The Independent Pharmacy Alliance Podcast

Representing Massachusetts's 4th District, we are joined by Representative Jake Auchincloss this week. We discuss recent bills killed on the House floor, bills he is looking to introduce that will help independent pharmacists, and what issues have bi-partisan support, even in this highly politicized environment. 

A new PBM Law has gone into effect that could change the industry and New Jersey is spearheading the effort. This could change how Independent Pharmacists get paid nationwide if we do our part.  So what do we need to do? Laurie Clark joins the podcast this week to explain.

This week Anthony is joined by a special guest Stéphane Bancel, the CEO of Moderna Therapeutics. They discuss independent pharmacies' role in the vaccination effort and touch on Moderna's current innovations. Stéphane also offers business tips to independent pharmacy owners across the nation.

Many discount card programs are scams.  Independent pharmacists can get burned when patients use these cards because they lose money. Al Branca works with Axe Rx and says that this program is different. This week Anthony talks with Al and he explains what makes Axe Rx different, how it can help you avoid audits, and why it's worth at least trying. 

In the Mr. Smith sequel no one expected, Anthony, just came back from the National Community Pharmacists Association Government Affairs Conference in D.C. and has news about the PBM Package. This week he shares what was learned at the conference, and what legislators are saying behind closed doors.  And how you can help get this package approved before the 2024 election.

A lot of news came out in the pharmacy industry recently.  Mark Cuban was at a White House round table speaking his truth about PBMs, and then there was the data hack of Change Healthcare affecting thousands of people, which led us to discuss best practices when protecting the data for your small business.

2024 could be a crazy year for the independent pharmacist. While we are optimistic about new legislation that could help the fight against PBMs we are also looking at rising labor challenges. With so many big retailers shutting their doors can we take advantage? This week Anthony looks at the biggest trends in retail pharmacy at the beginning of the new year. 

Need help to file appeals for reimbursement? Enrolling in Medicare? How about PBM Audits? We have the person for you. This week we speak to Heather Rodgers, IPA’s Senior Member Services Administrator. She will speak about how she can help you, the cost of filing the paperwork, and the cost of not taking advantage of these services.    

It's a mailbag episode. This week we talk about a slew of different topics including the most important PBM-related news in 2023, how the new debt limit deal affects independent pharmacists, and the best rides in Disney World. 

Medicaid Fee-for-service is scheduled for implementation on April 1, 2023. This means all prescriptions the New York Medicaid program pays for will be done without PBMs. This week we are joined by the former Chairman of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York, Thomas D'Angelo to talk about how this happened, what work still needs to be done, and how you can help. 

It's a new year, and with it comes a new Congress, and an increased focus on pharmacy benefit managers and the role they play in setting drug prices. This week we speak to Tennessee Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger, a licensed pharmacist, and successful business owner, about a bill she helped introduce to make PBM reform recommendations, what the FTC is doing to help, and the chances we see some real action on PBM Reform in 2023.

Long-Term Care Pharmacies play a vital role in communities across the country, yet no federal definition exists. However, that could all change. This week we talk to Michelle Templin, the Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs at Managed HealthCare Associates about the new laws being discussed and how the new rules are affecting pharmacies everywhere. 

At the core of independent pharmacy is the desire to help the community, this week we talk to Darren Schaupp, the Co-Founder, and CEO at SiteLabs, who went above and beyond by working in community development and on tropical diseases in Africa for over two decades. He tells us about his experience and what that taught him while trying to stop the spread of diseases like COVID-19 at home

New York just created the first-in-the-nation Pharmacy Benefits Bureau which will provide much-needed oversight to Pharmacy Benefit Managers. This week we are joined by the Deputy Superintendent for Pharmacy Benefits, Eamon Rock, to discuss this landmark regulatory body, its role in the supply chain, and how they plan to help with patient steering.