Claim OwnershipPUTTcast | Pharmacists United for Truth and Transparency
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The Pharmacy Podcast Network & Pharmacists United for Truth and Transparency have teamed up to deliver to the healthcare industry, the PUTTCast. Pharmacists United for Truth and Transparency (PUTT) is a non-profit advocacy organization founded by independent pharmacists and pharmacy owners devoted to exposing the truth about the anti-competitive tactics of pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs). Known to most Americans as their ”prescription drug benefit plan” provider, PBMs are in reality a $300 billion industry - giant corporate middlemen driving up the cost of medications with huge mark ups and commissions on every prescription covered under their ”benefits plan.”
47 Episodes
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Independent pharmacies are being put through the wringer, especially with Medicare - but what if they could take back their power?
Listen in as Monique Whitney hosts a serious discussion with PUTT Board President Deborah Keaveny & the founder of WayPointRx’s Pharmacy Insurance Group Ben Coakley on why and how pharmacies can (and should!) get paid to do what they’re already doing - counseling patients. The difference? As an agent for their patients’ health insurance.
What happens when 2 of social media’s leading patient advocates get together on the PUTTcast? (spoiler alert: it involves a lot of great information!)
Listen in as Monique Whitney is joined by patient advocacy powerhouses Beth Waldron and Loretta Boesing for a discussion on medication access issues, formularies, and even the pharmacy business model - public pressure for PBM reform can only increase when these advocates get their say.
ICYMI March 5, 2024 White House Listening Session on PBM Reform
TransparencyRx is a coalition of PBMs that do NOT align with the evil acronym! Listen in as PUTTcast co-hosts Monique Whitney and Lauren Young are joined by TransparencyRx founder and Managing Director, Joe Shields and APCI General Counsel, Greg Reybold, for an honest discussion on what a transparent pass-through PBM really is (and is not!), and why the coalition fully supports reform legislation - because, no matter what the big traditional PBMs claim to be doing on behalf of their clients, the data always tells a different story.
From DIR fees, hangovers and lawsuits, to “delinking” legislation, state-level victories, and federal agency scorecards - join co-hosts Monique Whitney and Lauren Young as they break down PBM reform in the new year, how it can affect independent pharmacies, and how it would benefit everyone.
Special Guests: Greg Reybold, General Counsel, APCI & Steve Moore, Owner, Condo Pharmacy
Dr. Dan Hussar, Dean Emeritus, Remington Professor Emeritus, & author of The Pharmacist Activist joins the PUTTcast this month to share his thoughts on the evolution of pharmacy & pharmacy education, present “moral injuries” to the industry, and why, according to him, independent pharmacists are the heart and soul of the pharmacy profession.
The PBM Express Scripts recently asked to convene an independent pharmacy advisory group to determine how PBMs could be better “partners” with independent pharmacies - PUTT responded with a comprehensive letter outlining many of the issues pharmacies confront in their daily dealings with PBM “partnerships”... this month, the PUTTcast is taking that conversation a step further.
Join Monique Whitney, PUTT President Deborah Keaveny, and special guest pharmacy owners EpicRx CEO Brian Hose, and MPA past President Jerry Callahan as they take a deep dive into pharmacy/PBM business relationships, including how they affect:
drug pricing;
patient care;
all forms of pharmacy including the chains, and;
why FTC and legislative intervention is critical to addressing many of the issues.
Because, to quote PUTT President Deborah Keaveny, “no pharmacy can provide quality patient care if it cannot generate sufficient revenue to conduct its daily operations.”
To read PUTT’s official letter to Express Scripts click here
A lawyer is a lawyer… right? Wrong. Pharmacy law is one of the most complex areas of law in the United States. But what does that have to do with advocacy? Or running an independent pharmacy?
Join Monique Whitney as she talks pharmacy law, its intricacies, and how it relates to advocacy with pharmacy legal gurus Mark Boesen & Allyson Snow of Boesen & Snow law firm. If you have an interest in pharmacy law (or simply want to avoid the necessity of a pharmacy lawyer) this is one episode you do not want to miss!
What does the IRA really achieve when it comes to prescription medications? What are its effects on independent pharmacies, the 340B program, or even DIR fees? What parts of the equation are missing, and what inclusions would make the IRA better for everyone?
Listen in as PUTTcast hosts Monique Whitney and Lauren Young take a deep dive into the answers to these questions and many more with special guest American Pharmacies General Counsel, Miguel Rodriguez.
The triangle of care that should exist between patients, pharmacists & physicians has been under deadly fire from healthcare private corporatization for decades. As independent pharmacy healthcare providers, is there a way to stem the bleeding?
This month’s special guest Jeffrey Lewis, President and CEO of the Legacy Health Endowment and the EMC Health Foundation, might just have one. Both Legacy Health and EMC Health are nonprofits that are able to raise and provide funding for patients, independent pharmacies, and even students in their local area - using fundraising tactics based squarely in advocacy. It just goes to show, there’s always a solution… it just may not be the most obvious one!
With more than 30 bills in progress this session at the federal level alone, PBM reform is barreling down the legislative tracks - but what's the best way to get legislation and enforcement across the finish line? Listen in as PUTT Executive Director, Monique Whitney, and Board Vice President, Lauren Young dive into the past, present, and (possible) future of PBM reform, who's getting it done, and why continuing to educate and follow through with legislation enforcement is such a critical component.
