Andrew Winakor’s Post

Who wants to receive warm insulin by post because the Koolpak has been exposed to the elements for far too long? Not me. Been there, done that. Access to insulin at retail pharmacies is rapidly declining. In April, 2024 RITEAID PHARMACY announced another 13 stores closing in 5 states, on top of 250 stores closed in October, 2023. Now 25% of Walgreens stores may soon be closing. Some small towns, like mine, only have one pharmacy. My RITEAID 5614 Riteaidpharmacy Healthcare uses just-in-time inventory and has to order #Novolog from a Novo Nordisk distributor every time I fill my prescription. If it closes, I would have to drive 30 minutes to the next closest pharmacy. As if the cost of insulin isn't bad enough, (unless you are a Medicare beneficiary with $35/monthly out of pocket), it is starting to feel like filling a prescription the old-fashioned way will require the cost of owning a car plus gas, or a taxi, or Lyft adding more costs and time to the burden of diabetes self care. #diabetes #insulin #breakthrought1d #fda What say you? David Schweikert Aetna, a CVS Health Company Express Scripts by Evernorth Phlow AmbioPharm - A Global Peptide CDMO Civica Rx Kaiser Permanente

Recent struggles for US retail pharmacies are not new news, however the impact on the communities impacted by these closures is something that must be discussed. In rural America there may be 40+ miles between a patient and the life saving prescription they need. These areas of the country do not typically have access to ride sharing services, couriers and other delivery connections that bridge the gap. Another contributing issue here is the lack of primary care services in these same areas. The combination of these will undoubtedly lead to poor outcomes for these communities that will need to be addressed. #ushealthcare #healthcare #pharmacy

I have noticed this in our area. Not sure why? “Sometimes Seattle earns its gloomy reputation. It was cold, dark, and wet on the February morning I arrived, and I needed a new umbrella.” “I’ve spent the last few months looking into the national meltdown of the American drugstore. As I report in a new feature Fortune published today, the industry-wide problems facing retail pharmacies—chains and independents—are hurting all of us. Big chains are shutting down hundreds of locations; CVS and Walgreens have seen their share prices slump over the past year, while Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy protection in October. Pharmacists citing burnout and overwork are fleeing the industry. For customers, whether we’re trying to buy allergy pills and toothpaste from a locked-up “plexiglass prison” or to fill a basic prescription, many of us are losing access to the front line health care services that pharmacies have long provided. “Pharmacies are in shambles,” Abdikadir Athur, a Seattle-area pharmacist, told me. “It’s unbelievable what’s happening right now.” I went out to Seattle in February to see some of these shambles firsthand. The epicenter of the local pharmacy implosion is Bartell’s, a beloved and storied corner drugstore founded in 1890 and family-owned until 2020—when the Bartell family sold it to the long-struggling Rite Aid. Since filing for bankruptcy protection last year, Rite Aid, trying to claw its way out of debt, has closed down more than a third of Bartell’s 67 locations in the Seattle area. “It’s heartbreaking,” several current and former Seattle residents told me. These closures are contributing to reduced pharmacy access across the city, and the state: Over a period of 13 months ending in early March, 81 pharmacies—more than 8% of all Washington pharmacies—have gone out of business, according to the Washington State Pharmacy Association. The fate of the state’s pharmacies is a microcosm of a crisis that extends far beyond the Pacific Northwest. American drugstores are caught in a perfect storm of factors, including the wide-ranging retail apocalypse, increased e-commerce competition, and the grim shadow of the opioid crisis. “. Fortune @scottmilner

"The Great American Pharmacy Meltdown" via Fortune published: A crisis is hitting your local drugstore. Why the slow demise of a 130-year-old family-owned #pharmacy chain spells disaster for consumers Gil Bashe points out some tough love for what's going to get a lot worse for our nation before it gets better. The #pharmacy sector of healthcare is in some trouble because macro-economics is real. When you suck out 'too much profit' without investing it back into our #Pharmacists support, technology, advancement of technicians, and helping to keep Independent Community Pharmacies alive, 20 years ago the waves began to build. Now, the wave of greed's impact is at our shores. Realize, the main payment conduit over 80+% of all revenue inside pharmacy is in the hands of 3 specific insurance companies. Nothing could possibly go wrong with that model. People will never be greedy enough to disintegrate #pharmacycare in areas of the nation which would cause #PharmacyDeserts and would cause a threat to mass #PublicHealth. These people in power, the pbms, the insurance companies, the "tall tales" of savings for our national and state tax-supported medication management programs, --they wouldn't squader these funds, would they? ...and worst of all the #Burnout of good Pharmacists. But. Here we are. Dear Pharmacist, You are more needed right now than ever before. The population is quickly reaching 350M+ we have about 300,000+ of you and they're closing pharmacies all over the country. Let's dicuss, on "This Week in Pharmacy" LIVE July 12th @ 12:30PM ET

"The death of the American pharmacy." For the new issue of Fortune, I wrote about Bartell Drugs, the beloved Seattle drugstore that’s slowly dying under RITE AID, and the larger health care crisis sweeping our nation’s pharmacies. What's happening at Bartell's and in Seattle is a microcosm of a much bigger disaster. American drugstores are caught in a perfect storm of factors, including the wide-ranging retail apocalypse. But almost everyone—including big-company CEOs, independent pharmacists, third-party analysts, and bipartisan lawmakers—blames the drug industry middlemen known as PBMs, or pharmacy benefit managers, for squeezing the margins of what pharmacies actually get paid for filling prescriptions. “I’m very concerned about what’s happened in our state, and I definitely think that PBMs have played a role in the closure of some independent pharmacies,” Sen. Maria Cantwell, the Washington Democrat who has cosponsored legislation that would regulate PBMs with Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, told me. “The situation is now very urgent,” she adds. “When you take a pharmacy out of a neighborhood, and they no longer have that in their community, it’s a real problem.” (Representatives for these PBMs, however, argue that they’re looking out for customers, and they’re not to blame for pharmacy closures.) Big chains and small independents are also facing plenty of other, and varied, business challenges. But the cumulative effect is disastrous for all of us. “Pharmacies are in shambles,” as Abdi Athur, a Seattle-area pharmacist, told me. “If even big chains cannot survive—and even CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens are hurting—what do you expect for the small pharmacies?” Read my full feature here, and in the June/July issue of Fortune:

