Talk to Your Pharmacist

In this episode, I am a guest on the new podcast, Titans of Industry, with podcaster Nate Disarro. On the Titans of Industry podcast, we cover 3 main areas: 1) your career path, 2) the state of the industry, and 3) personal routines or anecdotes that connect to you personally as a leader/forward thinker in your field. Here are some of the other topics that we hit: 1. What was your path to choosing to become a pharmacist? First Job you had? 2. What are the different areas within health care that pharmacists can practice? 3. What did the industry look like when you entered into it and where is it now? 4. What challenges have you run into that turned into positive opportunities? or- what failure or apparent failure has set you up for success later in life? 5. Interesting/favorite stories in the business (inspirational or personal success stories) 6. Where is the state of the pharmacy industry right now amid the ever changing health care world? 7. Getting technical- talk a little about thi

In this episode, our guest is Rony Foumia who is the Area Director of Outpatient Pharmacy for the Michigan/Indiana markets for Ascension Health. He will be discussing: - Future of pharmacy students and job placement. - The future skill sets of pharmacists and what is needed to stay ahead. - Those suffering with addictions and surviving through a pandemic. - Mental health and those working on the front lines. - Job losses, loss of health insurance and what people can do to afford their meds. Interview with Rony Foumia, Pharmacist LinkedIn Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rony-foumia-09892b129/ Host - Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA www.pharmacyadvisory.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillary-blackburn-67a92421/ @talktoyourpharmacist for Instagram and Facebook @HillBlackburn Twitter

In this episode, our guest Danielle Plummer shares about taking the leap from community pharmacy to entrepreneurship. After being a retail pharmacy manager and working with tourists on the Las Vegas strip and near Fremont Street, she launched teleMDcare in late 2019 as a medical concierge service for tourists in Las Vegas. MAIN POINTS: If anyone is uninsured or underinsured (have high deductibles, high co-pays or no telemedicine benefit) or business owners who do not offer their employees insurance, teleMDcare can support you with unlimited telemedicine and a prescription formulary: for yourself and your family members to offer our service as a benefit to your employees to earn money back to your non-profit organization Pharmacists are expanding their roles and revenue through telepharmacy. Although laws vary by state, and to my understanding we can still cannot charge insurances for most services, many pharmacists are getting creative. Examples include: Consultants in specific niches are charging patients

In this episode, our guest is Dr. Rachna Patel, who has been in the field of Medical Cannabinoids since 2012 after spending years training as an Emergency Medicine doctor. She completed her undergraduate studies at Northwestern University (IL) and earned her medical degree from Touro University (CA). In 2014, she opened her own practice so that she could offer people care they otherwise wouldn’t have access to. In 2019, she wrote The CBD Oil Solution, published by Penguin Random House and in 2020, Dr. Patel became the CEO of her own CBD company, Doc Patels. Dr. Patel’s knowledge of CBD Oil has made her an asset in the specialty. She has been interviewed on over 200 podcasts, has taken the stage internationally to spread awareness, has been featured in articles for Lifehacker and MindBodyGreen and has appeared on major news networks such as NBC. Her insights into the field have helped many, many people. Topics/main points: Using CBD to combat the opioid epidemic Different conditions CBD can help with and th

In this episode, you’ll hear from Jamal Downer, PharmD is a Pharmacy Manager for Walgreens based in New York City. Jamal joined the Walgreens family in 2004 and is currently in charge of managing the store as well as providing counsel to those who need to speak with a pharmacist about their medications. Points of discussion: - Why did you choose to pursue a career in pharmacy? What do you like best about community pharmacy? - What have been the most rewarding aspects of the job, especially during this time? - What are the implications of COVID-19 as it relates to the pharmacy industry and what sort of changes have pharmacists had to make as a result of the pandemic? - What is it like leading a team who is working on the front lines of COVID-19 and what have been your biggest learnings and points of inspiration? - Post-COVID-19, how do you see the pharmacy world shifting and adapting to this “new norm” and have there been any upsides to the shift in how you interact with patients/people? Interview with Walg

In this episode, we have guest Our guest, Michael C. Dull, PharmD is Chief Operating Officer, CHC Health. Michael Dull II, PharmD has been in the pharmacy industry for over 16 years. He has had a vast amount of experience in numerous different practice settings such as health system, community, managed care, industry advocacy, administration, and clinical tech industry. Michael has focused his career and been an industry leader in the field of development and implementation of pharmacy clinical services. Michael joined CHC Health as Chief Operating Officer in 2018. In past roles, Michael was the Director of Clinical Services at MarkeTouch Media and oversaw clinical services with Shopko Stores, in both roles he collaborated with executive management at pharmacy chains and technology vendors to operationalize clinical pharmacy services. Michael has given many talks at industry events where he has been the subject matter expert related to these services, including MTM and medication synchronization. Topics d