Legislative season may be winding down, but advocates are ramping up for education season!
Listen in as PUTTcast hosts Monique Whitney and Lauren Young welcome advocacy guru AIDS Healthcare Foundation's Associate Director of Advocacy, John Farina to the mic. From creative campaigns to the importance of educating legislative staff - effective advocacy never sleeps!
From pharmacy software to pharmacies themselves - the thing that sets independently owned small business healthcare apart from multi billion dollar corporations is an inextinguishable passion for their patients.
Listen in as co-hosts Monique Whitney and Lauren Young take a deep dive into what it takes to make independent pharmacy successful with special guests Kevin Minassian & Sarah Callioras of Datascan Pharmacy Software. From ensuring patient satisfaction and pharmacy staff happiness, to alternative revenue streams and openly joining forces; when it comes to PBM abuse of the system, shared goals and a unified front are the only way we will win this fight!
Click Here to learn more about Datascan Pharmacy Software
To learn more about Pharmacists United for Truth & Transparency, visit our website TruthRx.org
PBMs make it a habit to use PSAOs as a scapegoat for a variety of issues in pharmacy - but what really is a PSAO?
Listen in as Monique Whitney, speaks with independent pharmacy owner and former APA CEO, Scott Pace, and EPIC VP of Network Development, Gretta Ginsteinner. It's a frank discussion about what PSAOs are, what they are not, and why dispelling the myths and misinformation is so important.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 171 pieces of PBM legislation have been filed in 40 states this session. Listen in as PUTT Executive Director Monique Whitney, APRx VP of Government Affairs Michael Wright, and PUTT Board VP Lauren Young, discuss what's in the hopper, on the horizon, and why continuing to advocate throughout legislation's dynamic process is so important.
Through jubilant wins and gut punching losses, the pharmacists of New York never give up. Listen in as PUTTcast host Lauren Young digs into the upcoming positive changes under New York's new Medicaid carve out, and PSSNY's inexhaustible fight to get it across the finish line.
Special Guests:
Heather Ferrarese, President, Pharmacists Society of the State of New York
Steve Moore, Owner, Condo Pharmacy, Past President, Pharmacists Society of the State of New York
Greg Reybold, Director of Healthcare Policy & General Counsel, ACPI
What happens when the President of the Infusion Access Foundation and the Arizona Advocacy Chair of the American Diabetes Association discuss PBM interference in patient care with PUTTcast host Monique Whitney? An enlightening discussion on the science of biologics, the fake math behind PBM cost-savings claims, and how the PBM "legalized supply chain mafia" turns patients into collateral damage in favor of higher profits.
Guests:
Brian Nyquist, President Infusion Access Foundation, President & CEO, National Infusion Center Association
Julie Hoffman, Advocacy Chair, American Diabetes Association Arizona, Leadership Council member, Diabetes Coalition of Arizona
From safety issues to retaliatory tactics against their own employees, our nation's largest chain pharmacies are steadily dropping in reputation, putting their pharmacists and pharmacy staff in the increasingly precarious position of good people trapped in an awful situation.
Listen in as PUTTcast host Monique Whitney speaks with Anais Webster Mennuti and Kim Kessler from the independent documentary that's blowing the lid off America's pharmacy problems: "Would You Like Shots with That?". It's an ear-opening discussion that brings atrocities out in the open, humanizes what really goes on behind chain pharmacy counters, and makes the case for why you should care - because at the end of the day, we are all patients.
To learn more about the "Would You Like Shots with That?" documentary or to watch the trailer, visit their website at https://wouldyoulikeshotswiththat.com/
Independent pharmacies in the 340B program can encounter areas of deeply gratifying patient care and intensely daunting confusion in a single breath - but is it possible to make sense of the system?
Listen in as PUTTcast host Monique Whitney engages in a frank discussion on the intricacies, benefits, and misconceptions of the 340B program with Secure340B experts Julie Crozier and Amanda Gaddy. If you're an independent pharmacy owner, this is one episode you do not want to miss!
Contact Secure340B for more information: www.secure340b.com
From forced mail-order medication dangers to fail-first therapy requirements, non-medical medication switching, complaint filing confusion, high drug prices, and even coverage denials; most patients' issues with U.S. healthcare have one thing in common - PBMs.
Listen in as co-hosts Monique Whitney & Scott Newman speak with powerhouse patient advocates Beth Waldron & Loretta Boesing. They'll discuss an array of important patient issues including how under the current system insurance coverage does not equal patient care, what PBM accountability should look like, and how grassroots organized patient groups could ultimately be the downfall of PBM greed-based practices.
Solid PR practices call for changing the conversation to one's advantage, but PCMA's recent OpEds based on a paid-for white paper are more than suspect.
Listen in as lobbyist & managing partner of Public Policy Partners Meghaen Della'Artino, and General Counsel for American Pharmacies Miguel Rodriguez, speak with PUTTcast host Monique Whitney about strategy, the current political arena, and how the power of grassroots and a constituent's voice can overcome the most well-funded PBM politics.
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