Some more "POWER" fun.

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MountainPharmD

MountainPharmD

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http://www.city-data.com/forum/orlando/592969-walgreens-power.html

This is a thread over on the City-Data website concerning Walgreens "POWER".
Yeah, yeah I know we have discussed this ad nauseam but there is some new information posted. I found it interesting you may not. Anyone who doesn't think this is a game changer for pharmacy is a fool. When the largest employer of pharmacists starts massive cut backs such as this we should all be a little worried.

Times change fast but to go from a shortage and 30k sign on bonuses 5 years ago to today having to take a skills test and re-interview for your job is troubling.
 
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I feel bad for the pharmacists that had to re-interview for their positions at our store. From what I heard, the re-interview process is just a way for Walgreens to cover their asses. When they started rolling out POWER in South Florida, people were let go based solely on seniority, which of course caused someone to cry discrimination. We (in the Florida panhandle) were told that seniority is still "heavily considered", but the re-interview process incorporates behavioral skills as well. 🙄 Whatever.

I just think that when a pharmacist works for you for 15 years, it's crappy to make them re-interview for their position.
 
sandytoes said:
I feel bad for the pharmacists that had to re-interview for their positions at our store. From what I heard, the re-interview process is just a way for Walgreens to cover their asses. When they started rolling out POWER in South Florida, people were let go based solely on seniority, which of course caused someone to cry discrimination. We (in the Florida panhandle) were told that seniority is still "heavily considered", but the re-interview process incorporates behavioral skills as well. 🙄 Whatever.

I just think that when a pharmacist works for you for 15 years, it's crappy to make them re-interview for their position.
Click to expand...

I heard of a pharmacist that got triple interviewed.
 
I think they need to re-interview to make sure that you are willing to run the drive thru and cash registers, because that will be your new job when you don't have tech help.

I know a Walgreens pharmacist that quit 2 years ago because they wanted him to help out at the cash register. He went to CVS. Not all pharmacists are willing to become cashiers instead of pharmacists.
 
"POWER" is the final step in disconnecting pharmacists from the retail pharmacy. Pharmacists are now down-graded to cashiers and are told to not even look in the bag to check scripts. Techs are now the med-dispensers. Now all that is left is the flimsy law saying pharmacists must be present, which could be overridden since pharmacists are technically available via technology and the central call center.
 
""Even those of us who are secure in not being laid off (14+ years with company), are worried because they essentially are telling us not to look in the bags after the techs fill the rx. They also don't want you to check the hard copies. We are expected to counsel every patient and check product at out window. At stores who do 600 + a day, that is next to impossible. They want the RPH's to ring register and not "cross" the line to the filling spots.""

So what does a pharmacist do now? Ring out customers at a register, and the store is too busy to do any counseling. Might as well replace the pharmacist with a minimum wage cashier and call the profession over.
 
BavarianMWE46 said:
"POWER" is the final step in disconnecting pharmacists from the retail pharmacy. Pharmacists are now down-graded to cashiers and are told to not even look in the bag to check scripts. Techs are now the med-dispensers. Now all that is left is the flimsy law saying pharmacists must be present, which could be overridden since pharmacists are technically available via technology and the central call center.
Click to expand...


I think you are right on target with your assesment of POWER. I also believe that will be the next step. I think one of the results of this POWER program will be to show a pharmacy can be run without a pharmacist physically present. What other conclusions can you come up with? It is no secret the upper management at Walgreens and CVS have been trying to find a way to remove the requirement that a pharmacist be physically present. I think this is a way Walgreens can show a pharmacy can be run remotely with technicians manning the store. The argument can be made why do we need a pharmacist at the store to run the cash register? Oh, to counsel you say. A centrally located pharmacist either remotely via video or over the phone can do that.

I am not running around screaming the sky is falling but we need to look at this for what it is. Walgreens has already figured out that most customers do not care about service; they do not care who fills their prescription. They want convenience and they want it quick. So the challege for Walgreens is to get customers retrained to wait 24 hours on refills.

The only thing that will save us is the individual State Boards of Pharmacy and state legislatures refusing to change the law. Interesting times we are in!
 
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BavarianMWE46 said:
""Even those of us who are secure in not being laid off (14+ years with company), are worried because they essentially are telling us not to look in the bags after the techs fill the rx. They also don't want you to check the hard copies. We are expected to counsel every patient and check product at out window. At stores who do 600 + a day, that is next to impossible. They want the RPH's to ring register and not "cross" the line to the filling spots.""

So what does a pharmacist do now? Ring out customers at a register, and the store is too busy to do any counseling. Might as well replace the pharmacist with a minimum wage cashier and call the profession over.
Click to expand...

The pharmacist should quit. Any pharmacist still working under Power should get their license suspended based on 1. the increased errors due to possiblity of multitasking, and 2. breaking their pharmacist oath which is advancing pharmaceutical care.
 
MountainPharmD said:
I think you are right on target with your assesment of POWER. I also believe that will be the next step. I think one of the results of this POWER program will be to show a pharmacy can be run without a pharmacist physically present. What other conclusions can you come up with? It is no secret the upper management at Walgreens and CVS have been trying to find a way to remove the requirement that a pharmacist be physically present. I think this is a way Walgreens can show a pharmacy can be run remotely with technicians manning the store. The argument can be made why do we need a pharmacist at the store to run the cash register? Oh, to counsel you say. A centrally located pharmacist either remotely via video or over the phone can do that.

