Pharmacy Podcast Network

March 8th 2024: This Week in Pharmacy we talk 'Medical Science Liaisons' and #Pharmacists with the The Carolan Group -- Sarah Snyder PharmD and Tom Caravela!

This is the Pharmacy Podcast Network's press coverage special episode of the 2024 Pennsylvania Pharmacist Association's Annual Conference. The PPA 2024 was on February 2nd through 4th in Harrisburg. There was a record setting number of pharmacy student participants ready to learn about the future of pharmacy care in the Keystone State. The educational programming was stacked with some amazing pharmacist providers and the networking events connected pharmacy operators and academia with industry businesses supporting pharmacy care in Pennsylvania. 

In this episode: 

Mayank (Dr. Mak) Amin, PharmD, RPh, MBA 

Anthony Mahajan 

Chichi Ilonzo Momah, PharmD, CPGx  

Erich Cushey, PharmD

Jena Quinn, PharmD, BCPPS 

John DeJames 

How Integrated Care Produces Superior Outcomes: Rheumatoid Arthritis

We're excited to welcome back Congressmen Buddy Carter, with the 1st District of Georgia. Breck L. Rice with ServRx hosts this special PBM Reform Podcast episode. 

Understanding PBM's Role At the core of this complex narrative are the PBMs, entities that have long operated in the shadows of healthcare, negotiating drug prices, and managing prescription drug benefits. They are the unseen intermediaries among health insurance companies, Medicare Part D plans, and employers, wielding significant influence over what drugs are covered and at what price.

The call for reform has been fuelled by concerns that PBMs contribute to skyrocketing drug prices through opaque pricing schemes and rebates, with critics arguing for measures to enhance competition, transparency, and ultimately reduce costs for consumers.

Yet, as the recent Congressional delay demonstrates, the path to reform is fraught with complexity. A Delayed Decision: Implications and Insights The postponement of PBM reform legislation reflects more than just a legislative stalemate; it underscores the significant challenges in balancing competing interests within the healthcare sector. 

While the delay may be seen as a setback by advocates of reform, it also highlights the difficulties in enacting changes in a highly regulated and interconnected industry. The momentum for reform, as evidenced by the support from 39 state attorneys general and ongoing investigations by federal agencies, suggests that this issue remains at the forefront of healthcare policy debates.

The coalition of state AGs, along with proposed bills aimed at increasing transparency and regulatory oversight, signal a continued push for legislative solutions. Looking Ahead: The Future of PBM Reform Despite the current pause, the conversation around PBM reform is far from over.

The landscape is marked by a blend of cautious optimism and unresolved tensions, with stakeholders closely watching how future legislative efforts will unfold. The need for reform is clear, with calls for greater transparency, fair pricing, and increased competition echoing across the healthcare industry. As the debate continues, it remains to be seen how Congress will navigate these complex issues and what impact future actions will have on drug costs, patient access, and the overall healthcare system.

What is clear, however, is that the path forward requires a delicate balancing act, one that reconciles the need for innovation and efficiency with the imperative of ensuring equitable access to medications for all Americans.

Written by Anthony Raphael author at Medriva

Anthony V. Minniti, RPh FACA joins the PPN on the PBM Reform Podcast to talk about why the PBMs, in their current state need to be removed from pharmacy care.

During this episode of the NASP Podcast, Sheila Arquette, President & CEO of NASP, chats about A.I. in Specialty Pharmacy with Carl Mazzanti, Co-Founder and President of eMazzanti Technologies, Microsoft’s four-time Partner of the Year and one of the premier IT consulting services for businesses throughout the New York metropolitan area and internationally. 

 I still can’t believe we’re already on season 7 of the podcast - marking 7 years!

TheAnswerPage is a medical education resource that has been providing the highest quality accredited education to the healthcare community for over 25 years. Recently 'The Answer Page" was approved by the New York State Office of Cannabis Management to launch “The New York Medical Cannabis Program Required Course Podcast. Access here: ConveyMED.io Founders of the Answer Page --are Stephen B. Corn, MD, is the founding Editor-in-Chief, and Meredith Fisher-Corn, MD, is the current Editor-in-Chief, of TheAnswerPage.com. TheAnswerPage.com, a medical education website that launched in 1998, and has become an internationally recognized leader in providing unbiased peer-reviewed continuing medical education (CME) content on the endocannabinoid system and the therapeutic use of medical cannabis, pain medicine and opioid prescribing. TheAnswerPage.com provides accredited content for doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and dentists and provides free educational resources also for caregivers and patients. Drs. Corn have created hundreds of continuing medical education courses in multiple areas of medicine, including perioperative & hospital medicine, palliative care, opioid prescribing & risk management, and medical statistics. In 2012 TheAnswerPage.com educational focus became directed at addressing the huge national educational gap in terms of providing formal education on the endocannabinoid system and medical marijuana. Since then, TheAnswerPage.com has pioneered the creation of accredited courses, such as the “New York State Practitioner Education-Medical Use of Marijuana Required Course,” and for the several other states, with a required medical cannabisn course for practitioners, such as for Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Utah and West Virginia. Both Drs. Corn were named “Medical Professional of the Year” by the “Americans for Safe Access” in Washington DC and were the 2017 recipients of the International Association for Cannabinoid Medicine “Special Award for Major Contributions to the Reintroduction of Cannabis as Medicine.”