- 2/13/2024
Over the course of my career, I have had the privilege of meeting and interacting with thousands of pharmacists. When I first started out, I did not know the rules of the game. Allow me to correct that. When I first started out, I was playing a very small game. I thought the game was to correctly fill a prescription for a patient as quickly as possible. If I did that, I would win.
- 2/1/2024
I have had many negative results as a pharmacist, as a manager, and as a leader. But I learned over time (and you will, too) that those negative results showed me how to improve, as long as I 'got the negative.'
- 1/30/2024
The different perspectives we have acquired through our pharmacy careers bring value to the overall care that can be provided. But we must be willing to share the wisdom we have acquired, and more so, we must be willing to listen to the wisdom being shared so that it can produce the best value.
- 1/23/2024
For some time now, I have been wrestling with this topic of the hope of healthcare. Deep down we all recognize not just the opportunity, but the need for healthcare to improve. How will this happen? Truth be told, there are many pieces that will contribute to the solution. What roles will pharmacists play in this solution? What roles can pharmacists play in this solution?
- 12/26/2023
The beginning of a new year often has people looking hopeful at the possibility of what may be. Yet we know the vast majority of people who set New Year’s resolutions drop them within days or weeks of starting them. And they do this year after year.
- 12/12/2023
Within the world of pharmacy, we must be intentional to show the value that is provided to our patients. In the absence of recognizing the value, a patient can become disengaged with his care.
- 12/5/2023
If your experience is anything like mine, the ability to add value to our patients and customers is a seismic shift! I wish I could say it is just as easy as offering value-add programs, but it not. Adding value is an intentional effort to make a relevant impact in the lives of the patients we serve. Adding value is key to leading patients to better health.
- 11/28/2023
There are far too many times when a patient is diagnosed, a medication is prescribed, and the timeline to assess success or failure of the therapy is not defined in a timely or meaningful way. It is like a circle that is incomplete.
- 11/21/2023
Value is what we must set out to deliver. Every day. To every patient we serve. Pharmacists are the Hope of Healthcare (at least partly) because we can deliver that value and have that impact. We are accessible to so many people. Yet here also lies the challenge: are we delivering value? How do you know you are delivering value?
- 11/7/2023
For pharmacists to be the hope of healthcare, we must be ready to articulate the unique problems that we solve. We know we can solve problems. Some of the problems we solve are expressly defined by a local, regional, or national agency. Some are because of our unique positioning within the larger healthcare system where no law or regulation provides comment or limitation.
- 10/31/2023
Pharmacists are paid to solve problems. Truth be told, every person on planet Earth is paid for the exact same reason. Everyone is paid to solve problems. The chef is paid to solve the problem of people being hungry. The lawyer is paid to solve legal problems. Pharmacists are paid to solve drug-related problems.
- 10/17/2023
When we were training pharmacists to provide immunizations, part of the training was what to do in the case of an allergic reaction. The executives in the company knew immunization services were an appropriate next step in services to offer our customers, but there was still concern about “What if something bad happens.”
