Jason Poquette

Jason Poquette, BPharm, R.Ph., earned his pharmaceutical degree from the University of Connecticut in 1993. In addition to his 20 years of practice, Jason writes his own blog, The Honest Apothecary, a pharmaceutical news and information site dedicated both to patients and to fellow pharmacists.

Articles by Jason Poquette

• The pharmacist salary debate goes on

  Monday, December 03, 2018

  When the famous John D. Rockefeller was asked, "How much money is enough?" he reportedly replied, "Just a little bit more." I have yet to meet someone who felt he was overpaid for his work. Underpaid? For sure. Overpaid? Never. We are all, typically, very good at identifying "others" whom we think are paid too much. Rare is the person willing to question her or his own salary and wonder if they are overpaid.

• A pharmacist’s thoughts on Florida suing CVS, Walgreens

  Monday, November 19, 2018

  We are struggling as a nation to manage the devastating impact of drug diversion, abuse, addiction, and overdose deaths. Florida has taken a unique approach to deal with the crisis: sue the pharmacy. As a pharmacist I want nothing more than to see us reduce the nonmedical use of opioids and to get help to those patients who find themselves locked into a pattern of addiction and abuse. That being said, I respectfully believe that suing pharmacies, and pharmaceutical manufacturers, is an inappropriate and unhelpful response.

• Pharmacies big and small struggle for profit

  Tuesday, November 06, 2018

  Accounting, legal services, dentists and physician offices are frequently listed as some of the most profitable U.S. businesses. Noticeably absent from any such list is pharmacy. But when it comes to specialty pharmacy, maybe they are the exception to the rule? It doesn’t appear so. Large revenues don’t compensate for incredibly thin margins, and therefore making a profit is challenging for them as well. I guess when it comes to making a profit in pharmacy, size really doesn’t matter at all.

• Pharmacists gear up for the heart of flu season

  Monday, October 22, 2018

  Last winter, there were nearly twice the number of deaths from the flu as are typically expected during a "bad" year. The reason for the significant increase in deaths last year is likely due to the fact that the strain appears to have mutated just prior to the flu season, making the available vaccine only about 40 percent effective. Pharmacists and pharmacies are gearing up, ordering in supplies of the influenza vaccine along with other antiviral medication, like Tamiflu.

• Tighter opioid laws may not work

  Tuesday, September 04, 2018

  More restrictive laws surrounding opioid prescriptions do not always have the results they intended. That appears to be the conclusion of a study published recently in a JAMA Surgery article dated Aug. 22. The study focused on the impact of the October 2014 change of hydrocodone products from Schedule III to Schedule II. The law intended to reduce the total quantity of hydrocodone prescribing, and it did. The number of hydrocodone products (HCP) prescribed across the nation declined significantly. But the recent study noted that the schedule change appears to have resulted in a slight increase in the amount of opioids prescribed initially.

• Blood pressure: Go low to improve memory

  Friday, August 10, 2018

  Pharmacists are in a unique position to promote patient adherence to blood pressure medication and to encourage self-monitoring of blood pressure, and now they have more reasons than ever. For years we have known that lowering blood pressure helps prevent heart disease. In 2017, new guidelines from the American Heart Association (AHA) recommended treatment to begin for any patient with systolic blood pressure over 130 or diastolic over 80. But a new study suggests that even lower numbers might be appropriate if we also want to lower the risk of mental decline.

• Massachusetts passes new law to combat opioid abuse

  Friday, July 27, 2018

  On July 19, the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed a new package of legislation aimed to combat the persistent problem of opioid addiction, abuse and overdose in the state. Referred to as the "CARE Act" (an act for prevention and access to appropriate care and treatment of addiction), this 50-page, 97-section, piece of legislation hopes to address an issue that is said to be taking the lives of five people per day in Massachusetts. As a Massachusetts pharmacist myself, I’m encouraged to see that this issue remains a high priority.

• Amazon purchases PillPack. What is that?

  Thursday, July 12, 2018

  Once again, Amazon has given healthcare a shake-up, this time with a reported $1 billion purchase of a prescription delivery service called PillPack that, frankly, many people had never heard of. PillPack? What is that? A Bloomberg article described PillPack as servicing a "narrow segment of patients." But with a reported 2017 revenue of $100 million, it seems to have done pretty well with a skinny slice of the prescription pie.

• Is the sky falling for pharmacist salaries?

  Thursday, June 28, 2018

  They say what goes up must come down. But for a long time, that hasn’t been true when it comes to pharmacist salaries. Median hourly wages have continued to increase for pharmacists over the past couple decades. But the 2018 Pharmacy Compensation Survey, a few details of which are available for free on the PharmacyWeek blog, shows at least some evidence that pharmacist salaries have hit a ceiling and might be heading downward in the days to come.

• Right-to-try: Cause for hope or just hype?

  Thursday, June 14, 2018

  A 2010 movie entitled "Extraordinary Measures" starred Harrison Ford and was based on the real-life story of the parents of two children with a rare, terminal disorder known as Pompe’s disease. It was a good movie and an amazing story. The kids got the medicine during the trial phase and it worked. I wonder if the supporters of "right-to-try" measures for new, experimental drugs expect that the newly signed legislation will produce many more stories like this. Maybe it will.

• What to make of the drop in pharmacy school enrollments

  Friday, June 01, 2018

  In his excellent blog, Kevin Mero, the president of PharmacyWeek, detailed the latest data on pharmacy school enrollments…and for the first time ever, they are all down! The data come from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) website and refers to the latest information from 2017. Could this be the tipping point for the infusion of pharmacists into workforce? And what does a downward trend in pharmacy school enrollment mean?

• What are copay accumulator programs?

  Friday, May 18, 2018

  Retail pharmacists and specialty pharmacists working in the trenches may have heard whispers about something called "copay accumulator programs." But with long lines at the register, phones ringing off the hook, 30 more flu shots to give and a jammed printer…I can understand why you haven’t had time to read up on them. I’m a front-line pharmacist myself, and I understand your dilemma. Let me take a moment to explain this issue.

