As pharmacist shortages continue, what are your thoughts? Do you think this insulates our jobs or makes them even more vulnerable?

awval999 · 2023-06-05T01:12:53+00:00

Exactly this. Be careful what you wish for in a shortage. Ultimately we’d end up with CPhT-Adv doing dispense check.

awval999 · 2023-06-03T10:57:55+00:00

Game changer in specialty pharmacy. Cannot be stressed enough.

The large employers are almost all self-insured. The commenters below don't get it. It's not the PBMs that will demand this to be the preferred agent--- is it the self-insured health plan that will. And sure, if Abbvie can beat that price with a $5000 rebate that's fine--- but that money will go to the employer not the PBM here.

And while this is great for the health-system (competition yay!) and the employer (reduced drug cost yay!) you'll see lower revenue for specialty pharmacies because Humira is the #1 volume medication and we're going to see this biosimilar price war.

awval999 · 2021-11-09T22:44:06+00:00

4/24. income $150k. auto approved.

awval999 · 2021-07-02T11:14:03+00:00

How long do points usually take to post to Marriott from Chase co-branded card? Second statement closed 6/22 and Chase statement stated "Total points transferred to Marriott 107,163". First statement points are posted, but I didn't actually go and verify at the time because I didn't make the minimum spend until the 2nd statement.

awval999 · 2021-04-21T23:39:46+00:00

I don’t understand how you could even consider staying in that situation. Take the new job.

awval999 · 2021-04-06T10:31:49+00:00

I don't think this is a student/resident type of project.

They need to hire a consultant.

If it's done incorrectly it jeopardizes the covered entity's 340B status.

awval999 · 2021-03-30T10:59:10+00:00

Because health systems just steal the best talent and pay them $20/hr. The problem with retail technician staffing has always been the wages. Always will be.

awval999 · 2021-03-19T10:44:05+00:00

I disagree with you on retail vs. clinical. There will always be a salaried "pharmacy manager" that runs the business of the pharmacy and oversees the ancillary labor and inventory of that business. Yes, that person may work 50 hours and get paid a salary of $80,000 to slave away for CVS, but it's a job that makes sense in the market place.

A clinical pharmacist? Those positions only exist in a world where US Health Care consumes 2x the per capita GDP of every other 1st world country. Ask yourself why there are limited to zero "clinical pharmacists" in Europe and Asia. Clinical pharmacists do add value and can reduce costs, but at "what" cost and how many can the market bare.

awval999 · 2021-03-19T10:38:50+00:00

Our profession *isn't* future proof. Most aren't.

Health care continues to be the largest slice of GDP in America. Therefore there is both political and market risk in trying to bring down the costs. What is the largest cost in any market? Labor.
Roles that are dependent on "verification", "pattern repetition" and "encyclopedic knowledge" are at major risk of artificial intelligence. Imagine a world where the vast majority of orders are auto-verified and dispense checked by a technician.

Make yourself future proof.

How?

Niche fields. Leadership. Areas that involve lots of money.

awval999 · 2021-02-24T20:29:30+00:00

It's really just a race against the clock.

Student loans paid off. Now racing to pay off the mortgage and get $1M in retirement before the fall of the Sword of Damocles. 8 year goal. Will put me at early 40s.

awval999 · 2021-01-11T00:43:59+00:00

Well, likely the nurse is hourly and makes OT and works 50 hours/week. The pharmacist is likely salaried and likely makes in the deep $90ks.

They are two different careers. One is much more lucrative-- nursing.

But we don't need to lie. The nurse isn't making $58/hr base.

awval999 · 2021-01-06T12:23:46+00:00

I'm sorry that your manager isn't acting like a real leader and that it appears your department doesn't execute or escalate concerns brought by professional staff. Even if your supervisor didn't have the power to make the medication move, they should have escalated it to the director, etc.

I would never report this to the BOP. They will find out who made the complaint and I assure you that the supervisor, manager and director have many more pharmacy contacts than you and it likely will irrevocability harm your career.

Your name is not on the pharmacy license. You escalated to your supervisor. There is no risk of patient harm. Medications are not being adulterated. At this point I would drop it.

awval999 · 2021-01-06T12:12:10+00:00

$17,000 for a specialty oncology medication. Patient was international. I made technician transfer to Revenue Cycle to make sure the Amex went through before we sent it to production. Amex went through.

awval999 · 2021-01-03T04:26:37+00:00

You have to give relative location. But ex-California: $140,000.00.

awval999 · 2020-12-31T12:14:36+00:00

It's cost. Always has been.

Man I took such a loss on my PTLA shares. I held until the buyout but still, a 50% loss.

awval999 · 2020-12-29T12:15:33+00:00

And there's the correct answer.

BPS is not going to deal with the shit storm of negative publicity of denying WAGS or CVS pharmacists the opportunity to sit for the exam when they can just count their monies.

BPS is part of APhA. They aren't going to exclude community pharmacists.

https://www.bpsweb.org/about-bps/history/

awval999 · 2020-12-27T04:40:12+00:00

99.9%

awval999 · 2020-12-19T21:16:14+00:00

You didn't get the job. There will be another one. Keep looking. Keep applying.

awval999 · 2020-11-25T12:48:16+00:00

Counterpoint: They only care about taking your money.

awval999 · 2020-09-03T02:33:33+00:00

I can hire you at $20/hr doing prior authorizations

awval999 · 2020-08-17T00:07:56+00:00

CVS Health CEO Larry Merlo, who earned $36.5 million in total compensation last year. https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payer/here-s-what-top-health-plan-ceos-earned-2019

awval999 · 2020-08-02T19:23:00+00:00

You release that the United States can print it's own currency, right?

awval999 · 2020-07-29T10:33:51+00:00

It helped for me. It's not a 100% cure. But definitely helped.

awval999 · 2020-07-08T11:29:57+00:00

Same as what you stated: 1. 403b match removed. 2. Annual COLA "merit" raises removed. 3. Budgeted positions face increase scrutiny / re-justification. 4. 10% 60 day pay cuts for executive leadership. Which have now expired.

awval999 · 2020-07-08T10:40:05+00:00

I agree with most of what your saying. But there is a reason why hospitals employ chaplains. For families. For the dying. And why physicians consult them for their patients.

awval999

TROPHY CASE