While most in the pharmacy industry, especially owners, dislike PBMs and their business practices, you must give them credit for finding creative ways to capture revenue. While people have been complaining that DIR fees and vertical integration increase patient costs and drive pharmacies out of business, PBMs have been busy finding new ways to maintain, or increase, their profits.
Over the last several years, the largest PBMs have created new group purchasing organizations (GPOs) to handle rebate negotiations – leveraging their combined medication volume. While Congress and the Federal Trade Commission examine PBMs’ business practices, these GPOs may escape that scrutiny and identify some tax advantages.
As avid patient advocates, recognizing the value pharmacists bring to improved outcomes, it’s hard to identify the “benefit” PBMs provide the medication side of our healthcare system.
Do you, too, question the timing of this move and who it will ultimately benefit?
Industry News: CVS Health Breaks With NACDS
In an era when PBMs’ business practices are being scrutinized, CVS Health has ended its association with the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS). NACDS issued a statement, which said: “NACDS has remained singularly focused and extremely effective on the pharmacy, health and wellness issues of critical importance to patients and the pharmacies that serve them. That has never changed. These issues include putting patients first, advancing pharmacies and pharmacy teams as the face of neighborhood health care, and establishing fairness for pharmacies and for patients on increasingly consequential payer and PBM issues.”
Phase three of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA), to be implemented November 2023, will include unit-level traceability where manufacturers, distributors, and dispensers must provide and receive Transaction Information (TI), including product identifier, and Transaction statements (TS) in a secure, electronic, and interoperable manner.
In an effort to ensure dispensers are prepared, various organizations developed a DSCSAEdu website to compile resources dispensers may find useful to assist in implementation of the DSCSA. Resources include checklists, podcasts, and webinars.
If you’re using a Ricoh P 800 printer, you must have routine 132 above routine 643 in the label design or the Primary Label Form Count has to be 51.
NRx®:
Go to Store Control > Label Options.
At Label Print Options, ensure 51 is in the Primary Label Form Count field.
RxCare Plus®:
Go to A) Store Information > 1) Identification.
Press F2.
At Label Printing Options, ensure 51 is in the Primary Label Form Count field.
Note: If routine 132 needs to be added, call 800.845.7558 and select Option 1, and then Option 4 for the Labels Group.
Hardware Maintenance Ending for Select Lexmark Printers
Some customers have one or more Lexmark printers covered under their Hardware Maintenance Agreement that have reached end of life. As of October 1, 2022, RedSail Technologies® can no longer support replacements or repairs for these printers, second drawers, and/or duplexers because we cannot acquire replacement printers or parts.
The model numbers affected are:
Lexmark Optra T630 printer
Stock number: H-10G0100
Lexmark Optra T632 printer
Stock number: H-10G0300
Lexmark second drawer
Stock number: H-11K0688
Lexmark duplex unit
Stock numbers: H-10G0800 and H-10G0801
Because we’re discontinuing hardware maintenance on these older models, we’re offering a limited-time printer promotion with significantly reduced pricing and free on-site installation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “6 in 10 adults in the U.S. have a chronic disease and 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. have two or more.” Enter functional medicine: an integrated, patient-centered approach to chronic disease management.
If you’re interested in learning more about this science-based approach, the Thinking Outside the Vial series is a great place to start. It includes a total of six sessions. You can either purchase each session individually or purchase all six via the all-access pass.
People are leaving their jobs in droves. And though this is empowering for workers, it’s left businesses in a financial and operational bind. During yet another unprecedented time in the workforce, you may have to step up your game to recruit new employees and retain your current staff.
Why employees leave?
Low pay
High workload
Increased hours
Elevated workplace stress/burnout
Toxic work environment
What can you do?
Prioritize staff’s mental well-being
Increase pay where applicable based on performance
Encourage work-life balance
Communicate expectations clearly
Ensure career development opportunities
Current Releases
Make sure to download the latest service pack to obtain the most recent program changes. The most current service packs are:
