Political Pharmacist Podcast

Gabriel Levitt, President of PharmacyChecker.com, joins the podcast to discusses recently proposed legislation and how it could impact prescription drug importation from other countries and medication prices. You can find the article Mr. Levitt wrote for The Hill here: https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/3607840-murrays-drug-bill-includes-a-poison-pill-for-prescription-imports/ The bill referenced here: https://www.murray.senate.gov/senator-murray-lands-historic-bipartisan-agreement-to-allow-drug-importation-from-canada/ Pharmacy Checker: https://www.pharmacychecker.com/ Gabriel Levitt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriellevitt/ Prescription Justice: https://prescriptionjustice.org/

Have you ever noticed that many chain pharmacies look like fast food restaurants? Well, the pharmacist behind the counter probably feels the same way. Dr. Anaïs Mennuti and Kim Kessler are launching a documentary to show the world just what community pharmacy working conditions are like. These to amazing women are about to set the pharmacy world on fire with this and wholeheartedly have this podcast's support! Watch this then use the links below: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qsy6blbv4qDFW5GP8ufHDrPqhShVn2rg/view?ts=62bd0177 Help FUND them here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/shots-with-that Find them at the links below! Website: https://www.wouldyoulikeshotswiththat.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shotswiththat Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShotsWithThat (@ShotsWithThat) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shotswiththat/?hl=en

Cabenuva seemed to be a cure for adherence issues while treating HIV, so why is accessing it so hard? Dr. Carly Floyd joins the podcast to discuss issues with Cabenuva billing that has negatively impacted many patients, providers and clinics around the US. What seems like it should be simple approval process has turned into a medical billing nightmare that limits patients access, costs some clinics to lose money and has been a major issue with how we treat HIV. Increased opacity is never good in healthcare billing. Join AAHIVM here: https://aahivm.org/ Read more on Cabenuva issues here: https://aahivm.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Long-Acting-ARVs-_Final-2-25-21_PDF.pdf https://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/aids/adap/_documents/FINAL5BarrierstoLA-ARVsResourceSheetforProviders.pdf http://aidsnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/3-cabenuva-nov-19-2021-version.pdf Reach out to Dr. Floyd here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlycloudfloyd/

Do you know what the Right Drug Dose Now Act is? ASHP Strategic Initiatives Associate Dr. Bayli Larson joins the podcast to discuss HR 6875, also known as the Right Drug Dose Now Act, which was introduced by Representatives Eric Swalwell from California and Tom Emmer of Minnesota. This bill can help save patients and clinicians the time, energy and money it takes to get patients on more accurate doses of their medications sooner by using pharmacogenomics. You can read the bill itself here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6875/text?r=1&s=1 Here is another brief and easier to read overview here: https://www.insideprecisionmedicine.com/topics/precision-medicine-topic/policy-legislation/right-drug-dose-now-act-should-help-implement-better-precision-medicine/ ASHP shares their stance here: https://www.ashp.org/-/media/assets/advocacy-issues/docs/GRD-GTMRx-Letter-of-Support-Right-Drug-Dose-Now-Act.pdf Find your representative here: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative Editor for this episode: Keaton Higgins

Empowering women at work is important, especially in pharmacy where it is majority women. Dr. Jerrica Dodd, Founder of PharmaSis Magazine, joins the podcast to discuss her magazine endeavor and why she is so passionate about focusing on women in pharmacy. Her passion and knowledge of the issues is unrivaled and worth the listen! PharmaSis Magazine: https://www.pharmasismag.com/ PharmaSis Magazine on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pharmasismagazine Connect with Dr. Dodd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjdodd/

Ever wonder why compounding prescription have so many regulations? This is in large part no thanks to the issues that arose from the New England Compounding Center. Dr. Peter Koshland and Jim Hrncir, specialized compounding pharmacy owners, speak to some of these major issues and what has arisen out of the regulations put in place by the FDA that may actually limit patient care. This is a great deep dive episode in a specialized niche of pharmacy that all pharmacists are trained on in school, but many never took the extra step with. Jim and Peter share some great concerns and bring up great questions about where and who should be regulating the specialized and important niche of compounding pharmacy. FDA Laws: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/compounding-laws-and-policies Good Compounding info and site: https://compounding.com/ Dr. Koshland's pharmacy: https://www.koshlandpharm.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkoshland/ Jim's Pharmacy: https://lascolinaspharmacy.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-hrncir-rph-8564711a/