• As hospital profits fall, outpatient pharmacies should help

  Wednesday, May 09, 2018

  The Wall Street Journal recently published a somber-sounding article sure to send shivers down the spines of hospital investors. It reported a margin decline to 8.1 percent last year, from 9.5 percent the year before. This is grim news for health systems which are already struggling to maintain their market share amid growing competition from clinics and outpatient services. Since this week is National Hospital Week, and I care deeply about the services and financial stability of the hospital systems in our country, I wanted to share some thoughts from the perspective of a pharmacist.

• Will CVS’s new Rx Savings Finder help reduce costs?

  Wednesday, April 18, 2018

  ​After working nearly 25 years in retail and about seven years doing in-depth formulary analysis, I've learned one about prescription insurance: copays are confusing. CVS pharmacy hopes to reduce this confusion somewhat by introducing a new "Rx Savings Finder" tool to help pharmacists help their patients find a better deal.

• Why would health insurers choose brand‑name drugs over generic?

  Thursday, April 05, 2018

  ​An interesting illustration of retail pharmacy economics is playing out before our eyes. It is not a new thing, but it is being seen more frequently these days than in the past. Health insurance plans are starting to demand that expensive brand-name medications be dispensed instead of their approved generic. For those working in retail pharmacies, but unfamiliar with this strategy, it is often puzzling. Patients too are sometimes confused by this, as they are transitioned from a "cheap" generic back to the brand-name product.

• How useful is your board of pharmacy website?

  Monday, March 26, 2018

  ​Boards of pharmacy in each state exist to regulate and oversee the practice of pharmacy within their jurisdiction. Board members have an enormous responsibility to promote public safety and compliance with all relevant rules and regulations.

• ‘Hide and seek’ health pricing has to stop

  Friday, March 09, 2018

  When a patient walks into a pharmacy with a new prescription in hand, something radical happens in the field of healthcare: They hear the price. How that price was arrived at isn't always crystal clear. Sometimes a deductible is included. Sometimes they are paying a percentage of the contracted price. There are even times when their copay includes a PBM clawback (which even the pharmacy may not know).

• Why should pharmacies notify physicians about rejections?

  Friday, February 23, 2018

  ​Will Rogers apparently once quipped, "I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts." Rogers would have a field day with some of the "facts" that are coming out lately.

• The pharmacist as motivator

  Friday, February 09, 2018

  "Imagine your life is perfect in every respect; what would it look like?" This question, posed by motivational speaker and author Brian Tracy, is at the heart of much that he writes about. See where you want to be. Imagine a better life. Then, begin to work backward toward achieving it.

• In West Virginia, overdose deaths rise as opioid prescriptions drop

  Thursday, January 25, 2018

  ​Recently released information from the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy (BOP) about their state opioid abuse problem confirms what many of us have been saying for years: Addiction and overdose deaths are not, primarily, a prescribing and dispensing problem.

• Points to ponder: Hospital vs. retail career paths in 2018

  Friday, January 12, 2018

  ​Today's pharmacists have more career paths to ponder than ever before. No longer are you limited to choosing between being a retail staff pharmacist or a hospital staff pharmacist. Numerous pharmacy residency programs exist to qualify pharmacists to work in specialized settings, such as critical care, oncology, infectious disease, pain management and many more. There are also opportunities that exist in managed care, industry and academia.

• What can pharmacists learn from this robbery story?

  Tuesday, January 02, 2018

  It was a chilly 19 degrees outside — normal for late December in Akron, Ohio. Akronites accept this frosty climate. Their winters are generally cold, but sitting 40 miles south of Lake Erie they see less snow than the northern areas of the state's "snow belt" region.

• Are we playing medical Monopoly?

  Monday, December 11, 2017

  ​Mergers and acquisitions are the name of the game in healthcare these days. It feels like we are watching a giant game of medical Monopoly being played out before our very eyes. Just a few big players are rapidly rolling the dice and plucking up properties as they move their pieces around board.

• Pharmacists should give ‘Vials’ a chance

  Thursday, November 30, 2017

  "Vials" — the much-anticipated (among some pharmacy folks) new TV series about pharmacists and retail pharmacy life — launched its first full episode Thanksgiving Day. The Amazon program promises to expose both the humorous and less humorous elements of retail pharmacy life, not to mention some of our more awkward and uncomfortable patient situations as well.

• Prescriptions are not pizza: CVS delivery plan raises questions

  Wednesday, November 08, 2017

  "Thank you for calling CVS Pharmacy. Will this be for pickup or delivery?" That may be the new greeting at the nation's largest pharmacy chain if things go as planned, according to information released during a recent earnings call. ​CVS is planning to offer next-day prescription delivery throughout the U.S. beginning in early 2018, with some communities offering a same-day delivery option as well.

• Are prescription drug prices really that high?

  Thursday, November 02, 2017

  ​I was recently asked to participate in a health fair, representing retail pharmacy, to provide information and advice for dealing with the high cost of prescription drugs. As patients poured into the event, they browsed past scores of tables and vendors who were advertising their products and services. There were CPR demonstrations and blood pressure checks and nutritional services and addiction information.

• Pharmacists — It’s time to get social

  Friday, October 13, 2017

  Your patients want you ... online. According to a recent survey conducted by PrescribeWellness, 78 percent of Americans would consider following their pharmacist on social media. Top reasons for wanting to see their druggist in cyberspace include hearing about deals and promotions (58 percent), new offerings and services (39 percent), healthcare news (37 percent) and seasonal vaccine reminders (31 percent).

• CVS does battle with our opioid problem

  Thursday, September 28, 2017

  The company that banned cigarette sales from its stores in 2014 is planning to take on the opioid epidemic. Last week, CVS announced their intentions to tighten their policies and expand programs related to narcotic prescribing and dispensing.