In this episode our guest is Candice Burtner, is a pharmacist who has always appreciated natural ways of living and healing. With a curiosity for the science behind medicinal therapies, she graduated from Belmont University with a Biology degree, then went on to complete pharmacy school at The University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in Memphis. She started her natural therapy training as a mentee under Mark Binkley fresh out of school, and her most recent training has been with The Institute of Functional Medicine. She is currently working at Riverside Village Pharmacy in Nashville as Compounding Director and running their Low Dose Naltrexone Program for patients who need extra care. She is also Co-Founder and Virtual Health Consultant at My Functional Pharmacist, a virtual health consulting company for women. Candice has a passion for efficiency and simplicity in medicine. She loves guiding women through their health journeys in one-on-one settings to uncover their best next steps with clarity. After

In this episode, our guest is Diana Harshbarger, Pharm.D. has over 30 years experience as an independent pharmacist and is running for US Congress seat out of East TN. If she wins, she could be the 1st female pharmacist in US Congress! She shares about her background and getting into compounding, main issues affecting pharmacy & compounding, why she's running for Congress, and the importance of pharmacists being engaged in advocacy. Main Issues Affecting Pharmacy: • Support PBM Reforms • Eliminate Pharmacy DIR fees. • Increase MAC & Generic Drug Pricing Transparency • Fix DQSA as it relates to compounding • Fight for cBHRT & animal compounding Guest - Diana Harshbarger, Pharm.D. Doctor of Pharmacy Premier Pharmacy Inc. Website: www.votediana.com Instagram: dianaforcongress Twitter: DHarshbargerTN1 Facebook: dianaforcongress Host - Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA www.pharmacyadvisory.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillary-blackburn-67a92421/ @talktoyourpharmacist for Instagram and Facebook @HillBlack

In this episode, we chat with David Light, Founder & CEO, of the pharmacy and analytical lab company about drug safety and quality. High-level overview of Valisure: -- Valisure is the first ever pharmacy attached to a laboratory where every batch of medication is analyzed before being dispensed. -- Valisure’s mission is to help ensure the safety, quality, and transparency in the medications it delivers to consumers. -- All medications at Valisure come with a certificate of analysis, similar to nutritional information on food, and are sold at no additional cost. -- Valisure currently rejects over 10% of the batches we analyze for problems related to dosage, dissolution (how a pill dissolves), and the presence of carcinogens. -- Approximately 80% of medications in the U.S. are made from materials coming from India and China -- The $2 trillion global pharma supply chain is incredibly complex and medications can touch 10-20 hands before reaching the consumer. Guest - David Light Founder & CEO, Va

In this episode on Easter Sunday, we have a fireside chat with podcast host, Hillary Blackburn. Great article: HBR’s What Will U.S. Health Care Look Like After the Pandemic? Robert S. Huckman https://hbr.org/2020/04/what-will-u-s-health-care-look-like-after-the-pandemic?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_weekly&utm_campaign=insider_activesubs&utm_content=signinnudge&referral=03551&deliveryName=DM76157 We’ve been talking about redesigning healthcare for a while now, and there’s nothing like a pandemic to accelerate it into a recreate mode. Crisis has increased demand for healthcare workers due to increasing cases and hospitalizations. To meet that demand, healthcare staff have been redirected from elective treatments (scheduled surgeries, etc) to care for COVID-19 pts. In some states, like NY, they’ve even allowed 4th year med students to graduate early to meet the frontline demand. We’re also seeing regulations loosened to allow for expanded scope of practice. States are allowing professionals to pract

In this episode, our guest is Carly Stockdale, who is a partner at The Pharmary, a compounding pharmacy and consumer products company focusing on women and men navigating menopause and andropause, sexual health, thyroid dysfunction and other common issues through midlife. She currently advises and invests in digital health companies as an angel investor, and was previously a medical records startup entrepreneur, management consultant and healthcare administrator. We discuss: - Why did you invest in pharmacy? - How do you choose in which pharmacy businesses invest? - How pharmacy supports women's and men's health Host: Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA @TalktoYourPharmacist

In this episode, our guest is Dalton Fabian, PharmD, RPh who is a pharmacist with a passion for technology and data science. Some of the topics covered include: Some topics to cover – feel free to pick whichever are personally interesting to you, let me know if you want any more detail on any of these if it helps you plan the episode or build up questions beforehand: - Future of AI - how it will be complementary rather than replace clinicians – it will automate routine parts of clinician’s jobs to allow for more/different patient care services - Data science will likely be the next informatics in the pharmacy world - Networking to find your next job opportunity (especially non-traditional pharmacy jobs) - Operational data science (automating administrative parts of clinicians jobs with AI as the background – ex. Identifying which patients are most likely to go to the hospital in the next year and serving clinicians patients at risk in a good looking, easy to use tool) making a significant impact in healthc

