the Pharmacy Podcast Network

Titans For PBM Reform: Loretta Boesing & Antonio Ciaccia

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Unite

For

Safe Medications

Because relationships with pharmacy staff along with safe access and handling of medications are critical to patient care and outcomes.

Patients Must Be Prioritized

Our advocacy began with mail order pharmacy issues. After starting a petition with over 220,000 supporters to stop the forcing of mail order, we realized that mail order pharmacy was a small part to a much larger pharmacy issue. We started Unite For Safe Medications to unite organizations, healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers to improve medication access and pharmaceutical care.

Local pharmacies face closures due to the monopolization of the industry. At the same time, unsafe staffing is causing corporate chain pharmacists to leave, America’s safe medication access is in crisis. Additionally, many are forced to 1-star rated mail order pharmacies. Mail order pharmacy should be an option, not the only option.

It promises convenience for all, but for some patients, mail order pharmacy dispenses nightmares. These include the risk of delay and miscommunication, lack of any temperature monitoring for most room-temperature medications, and the removal of the face-to-face consultations critical to showing how to administer complex medications (example: injections). Mail order pharmacy is very loosely regulated, resulting in those unnecessary complications to safely obtaining very necessary medication.

A lack of choice compounds this problem. Mandates and incentives are the tools insurance companies use to force many patients into mail-order or understaffed corporate retail pharmacies owned by the PBM, or Pharmacy Benefit Manager. Sadly, patients with chronic conditions are forced to use that system as their only option for coverage—or pay out of pocket. Most cannot pay 100% out of pocket.

Insurance companies owned mail order and corporate chain pharmacies could be an option for some, but it should not be forced upon anyone.

Safe access to medication is a basic right worth fighting for, so please Unite for Safe Medications today!

 

THE POWER OF STORIES

Powerful Stories Can Create The Public Awareness Needed To Create Change And Save Lives.

Executive Director Loretta Boesing is sharing her advocacy journey with the producers seen here from the documentary Would You Like Shots With That? This photo is from a segment that will highlight Dan Schnieder from the Netflix docuseries The Pharmacist.

Mail order pharmacy delays are long-standing issues that Boesing says the pandemic just brought into focus.
— Zanetta Lowe, WREG News

LEND YOUR VOICE

Sign Our Petition:

Stop Forcing

Mail Order Pharmacy

Mail order pharmacy can be an option, but not the only option. Mail order pharmacy carries too many risks.