• 5 tips for getting the most from your pharmacy CE conferences

  Thursday, September 14, 2017

  How valuable have the last few pharmacy continuing education conferences been to your practice? Those of us who have been attending such conferences for decades understand that some are interesting. Others are not. A cramped room and uninspiring speaker can make you feel like you wasted your money, not to mention your time.

• Pharmacists should take notice of new back pain guidelines

  Wednesday, August 30, 2017

  Pharmacists — particularly those working on the front lines of community pharmacy — may want to think about the latest guidelines for treating lower back pain (LBP). These guidelines were developed by the American College of Physicians (ACP) and published in the most recent edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

• Lessons for pharmacists from a sexual coercion case

  Friday, August 18, 2017

  The racy details of a recent accusation against an 81-year-old pharmacist are getting a lot of attention in the media. According to the alleged victim, the pharmacist forced her to remove her clothing in front of him in exchange for filling her prescription for Oxycontin. The pharmacist, Robert Kenzia, is the owner of MacLeod's Drugs in Niagara Falls, New York. Apparently, the police found the evidence convincing enough to arrest him.

• States starting to respond to gabapentin abuse

  Thursday, August 03, 2017

  Several states around the country have started to respond to a yet another growing problem: gabapentin abuse. Over the past several years, a series of reports and studies have confirmed that patients are using high doses of gabapentin for recreational purposes. The same types of drug-seeking behaviors, euphoria and even withdrawal symptoms are exhibited that have traditionally been associated with controlled substances.

• Pharmacists and the $1.3 billion Medicare fraud case

  Friday, July 21, 2017

  On July 13, the federal government announced the largest takedown by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force in U.S. history. The agency charged 412 defendants — including doctors, nurses and pharmacists — with $1.3 billion in fraudulent billing schemes to Medicare, Medicaid and other private insurers. Groups of these defendants were spread across 41 federal districts.

• Walgreens, Rite Aid plans add to pharmacy career stress

  Friday, July 07, 2017

  The pharmacy school curriculum doesn't typically include a course devoted to stress management, but maybe it should. The plan for Walgreens to acquire Rite Aid, first announced in late 2015, ​has been abandoned. The news pushed RAD stock prices further downward, but this has been the general trend over the past year anyway.

• Disney and your pharmacy’s priorities

  Friday, June 23, 2017

  What would happen if Disney ran your pharmacy? No, I’m not talking about dressing up like Goofy, Mickey Mouse or Cinderella to impress the kids. Rather, I’m talking about the day-to-day priorities that their employees embrace as part of their job. In his highly acclaimed 2004 book "If Disney Ran Your Hospital," Fred Lee talks about the priorities that are instilled into the mind of everyone who works for this $5 billion per year company. He then shows how they would transform the hospital industry. I think they would transform the pharmacy industry as well.

• Surviving a board of pharmacy inspection

  Thursday, June 08, 2017

  Community pharmacy is stressful, even on our best days. There is the pressure to fill more prescriptions, check for drug interactions and answer questions at an increasingly faster pace. But maybe nothing — except possibly dealing with a prescription error — is more stressful than getting a surprise inspection from your state board of pharmacy (BOP). I have been managing pharmacies for enough years to have experienced plenty of such inspections, and I'm happy to share some advice with the next generation of pharmacists.

• Dear Amazon, please stay out of pharmacy

  Friday, May 26, 2017

  I'm a big fan of Amazon. Their huge selection of new and used books, convenient shopping platform and unbeatable prices make me a regular customer. But when I read news that the online superstore founded by Jeff Bezos in Seattle in 1994 was looking to get into the mail-order pharmacy market, it made my stomach turn a bit.

• Advice for new pharmacy grads: Keep studying!

  Friday, May 12, 2017

  ​This year, we'll see roughly 14,000 new pharmacists graduate, most of whom will (they hope) pass their board exams and enter the job market as licensed pharmacists for the first time. Although it has been more years than I care to mention since that time in my own life, I can still recall the mixture of emotions like anxiety, excitement and relief all rushing through my system at once.

• Will Teva’s bold AirDuo inhaler strategy work?

  Wednesday, April 26, 2017

  ​I can't recall ever seeing a company launch a brand and a generic simultaneously. Maybe it has happened before, but I honestly can't recall it. Teva Pharmaceuticals, however, is willing to try something unusual, if not unprecedented, in order to grab some of the $4.5 billion market for combination ICS/LABA inhalers. Right now, the category giant is the Advair inhaler line by GSK, pulling in about $2 billion annually. But Teva's new AirDuo RespiClick, and the approved generic, will offer a significant threat to their share of that pie.

• Pharmacists and the prescription prior authorization process

  Friday, April 14, 2017

  ​Pharmacists working in the community pharmacy setting know the situation all too well. A patient brings in a prescription for a new medication. He has had a discussion with his doctor about the drug and decided he is willing to try something new. But then he is disappointed and confused to be told that the prescription requires something called a "prior authorization."

• Watch for these red flags when dispensing opioid prescriptions

  Thursday, March 30, 2017

  When I graduated from pharmacy school almost 25 years ago, filling prescriptions for opioids in a community setting wasn't a topic of great concern. We did it. We made sure the dosing was appropriate and counseled the patients about side effects such as drowsiness, nausea and constipation. We knew about forged prescriptions and probably caught some.

• Should pharmacies use incentives to encourage transfers?

  Friday, March 17, 2017

  "Transfer your prescriptions today and get a $25 ABC Pharmacy gift card!" We've all seen this sort of advertising, often employed by a pharmacy just moving into the area to get new customers. And, to some degree, the strategy seems to work. But is it right? Should this sort of approach go on?

• The newest pharmacist job market data is here

  Thursday, March 02, 2017

  ​After a long pause of nine months or so, the Pharmacy Workforce Center website with the latest job market data for pharmacists is back online. The gap has been related to several transitions going on, including turning the role of principal investigator over to Professor David Kreling and moving to new terminology and reporting methodology as well.

• The drug interaction debacle — Was it metrics or margins?