In this episode, Dr. Christina Madison, PharmD, FCCP, AAHIVP joins us to cover some topics as public health is top of mind right now in midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Some topics covered – - How did you develop an interest in public health? - What do you see as pharmacists’ role? - The importance of accurate information - Possible Treatments - Convalescent plasma - recovered from patients virus and using for treatment and protection has been used for novel viruses where there was no immunity to it. Using convalescent plasma is best option in lieu of effective treatment or vaccine where patient develops antibodies themselves. - Remdesivir - compassionate use. Started use for SARS but ended in Phase 3 trials because no other patients Using some older drugs - Hydroxychloroquine - Trying to limit the use of drug for COVID-19 patients only - Kaletra - older Pharmacy practice is changing with more telehealth and telepharmacy. Guest: Dr. Christina Madison, PharmD, FCCP, AAHIVP Website: ThePubl

In this episode, our guest is a pharmacy innovator and entrepreneur, Kevin P. Boesen, PharmD, who serves as Chief Sales Officer for Tabula Rasa HealthCare. Dr. Boesen was previously the founder and CEO of SinfoníaRx, now a subsidiary of Tabula Rasa HealthCare. Prior to joining SinfoníaRx, Dr. Boesen founded the Medication Management Center (the predecessor of SinfoníaRx) while serving as a faculty member at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy. He is a leader in the field of pharmacy and medication therapy management. Dr. Boesen served as the President of the Arizona Pharmacy Association and received numerous awards including the 2013 American Pharmacists Association Foundation Pinnacle Award, the 2009 and 2006 Arizona Pharmacy Association Innovative Practice Awards, 2009 Tucson's 40 under 40, and the 2011 National Community Pharmacists Association's Pharmacy Leadership Award. In addition to his positions at SinfoníaRx and the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, Dr. Boesen has worked in a vari

In this episode, we talk with Griffin Budde who is a 4th year pharmacy student at the University of Wisconsin and Co-Founder/CEO of Pegasus Health Applications. He shares his thoughts on the following: - Background on Pegasus. How it got started. How will it help patients. Future direction - Pros and Cons of being a student and an entrepreneur - What I think other students could do to make themselves stand out/prepare themselves for the tough job market that lays ahead - Where I see pharmacy practice going Griffin Budde SOCIAL MEDIA: -LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/griffinbudde/ -Instagram: griffin_budde Griffin loves to connect with anyone and everyone. He also enjoy helping people achieve their goals. So, feel free to reach out to him if you have questions, thoughts, etc. Host - Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA www.pharmacyadvisory.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillary-blackburn-67a92421/ @talktoyourpharmacist for Instagram and Facebook @HillBlackburn Twitter

In this episode, our guest shares on topics related to the ever growing field of functional medicine. Topics include: 1. What is FM and FMPhA? 2. The role of the pharmacist in FM: it's a spectrum 3. How to get involved in FMPhA: symposium was in Indy 9/6-7 and we will be planning for 2020, online CE event 2/29 with FxMedCE.com (use code FMPhA for 10% off), grassroots efforts in other FM and pharmacy organizations, new membership website coming soon! Lauren Castle, PharmD, MS is the founder of the Functional Medicine Pharmacists Alliance at www.FMPhA.org, whose mission is to integrate pharmacists into the practice of Functional Medicine, and Functional Medicine into the profession of pharmacy. She completed her Doctor of Pharmacy from Ohio Northern University and her Masters of Science in Functional Medicine and Human Nutrition from the University of Western States. Lauren also works as a Market Health and Wellness Director for Walmart and serves as a social media influencer as @DrLaurenCastle on LinkedIn, F

In this episode, our guest is Rosemary Gibson, author of ChinaRx, senior advisor at the Hastings Center, and recipient of a 2019 Pinnacle Award for career achievement from the American Pharmacists Association Foundation. We discuss: - Why she wrote the book? Most Americans taking prescriptions or OTC meds have no idea where there medication came from or why that might be a concern. - How did she research this topic? even pharmacy leaders are in here - Lucinda Maine of AACP - Two major concerns in book: 1) risky for US to become dependent on any one country 2) lapses in safety standards and quality control - We're already starting to see more and more drug recalls - valsartan, ranitidine - Concerns about the Coronavirus and the supply chain - What are her hopes that the US will takeaway from your book? The US House has held Congressional hearings on the security of the pharmaceutical supply chain. Janet Woodcock, director of CDER, and others were key experts. Check out this episode to lear

In this episode, Dr. Justin Gatwood, who is a health services researcher and Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in Nashville, TN, shares about a new national initiative between UTCOP and Kroger to help increase shingles vaccine rates. Two shingles vaccines are licensed and recommended in the United States. Zoster vaccine live (ZVL, Zostavax) has been used since 2006, and recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV, Shingrix), has been used since 2017, and is recommended as the preferred shingles vaccine. Discussion points · Overview of the Kroger/UT vaccine program that focuses on Shingrix dose completion: justification, approach, and expected impact · How this project contributes to the larger role of pharmacy and pharmacists in providing public health services · Parallel projects at UT focusing on improving vaccination rates in adults by leveraging community pharmacists · Lessons learned from addressing and expected challenges of expanding vaccination in co