Table 1 Summary of the main characteristics of the PCHC and community pharmacies in Spain
Primary care health centers | Community pharmacies | |
|---|---|---|
Owner | Predominantly state-owned | Privately owned (the pharmacy owner must be a licensed pharmacist and each pharmacy may own only one pharmacy) |
Every PCHC contains several GP surgeries with few exceptions in rural areas of Spain | ||
Funding | Publicly funded | Offers both publicly funded services (i.e. drugs that are financed by the state) and privately funded services (i.e. over the counter drugs) |
A large part of the profit derives from selling financed drugs. | ||
Management | Predominantly publicly run (the manager is one of the GPs from the PCHC team that combines clinical activities with management activities) | Privately run (usually by the owner) |
In some regions, privately managed PCHCs exist. This is the case with the "Entitades de Base Asociativa" (EBAs). EBAs are limited companies comprised of health professionals that establish a contractual relationship with the NHS to offer health services in exchange for capitation financing, a theoretical cost per person independent of the real costs incurred. | ||
Compensation | Most GPs are employed by the public sector and receive fixed salaries. | CPs are owners of the community pharmacy or employed in exchange of a fixed salary. |
Management by Objectives (MBO) has been introduced to improve quality of the service and reduce cost. For instance, GPs are paid a bonus if they prescribe a high percentage of generic drugs and/or those of proven efficacy. |