  Thursday, February 16, 2017

  A Dec. 15, 2016 article in the Chicago Tribune titled "​Pharmacies miss half of dangerous drug combinations" is getting noticed. According to the investigative research conducted by Tribune staff, pharmacies overwhelmingly failed to notify physicians and patients about potentially serious drug interactions. The reporters visited 255 pharmacies and presented a pair of prescriptions with known drug interactions.

• The LDL drug wars: A new hope

  Thursday, February 02, 2017

  ​"It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil ..." No, I'm not talking a galaxy far, far away. What I'm talking about is the current battle involving Repatha (evolocumab) and Praluent (alirocumab). These two injectable drugs, both belonging to a class known as PCSK-9 inhibitors, are used to help lower very high LDL cholesterol levels in patients.

• What will Trump mean for retail pharmacy?

  Tuesday, January 17, 2017

  As Donald Trump assumes the role of president of the United States, there may be no bigger issue on the minds of Americans than the question of how he will tackle the rising cost of healthcare. We have heard the campaign slogan related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), that he will "repeal and replace" it. But few seem to have a clue about what exactly that will mean. Even lawyer David Farber, partner in the FDA who practices law in Washington, D.C., wrote recently that "it is impossible to predict what the president-elect and his new team will do."

• The job outlook for pharmacists in 2017

  Thursday, January 05, 2017

  Well, my fellow pharmacists, we have safely landed in a new year. For many newly graduated pharmacists, this may be the first full year of your career as a licensed pharmacist. As such, this coming year is bound to be exciting, challenging and new. For others who are more settled in their careers, the coming 12 months may hold some fears and uncertainties.

• Healthcare price transparency: A tough pill to swallow

  Thursday, December 08, 2016

  ​In a 2014 Wall Street Journal articleNo matter what side of the political fence you sit on, healthcare price transparency is a factor that most feel is important. President-elect Donald Trump included a reference to this in his healthcare reform platform, stating that he would "require price transparency from all healthcare providers, especially doctors and healthcare organizations like clinics and hospitals." Similarly, Hilary Clinton acknowledged the importance of this issue, stating on her website that "we must do more to shine a light on healthcare prices."

• High drug costs: The other side of the coin

  Monday, November 21, 2016

  There are two sides to every coin. And when it comes to the price of prescription drugs, it would appear the media (and many pharma news sites) are really only interested in looking at the high-cost, scandal-ridden, skyrocketing-price side of this particular penny. It seems like a game of "heads I win, tails you lose."

• The top 5 concerns for pharmacists today

  Thursday, November 10, 2016

  "This is Dr. Frasier Crane, and I'm listening." So started many of the popular sitcom episodes of Frasier which spanned more than a decade. The truth is, while I spend much of my day talking, presenting, teaching and writing, I'm listening, too. And I love hearing from my fellow pharmacists and pharmacy students about their current views and concerns for our profession.

• 3 key questions about tech-check-tech

  Thursday, October 27, 2016

  Allow me to begin this article by stating emphatically that I am a committed supporter of the pharmacy technician profession. I applauded the progression toward technician certification and the expanded roles that this included. Well-trained pharmacy technicians make any pharmacy workflow far more effective, safe and efficient.

• Why is the pharma profession so prone to scandal?

  Monday, October 17, 2016

  Zig Ziglar, the well-known motivational speaker and entrepreneur, once said, "The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty." I'm not sure if anyone else has been watching the news lately, but with respect to the profession of pharmacy, it seems like someone has stolen our stones.

• Matching your genes to your prescription

  Wednesday, September 28, 2016

  Richard Dawkins, the British biologist, once said "DNA neither cares nor knows. DNA just is. And we dance to its music." If, by dancing, he includes the way in which individual people metabolize drugs, then clearly as pharmacists we need to be thinking about the music going on inside our patients' cells.

• The biggest challenge of my pharmacy career

  Monday, September 12, 2016

  A student on his rotation at our pharmacy recently asked me, "What is the biggest challenge you have ever faced in your career as a pharmacist?" I thought this was a fantastic question, and reminded me that questions like this really make being a preceptor worthwhile.

• Who is to blame for Mylan’s EpiPen price?

  Monday, August 29, 2016

  ​The blame game is nothing new. According to Genesis in the Bible, Adam blamed his wife for making him eat the forbidden fruit. Eve, in turn, blamed the serpent. And while we are far way from the Garden of Eden, there is still plenty of finger pointing going on. The latest episode of the blame game has centered on the life-saving prescription injection known at the EpiPen.

• As Massachusetts unveils new PMP, old questions remain

  Monday, August 15, 2016

  ​With high hopes for an easier to use and more efficient website, Massachusetts has announced the launch of their new prescription monitoring program (PMP) website known as the Massachusetts Prescription Awareness Tool, or MassPAT. The site will have all the same capabilities of the current PMP tool, but boasts a more user-friendly interface and efficient search engine.

• Networking for pharmacists 101

  Friday, July 29, 2016

  I sometimes ask my pharmacy students what they think will be the most important thing to help them reach their own career goals as a pharmacist. Is it the school you went to? Is it the degree(s) you obtained? How about residencies or certifications? In a previous article, I discussed the various types of pharmacy "add-on" degrees that pharmacists can obtain, along with the merits of each. But I would like to suggest that although certain add-on degrees may be good and necessary to reach some specific career goals you may have, there is actually another tool that may be even more important.

• The most popular pharmacy degree add-ons

  Friday, July 15, 2016

  When I first started pharmacy school there was, for the most part, one universal bachelor's degree that every pharmacist in the U.S. obtained. Most of my mentors had obtained their degree as a four-year college program, whereas the standard when I was in school was a five-year degree.

• Opinions differ on pharmacist surplus

  Friday, July 01, 2016

  ​William Shatner, the iconic Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise, once said: "We meet aliens every day who have something to give us. They come in the form of people with different opinions." If that is true, then aliens are truly among us when it comes to the opinions out there on the current pharmacy job market in the U.S.

