Communications
As pharmacists, we are among the most trusted professionals in the world, yet we don't utilize that trust to the fullest. This page is going to have more than just the information stored for general use, but also a section for informational stories and pieces for utilization.
The Silent Collapse of America’s Pharmacies — And Why Our Health Depends on Saving Them
The Silent Collapse of America’s Pharmacies — And Why Our Health Depends on Saving Them If a hospital shut down in your town, it would
The Price of Clarity: West Virginia’s PBM Reforms, Community Health, and Patients’ Right to Choose
West Virginia is not always the first state that comes to mind when the national conversation turns to health-care innovation. Yet in the ongoing battle
Hesitancy with Reform: Why it Happens
Even when legislators agree that PBM practices deserve scrutiny, many become cautious when reform proposals appear likely to cause immediate cost spikes, network instability, or
Priorities and Partisanship: Why Many States Stall or Scale Down PBM Reform
Even though pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reforms are broadly popular with voters, pharmacists, and even many patient groups, the politics of large-scale reform are far
Dire Straights from Missouri
Missouri leads most trends in healthcare shortages, at an ever-growing rate. Numerous factors are at play, and need to be addressed for patient safety.
States with Current PBM Legislation
Iowa Iowa recently enacted a law (Senate File 383) that forbids PBMs from steering patients toward certain pharmacies, requires reimbursement to any pharmacy at or
"He Who Knows Does Not Speak"
This start to a Chinese proverb is highly indicative of the retail pharmacy industry. We have allowed mail-order pharmacy representatives to dictate our line of business for too long. The end of the proverb goes as “He who speaks does not know.” – Loazi, Chinese Philosopher 604BC-531BC
Today’s environment, although millennia after the proverb was coined, remains much the same in numerous aspects, with pharmacists high among the rank of sticking their heads in the sand and hoping for better… Mail-Order lobbyists have dictated several practice regulations for our industry because they are the loudest voice with the most funds due to their joined forces as PBM’s. We could learn a few things from their tactics if we would band together and work as a unit instead of constantly squabbling over the leftovers, getting left the moldy crumbs…
Our goal through UPC is to do exactly that: work pharmacists together, as a unified front, toward retail pharmacy for community-centric goals that everybody agrees should be center of the discussion. Join us in our endeavors to positively shape pharmacy healthcare standards today!