“Manufacturers go out of their way to keep prices secret and then everything that happens after that is in a sense distorted. Because I think everyone assumes someone else is getting a better deal and there’s a lot of distrust in the system,” he said.  more than 90 pharmacies in Ohio closed their doors and others at the time said they may have to do the same because of a dramatic decrease in reimbursements from Medicaid managed care plans ..read more

The coming months will reveal changes that result from the Amazon-PillPack deal. In the meantime, pharmacists should take this as an opportunity to amplify their value to further differentiate their practices, ensuring that their role will not be diminished by this new venture. By staying connected to their patients and implementing tools that help to expand their service offerings and improve patient care, today’s pharmacists will reinforce their own essential role in the care continuum, now and in the future ..read more

Greenwood “inspires others to take charge of their own destiny,” Zaputil said ..read more

Waterloo druggist promotes pharmacy ownership Source: wcfcourier.com Nov 25, 2018  | By: Pat Kinney For The Courier WATERLOO — Bob Greenwood says Rabbi Sol Serber was his most constructive critic. The late longtime leader of Sons of Jacob Synagogue would call the Waterloo pharmacist frequently. During Greenwood’s years on the Waterloo City Council, Serber would urge Greenwood to improve his posture at televised council meetings so he looked poised and alert. Serber kept little turtle statues around his home, and urged Greenwood to follow their example and “stick his neck out” every once in a ..read more

TRxADE GROUP, INC. Launches New Enhancements to Trading Platform SOURCE: Trxade Group, Inc. Press Release | 10/02/2018 TAMPA, FL / ACCESSWIRE / October 2, 2018 / Trxade Group, Inc., (OTCQB: TRXD) a web-based market platform with 9,300 registered independent pharmacy customers that enables its customers to quickly source and purchase pharmaceuticals, accessories and services from a wide range of manufacturers and drug distributors today announced new enhancements to the trading platform. Jariel Morales, Executive Vice President of Trxade Group said, “As we continue on our path of being a premi ..read more

How Pharmacists Can Stay at the Forefront of Patient Care in an Evolving Market Source: pharmacytimes.com July 25, 2018 | By: Rebecca W. Chater, RPh, MPH, FAPhA Amazon recently announced its entry into pharmacy through the acquisition of PillPack, a service that delivers medications, presorted in adherence packaging, to a patient’s home. The announcement has the pharmacy profession and the pharmaceutical industry debating several questions around the deal’s impact on local pharmacies and the role of the pharmacist in this process. At last estimate, the burden of nonadherence on our healthcare ..read more

PBMs made $223.7M from Ohio Medicaid in 2017 Source: daytondailynews.com July 12, 2018 | BY Kaitlin Schroeder For the first time, the state of Ohio on Friday released data showing how private companies manage $2.5 billion in public money for pharmacy benefits for Ohioans on Medicaid. The middlemen, called pharmacy benefits managers, are under scrutiny for how transparent they are in how the public money gets spent. The new report shows the companies retained $223.7 million last year of the money they billed Medicaid. Operators of small pharmacies have contended that the benefits managers tak ..read more

Are you familiar with Pharmacogenetics aka genetic testing? By now, you should be… If you’re not, now is the time to start looking into it! A Trxade Member is generating an additional $1,000 per day doing genetic testing for their patients by doing a simple swab of their mouth and reviewing the results with their patients. It is customized, personalized healthcare and the future of effectively treating patients based on what is the most effective for them, not for the majority, for their specific DNA. It’s amazing! Jump on the ship before all of the big box chains start doing it, one has alrea ..read more

Arkansas Pharmacists, Legislators Call for Pharmacy Benefits Manager Licenses Source: pharmacytimes.com FEBRUARY 21, 2018 | BY Kristen Coppock, MA, Editor Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) would be required to obtain a license from the state to do business in Arkansas, under proposed legislation announced Wednesday. The potential mandate is part of a law-making effort to provide oversight to prescription reimbursement practices that some pharmacists have said are threatening their businesses and the ability of patients to access needed care. Hired by insurers, including health plans and employ ..read more

Congress passes OTC hearing aid legislation Source: drugstorenews.com AUGUST 7, 2017 | BY MICHAEL JOHNSEN WASHINGTON — A new class of OTC hearing aids is one presidential signature away from becoming reality. The U.S Senate on Thursday passed the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act as part of the Food and Drug Administration Reauthorization Act on a vote of 94-1. “Thanks to bipartisan support on this issue, millions of Americans will improve their quality of life with little impact on their pocketbook,” stated Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association. “Until now, nearly ..read more