Independent pharmacies are facing growing reimbursement uncertainty, especially when dispensing high-cost brand medications such as GLP-1 therapies. In this exclusive Pharmacy Podcast Network special feature, we examine how GoodRx Community Link provides independent pharmacies with predictable pricing and favorable economics across both brand and generic medications, ultimately helping pharmacies remain solvent while providing consumers affordable prescription prices.

Todd Eury is joined by David Graziano, Head of Retail Network at GoodRx, and Tom DePietro, independent pharmacy owner at DePietro’s Pharmacy, for a practical discussion about the pressures affecting independent pharmacy and the need for reimbursement models that support  pharmacy viability.

The conversation explores how Community Link supports brand medications through manufacturer-funded savings that flow back to the pharmacy through GoodRx, while the manufacturer covers the administrative fee. For generic medications, the program uses a NADAC-based cost-plus model intended to provide clearer visibility into reimbursement.

Listeners will also hear how independent pharmacies are impacted by rising deductibles, prior authorizations, narrow formularies, cash-pay growth, and increased competition. David and Tom discuss the importance of transparent pricing, digital engagement, streamlined fulfillment, personalized patient care, and sustainable economics for local pharmacies.

Key discussion points include:

Explore how GoodRx Community Link can bring greater transparency and predictability to brand and generic dispensing, helping independent pharmacies serve patients sustainably and with confidence.

Featured Guests:

David Graziano — Head of Retail Network, GoodRx

Tom DePietro — Independent Pharmacy Owner, DePietro’s Pharmacy

Host:

Todd Eury — Founder, Pharmacy Podcast Network

Visit goodrx.com/CommunityLink to learn more

GoodRx is NOT insurance.

This is the Pharmacy Podcast Network's coverage of the 2026 McKesson ideaShare! Missed the big event? We've got you covered.

McKesson's ideaShare is one of the largest community pharmacy brainstorm events. Empowering current and future independent pharmacists with deeper connections, new ways to innovate, and strength in numbers for the voice of community pharmacy.

Join host Todd Eury, CEO of the Pharmacy Podcast Network, as he walks the exhibit hall in Denver Colorado interviewing vendors, attendees, independent pharmacy owners, and industry friends.

Thank you to AAPA, for sponsoring this coverage!

In this episode we hear from:

In this episode, host Ross Frey, Senior Product Manager and resident MTM/CMR strategist, sits down with Cindy Henry, Director of Payer Products at Outcomes, to unpack one of the biggest changes hitting Medicare Advantage plans: CMS’s intent to return the CMR completion rate to the Star Ratings program beginning in measure year 2027.

I was blown away by my conversation with today’s guest, who discovered that without HEALTH you have nothing... He became a Jack Of All Trades and subsequently an inventor that has changed entire venues with his innovations. He has fully recovered his health thanks to one of his own inventions, and is now on a mission to help people optimize their health to enjoy living!

Specialty pharmacy is becoming one of the most important access points in modern healthcare, particularly for patients managing complex, chronic, rare, and high-cost conditions. As therapies advance and patient needs become more sophisticated, health systems are rethinking how specialty pharmacy can improve medication access, continuity of care, clinical outcomes, affordability, and the overall patient experience.

In this special episode of This Week in Pharmacy, the Pharmacy Podcast Network introduces Specialty Care Close to Home, a new series examining how hospitals and health systems are designing, building, supporting, and scaling specialty pharmacy services across health-system and community-based care models.

Dr. Laura Mark, PharmD

Allison Arant

Chris Corsi

Together, the guests discuss why health-system specialty pharmacy expansion matters, what successful programs require, and where the greatest strategic and operational challenges exist. The conversation explores how strong partnerships, integrated clinical workflows, patient-centered technology, and coordinated care teams can reduce fragmentation and improve specialty medication access.

Future episodes of Specialty Care Close to Home will explore accreditation, payer access, manufacturer relationships, clinical workflow, patient engagement, technology infrastructure, data reporting, community access, workforce development, and financial sustainability.

The series will also feature pharmacy directors, vice presidents, executives, operators, and innovators from health systems across the country who are leading the next generation of specialty care delivery.

Host: Todd Eury, Founder of the Pharmacy Podcast Network

Coming Soon: Specialty Care Close to Home—a national conversation about bringing advanced specialty pharmacy services closer to where patients live, work, and receive care.

AI in Pharmacy Standards and Drug Supply Chain Upgrades

Artificial intelligence and supply chain modernization are reshaping pharmacy practice, patient access, and healthcare operations.

In this episode of This Week in Pharmacy, host Todd Eury speaks with leaders from URAC and Cencora about responsible AI adoption and the growing gap between drug availability and real-world access.

Guests

Shawn Griffin, MD

Brent Wilhelm

Tim Weber

AI is already supporting clinical documentation, patient communication, risk prediction, and workflow automation. URAC President and CEO Shawn Griffin, MD, explains why healthcare organizations need clear governance, defined accountability, human oversight, and continuous monitoring before deploying AI at scale.

The discussion addresses transparency, performance evaluation, bias, data integrity, cybersecurity, and the role accreditation standards may play in promoting safe and responsible AI adoption.

Drug Availability Versus Patient Access

Brent Wilhelm of Cencora discusses why a medication may exist somewhere in the supply chain but still remain difficult for providers to obtain.

Dosage limitations, delivery timing, ordering complexity, reimbursement barriers, cold-chain requirements, and site-of-care restrictions can all delay patient access.

Wilhelm explains why the industry must look beyond inventory levels and focus on whether providers can obtain the correct therapy, at the right location, when the patient needs it.

Tim Weber adds the pharmacy operations and regulatory viewpoint, discussing inventory planning, compliance, product tracing, reimbursement, and patient fulfillment.

The conversation highlights the need for better coordination among manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies, health systems, payers, and regulators.

This is the Pharmacy Podcast Network's coverage of the 2026 McKesson ideaShare! Missed the big event? We've got you covered.

McKesson's ideaShare is one of the largest community pharmacy brainstorm events. Empowering current and future independent pharmacists with deeper connections, new ways to innovate, and strength in numbers for the voice of community pharmacy.

Join host Todd Eury, CEO of the Pharmacy Podcast Network, as he walks the exhibit hall in Denver Colorado interviewing vendors, attendees, independent pharmacy owners, and industry friends.

Thank you to Independent Pharmacy Cooperative (IPC), for sponsoring this coverage!

In this episode we hear from:

In this episode, Andrew Kantor is joined by federal lobbyist David Pore and PCCA's Amy Shank to examine the proposed SAFE Act and its potential impact on compounding pharmacies. The discussion explores concerns that the bill could restrict patient access to compounded medications during drug shortages, impose new limitations on 503A pharmacies, and disproportionately affect legitimate compounders while failing to address bad actors. The episode also unpacks the legislation's connection to GLP-1 demand, adverse event reporting, and the bipartisan politics surrounding the bill, while encouraging listeners to stay engaged in APC's advocacy efforts.