Yes I know it is difficult to compete with the big chain companies. Yes I know that they have a store relatively close by. Yes I know I am taking a risk.
Why is it that people feel the need to come in to the store to say those things to me. Would you like to know how I can survive and keep helping the community and providing people with better service and improve overall health? Instead of walking in the store to just ask me what I was thinking opening a pharmacy, maybe you should actually buy something. Maybe you should transfer your prescriptions to my pharmacy. I've had to hold my tongue so much because I just want to cuss out those people that don't understand why I would open a business. Thanks for coming in the critique the place and my decision and buy nothing and leave. You are a real asset to me.
When I worked at a chain, I was amazed by how much people complain about every little thing. I once had a customer that had a problem with our service every single time he came in, and for some reason, he came month after month after month to fill his scripts. I'm not sure the way his brain works, but in my brain, if I get bad service every month and every visit for 3 years, I'm probably going to start looking for a new pharmacy to start getting my prescriptions.
I'm a little biased towards small businesses. My father owns his own business and was able to put me and my 2 sisters through college with that business. So even before I started my business, I was always a supporter of the little guy whenever I got the chance. I have a ton of respect for all those that risked a big chunk of their money to open a store front and not know what the future will hold.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Friday, June 7, 2013
To Compound or Not To Compound...
To compound or not to compound, that is the question. I've been going over in my head what I can do to attract more customers to my pharmacy. I keep thinking that I need some kind of hook. I've tried the whole excellent customer service and family pharmacy angle but the neighborhood I'm in doesn't believe it's worth the extra $5-10 dollars on their copays for using a "non-preferred" pharmacy. And I don't blame them, a penny here a penny there starts to add up, especially when you take about 6 medications a month.
So I've been contemplating getting into non-sterile compounding. It seems like a sound idea. For those that may not know what a compound medication is, it is basically a medication that is specially formulated for the individual which pharmacists create at the store. It was best described to me by one of my customers, "gourmet pharmacy." The other thing I thought of getting into was durable medical equipment (DME) like canes, walkers, wheelchairs, etc. The problem I see with this is that dealing with medicaid is like dealing with an older idiot brother who still thinks he's in high school and takes advantage of you ALL the time. With the amount of audits and hoops to jump through just to give someone a box of test strips or give a cane, it's just not worth my time and patience. So I figure I can start compounding. With no real set prices on custom drugs, the profit potential seems limitless. And with the majority of insurances not covering them means better margins and less audits.
Hopefully, I'll get some of these people in the door with this because daddy's gotta eat!
So I've been contemplating getting into non-sterile compounding. It seems like a sound idea. For those that may not know what a compound medication is, it is basically a medication that is specially formulated for the individual which pharmacists create at the store. It was best described to me by one of my customers, "gourmet pharmacy." The other thing I thought of getting into was durable medical equipment (DME) like canes, walkers, wheelchairs, etc. The problem I see with this is that dealing with medicaid is like dealing with an older idiot brother who still thinks he's in high school and takes advantage of you ALL the time. With the amount of audits and hoops to jump through just to give someone a box of test strips or give a cane, it's just not worth my time and patience. So I figure I can start compounding. With no real set prices on custom drugs, the profit potential seems limitless. And with the majority of insurances not covering them means better margins and less audits.
Hopefully, I'll get some of these people in the door with this because daddy's gotta eat!
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Screw You Pfizer...
This might be a little late but many of you may or may not know that Viagra will now be sold online in a direct to consumer way. This is absolutely ridiculous.
First off, they are taking money out of my pocket because according to them they can give it to you cheaper. How about not making a 30 count bottle cost close to $800 and people won't complain that it's too expensive. Also, I'm hoping they have licensed pharmacists at the company that will be taking care of the patient counseling, medical history check, etc. The reason they are doing this is to not help the patient out, but to increase their margin. I'm sure that those pills can't cost the company more than $2 to make but they still make it incredibly expensive for the consumer. They have seen a drop in sales because of this, so they decided to cut out the middle man, a basic screw you to pharmacies worldwide. And the whole story of them not wanting people to buy fake Viagra online is crap.