"The physician is going in my little black book of people I'd never let treat me!" What pharmacist hasn't said this before? Professional shaming at it's finest! Well this episode we discuss why that leads to bad healthcare and a toxic environment with Brandon Dyson of tl;dr Pharmacy. You might think why is this on a politics podcast? Well if we want to expand scope of adequate providers with an aging population (eyes AMA) then we need to have better respect and understanding for what we all do, know our own limits and practice to them. You can find tl;dr pharmacy here: https://www.tldrpharmacy.com/ Connect with Dr. Dyson here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-dyson-pharmd-bcop-bcps-3aa89633/ Read the article that prompted this here: https://www.tldrpharmacy.com/content/the-epidemic-of-professional-shaming?utm_sq=gou3b31v27&utm_source=LinkedIn&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Brandon+Dyson&utm_content=Own+Blog+Posts

President Biden wants to expand the role of pharmacists to help combat the pandemic, and possibly going forward. The American Medical Association opposes anything that doesn't drive revenue to their pockets and thus opposes better access to healthcare for all Americans. Gerald Harmon, please learn what pharmacists do and how we can help. Biden administration test-to-treat plan: https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/03/08/fact-sheet-biden-administration-launches-nationwide-test-treat-initiative-ensuring-rapid-on-spot-access-lifesaving-covid-treatments.html AMA Statement: https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-statement-administration-s-test-treat-covid-19-plan APhA Statement: https://www.pharmacist.com/About/Newsroom/apha-house-of-delegates-calls-for-removal-of-barriers-to-access-to-pharmacist-provided-patient-care-services NACDS statement: https://www.nacds.org/news/nacds-statement-on-ama-criticism-of-pharmacys-role-in-covid-antivirals/ ASHP applauding Biden's plan: https://www.ashp.org/news/2022/03/07/ashp-applauds-administrations-focus-on-covid-test-to-treat-opioid-treatment-in-state-of-the-union CATO institute statement: https://www.cato.org/blog/ama-statement-test-treat-does-not-align-well-patients-interests IDSE Statement: https://www.idse.net/Covid-19/Article/07-20/AMA-PharmDs-Face-Off-Over-Test-to-Treat/66440 Proof that the AMA does trust pharmacists to handle medications and provide guidance: https://www.ashp.org/-/media/assets/policy-guidelines/docs/endorsed-documents/endorsed-documents-AMA-APhA-ASHP-COVID-19.pdf

Ever wonder why certain prescriptions are branded and brought to market the way they are? Janice MacLennan joins the podcast to share some of her insight from years of working with big pharmaceutical companies and helping them bring new medications to market. With her book titled, "Brand Planning for the Pharmaceutical Industry" MacLennan has proven her expertise in this field and literally written the book on it. You can find her book here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31870055-brand-planning-for-the-pharmaceutical-industry

Have you ever wondered why Medicare Part D has so many clawbacks? Say no more! The amazing folks at 3 Axis Advisors put together an amazing study that highlights this, how to fix it and do it with some amazingly easy to understand graphics! Dr. Ben Link and Dr. Matthew Wine are amazing guests and researchers on this episode who will give you the quick and dirty on their latest major report AND some actionable steps to fix it. What's the point of bringing problems to light if you don't have solutions? Link to the study discussed in most of the podcast: https://www.3axisadvisors.com/projects/2022/3/7/deserving-of-better-how-american-seniors-are-paying-for-misaligned-incentives-within-medicare-part-d-3aa Link to other 3 Axis Advisors work: https://www.3axisadvisors.com/projects Link to the 46 Brooklyn podcast: https://www.46brooklyn.com/podcast Where to find Dr. Link and Dr. Wine, personally: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminjslink/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-wine-pharmd-mba-96092944/ Medicare Part D Explainer from Kaiser Family Foundation: https://www.kff.org/medicare/fact-sheet/an-overview-of-the-medicare-part-d-prescription-drug-benefit/ The 46 Brooklyn Copaxone study: https://www.46brooklyn.com/research/2020/8/12/copaxone Orange book: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/index.cfm

