If you were the CEO of your pharmacy...

[DpharmD41]

If you were the CEO of your workplace (ie Walgreens, Hospital XYZ, Walmart, Express Scripts, wherever the heck you work) and you had the resources to make any changes about anything and everyone would actually have to follow through.... what would your top 3 changes be?

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[CynicalIntern]

1. Increase tech wages. I have no idea what my techs make. But I'm confident that it's best case scenario about 11.50, and they deserve at least 3 dollars an hour more than that, and some of them deserve more.

2. Implement a pilot program where DMs (or whatever your local equivalent) is responsible for once a month, taking inventory of the high dollar items that are "excess inventory" among their stores, and redistributing them to stores that are actually using them rather than keeping them as dead stock. I really don't understand how this isn't in place already. And I'm pretty confident the savings that could be implemented here would easily be redistributable into more tech hours. I've got $700 of dead Azilect stock sitting on my shelf - if we could repurpose that drug, and only that drug, that's 60 tech hours worth of money.

3. Have some low-level, unrecognizable employee go from store to store, walk straight to the pharmacy, identify themselves, and ask the pharmacist to page for assistance from the front end management. See what stores actually send back assistance and which ones ignore all pages.

 

[FarmD711]

1. Increase tech wages. I have no idea what my techs make. But I'm confident that it's best case scenario about 11.50, and they deserve at least 3 dollars an hour more than that, and some of them deserve more.

2. Implement a pilot program where DMs (or whatever your local equivalent) is responsible for once a month, taking inventory of the high dollar items that are "excess inventory" among their stores, and redistributing them to stores that are actually using them rather than keeping them as dead stock. I really don't understand how this isn't in place already. And I'm pretty confident the savings that could be implemented here would easily be redistributable into more tech hours. I've got $700 of dead Azilect stock sitting on my shelf - if we could repurpose that drug, and only that drug, that's 60 tech hours worth of money.

3. Have some low-level, unrecognizable employee go from store to store, walk straight to the pharmacy, identify themselves, and ask the pharmacist to page for assistance from the front end management. See what stores actually send back assistance and which ones ignore all pages.

CVS already has a version of #2. We've had great results decreasing out overstock of high dollar brand name items. Unfortunately this has not translated into increased tech hours or wages (surprise surprise)

 

[DpharmD41]

1. Split up the work week so half the time the pharmacist telecommutes and does remote verification, MTM, w/e reports need to be done, and one day of a live CE like something similar to grand rounds or journal club presentations or some interactive workshop to keep the pharmacist up to date with all things clinical and the other half actual store time.

2. Dance breaks, full hour paid lunch

3. Redesign all the pharmacies to add lots of natural light, places to sit, and a nice break area in the pharmacy

 

[SClENCE]

1. Increase tech wages
2. Increase tech hours
3. Increase pharmacist overlap

These are all expensive but I believe that my company, employees, and customers are well worth the investment and I believe that it will yield a positive return in the long run. Employee satisfaction directly translates to customer satisfaction. Aside from merely customer service, inventory management, patient safety, consultations, and record keeping would all be preformed at a higher standard. The license of my employees would be valued and I would give them the tools to preform their job at their highest potential.

 

[Dr Wario]

1. Fire Larry Merlo

 

[SClENCE]

1. Fire Larry Merlo

Well since YOU are the CEO this is implied haha

I have to wonder though, how much of a direct effect does the CEO have on the store level employee? I'm thinking it's pretty significant though it's hard to tell exactly what goes on up there

 

[Corpseman]

Screw you guys, I would cut staff that are weighing down the stores, trim the fat around the edges, cut excess tech hours, add more drive thru lanes, add PPDs to your list of shots you can give, force mandatory refill calls to patients, decrease silly education time, and lastly....Increase tech wages.....J/k!! This will improve our bottom line and increase my salary.

But don't forget folks, my salary couldn't be paid without YOU!

 

[PharFromNormal]

Attempt to be transparent as possible. Reimbursement for prescriptions is trending down. Let my employees know there are a options and let them vote:
1. Do nothing. Start making less money and have less to spend on increasingly expensive benefits, maintenance of infrastructure, "enhancements " to our business. And essentially death spiral our business and all of my staffs jobs.
2. Reduce pharmacist wages. Possibly lose them to other jobs and thus lose entire stores. Might be able to invest some back into tech hours/wages but will still need to follow rph/tech ratios.
3. Reduce tech/pharmacist hours. Make the "system" more "efficient" and churn out more volume at the same cost to ensure we stay in business.
Bonus!! 4. Reduce my salary to $1. If I was at a 8000 store chain this would roughly give an additional 1 tech hour per day (assuming I make $29 million and a tech makes $10/hr).

 

[Dalteparin]

1. Increase pharmacist and technician staffing. If the CFO and COO ask why, force them to spend an overnight and a weekend shift in the pharmacy.
2. Upgrade the tube system. If the CFO and COO ask why, have them deliver meds every time our tube system breaks.
3. Increase technician salary.

 

[Leper Messiah]

If I were the CEO, I'd be thinking like a businessman, So I'd do exactly what CVS already does. By keeping working conditions miserable, they have high enough turnover that they don't have to retire many pharmacists. It's also set up so that the pharmacist will eventually make enough mistakes or fail to meet proper legal requirements, then it's thier problem not the company's. Oh what's that? a labor lawsuit? Oh well, still cheaper to settle the suit than actually change the working conditions. Just saying, it's a great business model.

 

[SClENCE]

If I were the CEO, I'd be thinking like a businessman, So I'd do exactly what CVS already does. By keeping working conditions miserable, they have high enough turnover that they don't have to retire many pharmacists. It's also set up so that the pharmacist will eventually make enough mistakes or fail to meet proper legal requirements, then it's thier problem not the company's. Oh what's that? a labor lawsuit? Oh well, still cheaper to settle the suit than actually change the working conditions. Just saying, it's a great business model.

This business model only works well when customers are forced to use CVS through their insurance, which many of them are. Otherwise customers would start to leave due to the horrid experience.

 

[owlegrad]

Eh, people go on and on about how horrible and terrible we are, then keep coming back for more. Actions speak louder than words.

 

[SClENCE]

Heck I'm petty sure our store has unspoken bounties on certain customers (ie. get them to transfer out). It's actually harder then you'd think!

 

[HouTX]

glad u guys get the armpit patients

signed grocery store rph

 

[SClENCE]

I have been able to classify most patients into a few categories:

-Fat Medicaid patients in booty shorts who rest their sweaty tits on the counter while barking out orders.
-Grouchy old man who is clueless on what his medications are called, what they are for, never called them in, and shows up to pick them up then loses his marbles when we tell him nothing is ready
-Demanding middle age patient who knows nothing about insurance and skips doctor appointments but wants us to call doctor for refills on the spot and resolve all insurance problems when they switch jobs
-Self entitled drug seeker who thinks arguing louder will get them a week early refill on their #120 Norco 7.5-325; but they ill be back next week after they get paid for their $5 penicillin
-Average customer who just wants their medications fast and cheap and might say thank you once in a month of Sundays

 

[Leper Messiah]

This business model only works well when customers are forced to use CVS through their insurance, which many of them are. Otherwise customers would start to leave due to the horrid experience.

Merging with a PBM was also implied in my post. I'm curious if it will work out for RAD like it has for CVS

Eh, people go on and on about how horrible and terrible we are, then keep coming back for more. Actions speak louder than words.

This. People would rather piss and moan than actually change their routine. You know, the same people who complain about the copay on their Crestor, but refuse to exercise or eat a salad.