Why don't they cut out the doctors too and set up a skype session with a Pfizer doctor. Who needs medical professionals anyway, their years of sacrifice and schooling to learn how to treat potentially dangerous diseases and how dangerous drugs work is all for show. We all just did that for fun because we were bored, kinda like reading Hunger Games on our free time.
What's scary is that if this is successful and the corporate monsters see their margins rise and their profits soar, what's to stop them from doing the same thing with all their drugs. What is Pfizer decided to start selling Celebrex on their website, then Lyrica, then Enbrel. Then when all those go well, the Lilly company will come out and start selling Cialis online. And the vicious cycle goes on.
I really hope those organizations that are designed to help out pharmacists, specifically retail pharmacists, and the organizations for independent pharmacists are doing something to try to stop this. This could be the small snowball that eventually leads to an avalanche of problems for all pharmers.
First off, they are taking money out of my pocket because according to them they can give it to you cheaper. How about not making a 30 count bottle cost close to $800 and people won't complain that it's too expensive. Also, I'm hoping they have licensed pharmacists at the company that will be taking care of the patient counseling, medical history check, etc. The reason they are doing this is to not help the patient out, but to increase their margin. I'm sure that those pills can't cost the company more than $2 to make but they still make it incredibly expensive for the consumer. They have seen a drop in sales because of this, so they decided to cut out the middle man, a basic screw you to pharmacies worldwide. And the whole story of them not wanting people to buy fake Viagra online is crap.
Why don't they cut out the doctors too and set up a skype session with a Pfizer doctor. Who needs medical professionals anyway, their years of sacrifice and schooling to learn how to treat potentially dangerous diseases and how dangerous drugs work is all for show. We all just did that for fun because we were bored, kinda like reading Hunger Games on our free time.
What's scary is that if this is successful and the corporate monsters see their margins rise and their profits soar, what's to stop them from doing the same thing with all their drugs. What is Pfizer decided to start selling Celebrex on their website, then Lyrica, then Enbrel. Then when all those go well, the Lilly company will come out and start selling Cialis online. And the vicious cycle goes on.
I really hope those organizations that are designed to help out pharmacists, specifically retail pharmacists, and the organizations for independent pharmacists are doing something to try to stop this. This could be the small snowball that eventually leads to an avalanche of problems for all pharmers.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Crackhead Twitter, Oxy Facebook?
There must be some kind of social networking website or iPhone app that all junkies have that they use to communicate to one another. I swear, they must make a post or something and their alert goes off.
Usually when a person who has a legitimate prescription but they just reek of a junkie, I tell them we don't have those oxycodones in stock. But once in awhile I like to mix things up and make the junkies feel like it's the luckiest day of their lives and fill them. The look on their faces when I say yes and that it will be ready in 15 minutes is like watching a kid wake up Christmas morning and seeing that Santa finally came.
And every single time I fill one for them, I get a plethora of others with the same prescription for the next 5-6 days or so. It's like making a tiny crack in a damn wall, you make one little crack and then the damn bursts and you got meth heads, crack heads, and pill poppers flooding the store.
In a way, they are some of my favorite customers. First off, they always have a story to tell, either of how they have been to 100 pharmacies or how their roommate stole their last bottle and that is why he his early this month. And second, I make so much money off of them. These people will pay anything as long as they get it. People in chains may not realize this, but that 120 count oxycodone they are dispensing costs the pharmacy about $25-$30, and the AWP is about $175ish, that's a huge profit.
So if there is a Twitter for junkies, I want in. I would love to read their posts.
Usually when a person who has a legitimate prescription but they just reek of a junkie, I tell them we don't have those oxycodones in stock. But once in awhile I like to mix things up and make the junkies feel like it's the luckiest day of their lives and fill them. The look on their faces when I say yes and that it will be ready in 15 minutes is like watching a kid wake up Christmas morning and seeing that Santa finally came.
And every single time I fill one for them, I get a plethora of others with the same prescription for the next 5-6 days or so. It's like making a tiny crack in a damn wall, you make one little crack and then the damn bursts and you got meth heads, crack heads, and pill poppers flooding the store.