• iPharmacist: Will robots take over the profession?

  Monday, June 20, 2016

  The year is 2116 and Mr. Smith approaches the counter of his local ABC Pharmacy. There are no lines as he casually moves into one of the open booths and seats himself into a comfortable and private dispensing chamber. Air conditioned, with pleasant music playing in the background the cyber-pharmacy screen lights up as he is greeted by the video-pharmacist welcoming him to ABC. After tapping the screen to answer a few questions and inserting his driver’s license and credit card into the device, an on-screen pharmacist begins to address him personally.

• 3 keys to planning your pharmacy career

  Monday, June 06, 2016

  Pharmacists today have more career paths to choose from than ever before. Once upon a time, pharmacists simply picked from a hospital or retail job. But today is a different story. Upon graduation, a new PharmD stands at the doorsteps of literally dozens of diverse professional settings. There are targeted clinical opportunities in virtually every medical specialty. There are also jobs within managed care or pharma or community or consulting or technology — the list goes on and on.

• Pharmacy pro-choice bill fails in Colorado

  Monday, May 23, 2016

  The pharmacy "pro-choice" movement — specifically the bill to allow consumers in Colorado to use the pharmacy of their choice — has been voted down by a Senate committee. The news comes as a relief to big PBMs and managed care businesses, as they claim the law would have prevented important negotiations that help reduce healthcare costs. But patients and many local community pharmacies were sorely disappointed as they will continue to be locked out of using their own preferred pharmacy by their health plan.

• Do we really need another pharmacy school?

  Friday, May 06, 2016

  ​In spite of growing concerns among pharmacists that the job market has already become saturated, there is news of yet another pharmacy school seeking to open its doors. Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is beginning to evaluate the feasibility of opening a pharmacy school, adding to the six schools of pharmacy already in existence in the state.

• Pharmacists on the front line of polypharmacy

  Monday, April 25, 2016

  More patients are on multiple-drug regimens than ever before, and the numbers are climbing. In a study published in the March edition of JAMA Internal Medicine, the concurrent use of at least five medications in older adults increased from about 30 percent to 35 percent from 2006 to 2011. Additionally, the use of dietary supplements rose from about 52 percent to 64 percent during the same time.

• Pharmacists: Don’t be afraid to spread the news of what you do

  Monday, April 11, 2016

  I recently had the privilege of speaking to a local group of physicians about the services we are implementing in our pharmacy. Their appreciation of this talk compels me to share our story with others. Just to give you some background, I manage an outpatient pharmacy inside a medium-sized hospital. Our business model, however, is not merely focused on helping patients transition to home — though this is a critical piece of our plan.

• Optimism abounds with new Massachusetts opioid laws

  Monday, March 28, 2016

  ​If optimism alone was enough to solve the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts, it would appear the battle is almost won. Like many other states across the country, Massachusetts has an opioid addiction and overdose problem, with estimates of up to four deaths every day resulting from misuse.

• Pharmacy managers: One of the highest‑paying jobs in America

  Friday, March 11, 2016

  ​The pharmacy job market has been taking a hit lately, with recent articles about the steep drop in a market indicator known as the Aggregate Demand Index (ADI) throughout the U.S. But apparently that has not impacted the wages of those in pharmacy management positions according to a survey just released by the careers website Glassdoor.com.

• 5 tips for handling personnel issues in the pharmacy

  Monday, February 29, 2016

  "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times." Those opening lines of Charles Dickens' classic novel "A Tale of Two Cities" may serve as a commentary on life as a pharmacy manager as well. For some, this career path is the best of times. It offers new opportunities to learn and grow and develop skills beyond traditional medication counseling and dispensing. For others — depending on your setting, skills and personality — it may also turn out to be the worst of times, with piles of paperwork, time-consuming training, unreasonable demands and unexpected responsibilities.

• Dispensing Zika virus information to patients in the pharmacy

  Friday, February 12, 2016

  ​Today's pharmacists dispense a lot more than medication. And with growing concern regarding the spread and significance of Zika virus, pharmacists are well positioned to help counsel the public by answering questions about this sometimes-deadly infection.

• The privileges and challenges of being a pharmacy preceptor

  Thursday, February 04, 2016

  ​It doesn't seem that long ago that I was a pharmacy student. But actually it was a long time ago, as I graduated the same year Claritin was first introduced to the prescription drug market (you can look it up if you want). I guess time flies when you're having fun. Nevertheless, I can still remember the fears and excitement of going on pharmacy rotations and learning new things, which would eventually enhance my career as a pharmacist.

• 3 pharma advertising issues that must be addressed

  Friday, January 15, 2016

  David Ogilvy, often hailed as the "Father of Advertising," once said, "Never write an advertisement which you wouldn't want your family to read. You wouldn't tell lies to your own wife. Don't tell them to mine." That's good advice. But advertising isn't just a concern for car manufacturers and computer companies, it concerns healthcare as well.

• My 5 pharmacist goals for 2016

  Monday, January 04, 2016

  ​As a practicing pharmacist in an outpatient setting, I always try to allow my real-life experience in healthcare inform my writing. My chair is no ivory tower. Most days my feet are planted firmly behind (or in front of) the counter. I work in what I like to think of as the "front lines" of pharmaceutical services: checking prescriptions and counseling patients on using their medications safely and effectively.

• My PBM Christmas wish list

  Friday, December 11, 2015

  A recent report published by Applied Policy is urging for more regulation of the PBM industry, which controls upwards of 70 percent of the prescription business in our country. The document, entitled "​Concerns Regarding the Pharmacy Benefit Management Industry," addresses issues like conflicts of interest, transparency and reimbursement strategies.

• Should pharmacists prescribe contraceptives?

  Monday, November 30, 2015

  If you had to guess the number of unintended pregnancies each year, what would you say? Ten thousand? One hundred thousand? Five hundred thousand? The number is actually more like 3 million unintended pregnancies per year in our country. That’s a staggering number, and amounts to about 50 percent of all pregnancies in the U.S. Wasn’t the discovery and development of "the pill" supposed to change all this?