Is our drug supply chain safe and effective? Dr. Randy Hatton, professor at The University of Florida, discusses a recent research paper he did with others to assess this supply chain and discusses how to make it safer through accountability practices. Dr. Hatton also published an editorial discussing changes that he feels need made so we that the United States can be better situated to treat our citizens medical needs, should a natural disaster or political stalemate arise. His research and editorial can be found here, respectively: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10600280211069540?icid=int.sj-full-text.citing-articles.1& https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35023388/ You can find Dr. Hatton on Linkedin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randy-hatton-035b3811/ And Twitter here: https://twitter.com/drhatton

"if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain" - Matthew 17:20 Dr. Jade Ranger joins the podcast to dive into what motivated her to write a book titled, "Mustard Seed Mentality". We discuss how having faith the size of a mustard seed helped her and her husband open an independent pharmacy even while having kids to take care of and become a success. Dr. Ranger is not a "normal" pharmacist and it shines through in this episode! From her passion about mentoring students from her alma mater of Hampton to caring about her small town and helping work to save the restaurants there, she is an inspirational pharmacist that we can all learn from. Buy "Mustard Seed Mentality" here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mustard-seed-mentality-dr-jade-l-ranger/1140158758 Support The Prescription Shoppe and find them here: https://www.tpsva.com/

Why is it that pharmacists only have one license to practice in most states? Dr. Vladimir Yurukov joins the podcast to discuss his recent passing of the Advanced Practice Pharmacist licensure in California and what that allows him to do as a pharmacist and provider in that state. A few other states offer this, but the majority do not and Dr. Yurukov feels this needs to change so that pharmacists are better recognized and utilized for the clinical knowledge we have and impact we can make on patients care and lives. You can find out more about this Advanced Practice Pharmacist license in California here: https://cpha.com/ce-events/certificate-training-programs/app/ You can follow Dr. Yurukov here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladimir-yurukov-pharmd-bcps-aph-rph-2385164/recent-activity/shares/

Have you ever had a system stand in your way that the solution could be just empowering the other person? Clozapine is medication that has it's own REMS program, and for good reason, but at what point does delaying the patient access due to this program cause more harm than it does protect them? Krista Samimi joins the podcast to discuss a recent experience she had with the Clozapine REMS program and a pharmacist, that she luckily was able to get solved before she ran out of medication. If nothing else, this episode shows why pharmacists need to be better empowered to help patients, given most do not feel that way these days. See more of Krista's clozaril story here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/krista-samimi_mentalhealth-bipolar-entrepreneur-activity-6884877518923550720-Uh5Y Follow Krista here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krista-samimi/ Join or follow NAMI here: https://nami.org/Home

If pharmacies are able to test people for COVID, and pharmacists are the drug experts, why can't they prescribe treatments for COVID? Richard Harris, PharmD, MD, MBA joins the podcast to discuss why he believes pharmacists should be able to prescribe for COVID treatments, and more disease states. Dr. Harris is a unique voice because he has dual doctoral degrees in healthcare and truly believes healthcare needs to be more collaborative and less competitive to more effectively and efficiently treat patients needs. Sign the Change.org petition that Dr. Harris, and past guest, Dr. Lott started here: https://www.change.org/p/let-pharmacists-prescribe-covid-pills-to-save-lives-letusprescribe Find Dr. Harris' podcast Strive for Great Health here: https://www.theghwellness.com/podcast/ Connect with Dr. Harris on Linkedin here: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6884264750797127680/ Connect with Dr. Harris on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/drharrismd/

Why can't patients get a medication that will work for them without jumping through hoops? Why can't they buy them OTC from the pharmacy? This is the premise that prompted Dr. James Lott to start Scripted.co and help provide an answer to this common healthcare problem that results in mountains of wasteful or extra spending in healthcare. Why can't the pharmacist use their knowledge of medications, easy to diagnose tools and even patient specific information to provide a cost effective option for patients without sending them away to other very expensive options, or even cause them to not get care at all? Here is the article Dr. Lott wrote for Crain's Chicago: https://www.chicagobusiness.com/opinion/illinois-can-save-millions-making-meds-over-counter Here is the company he helped start to answer this simple, yet currently complex, question in healthcare: https://www.scripted.co/

