What the Hell !!! Sorry to post so soon but Mr. Mayer has made me just a little mad.(Drug Topics Final Word February 2012) How dare he suggest Walgreen's CEO get the Remington medal. Has he lost his freaking mind! Let's review.
Walgreen's takes a stand on ESI because they are not paying them enough money. They don't pay the rest of us enough money. I would love to tell ESI to kiss my butt but I don't have wall street giving me butt loads of cash to keep my store open, nor do I have crap from China on my shelf to sell to my customers at 300% percent profit to help keep my doors open. Did I forget to mention that I get about 5% percent of sales off my front end while Walgreen's gets about 70%. Hey Mr. Mayer, did you forget how Walgreen's got it's growth spurt? See one of my first articles about prohibition.
Let's look at your earlier statement in your article shall we. Quote "in 1962, when I opened my pharmacy in Sausalito, Calif., there were 59 independent pharmacies that took care of Marin County, Calif., patients. Now there are 4 independent pharmacies left, partially due to the 3 managed care companies like ESI, who have squeezed the small businesses out of existence." Well Mr. Mayer, how many FREAKING WALGREEN'S and CVS's are in MARIN COUNTY !!! Get real... These guys (chain pharmacies) have advantages over all independents. It's called WALL STREET INVESTORS. I would love to have people give me free money. (Mr. Mayer doesn't even mention what chains have done to independents over the years and their mail order facilities). Did he mention that Walgreen's has doubled their efforts to expand their mail order facilities and their central fill facilities? no? well la tee da... do some research...if you really are president of a consumer advocacy group do some advocating for a change instead of just placating....
Now for some sobering stuff...
If Walgreen's stock suffers...from NOT taking ESI, or from ESI refusing to allow Walgreen's to participate (can you say Rx Ally anyone) then you will see the board of Walgreen's replace management very rapidly. It happens everyday. That is Wall Street reality.
So Mr. Mayer, I agree with you that pharmacists should do what that are trained to do AND get paid for it. HOWEVER ( I know I am shouting, it's the best way to be heard) being stupid and praising Walgreen's isn't the proper way to do it. Just calling the kettle black.
Kris
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
What PBMs Do
Kudos to Mr. Evan Vickers! Mr. Vickers is a member of the Utah House of Representatives and a pharmacist. In the February edition of Drug Store News he tells it like it is. PBMs provide almost no value to our economy, no value to health care and almost no value to the consumer. I will quote a few memorable passages "PBMs profit at the expense of consumers. These are for-profit companies that function as intermediaries between health plans,drug companies, retail pharmacies and patients. Their motive is PROFIT, NOT PATIENT CARE. The three largest PBMs, including ESI and Medco, have seen their profits nearly quadruple in the last three years-from $900 MILLION to more than $3.5 BILLION- while most Americans have struggled through a tough recession."
Doesn't this just make you sick to your stomach. If you are involved in health care at the provider level at all, you have to be sick to think of how much money is being wasted on corporate fat cats. McKessions CEOs salary equated to about 25 thousand dollars for each independent pharmacy that does business with them. Isn't that a kick in the pants. As small business people we are constantly being asked to help our local communities and our patients (who are unemployed and broke). We are being asked for more and more dollars from our associations and co-ops to fund activities to fight these abuses. I don't have a problem with this as long as there is accountability and transparency. We need to make sure our leaders are transparent and accountable just like we want the PBMs to be. I will give you 50 bucks to give to a congressman but you had better make sure he votes for our bills. We need to make sure that people whom we give money vote to help independent pharmacy.
On another note, Dr. Dan Hussar, from the Pharmacist Activist, wrote that CVS should have criminal charges filed against them for their activities involving oxycodone in Florida. CVS obtained an injunction to prevent the DEA from shuttering two of their stores in Florida that dispensed many many scripts of oxycodone while two independents were closed. Thanks Dan for exposing what CVS is doing and also Cardinal. Wholesalers are also not exempt from that almighty dollar. Don't get me wrong, if you are breaking the law, you need to go to jail. That means independent, CVS and yes, Cardinal. Maybe it's time the CEO of CVS and Cardinal were dragged out of their penthouses in handcuffs for allowing their locations to break the law over and over again. I know that I would be on the 6 o'clock news being put in the squad car if it was my store. Why not them? Oh, that's right, money...
Hey, you guys heard any more about RxAlly? No, read the first paragraph again and substitute RxAlly for PBM and see if it makes sense.
Lastly, thanks to the brave independents in North Carolina. You guys are our heros!! For those of you who haven't heard, there are four independents in North Carolina who are suing CMS for allowing restricted networks and differential co pays. I wish you the best of luck and we need to support them with our dollars. This is what matters. Get your co-op and association to get behind them and support them. It is about time someone stood up for what is right. Thank you !!!!
Til next time.
Kris
Doesn't this just make you sick to your stomach. If you are involved in health care at the provider level at all, you have to be sick to think of how much money is being wasted on corporate fat cats. McKessions CEOs salary equated to about 25 thousand dollars for each independent pharmacy that does business with them. Isn't that a kick in the pants. As small business people we are constantly being asked to help our local communities and our patients (who are unemployed and broke). We are being asked for more and more dollars from our associations and co-ops to fund activities to fight these abuses. I don't have a problem with this as long as there is accountability and transparency. We need to make sure our leaders are transparent and accountable just like we want the PBMs to be. I will give you 50 bucks to give to a congressman but you had better make sure he votes for our bills. We need to make sure that people whom we give money vote to help independent pharmacy.
On another note, Dr. Dan Hussar, from the Pharmacist Activist, wrote that CVS should have criminal charges filed against them for their activities involving oxycodone in Florida. CVS obtained an injunction to prevent the DEA from shuttering two of their stores in Florida that dispensed many many scripts of oxycodone while two independents were closed. Thanks Dan for exposing what CVS is doing and also Cardinal. Wholesalers are also not exempt from that almighty dollar. Don't get me wrong, if you are breaking the law, you need to go to jail. That means independent, CVS and yes, Cardinal. Maybe it's time the CEO of CVS and Cardinal were dragged out of their penthouses in handcuffs for allowing their locations to break the law over and over again. I know that I would be on the 6 o'clock news being put in the squad car if it was my store. Why not them? Oh, that's right, money...
Hey, you guys heard any more about RxAlly? No, read the first paragraph again and substitute RxAlly for PBM and see if it makes sense.
Lastly, thanks to the brave independents in North Carolina. You guys are our heros!! For those of you who haven't heard, there are four independents in North Carolina who are suing CMS for allowing restricted networks and differential co pays. I wish you the best of luck and we need to support them with our dollars. This is what matters. Get your co-op and association to get behind them and support them. It is about time someone stood up for what is right. Thank you !!!!
Til next time.
Kris
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