Drug Prices

Consumers are paying more for their prescription-drugs and insurance coverage co-payments even with more generics and discount programs being used this year.

That's because pharmacist costs and customer co-pays are rising fast, which continue the trend from 2009. Generic co-pays are now $10 - $15 rather than the $5 they had been. Meanwhile, branded prescription co-pays now go as high as $80.

The new health insurance reform law could lower prescription prices by expanding the number of insured as well as overall demand.

A Day in the Life of a Pharmacist

Being a pharmacist these days can be stressful and rewarding. Just ask Joey Mattingly. In his blog (http://www.pharmacistplace.com/2010/04/keeping-my-head-up.html), he tells us that:

"My morning started off very stressful with discussions with my store manager about my technician hours and personnel issues. There had been some miscommunication at my store that led me to believe I was able to hire one more part time employee and when this did not happen and my pharmacy was left with no help you could say I was a little upset."

"Later that day I was pulled aside by one of the department heads from the store who wanted to tell me something. He said that my name has been coming up a lot among other employees around the store and that he wanted to pass along that I had been doing a great job. He said it was “so nice to have a pharmacist in our store that is friendly, willing to stop what he is doing, come out from behind the counter and answer any question that someone may have.” I had to go to the back of the store for a minute and pull it together because the quick turn around from being upset and stressed out to the feeling of actually being appreciated almost made me tear up."

Today's Clinical Pharmacist

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists has created a 7-minute video profiling the job of today's clinical pharmacist. It talks about the evolving role of a pharmacist as a member of the healthcare team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SANWMoTXY-k&feature=player_embedded#