Ever wonder why more medications can't be reused and given to other patients, if properly stored and protected? Dr. Elizabeth Lindquist wondered the same thing and set out to change the laws in her state of Illinois. With the early 2022 implementation of a drug repository program in Illinois upon us, Dr. Lindquist discusses what lead her to this cause and how she helped create this program, with lots of help from others. This is an inspiring story that could easily be better implemented in many states and save millions of dollars of waste, if properly utilized. Illinois Drug Repository Program: https://www.ilrxdrugrepository.org/ States with drug repository porgrams: https://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-prescription-drug-return-reuse-and-recycling.aspx?fbclid=IwAR1smnELKzunMSK-dC0FEX1_ONcv4_InlzclWytw-wzAzXz4woy1bLqnOSU Dr. Lindquist's website: https://www.elizabethlindquist.com/ Dr. Lindquist's Twitter: @EALindquist https://twitter.com/EALindquist

Ever wonder how you can advance your career in pharmacy but are several years out of school and may not have the time or bandwidth to go back to school or to a residency? The America Society for Pharmacy Law now has a Diplomat Leadership Series that is aimed at helping develop and "level up" pharmacist and pharmacy leaders who are at least 5 year into practice. Led by current ASPL leadership, this series will take the next generation of pharmacy law leaders through various topics germane to pharmacy law, pair mentors, and provide an avenue for future leaders to share their passions in pharmacy law through a year-long capsule project. You can apply for this program here: https://aspl.memberclicks.net/index.php?option=com_mcform&view=ngforms&id=2101489#/ I highly encourage people to join this program, as I know it to be an amazing opportunity and way to learn and develop one's self.

In this final episode of a 3 part series, Ohio Pharmacists Association Executive Director Ernie Boyd and Ohio Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran both testify to the Ohio Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee about the issues they are seeing, or have not seen, with the role of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in the Ohio Medicaid program. https://ohiochannel.org/video/ohio-joint-medicaid-oversight-committee-10-27-2021 https://www.jmoc.state.oh.us/meetings

This is a follow up to the previous episode where Dr. Geyer's testimony to the Ohio Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee was shared. Here is Antonio Ciaccia explaining how Medicaid has been wrought with major issues in pricing and transparency due to the games and PBMs play. https://ohiochannel.org/video/ohio-joint-medicaid-oversight-committee-10-27-2021 More notes and Mr. Ciaccia's slides can be found here: https://www.jmoc.state.oh.us/meetings

SPECIAL EPISODE! Many of you wanted to hear what I testified to the Ohio Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee on and here it is, unedited. You can watch the hearing, in it's entirety, here: https://ohiochannel.org/video/ohio-joint-medicaid-oversight-committee-10-27-2021

How does a pharmacist go from a small business owner to helping reign in PBM abuses? Become the state auditor! Delaware State Auditor Kathy McGuiness joins the podcast to share her journey from small town independent pharmacy owner to becoming the state Auditor for Delaware. Auditor McGuiness is a great example of how applying the basic principles in pharmacy make for the perfect state auditor, as she holds the position of the highest elected state official in the US to also be a pharmacist. This is an inspiring interview for anyone who wants to learn about what it takes to get involved in politics from the small town level and make the career leap to the upper echelon of politics within a state. Find the Delaware State Auditor Office here: https://auditor.delaware.gov/ Auditor McGuiness Applauds Protect Our Care Rally, Reiterates Call for Express Scripts to Give Taxpayers Back $24.5M: https://news.delaware.gov/2021/08/18/auditor-mcguiness-applauds-protect-our-care-rally-reiterates-call-for-express-scripts-to-give-taxpayers-back-24-5m/ PREDATORY PRACTICES Survey Says Middlemen Destroying Delaware's Independent Pharmacies: https://auditor.delaware.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2021/08/PBM-Survey-Report-Final.pdf Lack of Transparency & Accountability in Drug Pricing Could be Costing Taxpayers Millions: https://auditor.delaware.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2021/06/RPT_PBM_061721_FINAL.pdf

How many hurdles have we faced with the last mile of getting vaccines into the arms of many Americans? VaxiTaxi CEO Dr. Casey Villhauer joins the podcast to discuss how she started VaxiTaxi to help solve this problem for many busy and home bound Americans. Dr. Villhauer discuss the logistical and legal issues she faced and how she overcame them to help get vaccines in central Iowa, while expanding VaxiTaxi. https://www.vaxitaxi.com/

