Government of New Brunswick

Prescription Renewals by Pharmacists

Prescription renewals by a pharmacist are eligible for coverage by the Department of Health effective October 1, 2021. Each patient is eligible for a maximum of four prescription renewal services per one-year period.

This program does not cover the cost associated with the dispensing of drugs.

Eligibility

Prescription renewal services may be eligible for coverage provided all the following criteria are met:

Patient

The patient must have a valid Medicare card, not reside in a nursing home or a correctional facility, and must be:
- Without a primary care provider or have barriers to access their current provider due to absence or leave; or
- In an urgent situation for which the patient or the patient’s pharmacist is not able to attain a prescription from the patient’s primary care provider. It is intended for those who would otherwise be required to visit a walk-in clinic or emergency room to obtain a prescription renewal. The pharmacist should inform the patient that this service is for urgent situations only and is not intended to replace an appointment with their primary care provider.
A maximum of four (4) prescription renewal service PINs of any combination per patient within the past twelve months.

Pharmacist

The service is conducted in person by a pharmacist licensed with the NB College of Pharmacists (NBCP).
The pharmacist must comply with all applicable NBCP requirements and standards.
The pharmacist must determine when completing the patient assessment if there are likely to be other prescriptions that will require renewal within a reasonable time frame and provide those renewals at the same time, understanding the patient has a maximum number of renewal services that can be billed per year.

Prescription

The prescription(s) is for Schedule 1 prescription drugs, insulin, epinephrine or nitroglycerin.
At least one of the prescriptions must be dispensed on the same day as the service is submitted for payment and dispensed from the pharmacy submitting the assessment; unless the patient chooses to fill the prescription at another pharmacy, however this must be documented in the patient record.
The days supply of the prescription renewal is not less than the patient’s usual duration of therapy. Exceptions may be granted if, in the professional judgement of the pharmacist, it would be unsafe or unwise to do so, and the specific rationale is documented in the patient record. Usual duration will include usual days’ supply dispensed plus authorized refills.
Please note: Prescription renewals to bridge the patient to their next appointment with their primary care provider are not eligible.

Eligible Services and Fees

The Department of Health will pay participating providers for each claim billed for eligible patients in New Brunswick. The participating provider is not permitted to charge additional fees to the patient for prescription renewal service fees which have been paid for by the Department of Health. The applicable service fees are outlined below:

Table 1

Service	Number of Prescriptions Renewed	Fee
Patient has no primary care provider or has barriers to access their primary care provider due to absence or leave	2 or less	$10
	3	$15
	4 or more	$20
Patient in an urgent situation	2 or less	$10
	3	$15
	4 or more	$20

Documentation Requirements

Pharmacists must document how the patient meets the eligibility criteria for this policy, and which prescriptions were renewed.

Claim Submission

Manual claims will not be accepted. Claims must be submitted online and include the following information:

Field	Information Required
Carrier ID	NB
Group Number or Code	M
Client ID	Patient’s NB Medicare number. (Note: this also applies to New Brunswick Drug Plans beneficiaries.)
Patient Code	Leave Blank
Patient Name	Patient’s first and last name
Patient DOB	Patient’s date of birth
Prescriber ID	New Brunswick College of Pharmacists Licence Number of the prescribing pharmacist.
Prescriber ID Reference Code	46
DIN / PIN	Please refer to Table 2 below
Quantity	1
Days Supply	1
Drug Cost / Product Value	Zero
Cost Upcharge	Zero
Professional Fee	Please refer to Table 1 above

Table 2

	Number of Prescriptions Renewed	PIN	Fee
Patients with no primary care provider or barriers to access the primary care provider	2 or less	22224000	$10
	3	22224001	$15
	4 or more	22224002	$20
Patients in an urgent situation	2 or less	22224003	$10
	3	22224004	$15
	4 or more	22224005	$20

Pharmacy Audits

All claims submitted by participating providers for reimbursement are subject to audit and recovery.

Service Exclusions:

Claims for service fees for the following types of prescription renewals are excluded:

Prescriptions for less than the usual duration of therapy, to bridge the patient to their next appointment.
Prescriptions filled outside of New Brunswick.
Prescriptions for a non-prescription product, including but not limited to:
- medical devices, nicotine replacement therapies
- dietary supplements and food products
- soaps, cleansers, and shampoos medicated or otherwise
- supportive or physical aids/devices, mechanical or otherwise
- prescription accessories, convalescent aids or other non-drug items of a similar nature
- cosmetic, esthetic and beauty aids
- wound care products
Prescriptions for vaccines, and blood products or derivatives

Health