[Exclusive] Last Year Pharmacy Medication Counseling Fees Surpassed 600 Billion Won... 38% Surge Over Two Years

After the Endemic, Citizens' Use of Medical Services Increases Again

Every time a pharmacist dispenses prescription drugs at a pharmacy, the 'medication counseling fee' paid to pharmacists from the National Health Insurance fund exceeded 600 billion KRW last year. This is the highest amount since medication counseling by pharmacists was mandated in 2000.

According to the National Health Insurance Service on the 7th, the total medication counseling fee paid to pharmacies nationwide last year amounted to 613.84053 billion KRW. Compared to the total dispensing fees paid in 2022, it increased by 12.5%, and compared to 2021, it surged by 37.5%.

The medication counseling fee is the amount paid by the National Health Insurance Service to pharmacies as compensation for pharmacists explaining to customers who bring prescriptions what kind of medicine the drug contains and how to take it when dispensing prescription drugs. Common guidance includes instructions such as "Take three times a day, 30 minutes after meals" or "Do not take this medicine with dairy products."

The fee for medication counseling is determined annually through negotiations between the government and the pharmaceutical industry. When introduced in 2000, the fee per dispensing was 160 KRW, but it has steadily increased each year to 990 KRW in 2021, 1,030 KRW in 2022, 1,070 KRW in 2023, and this year it has been set at 1,090 KRW.

The annual payment amount for medication counseling fees is proportional to the number of patients visiting pharmacies (number of prescriptions issued) and the fee per case. Until 2019, just before the spread of COVID-19, the annual number of pharmacy visits by patients reached 514.6 million days, but it sharply declined to 425.69 million days in 2020 and 426.77 million days in 2021 due to restrictions on medical institution use. In 2022, when quarantine measures were eased, it recorded 499.93 million days.

Accordingly, the medication counseling fees at pharmacies decreased from 509.6 billion KRW in 2019 to 431.8 billion KRW in 2020 and 446.4 billion KRW in 2021, then increased again to 545.8 billion KRW in 2022. Although the patient visit days for last year have not yet been disclosed, it is estimated that the scale of medication counseling fee payments has already surpassed the pre-COVID-19 level.

An official from the National Health Insurance Service said, "During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of medical institutions including hospitals and clinics was restricted, causing a sharp decline in pharmacy prescriptions. However, since the transition to the COVID-19 endemic in May last year, it is interpreted that the public's use of medical services is increasing again."