Addiction is tough. It is life altering. So how do you handle it when you are a healthcare professional? What if the addict is you? Sean Higgins is somebody I have long known and respected, he joins the podcast to share his story of recovery, what he wen through and how he now helps treat others who have addictions of there own. This is is a totally unedited podcast that is completely open, with a lot of great advice and resources. Please listen and share, it could save a life. https://www.samhsa.gov/find-treatment https://www.usaprn.org/impaired-pharmacist.pdf Minnesota healthcare professionals: https://mnlordlaw.com/faqs/16/what-is-hpsp-the-health-professionals-services-program-and-should-i-self-report-if-i-have-a-chemical-dependency-or-mental-health-issue Ohio Pharmacists: http://www.ohiopro.org/ https://www.fcc.gov/suicide-prevention-hotline Great resources and posters: https://www.cattco.org/community-services/suicide-prevention-coalition Text HELLO or HELP to 741741 How to reduce your stigma: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK384914/

Ivermectin has been a very contentious topic with whether is should or should not be used to treat COVID-19. Dr. Katie Trotta and I sit down to have a discussion about how we feel it should be used (hint we don't fully agree) and how it can be safely used. We also discuss a lot of the falsehoods around ivermectin and COVID-19, some of the studies, some of the groups that have advocated for the use of ivermectin and how pharmacists should handle these tough situations they are put in from online prescribers and patients who can be demanding. The FLCCC document on how to coerce pharmacists: https://covid19criticalcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Overcoming-Pharmacy-Barriers.pdf The Egyptian study and it's retraction: https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/93658

Prescribing and dispensing of opioids is something that we have tried to cut back on in recent years. Have we ever thought that maybe we have gone to far or are doing so at the expense of others? Glinda Dames-Fincher, an awesome patient advocate and sickle cell patient herself, joins the podcast to describe what it's like to be on the other side of the pharmacy counter with a rare disease in need of opioid pain medications. NIH/NHLBI sickle cell management guidelines: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/evidence-based-management-sickle-cell-disease - Suggest chapters 3 & 4 here Expert Wally Smith (MD in Virginia) presented sickle cell disease webinar: https://casicklecell.org/webinar11/ Support group and non profit Kincaid's Kindred Spirits: https://www.kks4scd.org/ Glinda Dames-Fincher LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glinda-dames-fincher-59b18413/

Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, two pharmacists were researching working conditions in pharmacy. While they largely found that working conditions across the field of pharmacy were not good, it was really bad in chain pharmacies. Now this is coming to a head as many chain pharmacies can't find staff and are doing everything they can to bring on new people, with little impact. Dr. Jenny Beal and Dr. Mercedes Clabaugh authored the research paper, "Perceptions of working conditions and safety concerns in community pharmacy" and did an amazing job! So much so that the American Pharmacists Association published in in their publication, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. This dovetails with the #PizzaIsNotWorking movement that Dr. Tanoe covered last episode. Highly recommend you listen to both of these back to back, in either order You can find the paper here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1544319121002788 Follow Dr. Beal On Twitter here: @JenPharmDPhD (https://twitter.com/JenPharmDPhD) Follow Dr. Clabaugh here on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mercedes-clabaugh-pharmd-rph-14186516a/

If you're a pharmacist on social media, you've probably seen the #PizzIsNotWorking hashtag. Dr. Bled Tanoe started this and she has joined the podcast to share why she started this great hashtag and how it went viral, even reaching some larger news outlets. It's amazing how a seemingly unrelated hashtag has draw a lot of attention to the staffing issues in pharmacy. Crain's article: https://www.chicagobusiness.com/health-care/covid-pressures-rise-pharmacists-suffer-burnout

Ever wonder why EpiPens cost so much and why there is a less expensive version? Nude Pharma CEO Stanley Warren (aka Pharmacy Stan) joins the podcast to discuss this issue and how he plans to bring to market a drastically less expensive version. We dive into some of the politics as to why EpiPen prices got so out of control, issues he has faced bringing an alternative to the market and why he started a pharmaceutical company in the middle of a pandemic. www.nudepharma.com www.pharmacystan.com Stan's LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pharmacystan/

Ever wonder what makes it so hard for prescribers to pick the best drug for a patient and their benefits plan? Carm Huntress of RxRevu joins the podcast to discuss what real time pharmacy benefits can do to save time and workload all around pharmacy and prescriber's offices, as well as litany of next level technologies that could really change healthcare for the better. A lot of what we discuss you would assume is already in place, but these really highlights the lack of speed to which healthcare has adopted technology. https://rxrevu.com/ https://twitter.com/RxRevu https://www.linkedin.com/company/rxrevu/ https://twitter.com/carmhuntress?lang=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmhuntress/