In a way, they are some of my favorite customers. First off, they always have a story to tell, either of how they have been to 100 pharmacies or how their roommate stole their last bottle and that is why he his early this month. And second, I make so much money off of them. These people will pay anything as long as they get it. People in chains may not realize this, but that 120 count oxycodone they are dispensing costs the pharmacy about $25-$30, and the AWP is about $175ish, that's a huge profit.
So if there is a Twitter for junkies, I want in. I would love to read their posts.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Urban Outfitters Under Fire For No Good Reason...
So I recently came across this article and news story:
Urban Outfitters Under Fire
This article is about a retail store that is currently selling Rx themed merchandise. For example they sell a flask with a prescription label that says "Boozemin, Drink as much as you stomach can handle." They also sell beer can coolers with the outside making it look like a prescription bottle.
And the kicker of the story is that there is a group out there making it their sole purpose to make sure things like this aren't sold. According to them, they feel these products are promoting drug abuse of prescription medications. The feel that the tweens that are seeing these things will be compelled to experiment with their parent's medication at home.
Holy moly, are these people serious? It amazes me how nowadays it is so easy for people to point the finger at someone else and not look in the mirror. So instead of talking to the parents to make sure they are more careful with their prescriptions are having these parents talk to their own children that the stuff in the amber vials isn't candy. The group is probably the same ones that believe it's the video game companies fault that someone goes and shoots someone. And as for the crackhead in the video that didn't like the stuff because it might trigger is addiction again, screw you, it's not my fault you ruined your life at one point and i'm not going to hide potential "triggers" from your view.
Personally, as someone who needs a drink or two after a shift in the pharmacy think these products are hilarious and amazing. So for all those in that group and people who are on their side, take that collective stick out of your asses and be responsible for your own shit. Stop blaming other people for problems that can and should be resolved at home by yourself.
BTW, I just bought some beer holders. Peace.
Urban Outfitters Under Fire
This article is about a retail store that is currently selling Rx themed merchandise. For example they sell a flask with a prescription label that says "Boozemin, Drink as much as you stomach can handle." They also sell beer can coolers with the outside making it look like a prescription bottle.
And the kicker of the story is that there is a group out there making it their sole purpose to make sure things like this aren't sold. According to them, they feel these products are promoting drug abuse of prescription medications. The feel that the tweens that are seeing these things will be compelled to experiment with their parent's medication at home.
Holy moly, are these people serious? It amazes me how nowadays it is so easy for people to point the finger at someone else and not look in the mirror. So instead of talking to the parents to make sure they are more careful with their prescriptions are having these parents talk to their own children that the stuff in the amber vials isn't candy. The group is probably the same ones that believe it's the video game companies fault that someone goes and shoots someone. And as for the crackhead in the video that didn't like the stuff because it might trigger is addiction again, screw you, it's not my fault you ruined your life at one point and i'm not going to hide potential "triggers" from your view.
Personally, as someone who needs a drink or two after a shift in the pharmacy think these products are hilarious and amazing. So for all those in that group and people who are on their side, take that collective stick out of your asses and be responsible for your own shit. Stop blaming other people for problems that can and should be resolved at home by yourself.
BTW, I just bought some beer holders. Peace.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Beauty of Blogs...
I never thought of myself as a writer and a person to express my opinions, but the internet does very strange things. I consider myself as more of a conservative person who tends to not make his voice none unless the situation calls for it. When I got out of college, I was all wide eyed and gun-ho about working for a big chain. The thought in my head was that I can start off as a staff then move up in the ranks and maybe even one day being a DM or something. Then year after year of working my tail off and engaging with my customers and helping out my local community, I realized it didn't matter how hard you worked and loved you were by the community and those you served. It was all about the numbers and the area you work in. It's all about those 2 or 3 people who don't understand how a pharmacy works and are upset by your service who always seem to call and get a survey receipt. Oh, and they are usually all on anti-depressants and anti-psychotics.
I love reading the blogs because for a time, I thought I was the only one out there who felt the way I did. The only therapy I had was to call the PIC of the closest store and gripe with him. I thought that maybe it was just the area I worked in. Then I discovered the internet blogs and saw it was a worldwide problem, from California to Montana to the United Kingdom.
