Pharmacy Podcast Network

Have you ever played through the emotional and exciting space opera that is "Mass Effect" and wondered if the subplot of intergalactic chemical genocide was physiologically plausible? If you answered "yes" to that question, then you're in the right place. If you answered "no," then you're probably normal.

This is NOT your physician's podcast. Hosts Shane Garrettson and Cal Vandergrift dive into the pharmacy world with fun, interesting, and downright weird topics!

Tune in for NEW episodes, available on Spotify, Apple, Anchor, and more! Check out our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages at Let's Pharmonize to view videos and images relevant to every episode! If you have any questions, comments, or even corrections, e-mail us at [email protected].

PLEASE READ: Shane and Cal are NOT medical professionals. DO NOT USE the information presented in this podcast to aid in your own personal health or medicinal benefit. This is a light-hearted podcast that should not be taken with the same seriousness as your own personal health.

A special thanks to Kelly Kerr for creating the music used in the intro and outro.

Additional Music from Fesliyan Studios. 

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What is Patient Engagement? Patients offer different perspectives about the healthcare industry pharmaceutical companies. 

Patient engagement is centered on providers and patients working together to improve health. A patient’s greater engagement in healthcare contributes to improved health outcomes. Patients want to be engaged in their healthcare decision-making process, and those who are engaged as decision-makers in their care tend to be healthier and experience better outcomes. 

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Background: Positive associations between medication adherence and beneficial outcomes primarily come from studying filling/consumption behaviors after therapy initiation. Few studies have focused on what happens before initiation, the point from prescribing to dispensing of an initial prescription. 

Objective: to provide guidance and encourage high-quality research on the relationship between beneficial outcomes and initial medication adherence (IMA), the rate initially prescribed medication is dispensed.

Using “Initial Medication Adherence” IMA rigorously & include providing convincing evidence that initial prescribing and dispensing events are identified, supplemental parameters incorporating perspective and substitution biases are addressed, and contextual parameters are included.

Medications are the most common treatment regimen used in ambulatory health care. Yet, adhering to prescribed medications is a major issue affecting health care because nonadherence has been associated with worsening clinical symptoms and disease progression. Furthermore, medication nonadherence has been linked to increased health care visits, services, and costs. Studies linking nonadherence to these unfavorable outcomes have used various operational definitions for adherence—each with its own nomenclature (e.g., persistence), several representing similar if not exact components of medication adherence, which we call initial medication adherence (IMA). 

For example: the IMA process begins with a prescriber and patient interaction in an emergency room/ department, hospital, or other clinic setting (step 1) that results in a prescribing event (step 2)—the first of the two key events needed for an IMA measurement. When a prescribing event occurs, data collected from the perspective of either a prescriber or a patient will capture it, whereas data collected from the perspective of a pharmacist will not. To qualify as IMA, however, the prescribing event must relate to a patient’s first prescription within a therapeutic class (step 4).

Otherwise, the dispensing event becomes part of a PIMA metric (step 5).

Data from either the patient or the prescriber should be able to determine whether the prescribing event is an initial event. The pharmacist becomes aware of prescribing events only when these events are communicated to the pharmacist for filling (step 6).

Therefore, the pharmacist does not know how many prescribing events have occurred, only how many have been communicated. However, once the pharmacist receives the prescription (step 7) and fills it (step 8), the pharmacist must dispense the prescription to the patient (step 9). The dispensing event is the second key event needed for measuring IMA (step 10).

With dispensing the medication to the patient, both the pharmacist and the patient know that the IMA is achieved, but the prescriber does not. If a pharmacist does not dispense a filled prescription, the prescription becomes abandoned to the pharmacist and is restocked (step 11).

If an abandoned prescription is not transferred to another pharmacist (step 12) and subsequently dispensed, the patient will be initially nonadherent (step 13). Either the pharmacist or the prescriber may transfer the prescription from one pharmacy to another, but neither may know that the prescription has been dispensed. 

— How can pharmacists use the IMA process in communications with physicians? — Explain how pharmacists can educate patients about better adherence with their initial prescriptions—What are the main reasons for medication non-adherence? 

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What is the Mission of TruePill? Listen in to this fascinating conversation with Dr. David Berkowitz & TruePill co-founder Sid Viswanathan. 

Much of the tech stack connecting health care providers is antiquated and is in need of modernization. One of the companies helping to evolve the healthcare information highway is Truepill. Truepill got their start as the pharmacy fulfillment technology behind popular consumer brands like Hims/Hers and GoodRx.

Since then, Truepill has expanded into other vertical spaces like telehealth and has created a comprehensive API-connected healthcare infrastructure to meet many of their customer’s needs.  Listen in as Dave speaks to Truepill’s CEO Sid Visawanathan, about how Truepill empowers their partners to deliver world-class patient experiences.