• Should pharmacy managers be tested?

  Monday, November 16, 2015

  Should a pharmacist who becomes the manager — also known as the pharmacist-in-charge (PIC) — be required to pass a separate exam to prove he/she understands what is expected in this new position? According to the New Hampshire Board of Pharmacy (BOP), the answer is yes.

• Walgreens: Happy, healthy — and huge

  Monday, November 02, 2015

  Walgreens has been on something of a growth spurt lately, and the latest proposed acquisition of the nearly 4,600 Rite Aid stores suggests their appetite for enlargement isn't slowing down. If the deal goes through, the result will be a more than 50 percent increase in the number of Walgreens stores (to about 12,700). This will put them well ahead of CVS (roughly 9,500 after the Target deal), their next closest competitor.

• Will Massachusetts’ proposed 3‑day opioid limit work?

  Monday, October 19, 2015

  In a culture that is facing unprecedented numbers of opioid overdoses and death, new ideas to stem the epidemic are sorely needed. Well, Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts has decided to propose something new.

• Should a pharmacist be responsible for employee theft?

  Friday, October 09, 2015

  Yes. At least that is the opinion of the California court system and their State Board of Pharmacy. The case actually dates back to 2006-2008. During that time, pharmacist-in-charge (PIC) Andrew Sternberg was working at a Target pharmacy in San Fernando, California. Under his watch, a pharmacy technician by the name of Imelda Hurtado was involved in stealing more than 200,000 tablets of Norco with a street value of more than $1 million.

• Daraprim: The $750 generic tablet?

  Tuesday, September 22, 2015

  ​Imagine driving to the gas station, filling your tank and being told the total is $200,000. That is about parallel to the price increase instituted by Turing Pharmaceuticals for their newly-acquired toxoplasmosis drug, Daraprim (pyrimethamine). One day this 60-year-old drug was selling for a modest $13.50 per tablet. The next day it was commanding an impressive $750 a pop.

• The butterfly effect of Target pharmacy staff unionization

  Monday, September 21, 2015

  While speaking in a somewhat different context, Abraham Lincoln once said, "I am glad to see that a system of labor prevails under which laborers can strike when they want to." I guess certain Target pharmacy employees from Brooklyn, New York, have similar feelings as they became the first in Target's history unionize.

• Does the new ‘pink Viagra’ really work?

  Friday, September 04, 2015

  It has been popularly called the "pink Viagra." Sally Greenberg, executive director of the National Consumers League, called it "the biggest breakthrough for women's sexual health since the pill." I would certainly call it a victory in terms of marketing, lobbying and approval.

• What’s behind Wal-Mart Pharmacy’s dreary quarter?

  Monday, August 24, 2015

  Ominous is a word that comes to mind. Forlorn seems to fit, too. It is like a black raven is perched above the entrance of every store. Oh, Edgar Allen Poe would have a field day with this one. I'm talking about the Wal-Mart pharmacy earnings report as described in a recently released transcript conference call.

• Amarin, free speech and off-label drug promotion

  Monday, August 10, 2015

  Should representatives of FDA-approved drugs be able to talk to physicians or pharmacists about off-label (i.e. unapproved) uses for their drug? Lately the "legal" answer has seemed to be "absolutely not." But a recent ruling by a New York federal judge on the side of Amarin Pharmaceuticals, related to alleged off-label promotion of their drug Vascepa, reopens the debate.

• Are sodas the new cigarettes?

  Monday, July 27, 2015

  According to a recent analysis published in the British Medical Journal, sugar-sweetened soda drinks may be the next big target for a public health awareness campaign. If the conclusions of this meta-analysis are correct, the consumption of sugary soda drinks will contribute to 2 million more Type 2 diabetes cases over the next 10 years in the U.S. It makes me wonder if soda consumption is nearly as dangerous to our health as cigarettes.

• Reflections of a pharmacist: The new FDA NSAID warning

  Monday, July 13, 2015

  On July 9, the FDA published a new drug safety warning indicating there is a greater risk of heart attack or stroke related to the use of nonaspirin NSAIDs than previously believed. This warning soon spread to all the national and local media and the questions started pouring in.

• CVS buys Target’s pharmacy business: So what?

  Monday, June 29, 2015

  In a move that caught nearly everyone by surprise, CVS Health announced June 15 that it would purchase and begin operating the retail pharmacy business for Target. Soon, nearly 1,700 Target pharmacies and pharmacy personnel will be rebranded as a CVS/pharmacy operating within the Target stores. The move puts $1.9 billion into the pocket of Target, which had struggled to make a profit from its prescription business line.

• Are more good days ahead for the pharmacy job market?

  Monday, June 15, 2015

  American entertainer Lawrence Welk once famously quipped, "There are good days and there are bad days, and this is one of them." With respect to the pharmacy profession, and in particular the career outlook for pharmacists, it has seemed like more "bad" days than "good" days for quite some time.

• In wake of meningitis scandal, Massachusetts changes CE requirements

  Monday, June 01, 2015

  When a tragedy on the scale of what happened in 2012 regarding the Massachusetts-based New England Compounding Center (NECC) meningitis contamination and the subsequent fallout on the Board of Pharmacy (BOP), you can expect that certain changes will occur.

• Pharmacists can help patients swallow pills

  Friday, May 08, 2015

  It may be a tough pill to swallow, but the medical community is becoming more aware of the number of patients who have difficulty swallowing tablets and capsules. Of course, this isn't a new issue, but a recent study published in the journal Pediatrics revealed the problem may be more widespread than we thought. More than half of the parents polled indicated their child couldn't swallow solid dosage forms like tablets and capsules.

• Prior authorizations: Pharmacy’s own little horror show

  Friday, April 17, 2015

  ​Of all the scary terms in the retail pharmacy world (not to mention among doctors and their staff), surely the words "prior authorization" are the worst. They are the seven syllables of death. They are the Freddy Kruger and Chucky and Cujo of our prescription-filling screen show all rolled up into one. They are the proverbial dead fly in the apothecary's ointment (see Ecclesiastes 10:1). We hate them.