My goal is to have an outlet to spew my thoughts and to maybe show a fellow pharmacists that they are not alone. And once in awhile show the random customer that stumbles into my website and show that we do a lot more than just count pills and put them in bottles. And I also want to give a shoutout to all those other bloggers that do what they do and provide me some much needed laughter and inspiration to get me through my day. Check them out on my reading list to the right.
I love reading the blogs because for a time, I thought I was the only one out there who felt the way I did. The only therapy I had was to call the PIC of the closest store and gripe with him. I thought that maybe it was just the area I worked in. Then I discovered the internet blogs and saw it was a worldwide problem, from California to Montana to the United Kingdom.
My goal is to have an outlet to spew my thoughts and to maybe show a fellow pharmacists that they are not alone. And once in awhile show the random customer that stumbles into my website and show that we do a lot more than just count pills and put them in bottles. And I also want to give a shoutout to all those other bloggers that do what they do and provide me some much needed laughter and inspiration to get me through my day. Check them out on my reading list to the right.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Narcotics Like Candy...
I've had the opportunity to work in both a low income urban area and an affluent suburban area. My first job as a pharmacist was in the urban area. There, most of the population consisted of low income families on medicaid, old people on medicare, and a predominantly Spanish speaking population from Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. There, I thought I dispensed a lot of narcotics, and controlled meds, but when I moved and got transferred to a mainly white suburban area, I was completely dumbfounded.
The amount of narcotics I dispensed in that pharmacy was ridiculous. We had to have 3 safes there just to be able to lock up all that we had in stock. I figured maybe the amphetamines would be the big seller since doctors nowadays love to throw around the diagnosis of ADHD to anyone that comes through the door. But the percocets, oxycontins, and roxicodones were being passed out like candy. People would come in with prescriptions for "chronic intractable pain" and getting quantities of 180 or more. Seems like everyone and their mother had "chronic intractable pain." And what was sad was to see young adults and college students come in with those scripts.
My feeling is that the doctors in the urban area seem to have a grip on their practice and are professional about their work and don't give in to what patients say. They are firm in their belief that they know more than the patient and even though a patient says that they want an antibiotic, these doctors will say no because you are not suffering from any sort of bacterial infection. In the suburbs, it seems like the patient has more control than the ones that went to medical school and devoted their life to medicine. They think that just because they did a quick google search, they know what's best for them. And unfortunately these doctors give in to them because they are quick to post on facebook, twitter, blogs, etc. on how dumb this doctor is because he or she said that they don't need to take XY drug. And just because you are getting bad grades in school because you can't focus on your work because there is a frat party you'd rather go to or a round of Halo you want to play doesn't mean you need Adderall, it means you need to straighten out your priorities. I'm all for being responsible for your own healthcare, but let decisions be made by the professionals.
The amount of narcotics I dispensed in that pharmacy was ridiculous. We had to have 3 safes there just to be able to lock up all that we had in stock. I figured maybe the amphetamines would be the big seller since doctors nowadays love to throw around the diagnosis of ADHD to anyone that comes through the door. But the percocets, oxycontins, and roxicodones were being passed out like candy. People would come in with prescriptions for "chronic intractable pain" and getting quantities of 180 or more. Seems like everyone and their mother had "chronic intractable pain." And what was sad was to see young adults and college students come in with those scripts.
My feeling is that the doctors in the urban area seem to have a grip on their practice and are professional about their work and don't give in to what patients say. They are firm in their belief that they know more than the patient and even though a patient says that they want an antibiotic, these doctors will say no because you are not suffering from any sort of bacterial infection. In the suburbs, it seems like the patient has more control than the ones that went to medical school and devoted their life to medicine. They think that just because they did a quick google search, they know what's best for them. And unfortunately these doctors give in to them because they are quick to post on facebook, twitter, blogs, etc. on how dumb this doctor is because he or she said that they don't need to take XY drug. And just because you are getting bad grades in school because you can't focus on your work because there is a frat party you'd rather go to or a round of Halo you want to play doesn't mean you need Adderall, it means you need to straighten out your priorities. I'm all for being responsible for your own healthcare, but let decisions be made by the professionals.
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