There's a surprise to start this episode. Some of what we discuss is how pharmacy should look to change in the very near future, the adventures around recording 100 episodes, favorite guests, thank you's and the guests that never were. Also: join your state pharmacy associations and organizations. They need your support now more than ever as major changes are being discussed in many states with regards to pharmacy. Find yours here: https://naspa.us/member-directories/

The Cynical Pharmacist joins to the podcast to discuss the background behind one of his more controversial posts and how the system that is error reporting in pharmacy could be fixed. This is a very insightful episode, with a few good dark humor jokes thrown in. The Ohio Pharmacist Workload Study that may help lead to the reformation of pharmacy in that state: https://www.pharmacy.ohio.gov/Documents/Pubs/Reports/PharmacistWorkloadSurvey/2020%20Pharmacist%20Workload%20Survey.pdf The Cynical Pharmacist page: https://www.facebook.com/TheCynicalPharmacist

Whenever a pharmacist runs for office, there's usually a good back story that finally made them take the leap from pharmacist to political candidate. Shane Abbott is no exception. Always humble in his demeanor, Shane decided to run for a soon to be vacant Florida House seat after years of being pushed by his friends along with years of advocating for the profession and patients. Shane is a down to Earth person, who is truly looking to make things better in Florida and drive down state spending. www.VoteShaneAbbott.com https://www.facebook.com/abbottforflorida 3 Axis Advisors report on Florida Medicaid: https://www.3axisadvisors.com/projects/2020/1/29/sunshine-in-the-black-box-of-pharmacy-benefits-management

Everyone hates PBMs, especially PBM CEOs who think the system is corrupt. A.J. Loiacono, CEO of Capital Rx, joins the podcast to describe the issues he sees with most PBMs, why Capital Rx is different, and how he would help fix drug prices and lower costs for businesses and consumers, alike. A.J. holds nothing back and this truly is a must listen until the end because he keeps bringing the fire throughout! Find Capital Rx here: https://www.cap-rx.com/ Find A.J. Loiacono here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/capitalrx/ Find the FTC issue A.J. refers to here: https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/competition-guidance/guide-antitrust-laws/single-firm-conduct/tying-sale-two-products File complaints about PBMs with the FTC here: https://www.ftc.gov/contact

Aduhelm, is it worth it? We discuss this new and extremely costly mediation with Dr. Jared Stroud. Not only is he a pharmacist, he also is a physician who works in geriatrics. This make him particularly knowledgeable on this topic and a unique insight most healthcare professionals may not have

Community pharmacy is a vital asset to the surrounding areas and something I have been a passionate advocate for my whole life. On this episode, we interview Grant Harting who wrote the book, "How to Escape Retail Pharmacy Hell". This book was written to help the community pharmacists who have seen large corporations ruin and decay community pharmacy to what it is today. Book: https://www.amazon.com/How-Escape-Retail-Pharmacy-Hell-ebook/dp/B08Y7QYCSG/ref=sr_1_2?crid=K0FZOSF79ZG7&dchild=1&keywords=how+to+escape+retail+pharmacy+hell&qid=1627292283&sprefix=how+to+escape+retail+%2Caps%2C210&sr=8-2 Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1160145524458415/ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GrantHarting Twitter: https://twitter.com/Grant_Harting

We all know that drug prices are high and can at times be dubiously marketed. On this episode we dive in some of what author Gerald Posner found while writing his book Pharma: Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America. This episode was super refreshing to me to see that an investigative journalist, with a great history and reputation, would spend years diving into the world of prescription drugs and help confirm and highlight what many pharmacists have been discussing amongst themselves for years. I highly recommend you read the book Pharma, which can be found here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pharma-gerald-posner/1132188912?ean=9781501152030 Senator Grassley's drug pricing bill can be found here: https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-introduces-updated-prescription-drug-pricing-reduction-act-2020 The Rodney Dangerfield reference is from the movie Back to School and is found in this video at about 2 minutes in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSLscJ2cY04

