prices for many items. In general, the prices in the dm+d for branded medicines should match the prices in the C+D. In order to find the price of 'specials' and other items where the price is variable, you will need to telephone your supplier to check what you were charged. Also, do not attempt to use the dm+d to look up the price of generics! Generics prices are very variable and will depend on your wholesaler.

You only need to endorse a price for products where the PPA does not already have one eg. unlicensed specials and non-tariff generics. The large majority of items do not require a price to be endorsed. Taking Betaferon as an example, the PPA already have a price for this product and so it should not be necessary to endorse one.............although given the cost of the item I would always endorse the Basic Price to be on the safe side.

Vitamin B Co tabs are an example of a non-tariff generic ie. it is a generic product but there is no price in the Drug Tariff and so you need to endorse the supplier/manufacturer, pack size and price. Vitamin B Co *Strong* tabs are listed in the DT and there is no need to endorse a price.

We normally use the Co-pharma Ltd brand of Vit B Co tabs so we would endorse something like........

1 x 100 dispensed, Cost per pack = £0.89. Co-Pharma.

I just made the price up by the way. I'm sure it's not far off 89p though! It will depend on the wholesaler of course, as is the case with most generics.

As an alternative to endorsing the name of the manufacturer, you can endorse the name of the wholesaler from which the product was obtained eg.

1 x 100 dispensed, Cost per pack = £0.89, DE Pharmaceuticals.

Bobbin

[bobbin]

The endorsement suggested for beta-interferon would be too long for most computer systems?

I hope there are mechanisms to help us not to miss endorsements when we are submitting claims on EPSR2.
I imagine the PPA (or whoever!) is rubbing their hands with the thought of delaying even more payments.
For automating the payment system read, automating delaying payments.

I dread everything to do with EPSR2!

On the bright side, Betaferon would not require any endorsement with EPSR2 because the name of the product would already be written using dm+d terminology........and so it would already be obvious to the PPA what had been dispensed. This also applies to many other products.

[mrmeds]

thanks for the replies.

The thing that really bugs me is the inconsistency of it all. The first time i had one returned it was because the rx was written as a dose of 8 mega units,so i leanrt to endorse it as 9.6 which was fine for a while. Then they decided that 3 months = 42 doses unilaterally( they should have sent that one back for clarifiaction instead of underpaying).


Basically the endorsement i used for nov was the same that had been accepted many times previously