• Should we get rid of paper package inserts?

  Friday, April 03, 2015

  Back in December, the FDA issued a proposal that would theoretically eliminate the little folded paper package inserts (PI) attached to prescription bottles by their manufacturer. The proposal, verbosely titled "Electronic Distribution of Prescribing Information for Human Prescription Drugs, Including Biological Products," suggests that manufacturers eliminate these funkily-folded fact sheets and replace them with a URL to the online version.

• Are metrics to blame for pharmacy errors?

  Thursday, March 19, 2015

  I typically don't fill out online surveys. But this one came from a pharmacy association that I respect in the state I graduated. It also happened to be on a topic I'm pretty passionate about. The title of the study for which the survey provided data was "Evaluation of pharmacy metric and workload factors impact on patient safety."

• Are there too many pharmacy schools?

  Monday, March 02, 2015

  In a recent Drug Topics article, the founding dean of the new Chapman University School of Pharmacy answered that question with a resounding "no." Ronald P. Jordan defended his Orange County school's existence — and that of many other newly opening schools — by arguing that many career opportunities exist for pharmacists focused on creating better, healthier lives for patients.

• Diversion problems: Acknowledging the issue

  Monday, February 16, 2015

  Virtually every pharmacist understands the magnitude of the drug diversion problem in the U.S. We see glimpses of it almost every day. For example, just last week I received a phone call from someone attempting to impersonate a doctor. He was trying to obtain a pint of codeine-containing cough medicine. He was a bad actor, and he should probably find out what caller ID is. Needless to say he didn't get his prescription.

• Thoughts on ordering, stocking, dispensing thousand-dollar pills

  Monday, February 02, 2015

  A lot of talk has been going around about how health plans are figuring out which HCV treatment they will place on their preferred formulary. AbbVie and Gilead have been throwing punches, trying to muscle their way into more market share.

• Treating Hepatitis C: The big question no one is asking

  Friday, January 16, 2015

  If 2014 will be remembered for anything, pharmaceutically speaking, it will probably be for the impact of the new oral Hepatitis C (HCV) therapies that entered the market. It began at the tail end of 2013 when Gilead introduced their $1,000-per-pill HCV cure known as Sovaldi (sofosbuvir).

• Are independent pharmacies really that profitable?

  Friday, January 09, 2015

  Every year I look forward to reading Dr. Adam Fein's analysis of the profitability of independent pharmacies in the U.S. He is a respected industry analyst and writes well-researched posts on his blog, Drug Channels, which covers a wide range of drug distribution topics.

• Should health insurance pay for compounded medications?

  Tuesday, November 25, 2014

  ​Former President Ronald Reagan once quipped that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help." Today, it seems like we could exchange the words "the government" with "your insurance" with exactly the same sentiment, and we wouldn't be far off.

• In the face of hospital closures, pharmacies can play a crucial role

  Monday, November 17, 2014

  Hospital-based pharmacists interested in the advancement of the profession need to think about the role we play in helping hospitals improve their bottom line. Great service to patients — service that improves their health and quality of life — depends upon a functioning and profitable institution within which to offer such services.

• CVS’s sneaky move to recoup loss of tobacco sales

  Tuesday, October 28, 2014

  When drugstore giant CVS Health decided to discontinue the sale of cigarettes in their CVS pharmacies, many folks in the healthcare community applauded their noble move. In spite of the loss of millions of dollars in sales, they pulled the plug on this line of income in an effort simply to position themselves as a "healthier" place to shop. Or so we thought.

• Do pharmacist-patient interactions matter?

  Monday, October 13, 2014

  Interactions matter. In the pharmacy world, that phrase typically refers to drug-drug interactions, which pharmacists are constantly watching for as patients bring new prescriptions through our doors. But I'm talking about a different kind of interaction — specifically the interaction between patients and the pharmacy personnel with whom they speak. These interactions appear to be important, too.

• Will your pharmacy start taking back unused drugs?

  Monday, September 29, 2014

  Sometimes our solutions are more complex than the problems they are trying to solve. That fact came to mind as I reviewed the new DEA regulations surrounding the retail pharmacy disposal of patient-returned prescription controlled substances.

• Making the most of the HCP rescheduling

  Friday, September 12, 2014

  Like me, you have probably heard enough of the moaning and groaning related to the upcoming Oct. 6 DEA rescheduling of hydrocodone-containing products (HCPs). I've certainly voiced my objection. Now it is time to face the facts. It's coming. There's no stopping it.

• The sky is falling: 5 challenges of hydrocodone rescheduling

  Monday, August 25, 2014

  ​It has been talked about for years. Some thought the topic was like Chicken Little crying that the sky was falling. To all such individuals I've got news for you — the sky has fallen and Chicken Little was right. Many, like me, always believed the rescheduling of hydrocodone combination products to Schedule II was inevitable, though sadly the least effective way to deal with the growing opioid overdosing epidemic.

• Retail pharmacy and 5 profitability problems

  Monday, August 18, 2014

  ​The news hit me like a ton of bricks: "All EasyCare pharmacies will be closing beginning Aug. 20. All active prescriptions will be transferred to convenient ..." What? Just like that? Yep.

• Stop whining: Insurers and the high price hype of Hepatitis C

  Thursday, July 31, 2014

  ​There has been a lot of fuss in the media over the price of the newest treatment options for Hepatitis C, a condition affecting around 3 million Americans. Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) by Gilead costs $84,000 for a 12-week course of therapy. Their competitor Olysio (simeprevir) by Janssen comes in around $66,000 for the same 12 weeks.

• Hobby Lobby: Progestins and the politics of prevention

  Friday, July 18, 2014

  I would rather talk about progestins than politics almost any day of the week — they are far more predictable and cause less constipation and nausea. But the recent decision by the Supreme Court concerning Hobby Lobby and whether they have the right to not cover certain specific types of contraception has gotten so much attention from the media that silence seems almost sinful.

