TORONTO — Community pharmacy advocates in Canada have thrown their support behind the most recent effort by the country’s provincial governments to manage health care costs while ensuring access to high-quality care.

“CACDS [the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores]looks forward to ongoing work with Canada’s premiers as they consider key initiatives that can strengthen the health care system while reducing costs,” association president and chief executive officer Denise Carpenter says about a plan from the heads of the nation’s 10 provincial governments.

She notes that the pharmacy community is in discussions with various governments on a CACDS-proposed plan that could reduce their combined spending by $8.5 billion to $11 billion over the next three years.

Carpenter stresses that the plan would trim a much larger amount than isolated changes can deliver, while significantly enhancing the quality of the patient experience.

In announcing their desire to manage health costs without sacrificing the level of care provided, Canada’s premiers stressed the need to expand access to services and enhance the quality of care by giving closer scrutiny to the appropriateness of care and to the level of care for seniors.

CACDS says its 9000 Points of Care: Improving Access to Affordable Healthcare proposal addresses these efforts.

The association says its plan suggests a combination of initiatives, including an expanded scope of practice for pharmacists, improved accessibility of health services through the pharmacy, and building an appropriate infrastructure to help Canadians manage chronic diseases and prevent adverse drug reactions.

“Canada’s pharmacy community can assist in lowering the cost of health care delivery while also improving patient health outcomes,” Carpenter says. “Our work complements the premiers’ focus on opportunities within the team-based model framework to increase the important role that pharmacy plays in ensuring the delivery and provision of frontline services.”