First Blog Ever

Hey everyone, I just finished reading the Angry Pharmacist's blog this afternoon and decided that it was time to start blogging myself.  The AP puts what we are thinking into words that we all wish we could use in our pharmacy.  However, I want to give you ammo to help keep your doors open and ask those (who we think are helping us) what they are doing TODAY to help us stay in business.  I don't know about you but I believe we should be paid for what we do and that if a drug is a commodity then we should price them as commodities with a 30% markup (like everyone else in retail does).  If drugs are part of health care then let's price them according to service pricing like hospitals and doctors.  I have seen my profit margin shrink over the years due to PBM's constantly lowering reimbursement on behalf of their customers (the payers). My business is on the fence not due to mismanagement or extravagant lifestyles but by being marginalized by the PBM's.  More to come on this later.. Starting in 2012 I will see many of my patients forced to the local CVS because of the sweet heart deal they have with Atena, a Medicare D plan.  One of my customers asked me why she would have to pay 9 bucks here but nothing if she went to CVS?  I responded that our own government has allowed discrimination against freedom of choice.  CMS has allowed a violation of the health care law (in my opinion) that disadvantages independents and gives all the chains the ability to fight over the Part D plans.  This will lead to even lower reimbursements and guess what, independents being forced out of the networks whether by choice or not.  Patients (customers) will go to the place where they don't have to pay.  How do we compete with FREE, especially from the government?  Community pharmacy has always given back to our communities but now we must ask our communities to give back to us.  We must have their help in complaining to CMS and Congress about these unfair networks.  You can also help by asking NCPA, APhA and your co-op what they are doing about it!  You know those folks who complain every time they come in the door and how we dread talking to them? Well, that patient needs to be You!  We need to be the squeaky wheel and not the complacent folks we are.  Kudos to PCAN and PharmacyTruth for helping get the grassroots involved.  I don't know how many of you will become involved in our plight and fight, but if just one of you will get angry (see Angry Pharmacist) and start being squeaky maybe we can change a few things.  Stay tuned..
KA

post script:  let me see your comments and thoughts..