BC Palliative Care Benefits Program update
Important changes have been made to the BC Palliative Care Benefits Program. Please read the following to ensure your palliative patients get the coverage they need.
• Revised forms were introduced in June 2011. The current forms must cite the patient’s Palliative Performance Scale score. Pharmacare can no longer accept applications on earlier versions of the form. Get the current form at www.health.gov.bc.ca/exforms/pharmacare/349fil.pdf.
• If a patient or their legal representative cannot sign the application form, a physician can sign on the patient’s behalf if the physician also writes “patient’s physician” in the Relationship to Applicant field.
• New BC residents who do not yet have MSP coverage can still qualify for interim coverage under the program. When the patient’s MSP becomes active, they are automatically switched to standard palliative care coverage. The only difference between interim and standard coverage is that the patient must send in paper receipts for reimbursement until they have MSP, because their prescriptions cannot be processed on the PharmaNet system. You will need to provide the patient’s personal health number on the application form. Any community pharmacy can assign a PHN for a patient.
Physician Guide, patient information, and current formulary
Please visit the Pharmacare website at www.health.gov.bc.ca/pharmacare/outgoing/palliative.html for the Physician Guide and Patient Information Sheet, which provide more detailed information about the medical supply component of the program. The current Plan P formulary can also be found on the site.
Questions?
Please contact Health Insurance BC’s Pharmacare Help Desk:
• Vancouver/Lower Mainland: 604 682-7120
• Victoria: 250 952-2867
• Elsewhere in BC, toll free: 1 800 554-0225