The Independent Pharmacy Alliance Podcast

Representing Massachusetts's 4th District, we are joined by Representative Jake Auchincloss this week. We discuss recent bills killed on the House floor, bills he is looking to introduce that will help independent pharmacists, and what issues have bi-partisan support, even in this highly politicized environment. 

A new PBM Law has gone into effect that could change the industry and New Jersey is spearheading the effort. This could change how Independent Pharmacists get paid nationwide if we do our part.  So what do we need to do? Laurie Clark joins the podcast this week to explain.

The Lame Duck session of Congress has begun. It is less than a month until all business in Washington, D.C. ends and the new administration begins. This means there is only a limited time left to pass legislation that would help independent pharmacists, such as the Modernizing and Ensuring PBM Accountability Act and the Pharmacists Fight Back Act. This week, Anthony discusses tangible actions you can take to help get these laws passed and why that not only helps you, the business owner, but you, the everyday taxpayer, your family, friends, and customers. 

This week Anthony is joined by a special guest Stéphane Bancel, the CEO of Moderna Therapeutics. They discuss independent pharmacies' role in the vaccination effort and touch on Moderna's current innovations. Stéphane also offers business tips to independent pharmacy owners across the nation.

Many discount card programs are scams.  Independent pharmacists can get burned when patients use these cards because they lose money. Al Branca works with Axe Rx and says that this program is different. This week Anthony talks with Al and he explains what makes Axe Rx different, how it can help you avoid audits, and why it's worth at least trying. 

Loretta Boesing's son, a transplant survivor reliant on medication every 12 hours, faced a scary situation with a mail-order pharmacy, an experience that could have been fatal. Determined not to be defeated, Loretta mobilized dozens of protestors outside Express Scripts and planned to confront other PBMs that mandate mail-order systems. This week, Anthony discussed with Loretta the critical role of independent pharmacies in her son's health, her organization, Unite for Safe Medication, aims to support these pharmacies and learn how you can contribute to her cause.

In the Mr. Smith sequel no one expected, Anthony, just came back from the National Community Pharmacists Association Government Affairs Conference in D.C. and has news about the PBM Package. This week he shares what was learned at the conference, and what legislators are saying behind closed doors.  And how you can help get this package approved before the 2024 election.

A lot of news came out in the pharmacy industry recently.  Mark Cuban was at a White House round table speaking his truth about PBMs, and then there was the data hack of Change Healthcare affecting thousands of people, which led us to discuss best practices when protecting the data for your small business.

2024 could be a crazy year for the independent pharmacist. While we are optimistic about new legislation that could help the fight against PBMs we are also looking at rising labor challenges. With so many big retailers shutting their doors can we take advantage? This week Anthony looks at the biggest trends in retail pharmacy at the beginning of the new year. 

There was an article put out by CBS News that caught our eye with the same headline as the podcast. It speaks to The Biden administration's first major step toward imposing limits on the pharmacy benefit managers and how some pharmacists say it's adding to the woes of the independent drugstores it was partly designed to help. So, is it? This week Anthony speaks to the article, whether it's a salacious headline, and what independent pharmacists can do, instead of panicking. 

This week we dive into SaveNJRx, a groundbreaking movement that's shaking up the independent pharmacy landscape in New Jersey!  Meet Brian Oliveira, Executive Director of Garden State Pharmacy Owners, and Svet Milic of Colonia Natural Pharmacy. They're at the forefront of a movement to unite Independent New Jersey Pharmacists, reinstate Medicaid fee-for-service, and secure millions in prescription drug savings for patients and taxpayers.  Learn how you can be a catalyst for this transformation and become a part of this vital cause!

Need help to file appeals for reimbursement? Enrolling in Medicare? How about PBM Audits? We have the person for you. This week we speak to Heather Rodgers, IPA's Senior Member Services Administrator. She will speak about how she can help you, the cost of filing the paperwork, and the cost of not taking advantage of these services.    

It's a mailbag episode. This week we talk about a slew of different topics including the most important PBM-related news in 2023, how the new debt limit deal affects independent pharmacists, and the best rides in Disney World. 

Ever go a little too crazy the night before and feel terrible the next day? For an independent pharmacist, I promise a DIR Hangover is way worse. This week we spoke with two members of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, Anne Cassity, and the Senior Vice President of Policy Pharmacy Affairs, Ronna Hauser about being in D.C., two big PBM Reform Bills, the Congressional Pharmacy Fly-In, and they tell us what exactly a 'DIR Hangover' is. 

Medicaid Fee-for-service is scheduled for implementation on April 1, 2023. This means all prescriptions the New York Medicaid program pays for will be done without PBMs. This week we are joined by the former Chairman of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York, Thomas D'Angelo to talk about how this happened, what work still needs to be done, and how you can help. 

It's a new year, and with it comes a new Congress, and an increased focus on pharmacy benefit managers and the role they play in setting drug prices. This week we speak to Tennessee Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger, a licensed pharmacist, and successful business owner, about a bill she helped introduce to make PBM reform recommendations, what the FTC is doing to help, and the chances we see some real action on PBM Reform in 2023.

Long-Term Care Pharmacies play a vital role in communities across the country, yet no federal definition exists. However, that could all change. This week we talk to Michelle Templin, the Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs at Managed HealthCare Associates about the new laws being discussed and how the new rules are affecting pharmacies everywhere. 