Unfortunately, pharmacy deserts are a growing issue across multiple states in our country. This article focuses on Minnesota and the specific pharma desert landscape that's taking shape there. This article shares a shocking fact: After Walgreens shut its W. Broadway store last year, there is only one pharmacy to serve 67,000 residents in the north Minneapolis area. Because of this pharmacy shortage, many people simply aren't able to access a pharmacy at all. Many people don't have reliable transportation, which makes it nearly impossible for them to get the medications they need. If we want to get rid of these pharmacy deserts, we have to ensure that independent pharmacies have the resources to open their doors and stay open. #IndependentPharmacies #PharmacyDesert #PharmaNews

This is one placebo we can do without. With chain drug stores like Rite Aid, Walgreens, and CVS closing locations across the U.S., pharmacy deserts are popping up, which can make access to medications difficult. Amazon, Uber and Lyft may be able to fill the pharmacy squeeze, but even then, patients face challenges. It was only a few years ago when the major drugstore chains evolved their corner stores into full-service health clinics. Unfortunately, they also quickly discovered running them is completely different than operating a standard retail operation. From reorganizations to bankruptcies, these chains are shutting down locations, leaving many cities and customers most notably in the Midwest, high and dry with no nearby pharmacy. The largest chain, Walgreens, has plans to close as many as 25 percent of its 8,200 stores, which will further squeeze communities that lack pharmacies. CVS, on the other hand, is closing all of its locations in specific states such as Ohio. And even smaller pharmacies are facing their own challenges with pharmacy benefit managers, which are lowering reimbursement rates for medications, under-pay community pharmacies, and steer patients into their own pharmacies. Band-aids exist. Amazon is working to fill the gap with plans to provide same-day prescription delivery to half the country next year. And of course, Uber and Lyft offer similar delivery services. These coupled with the rise of telehealth services provide some level of access especially to seniors and those unable to travel in-person to facilities. The missing corner drugstore takes away something the band-aids can't fix. In one word, that's humanity. We can certainly talk about accessibility and convenience, but nothing can replace the ability to interact in-person with a pharmacist for medical needs. Pharmacy deserts threaten to further erode that especially in a society where interacting with others seems to be less important or common https://cnb.cx/4dFT9EJ #pharmacy #drugstore #retail #medication #walgreens #riteaid #cvs #amazon #uber #lyft #healthcare

(MODERN HEALTHCare) - "Walgreens' Tim Wentworth: VillageMD Sale Is Underway." Walgreens is making progress renegotiating contracts with pharmacy benefit managers and selling its VillageMD stake, while continuing to trim down other parts of the business. Finally AFFORDABLE Health & DENTAL Plans At: HI4E.org #VillageMD #WalgreensProfitsLosses #WalgreensWalkouts #PharmacistShortages #WalgreensCutsHours #WalgreensStoreClosings #DrugShortages #DrugSupplyChainIssues #WalgreensLosses #PharmacyHours #WalgreensPharmacists #WalgreensPharmacys #WalgreensClosingStores #VillageMDSale #DrugSupplyChain #UnvaccinatedPharmacists #PharmacistsDemands #WalmartPharmacys #AntiobioticSupplyChainShortages #HealthAndLifeSolutionsLLC #ModernHealthcare #HealthInsurance4Everyone #DrugSupplyChainProblems #DrugSupplies #TimWentworth #VillageMDMerger

The future of brick-and-mortar pharmacies has been up for debate in recent months, as pharmacy closures continue, and people have been utilizing medication delivery services more and more. While innovative digital options are popping up all over, we still see many people choose to visit their local pharmacist and/or pick a paper copy of medication instructions in favor of virtual options. As reported by Alexis Kayser at Newsweek, consumers have different preferences for how they want to engage in their health care. For many people, the ability to visit a physical pharmacy and receive an in-person consultation from their pharmacist is important. For others, receiving their medication after a few clicks on their computer is preferred. New technologies being developed by companies like Walgreens and Amazon are key to providing new care options, but we must remember that everyone has a different perspective on how they choose to engage with their pharmacist and receive medication information. As these changes continue, I look forward to seeing how the industry evolves to continue meeting patient needs and demand. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/epNG2WjE

We are determined to keep advocating for independent pharmacies! As pharmacy closures rise across Oregon, we are doubling down on supporting independent pharmacies and are committed to turning this trend around to increase access in the communities who need it most. Our growth in Oregon this past year underscores our commitment to this state, even as independent pharmacy presence dwindles. We're dedicated to ensuring every Oregonian has access to essential pharmacy services, advocating for transparency, and fighting unfair practices in the industry. Let's continue to support local pharmacies and keep our communities healthy! #IndependentPharmacies #PharmacyCare #OregonHealthcare #LocalPharmacies #CommunityHealth #PharmacyAdvocacy #HealthcareAccess #CascadiaPharmacy #SupportLocal #FightForPharmacies #HealthcareHeroes #PharmacyGrowth #OregonStrong #PharmacyServices #PatientCare Read more: OPB Article https://lnkd.in/gSciAPCf