Sid Viswanathan is the Co-Founder and President of Truepill. Alongside Co-Founder Umar Afridi, Sid founded Truepill in 2016 to revolutionize the pharmacy and healthcare industry. The company shipped its first prescription less than five years ago and has since expanded its services to deliver an end-to-end, direct-to-patient experience unlike anything else in the healthcare industry.

In 2010, Sid founded his first company, CardMunch, a business-card scanning app which was acquired by LinkedIn soon after its founding. After its acquisition, Sid joined LinkedIn as Product Manager and saw CardMunch named one of Time Magazine’s Best Apps of 2012. Sid started his career in Johnson & Johnson’s Global Operations Leadership Development program, working in the medical device and pharmaceutical sectors. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering.

Learn more: https://truepill.com/ 

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PUTTcast Episode 16: Behind The Rx Counter

Life behind the pharmacy counter can be a roller coaster of stress, so how does that translate into comedy?

Join host Monique Whitney, PUTT President Scott Newman, board member Lord Doctor Jeremy Counts, and PUTTcast special guest, pharmacist Maurice Shaw aka The Doctor of Comedy as they discuss retail pharmacy, patients, PBMs, and how to find the humor in all of it.

TruthRx.org

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Sandra Leal is the President of the APhA and is a longtime advocate and leader for #providerstatus, Sandra has had a tremendous impact on the profession and we are honored to have her on the Pharmacy Podcast. Sandra is committed to the theme & mission for pharmacists to "Be the Voice for Pharmacy" and she asks that you join her in her mission by speaking up and using your voices too.

CONNECT w/ SANDRA 

@SLealRx

@BetheVoiceRx

Scott Knoer, PharmD is the CEO of the APhA and is committed to changing the payment system of the strangle-hold status quo system controlled by the 3 leading PBMs which process more than 75% of all prescriptions in the U.S. 

CONNECT w/ SCOTT 

@ScottKnoer

The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) has joined a federal lawsuit filed by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) in January to challenge direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fees.

DIR fees have been a point of contention since they were loosely established in 2014 because they allow pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to retroactively impose these fees on pharmacies and, indirectly, on patients long after the point of sale.

“HHS has acknowledged on multiple occasions that retroactive pharmacy DIR fees inflict harm on pharmacies and increase costs for their patients, but it has repeatedly neglected to address the problem,” said APhA EVP and CEO Scott J. Knoer, MS, PharmD, FASHP, in a press release. “This lawsuit puts pharmacy in the driver’s seat. We demand that HHS meet its obligations and use its authority to stop PBMs from operating without accountability.”

Scott was interviewed by Pharmacy Times Alana Hippensteele & said: 

Right now, obviously, doctors, PAs, nurse practitioners, and—this is no insult intended whatsoever—but audiologists and nurse midwives are also providers. Pharmacists are the second most educated with PharmD's and our bachelor's pharmacists have been working 30 years with experience, and my audiologist, I have a hearing tested—God love her—she did a great job, but she's not trained at the level pharmacists are. So it's just ludicrous that pharmacists cannot bill for the services they all went to school for.

So—we'll get to this, I know you've got your questions, I'm sorry I give long answers to short questions—the problem is pharmacies are only reimbursed for product in the community setting, and 20 years ago that was okay because you got paid enough where I could talk to your mom about her diabetes. Now the PBMs have sucked so much money out of the health care system without providing any real value that all you can do is volume. That's why we've had reporter—just recently Adiel Kaplan at NBC news—talk about the challenges in chain pharmacies. I love chain pharmacies, but they tend to have busier pharmacies, people are stressed out, they're burned out, they're worried about making errors—so that was a long answer to what's this do—it allows for patients in underserved areas where—it's not everyone, but it's a good start—for pharmacists to bill for what they went to school for. For a sustainable practice model—it's not sustainable right now.

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Dr. Christine Manukyan is a Functional Medicine Pharmacist.

What's that even mean?

Take a listen & learn as Dr. Manukyan shares her journey through pharmacy as an immigrant from Armenia, to becoming a director of pharmacy, and working as a hospital pharmacist in one of the largest hospitals in Los Angeles, CA.

Dr. Manukyan career was growing while her health was declining. Like so many busy moms, she was suffering from burnout and letting her health go. Christine had an alarming wake-up call at age 35 after her physician told her she could have a heart attack at any time if she didn’t change her ways. As millions of Americans, she was handed a prescription for a cholesterol medication and sent on her way.

Fast forward from 2015 to 2021, Dr. Manukyan has now left her corporate position as a pharmacist and is a full-time entrepreneur as a functional medicine pharmacist. She is able to be a full-time mom while having a successful business – something that she wants to help more pharmacist moms do the same. 

Christine's advice is: "Give yourself permission to dream big and take action to go after and manifest your dreams!" 

Website

Dr. Christine Manukyan want to connect with you on social media: 

LinkedIn

Instagram

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Chop, chop, the King, the King! King George III is largely known as "The Mad King who lost the United States". In actuality, his story is much, MUCH more interesting. 