At the core of independent pharmacy is the desire to help the community, this week we talk to Darren Schaupp, the Co-Founder, and CEO at SiteLabs, who went above and beyond by working in community development and on tropical diseases in Africa for over two decades. He tells us about his experience and what that taught him while trying to stop the spread of diseases like COVID-19 at home

New York just created the first-in-the-nation Pharmacy Benefits Bureau which will provide much-needed oversight to Pharmacy Benefit Managers. This week we are joined by the Deputy Superintendent for Pharmacy Benefits, Eamon Rock, to discuss this landmark regulatory body, its role in the supply chain, and how they plan to help with patient steering. 

Americans pay some of the highest prescription drug prices in the world. This week we are joined by Robert Popovian, a clinical pharmacist with expertise in drug pricing to discuss how purposefully complex and shady business practices allow PBMs to hide their profit margins from outside scrutiny. For more information follow Robert on LinkedIn, on Twitter at  @PopovianPharmD. You can also hear more of his thoughts on his podcast 'Healthcare Matters' on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on his Website

This week Anthony answers some of the questions we've received recently about the FTC's investigation into Pharmacy Benefit Managers, the new CMS DIR fee rule, and Beyonce's new song. 

Earlier this year the FTC commissioners had a deadlock 2-2 vote on whether to investigate pharmacy benefit managers, effectively killing the proposal at least for now. This week we speak to David Balto, who recently participated in a U.S. Senate panel hearing on PBMs. He tells us what happened, how we can help, and how to get the public to care. 

Pharmacies play a crucial role in ensuring the quality of prescription drugs. In November 2023 a new track & trace regulation could affect independent pharmacies. This week we are joined by the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Healthcare at Inmar, Dwight de Vera, to discuss the services they provide to make compliance with track and trace easier.

Most of the pharmacists we know don't like filing appeals for low reimbursements because it takes too much time. Most owners are too busy running their pharmacy and sometimes miss opportunities to get the money that rightfully belongs to them. This week we talk to IPA's own Heather Rodgers about how she makes the appeals process easy.

There is a proposed rule addressing retroactive pharmacy DIR fees that appears to move nearly all pharmacy price concessions to the point of sale starting Jan. 1. This week we are joined by Karry La Violette, with the National Community Pharmacists Association to give us an update and address how your comments can make a difference. 

New York passed PBM reform legislation last year with near-unanimous votes requiring pharmacy benefit managers to be licensed by the state, be more transparent about the money they get from drug companies, and more. But what comes next? This week we're joined by Thomas D'Angelo, the Chairman of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York to discuss just that.

Good news. Governor Murphy signed a new law that requires PBMs working in New Jersey's Medicaid program to disclose information on spread-pricing to the State. This week we are once again joined by Laurie Clark to tell us how this new law helps carve out PBMs from the state Medicaid program and what else can we do to help independent pharmacies on the state and federal levels.

One of the many frustrating things about owning a pharmacy is filing appeals for low and below-cost reimbursements with Pharmacy Benefit Managers. Most pharmacy owners are too busy running their pharmacy to correct their reimbursements and miss out on opportunities to get money back. This week we talk to IPA's own Heather Rodgers about the best way to file appeals, the common mistakes that owners make, and how the Independent Pharmacy Alliance can help you through the process. 

The Biden Administration is wrapping up its first year, with talks of reconciliation bills, 3.5 trillion dollar deals, and big Supreme Court decisions. This week we spoke to Karry La Violette from the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA). She spoke about how the proposed changes affect independent pharmacists, what's being done in Washington to help pharmacy-owners, and how we can help make positive changes for our community. 

New York has a new governor after a tumultuous end to Andrew Cuomo's term. Now there are four bills sitting on the Governor's desk that could help independent pharmacists in the state of New York. We talked to the Chairman of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York, Thomas D'Angelo. He told us what it took to get those bills passed the legislature, why they are important, and what other states can take from this model.  

This week we speak with Antonio Ciaccia, the President of 3 Axis Advisors, about how he helped uncover $244 million in PBM spread pricing in Ohio Medicaid. We also speak about the laws that are being proposed that could reduce drug costs at the pharmacy counter and other policy solutions that can bring down patient drug costs.

Dr. Madelaine Feldman is a rheumatologist with The Rheumatology Group in New Orleans, LA. This week she speaks to Anthony about PBMs, particularly the effect that PBM formulary construction and utilization management tools have on pricing and access to drugs (availability & affordability).

Most people aren't aware of how difficult and complex the legislative process can be. This week we are joined by Laurie Clark who serves as Legislative Counsel to Garden State Pharmacy Owners. She talks to us about the state and federal legislative process and explains to us the best ways for independent pharmacists to get involved.

Independent pharmacies provide important services that are often unavailable at chain locations or elsewhere in the community. This week we speak with Neil Raval, owner of Hickory Pharmacy in East Windsor, NJ, about his passion for community service and his work during the COVID-19 crisis

An interview with Independent Pharmacy Owner Anthony Minniti on how PBMs are endangering the profession of pharmacy and playing doctor.

Independent pharmacies are the last line of defense between patients and a pharmacy system that is quickly becoming a monopoly. Every other Wednesday Anthony Reznik will explore why Americans pay the highest drug prices in the world and highlight the life-saving services independent pharmacies provide.