Think The Unthinkable

We will be in Florida next week. Victoria wants to talk to a guy who does tile so we are going to go and look at our new condo, see what we bought. I’ll give you some oldies, but goodies to keep your interest. First, however, I’d like you to consider if it is time to start thinking the unthinkable.
A small group of people who were given way too much power has come close to ruining pharmacy. Most of these Masters of the Universe are not pharmacists. They are number crunchers. They have fucked up so badly that they are scrambling to cut their losses. Or course, they always look at payroll. Penny wise and pound foolish. Then they cut inventory. First they do not really know about pharmacy. Having a non-pharmacist be the decider in a pharmacy business is like thinking you know what it is like to sky-dive because you read the book. None of these Masters of the Universe have ever jumped out of an airplane. You do it every single day. No wonder you get sick and tired of all of it.
Start thinking the unthinkable. Policies and programs and schemes that come down from the non-pharmacist Masters of the Universe are so much flooflaw. They have power over you when you are isolated. When a few of you get together and talk about it, the power the Masters of the Universe have over you is weakened.
Tacit approval of disregarding pharmacy laws is a disgrace. These mid-level management MBAs know full well that you you willingly going to violate the law every single day. They depend on it. After all, it is your ass, not their asses, that is on the line.
We have a screwed up situation. In the ten years 1999 to 2009, Rx dollar volume has increased 135%. From $109 Billion to $230 Billion. The workload will just get more crazy. It is time to not just think the unthinkable, but to do the unthinkable. You know what that is for you.
In the meantime, know who you are dealing with. The MBA Masters of the Universe at the drug store companies are not the best and brightest. They are the C students who could not get a job at a Wall Street firm or one of the big banks. It is pathetic that non-pharmacists who are settling for a job in our industry have been navigating pharmacy into the rocks.
Think the Unthinkable. Doing the unthinkable will come. Be patient.
Here is something unthinkable for you. Are we the stewards of a failing profession? For years now, big dogs from PBMs have been saying that all we do is provide a product. There is no added value service. In other words, we do not counsel. They are right. As a group, we provide little counseling. The PBMs are trying to diminish our value and we, like lemmings, are marching to the cliff.
They would love to push you to the edges. You make too much money for what you do. The Prescription Mill is not that difficult. It is a redundant engine that takes very little professional expertise. Advanced Technicians are going to be doing almost all of it. Then, you will have to act in a professional manner. You will have to counsel. You will have to give all of the shots. You will have to triage.
You can look over at the Rx counter with longing, but the days of you standing at the computer terminal and using your fingers to go click click click tap tap tap will be over.
I hope that I am wrong. I hope that CVS will continue to pay $10,000.00 a month to you to stand at the counter for 14 hours. I just do not think so.
I don’t believe that we can allow our profession to fail. It would be a tragedy. But, my friends, if you let CEOs who are influenced by MBA Masters of the Universe determine what we do, the failure will be on you.
All of us need to take charge. It is our profession and if we need to leave some blood and teeth on the floor to get it back, then so be it.