This is NOT your physician's podcast. Hosts Shane Garrettson and Cal Vandergrift dive into the pharmacy world with fun, interesting, and downright weird topics!

Tune in for NEW episodes, available on Spotify, Apple, Anchor, and more! Check out our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages at Let's Pharmonize to view videos and images relevant to every episode! If you have any questions, comments, or even corrections, e-mail us at [email protected].

PLEASE READ: Shane and Cal are NOT medical professionals. DO NOT USE the information presented in this podcast to aid in your own personal health or medicinal benefit. This is a light-hearted podcast that should not be taken with the same seriousness as your own personal health.

Movie Clips used in episode come from: The Madness of King George (1994), directed by Nicholas Hytner, adapted from 1991 play of the same name by Alan Bennett. 

A special thanks to Kelly Kerr for creating the music used in the intro and outro.

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Building a more profitable and customer-centric pharmacy business starts here.

Today's guests are Brad Jones, CEO of RMS and Trish White, Pharmacy Owner of White's Pharmacy, Fry’s Pharmacy and Harry Race Pharmacy in Alaska. 

-We’re so excited to welcome Terri Norvell back to CLIMB for an interview on building great pharmacy teams through training. 

-Employee wellness – how to care for your pharmacy team to build a better pharmacy business

Empower your team and grow your pharmacy business through leadership and training with Terri Norvell! May 13th 8-9am Pacific 

Join RMS each month for a brand new webinar where we'll talk to pharmacists, pharmacy industry experts and business innovators to give you insight on important pharmacy trends and the best ways to grow your bottom line.

The CLIMB webinar series is produced exclusively for pharmacies and provides tools that any pharmacy can use to reach and even exceed profitability and customer-centricity goals.

Don't miss this transformative webinar series filled with conference quality content.  

SAVE YOUR SEAT

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Women & Men: The Balance of Leadership in Healthcare

Guest:

Katashia Partee Kendrick, PharmD, BCACP

Clinical Pharmacy Specialist | Health & Wellness Coach | Toastmaster | Infertility Advocate | Fitness Enthusiast

20 Women Of Color Medical Students And Graduates Who Matched In 2021 Share On Soon Joining The Frontlines

As Match Day, March 19, 2021 rolled around, the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) reported this year’s Match was the largest in history. 38,106 positions were offered and a record high of 5,915 programs partook in the occasion reaching a growth number of 16.7% after five years. This growth was realized a year after the pandemic amid a season that has challenged the health sector also disrupting clinical rotations and testing and creating major changes in the residency application process. However, registering applicant did not waver, the 2021 Main Residency Match reached a high of 48,700 registered applicants with the largest single-year bump in recorded history—an 8.3% rise since 2020—along with 95% of the 35,194 first-year positions being filled.

 

Amid these moving developments, the pandemic that has concurrently occurred has continued to illuminate disparities that exist among populations of color grappling with navigating its effects. As early research during the pandemic has conveyed, the Covid-19 virus has disproportionately affected Black and Brown communities. And since the vaccine has been created these populations have continued to feel skepticism when asked their thoughts on receiving the vaccination. Much of this skepticism coming from the history of unethical medical practices on Black and Brown communities that have resulted in large segments of this population distrusting the medical system.

 

The Pandemic Is Forcing Women Out Of The Workplace

https://www.wgbh.org/news/commentary/2021/03/29/the-pandemic-is-forcing-women-out-of-the-workplace

 

by: ï  Callie Crossley  twitter calliecrossley

 

Forty hours a week doesn’t begin to describe it. The standard weekly work hours are the baseline for women working outside of the home pre-pandemic.

Traditionally, women’s combined time working in the office and at home has always been substantially more than their male partners. That got worse in March 2020, when the country shut down to slow the spread of COVID-19. Schools and child care centers abruptly closed, companies sent workers home and suddenly some women employees were clocking the kind of overtime that violates labor laws. Most of them took on extra roles, including teacher and 24/7 cook.

But soon, women like Farida Mercedes were forced to make a choice.

Five months after the shutdown started, Mercedes resigned from her position as L’Oréal’s assistant vice president of human resources, telling NPR, “I made a very difficult decision to leave my role. I just could not imagine what I had done in the spring of being a stay-at-home mom and working full time.” She, like millions of other women, stepped off the corporate ladder — effectively stalling or ending their careers.

To be clear, women’s absence hurts the bottom line. McKinsey's "Women In The Workplace 2020" report points out that company profits and share performances can be “close to 50% higher when women are represented at the top.”

But most women in the American workforce do not work in corporate America. An overwhelming number don’t even earn a living wage. There’s a reason why so many are leaders in the national Fight for 15 movement — organizing to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Women dominate in low wage jobs like nursing home health aides, child care, hotel maids, grocery store clerks and waitresses. Before COVID-19, many women made ends meet by working several low wage jobs. The pandemic made visible the invisible, unpaid work of women workers.

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