When it comes to prescription drug prices, it can feel like the prices are made up and the copays don't matter. Pharmacist Nate Hux is helping to change that with Freedom Pharmacy and Pickerington Pharmacy. Freedom Pharmacy and Pickerington Pharmacy are both owned by Nate Hux but together help patients optimize what they pay for medications in what is a completely unique setup for pharmacies, unlike any other in America. Nate doesn't just talk about his business but also his path top get here (which involves working for some of the most well known chains) and how this model helps him find a fulfillment and happiness he never before had in practicing pharmacy. Honestly, this is a must listen for pharmacists with several great takeaways. Articles that Freedom Pharmacy and Nate have been highlighted and quoted in: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2021/06/02/ohio-consumers-have-new-choice-pharmacy-eliminating-middlemen-pbms-health-insurers-columbus/5176132001/ https://www.dispatch.com/videos/news/2021/06/02/one-pharmacist-two-pharmacies-operate-pickerington-lower-drug-costs/7474609002/ https://www.pharmacytoday.org/article/S1042-0991(21)00299-1/fulltext Business of Pharmacy podcast: https://anchor.fm/bizofpharmpod

This week I go solo to discuss the recent news about the Ohio and Mississippi Centene lawsuits and settlements, as well as diving into the amount of lobbying and campaign contributions that Centene has made that may have lead to quick settlements with more to come. Referenced Centene news: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2021/06/14/centene-to-settle-ohio-medicaid-lawsuit-attorney-general-dave-yost/7679946002/ https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/centene-shells-out-143m-to-settle-pbm-disputes-in-ohio-mississippi/601773/ https://www.wsj.com/articles/centene-settles-with-ohio-and-mississippi-over-pharmacy-benefits-practice-11623696287 Centene Open Secrets: https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/centene-corp/recipients?id=D000024670

Dr. Brett Barker joins the podcast to discuss a recent bill the Iowa legislature passed that would allow for pharmacists to enter into better collaborative practice agreements with other healthcare providers, which makes a huge step in bring healthcare access to the state. This bill even got a huge signing in the governor's office! We also dive into a litany of other topics as Dr. Barker has been a supporter of the podcast since before it's inception and a great advocate for pharmacy with all he does. I highly hope people can listen and learn from him on this episode. Iowa Administrative Code 657.39.13 Collaborative Drug Therapy Management: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/iac/rule/06-20-2018.657.39.13.pdf Iowa Pharmacists Association information on the bill: https://www.iarx.org/collaborativepractice

We all know that the payment methods for prescription medications needs fixed. Alabama has passed a law that aims to do just that, in many ways. Bobby Giles, the Government Affairs Director for the Alabama Pharmacists Association, joins the podcast to describe how Alabama passed comprehensive PBM reform with one bill that could change the landscape of pharmacy and prescription payments in their state. This is a must listen to episode for any in pharmacy, patient advocates and legislators because we discuss how to tackle these complex issues, while side stepping ERISA complexities while relying on current SCOTUS precedents. Alabama Pharmacists Association: https://www.aparx.org/ SB 227 as we discussed can be found and summarized here: https://www.aparx.org/page/24#:~:text=In%20summary%2C%20the%20law%20prohibits,than%20other%20in%20network%20pharmacies. https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.aparx.org/resource/resmgr/apa_advocate_enewsletter/sb227-enrolled_finalized_ver.pdf

Seems like a lot of states are setting their sites on reigning in PBMs after the landslide that was Rutledge v. PCMA. Now Michigan is no exception! Dr. Heather Christensen, the President of Michigan Pharmacists Association, joins the podcast to discuss Michigan House Bill 4348 and what it looks to do to help it's citizens and pharmacy tackle the blight on the state that is PBMs. Michigan House Bill 4348: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2021-2022/billintroduced/House/pdf/2021-HIB-4348.pdf Join Michigan Pharmacists Association here: https://michiganpharmacists.org/ Connect with Dr. Christensen here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-christensen-20902715/

For community based pharmacists and pharmacies, there aren't a lot of areas to specialize in like there are in hospital based settings. So is it worth it to become board certified for medication therapy management (MTM)? Bhavana Muthra joins the podcast to discuss this topic and why this can help ensure quality is education and knowledge is being used and translated in a way that can help patients. We also discuss why provider status is vital to helping enable community pharmacists to make an impact in patient's care and lives. Bhavana's website: http://bhavanamutha.com/ LinedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhavana-mutha-44556210/ Nationa Board of Medication Therapy Management: https://www.nbmtm.org/