• Pharmaceutical reps and the Twilight Zone

  Thursday, July 03, 2014

  I had lunch today with a pharmaceutical representative, or "sales specialist." We talked about what was going on in my life and my career. We talked about the importance of transitional care from hospital to home and how to improve patient adherence to recommended treatments.

• Can pharmacists help patients afford their drugs?

  Friday, June 20, 2014

  Ever since the release of the latest Hepatitis C drug, which sells for $1,000 per pill, it seems there has been more attention than ever given to the often unaffordable price of some prescription medications. But it isn’t just the rare specialty medication that is pinching the pockets of the American public these days.

• Are prescription monitoring programs merely a placebo?

  Friday, June 06, 2014

  The network of states connecting their prescription monitoring programs (PMPs) is growing. But while these expansions certainly suggest greater potential for detecting inappropriate controlled substance utilization by patients — particularly across state borders — the question remains about whether these programs are actually accomplishing this.

• Your pharmacist may know less than you think

  Friday, May 23, 2014

  Less about you, that is. What I'm talking about is what I like to refer to as the "pharmacy information gap." That is my euphemistic way of saying that, in our current model for prescribing and dispensing, the retail pharmacist is often entirely blind to the diagnosis for which a medication is written.

• Students and stimulants: Risky business on college campuses

  Monday, May 12, 2014

  It's finals time, and college kids (among others) are looking for any approach that will give them the edge they need on their final exams and papers. But according to a recent study, some students are consuming more than copious amounts of coffee and energy drinks to push the limits of their studying stamina.

• Is hospital outpatient pharmacy the new frontier?

  Friday, April 25, 2014

  There's a new trend sweeping the nation. Well, it's not brand new. But it is hard to miss the growing interest in this pharmaceutical phenomenon. Hospitals are recognizing the benefits of incorporating an outpatient pharmacy program into their comprehensive health services offerings.

• Is pharmacy a smart career choice?

  Monday, March 31, 2014

  Ever since U.S. News and World Report listed pharmacy as the No. 5 best job for 2014, the profession has been hotly debating the question of the future of our career path. Some say it's over. Others, however, see hope on the horizon. Such divergent opinions beg the simple question: Is pharmacy a smart career choice?

• Zohydro ER: Who are we really here for?

  Friday, March 14, 2014

  ​Healthcare is supposed to be about helping sick people, but sometimes I think we have forgotten who we really serve. For example, there has been no shortage of criticism over the FDA decision to approve Zohydro ER back in October.

• Prescription drug overdose – Can we be honest?

  Monday, March 03, 2014

  Some topics tend to generate more heat than light, and prescription drug overdose is one of them. Type in the word “addiction” or “overdose” into any news search engine, and you will quickly have a list of articles longer than the half-life of methadone to manage. And this isn’t surprising. The number of deaths attributed to drug overdose in America is climbing.

• Is CVS blowing smoke about cigarettes?

  Friday, February 14, 2014

  CVS Pharmacy has been on the front page of the health section of every major newspaper since the company announced recently its decision to stop carrying tobacco products in stores. As a pharmacist who has spent the vast majority of his career in the retail space, I must admit I have surprisingly mixed feelings about this move.

• Cannabis craze: A pharmacist’s take on medical marijuana

  Friday, January 31, 2014

  ​It is no exaggeration to say our nation is presently obsessed with the issues surrounding availability and access to marijuana. Presently, 20 states allow for the medical use of marijuana. Two states, Colorado and Washington, allow for the purchase of marijuana for recreational use. Nine more states have legislation pending on the matter. As a pharmacist, I am concerned about the issue on a practical level.

• Have a heart: A pharmacist’s reflection on medicine adherence

  Monday, January 20, 2014

  We know that compliance with prescribed medication therapies is embarrassingly low. So have a heart and teach your patients how to take their prescription medication. It's more important than you might think. In fact, results from a recent study suggest that greater adherence to prescribed therapies following an MI (myocardial infarction) significantly improve results and reduce readmissions to the hospital.

• Pharmacists ranked No. 2 in honesty/ethics, but ...

  Monday, January 06, 2014

  Much talk has been generated recently among the members of the pharmacist profession about the No. 2 ranking we achieved in honesty/ethics in the latest Gallup poll. This is a significant achievement, as the poll spans a broad range of professions both inside and outside the boundaries of healthcare and medicine. On the other hand, there is a somewhat "untold" story to this Gallup poll data.

• Acid suppression, B-12 and the supplement dilemma

  Monday, December 16, 2013

  Kaiser Permanente researchers recently published the results of a study in JAMA that points strongly toward a connection between long-term acid suppression and vitamin B12 deficiency. If true, this is undoubtedly a discovery that should not go unnoticed by pharmacists.

• Clock is ticking: New acetaminophen combo limitations coming soon

  Friday, December 06, 2013

  Beginning next month, manufacturers of combination prescription products containing acetaminophen are expected to limit their APAP content to no more than 325 mg per dose. The significance of this is that many narcotic combination products currently being dispensed will soon no longer be compliant with these guidelines. The guidelines do not impact any OTC acetaminophen products or combinations.

• Will we all be on statins soon?

  Thursday, November 21, 2013

  ​The sky is falling. The statins are coming. At least that's what some folks are saying. According to some interpretations of the latest recommendations issued by the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association, we'll all be on statins before you know it. These new guidelines were released Nov. 12 and are already drawing sharp criticism.

• Denying the shot: Preventing prescription abuse at the pharmacy

  Monday, November 11, 2013

  As pharmacists we sometimes have to take a hockey goalie's approach to prescriptions we are asked to fill. Like my son's slapshots, they must be denied. Sometimes I feel bad about this. There are patients that have real problems with abusing medications. For some of them, there is nothing they would like more than to stop abusing. But they're addicted, and the addicted mind doesn't always respond in calm, rational, logical ways to problems.