The Weekly Roundup: American Pharmacists Month (10.26.18)

October 27, 2018 | Pamela Youngberg Dickson

As we near the end of American Pharmacists Month (did you #thankapharmacist yet?), it’s not too far out on a limb to suggest that most pharmacists went into the profession because they care about their patients. Granted, we all have to pay the electric bill, and pharmacy is still a good bet for that. But the burnout is also high. It’s challenging to make time to consult with patients—for all pharmacists—even acknowledging that highly personal care is one of the critical points of differentiation between independents and big box stores. 

Incoming American Pharmacists Association president, Michael Hogue, told Drug Store News this week that he is "extremely hopeful about the future of pharmacy…but first we have to help lift up our colleagues and move through a difficult period.” Here’s an idea: go fishing. Check out this piece—light on pharmacy but heavy on mental health—that makes for a nice weekend read. On that note (and just in time for the holidays), these tips on stress management are available for you to use with your patients, but as the Greek chorus originally berated Prometheus: physician, heal thyself. 

Here are a few other stories that might be of interest:

• Have we turned a corner? Opioid overdose deaths have fallen overall, but synthetic opioid deaths continue to rise.
• Your serve, health plans. Drug makers like Amgen are coming up with unique pricing approaches like this one, saying that rebates haven’t translated into lower patient costs but that adoption of lower-priced options is “ultimately a payer decision.”  
• Here’s a new addition to the toolbox: The FDA approved Xofluza this week—the first new single-dose flu drug in decades. 
• Advocacy efforts continue as HHS Secretary Alex Azar visited a Pennsylvania-based community pharmacy to talk gag clauses. Interested in policy? You may want to run for office. 
• Need a fresh approach to marketing? Consider these strategies, borrowed from a minor league baseball team. ‘Tis the season. Let’s go, Red Sox!

[Editor’s note:] Our inboxes are stuffed with newsletters and our coffee tables stacked with magazines and industry digests. I’m sure yours are, too. So, we’ve decided to run a weekly sampling of interesting stories, issues coverage, and business ideas we come across each week. We hope you’ll share some of your favorites, too. Drop us a line at solutions@smart-fill.com.

Pamela Youngberg Dickson

Before she came to Smart-Fill, Pamela developed marketing strategy and content for a range of technology start-ups and large-cap enterprises. Outside the office, she's into gardening, renaissance history, the Big Ten, and exploring the great outdoors.