Ever wonder what went through a government officials head during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout? Dr. Myriam Shaw Ojeda joins to the podcast to describe some of the insights she learned from helping get the COVID-19 vaccines into the the arms of Ohioans by with pharmacies and the Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's office. Ohio's COVID-19 Dashboard (This has a lot of useful info and shareable content): https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/home https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/health-equity Ohio Vaccine Lottery: https://ohiovaxamillion.com/

So we have talked a lot about pharmacists being recognized with provider status on the podcast. Well, now we dive into the weeds with Dr. Stu Beatty. Dr. Beatty is an expert in implementation and payment models for provider status with pharmacists, due to his work with The Ohio State University. It was an honor to have him on the podcast, and I'm sure he will be back for me detailed podcasts in the future because this dicsussion was so amazing! You can email Dr. Beatty here: SBeatty@ohiopharmacists.org You can reach out for more in depth services here: http://strategicpharmacyinitiatives.com/#:~:text=Stuart%20Beatty%2C%20Pharm.,of%20Strategic%20Pharmacy%20Initiatives%2C%20LLC.&text=The%20practice%20now%20hires%20nine,residents%20in%20the%20ambulatory%20setting. You can find some more great content in Ohio (that can be templated in other states!) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2E7oIUOOy4 https://www.ohiopharmacists.org/aws/OPA/asset_manager/get_file/566749?ver=1 https://pharmacy.medicaid.ohio.gov/

For this episode, pharmacists from around the country called in and submitted what being granted provider status means to them and how they see it impacting patients. APhA President Sandra Leal starts us off, followed by some past guests, a few pharmacists around the country and even a sitting member of Congress, Listen to what some of these pharmacists think about provider status then stop and reflect to think about what this could mean in your life or the lives of those around you. APhA has some great resources here to reference, even if you are still on the fence: https://pharmacist.com/Advocacy/Issues/Medicare-Provider-Status-Recognition

Medication therapy management is a back bone of what pharmacists are trained to do. So why aren't we doing it better? Dr. Betty Chaffee of BetterMyMeds.com joins the podcast to discuss issues she has seen with MTMs (especially when they are treated as metrics) and how we need to refocus this aspect of pharmacy to take better care of patients. You can reach or contact Dr. Chaffee at her website www.BetterMyMeds.com

Ever wonder why some generics cost so much? Dr. Kyle McCormick and I dive into this topic as well as how his pharmacy, Blueberry Pharmacy, is changing the prices people pay for medication by NOT taking bill insurance. Dr. McCormick has developed a pharmacy that can save people money and reduce the impact on insurance by PBM games like spread pricing. We dive into the weeds here and even talk about how generic Truvada has drastically dropped in price and how to buy it (safely and legally) for substantially less as well as other drugs like Vesicare (solifenacin). You can find Blueberry Pharmacy (and some great breakdowns of drug pricing) here: https://blueberrypharmacy.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blueberry-pharmacy/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlueberryPharmacy/reviews/?ref=page_internal

Provider status for pharmacists has been introduced into Congress! This is big step that pharmacists need to improve healthcare for many Americans. Pharmacy politics expert Antonio Ciaccia joins the podcast to discuss why this is important and how it came about. Click here to contact your legislators: https://oneclickpolitics.global.ssl.fastly.net/messages/edit?promo_id=12540&fbclid=IwAR0wcA8oxlJgAcnMaezj0ralEQaPLV7MFIN0BkOWGhdNkAo5ghR9HpyFifQ APhA info here: https://www.pharmacist.com/advocacy/issues

Dr. Frank North, President-Elect of NPhA, joins me to discuss the issues of race and vaccine hesitancy and how we can approach this issue in a way that can make a positive impact with people. This is a bit of a long track, but issues around race and vaccine hesitancy deserve a long discussion. I applaud the points that Dr. North brings up and encourage everyone to take to heart the ideas we discuss and work to make really help educate others around the COVID-19 vaccines. This isn't just a public health matter, it's a personal matter. NPhA can be found here: https://nationalpharmaceuticalassociation.org/

Mehrdad Hariri joins the podcast again to discuss two more of his digital innovations that can help bring pharmacy to the modern, and post COVID, world. Merhdad's visionary insight can really change the way people interact with and use their local pharmacies, hopefully to make healthcare easier and more accessible to all. https://www.alererx.com/ https://www.rxreach.com/