PBM on the Rocks

By Pharmacists United for Truth & Transparency

What's PBM on the Rocks about?

It's time to break the ice on pharmacy benefit managers' "drink the Kool-Aid" rhetoric! Join Pharmacists United for Truth & Transparency as we host guests from across the healthcare industry to discuss pharmacy news, healthcare issues, & (of course) PBMs... over cocktails.

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PBM on the Rocks episodes:

06.16.2024
PBM on the Rocks LIVE from the American Pharmacies Cocktail Reception
Join Lord Dr. Jeremy, the PUTT team, and the biggest names in pharmacy as they try to survive an open bar at the infamous APEX cocktail reception!
06.07.2024
Speaking Up, Fighting Back, & Cold Whiskey with a Fancy Ice Cube
Join the PBMOTR cocktail crew as they pick apart CPESN's Express Scripts partnership announcement, shed light on how states like New York, Florida, and Louisiana are getting real work done, and why PUTT's voice is so important in the fight...
05.18.2024
Protesters, PBMs, & a Bottle of Ice Cold Water
It's the LIVE version of PBM on the Rocks! Join Lord Dr Jeremy as he hosts a battalion of guests including NCPA CEO Doug Hoey, Arthritis Center STL's Julie Baak, independent pharmacy lawyer Mark Boesen, Pharmacy Dr of Comedy Maurice...
05.03.2024
Corporate Terminology, Discriminatory Practices, & a Baby Yoda Margarita
It's not difficult to equate vertically-integrated corporate control of American healthcare with "the Dark Side" - which makes patient advocates like Jen Laws of CANN, pro-independent pharmacy lawyers like Miguel Rodriguez of APRx, and the board members of Pharmacists United...
04.05.2024
Pharmacy Extermination, Benefits Plans, & a Rum-Float Solar Eclipse
April is Stress Awareness Month. Are you aware of how much stress PBMs cause? Listen in as the PUTT Cocktail Crew hosts WayPoint Rx's Ben Coakley and California pharmacy owner Sona Kazangian. From pharmacy benefits plan options, to reimbursement...
03.01.2024
Cyberattacks, Surge Pricing, & a Rye-Rish Manhattan
From the patient travesties inflicted by the Change Healthcare cyberattack, to independent pharmacy future viability, pharmacy unions, and PBM parallels on Wendy's surge pricing - when you put pharmacy internet icons in the cocktail crew, there's no holds barred on...
02.02.2024
Prior Auths, Vitamin Supplements, and a PBM-Themed Red Wine Spritzer
Welcome to our February Episode! From industry-wide issues like prior authorizations, to disease states, pain management, and vitamin supplement shams - when PBMs and their parent health insurance parent corporations meddle in healthcare, the results are rarely good for anyone....
01.12.2024
Pharmacy Frauds, Fee Hangovers, & a Bottle of Bourbon Barrel Stout
Only 2 weeks into the new year, and the aftermath of CMS’ new DIR fee rule is already wreaking havoc. Listen in as our January cocktail crew breaks down the bull. From the DIR “hangover” (aka Medicare-mageddon) to PBMs’ newest...
12.01.2023
Understaffing, Unionization, & a Questionable Carton of Eggnog
Understaffing, Unionization, & a Questionable Carton of Eggnog Thanks to the vertical integration of U.S. healthcare, the greed-based practices of PBMs and their health insurance parent corporations negatively affect everything from chain staffing, to patient access and safety at all...
10.06.2023
DIR Fees, Chain Pharmacies, & a Bottle of Cheap Whiskey
Welcome to our scary October episode ... and it doesn't get any scarier than corporate chain pharmacy policies and (the most terrifying) DIR FEES. Listen in as our very special guest, The Angry Pharmacist, joins this month's cocktail conversation. From...
09.01.2023
Kickbacks, Squeaky Wheels, & a Fake Kentucky Mule
It's Mocktails and PBM Mockery! From schadenfreude moments like CVS's stock drop, to the differences between kickbacks and healthcare rebates (there are none), and even a foray into political process - listen in as the PBM Rocks cocktail crew gets...
08.04.2023
Federal Hearings, Fraudulent Actions, & a Spiked Ice Cream Float
From recent federal hearings and impending legislative action, to pharmacy DIR fees, copay accumulators, and whole host of other PBM fraud-based practices - in this special girls' night episode, the women of pharmacy put pharmacy benefit manipulator practices in their...
07.07.2023
Pharmacy Deserts, Corporate Greed, & a Rob Roy
Episode 6: Pharmacy Deserts, Corporate Greed, & a Rob Roy Have you ever wondered why some insurance plans require patients to travel to a pharmacy 20 to 30 minutes away for their prescriptions instead of covering prescriptions at the patient's...
06.02.2023
GPOs, Small Business Economics, & a Sweet Tea
Episode 5: GPOs, Small Business Economics, & a Sweet Tea Did you know that Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) are PBMs' even more shadowy twin, and they're being formed to add additional layers of complexity into the drug pricing market? ...
05.05.2023
Rebates, Reimbursements, & a shot of Tequila
The Cinco de Mayo Episode This cocktail hour the gang welcomes nonprofit healthcare foundation CEO Jeffery Lewis and PUTT Vice President Lauren Young, for a conversation that twists and turns through PBM-created issues such as rebate aggregators, patient access, underwater...
04.07.2023
Beating Optum, Bad Marketing, & a Tia Maria
Episode 3: Beating Optum, Bad Marketing, & a Tia Maria From fraud allegations, to legal smackdowns and new regulation legislation; public opinion of pharmacy benefit managers and their health insurance parent companies is steadily swirling towards a comedic death spiral....
03.03.2023
NPI Number Fraud, PBC Problems & Bourbon
Episode 2: NPI Number Fraud, PBC Problems & Bourbon Grab a glass! From re-victimization of pharmacies dealing with the fallout from stolen NPI numbers, to PCMA's new PBM rebranding campaign & the recent Senate hearing on pharmacy benefit manager/company transparency…...
02.10.2023
PBMs in Healthcare: The Bar is Set - and OPEN
Insiders in the healthcare industry experience the atrocities of pharmacy benefit managers' unethical business practices every day - but many of their middleman shenanigans are hidden from public view. Welcome to our happy hour style, no holds barred conversation! ...