Archive - Ramblings of a pharmacist

Patients Before Monopolies

The fundamental problem in pharmacy is that the payment system is corrupt.

May 17 •

Benjamin Jolley

January 2025

It's the RxMOOPs!

The IRA of 2022 made some big changes to Medicare. The most meaningful of those changes is the amusingly named "$2000 RxMOOP." I muse on what those…

Jan 4 •

Benjamin Jolley

December 2024

Formularies, Formulary Strategies, and Vigilante Formulary Review

Formularies are rationing by bureaucrats. Sometimes they make decisions that look insane to people outside of their bubble, or nakedly profit-seeking.

Dec 27, 2024 •

Benjamin Jolley

October 2024

Response to "Safelite is a PBM"

Matt Stoller wrote up Safelite's similarities to the PBM industry. This July I had wonderfully bad luck and had two separate windshield-rock incidents.

Oct 1, 2024 •

Benjamin Jolley

September 2024

2275 pharmacies have closed so far in 2024

My profession is really struggling. We need help.

Sep 17, 2024 •

Benjamin Jolley

September 2023

FDA announced on 8/25/23 that they are exercising enforcement discretion for DSCSA EDDS. What the heck does that mean?

Sep 26, 2023 •

Benjamin Jolley

April 2023

Express Scripts on the Road to Damascus?

The political pressure around PBMs has apparently given ESI's leadership a Paulian vision. The tone-deafness and clinical errors in their release belie…

Apr 23, 2023 •

Benjamin Jolley

October 2022

PBMs <3 Counterfeit Drugs

PBMs pay pharmacies a reimbursement ceiling that is below the wholesale cost of goods floor for the retail class of trade to independent pharmacies…

Oct 26, 2022 •

Benjamin Jolley

September 2022

FTC Chair Khan will be at NCPA 2022

NCPA 2022 is now the antitrust-nerd-pharmacist's comic-con

Sep 12, 2022 •

Benjamin Jolley

August 2022

Unsolved Mysteries: NPI spoofing

Someone has been submitting claims to PBMs pretending they are part of our pharmacy. We're not the only affected pharmacy. I want it to stop.

Aug 19, 2022 •

Benjamin Jolley

June 2022

A pharmacy's layout tells its history

By walking through a pharmacy's physical inventory, you can tell a lot about the operator of that pharmacy.

Jun 29, 2022 •

Benjamin Jolley

Branded Drugs are upside down

Why does the pharmacy market treat the highest ticket items as a loss leader for the lowest ticket items?

Jun 28, 2022 •

Benjamin Jolley

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