I am not running around screaming the sky is falling but we need to look at this for what it is. Walgreens has already figured out that most customers do not care about service; they do not care who fills their prescription. They want convenience and they want it quick. So the challege for Walgreens is to get customers retrained to wait 24 hours on refills.

The only thing that will save us is the individual State Boards of Pharmacy and state legislatures refusing to change the law. Interesting times we are in!
Click to expand...
Your assessment of the motives behind this system are correct, I think. Pharmacists being told not to "cross the line" into the dispensing area, and do not check the work of the technicians. I thought pharmacists were suppose to supervise techs to ensure patient safety? This is an attempt to remove pharmacists and increase profits under the guise of more "counseling time", which we know is non-existent due to the work volume. PharmD remotely available via phone or video and remote verification of scripts is the ultimate goal. Then, push for remote PharmDs available in India at lower rates!!
 
metrarx said:
Check what out? A couple of pissed off CVS/walgreens employees who started a useless "organization" that is going to save the profession.

No thanks.
Click to expand...


You've got to start somewhere!
 
MountainPharmD said:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/orlando/592969-walgreens-power.html

This is a thread over on the City-Data website concerning Walgreens "POWER".
Yeah, yeah I know we have discussed this ad nauseam but there is some new information posted. I found it interesting you may not. Anyone who doesn't think this is a game changer for pharmacy is a fool. When the largest employer of pharmacists starts massive cut backs such as this we should all be a little worried.

Times change fast but to go from a shortage and 30k sign on bonuses 5 years ago to today having to take a skills test and re-interview for your job is troubling.
Click to expand...

"If you really want to have an impact in pharmacy, the best way to do it is through community pharmacy."

Some guy actually said that during an interview when I mentioned thinking about oncology pharmacy. Every time I read these posts, I think about that quote and I cringe.
 
IrishHammer said:
"If you really want to have an impact in pharmacy, the best way to do it is through community pharmacy."

Some guy actually said that during an interview when I mentioned thinking about oncology pharmacy. Every time I read these posts, I think about that quote and I cringe.
Click to expand...

That used to be true. Five years ago I absolutely believed it. Pharmacy is community, retail pharmacy. It is where you have the most contact with patients and where you can have the greatest affect on them.

Except we let Walgreens and CVS take over our profession. We let giant corporate conglomerates destroy what once held so much promise. Walgreens and CVS could care less how many people you counsel, how many interactions you catch or how many interventions you make. That stuff does not make money and takes you away from what does. Mindless pill counting or staring at a verification screen for 14 hours without a break. They only care about money and making lots of it. You make money by having your face stuck in the verification screen doing 600 prescriptions by yourself with 2 technicians. Or with the new POWER you make money by having your face stuck in the cash register ringing up someone's ho-ho's, snickers and Metformin. It is sad where we have ended up.
.
 
metrarx said:
Check what out? A couple of pissed off CVS/walgreens employees who started a useless "organization" that is going to save the profession.

No thanks.
Click to expand...

Damn, why the hell are you so grumpy...im just putting it out there...no ones put a gun to your head to join...take a xanax and calm your ass down...
 
So what? If I were you I would be more concerned with CVS teaming up with Care mark to take over the PBM and Rx business.
 
Walgreens is trying to reduce the need for the pharmacist...all under the guise of "increased patient consultations."

BS

So are you going to counsel them while there are 5 people in line? How individualized. How private <read HIPAA violation>. This is the biggest sham I've ever heard of...all in order to put the pharmacist at the mercy of the corporations due to an oversupply.

The whole concept of providing consultations at a cash register is the most asinine and contradictory approach to "patient care" one could imagine. All while that "consultation room" has been turned into a storage room.
 
We need to start focusing on other avenues. Hospital, industrial, academic. We need to get ready for retail jobs to become slim pickins.
 
TXPharm said:
We need to start focusing on other avenues. Hospital, industrial, academic. We need to get ready for retail jobs to become slim pickins.
Click to expand...


We need to show people our value...or politicians...as in...we save the system money via increased adherence through consultations and reductions in adverse events.

I would hope our profession doesn't need to create another subcategory in pharmacy for "counseling pharmacists"

ahh what the hell...this is the USA...lets just add another level to the beauracracy of pharmacy! that should help control costs😎
 
Sad and true "POWERLESS" has been in Florida for about a year and most days i have 1 tech and 1 pharmacist, pharmacist in Drive thru and front and tech is filling, the finallly check is done in front of customer as bags fill up in white totes from the RFP long lines and no professional talk time with patients, the main goal of POWER is the cost to fill a prescription is lower. CPO errors occur several times a day ,and when reported to CPO or STARS i get form letter response, is this because they get so many errors that they send a form letter..? this error will be addressed by team leaders and action taken.
 
TXPharm said:
We need to start focusing on other avenues. Hospital, industrial, academic. We need to get ready for retail jobs to become slim pickins.
Click to expand...

Or we could do what AMSA and the AMA does for doctors- lobby, lobby, lobby.

did you read the thread about Wags being sued for 33 million because of an error with warfarin? It seems in this POWER bullcrap, there is a greater potential for errors. And you're right, this is compromising patient safety. How is it ok that meds go out the door without actually being checked/having a second pair of eyes going over it? That is ****ed up if you ask me. Something certainly needs to be done about these corporations and the national pharmacy organizations shouldn't be so damn passive, either.

Retail is out of the question for me- especially after hearing all these stories. Forget it!
 
Heard from a fellow Walgreens RPh that POWER is coming to California in May of this year, anybody want to confirm this?? I guess it's time to look for a job elsewhere 🙁
 
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