NY Times: How Chaos at Chain Pharmacies Is Putting Patients at Risk

[mentos]

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So let's say all retail chain pharmacists anonymously report about the terrible work conditions. Somehow the voices are heard and the lawmakers require more Rph overlap, more tech hours etc. This would make the businesses unviable. They would either have to cut pharmacists wages to $30-40/hr which means they would layoff everyone making over $50/hr or they would close the stores. Is this what everyone wants?

 

[projektreverb]

Hey, here’s an thought: how is it the PBMs are still tremendously profitable? And our reimbursements are garbage? Can we talk about that? And then talk about how if we had more of that money we’d actually be able to staff our stores.

 

[deleted898085]

So let's say all retail chain pharmacists anonymously report about the terrible work conditions. Somehow the voices are heard and the lawmakers require more Rph overlap, more tech hours etc. This would make the businesses unviable. They would either have to cut pharmacists wages to $30-40/hr which means they would layoff everyone making over $50/hr or they would close the stores. Is this what everyone wants?

So pharmacists should not complain about their work conditions any more.
The corporate is still very nice for not hiring cheaper pharmacists even though they can.

 

[mentos]

So pharmacists should not complain about their working conditions any more.
The corporate is still very nice for not hiring cheaper pharmacists even though they can.

That's just the reality. We can't demand more hours while offering the businesses nothing in return. Pharmacists do not generate income, they are business overhead.

 

[owlegrad]

So let's say all retail chain pharmacists anonymously report about the terrible work conditions. Somehow the voices are heard and the lawmakers require more Rph overlap, more tech hours etc. This would make the businesses unviable. They would either have to cut pharmacists wages to $30-40/hr which means they would layoff everyone making over $50/hr or they would close the stores. Is this what everyone wants?

I mean Walgreens and CVS are both Fortune 500 companies, right? Do you have some form of Stockholm syndrome where you sympathize with your tormentor? I am pretty sure corporations could cut payroll at the top and use that money to hire more techs and pharmacists. Failing that perhaps they will have to -gasp- not make quite as many billions of dollars of profit.

 

[owlegrad]

That's just the reality. We can't demand more hours while offering the businesses nothing in return. Pharmacists do not generate income, they are business overhead.

Nothing in return? Is preventing deaths “nothing”?

 

[mentos]

Nothing in return? Is preventing deaths “nothing”?

From a business standpoint yeah. Will they get a good ROI by paying another employee $100,000 with benefits? Probably not.

 

[mentos]

I mean Walgreens and CVS are both Fortune 500 companies, right? Do you have some form of Stockholm syndrome where you sympathize with your tormentor? I am pretty sure corporations could cut payroll at the top and use that money to hire more techs and pharmacists. Failing that perhaps they will have to -gasp- not make quite as many billions of dollars of profit.

I'm just being real. Corporate isn't going to take a paycut. We know Merlo isn't. They will let the companies burn down before they give up their own millions.

 

[owlegrad]

I'm just being real. Corporate isn't going to take a paycut. We know Merlo isn't. They will let the companies burn down before they give up their own millions.

I don’t disagree. But I do disagree with the premise that they can’t afford it. They can afford it they just don’t want to. Hence why we need regulations to force them to do it.

It’s a really weird argument to claim that something that drives up demand for pharmacists will also lower out wages. If anything increasing demand should drive wages up. Wages will very likely decline regardless so it would be nice to at least get more help in the deal.

Realistically none of this will happen. But that doesn’t mean you should side with your oppressor. 😉

 

[rph3664]

There was a store that had a bunch of techs quit at the same time because they were sick of the horrible work conditions and understaffing. They had to hire a bunch of new people that didn't know what they were doing. A friend of mine worked a shift there and he found three drug errors in one day. Nothing too serious, but this is getting rediculous.

I know of 4 cities where all the stores had 100% turnover (not stores, CITIES) after they took over Osco. I even heard about one store where the pharmacist said, despite a line at the register and a few hours to go in her shift, got so fed up that she said, "We're shutting down." She did exactly that, and walked out; she was so disillusioned, she didn't care what would happen to her license, future job prospects, etc. and by all accounts, this was not a person anyone would have expected to do a thing like that.

Some of the people who quit had a lot at stake - kids in college, disabled spouses, etc. but having no job was better than working there. I haven't heard this about their takeover of Target but it wouldn't surprise me either.

 

[Xarelto-10]

So let's say all retail chain pharmacists anonymously report about the terrible work conditions. Somehow the voices are heard and the lawmakers require more Rph overlap, more tech hours etc. This would make the businesses unviable. They would either have to cut pharmacists wages to $30-40/hr which means they would layoff everyone making over $50/hr or they would close the stores. Is this what everyone wants?

That’s bound to happen regardless. It’s already happening with pharmacy

From a business standpoint yeah. Will they get a good ROI by paying another employee $100,000 with benefits? Probably not.

I guess I see your point from “corporate” perspective the only profit that counts is only measured in the all mighty !

Most of what we do is Soft cost saving.

 

[rph3664]

I'm also hearing that Hy-Vee, a prominent Midwestern grocery chain, is cutting hours, although I haven't heard what, if anything, they're doing to pharmacy staff.