That's right.
There's been a lot of talk (and crying) in Ontario about how the retail pharmacy industry is in trouble thanks to the new drug reform It's true, the drug reform will hurt the retail pharmacy industry. But let's be serious, does a company like Shoppers Drug Mart or Rexall really need more money? I mean these guys have more money than some small countries!
So, while all the pharmacy owners out there have been crying foul about how their bottom lines will be hit hard with the implementation of these changes, I've been quietly taking notes and figuring out how I can take advantage of this new shape of the industry.
And, I'm confident that opening up an independent pharmacy in the immediate future is the right move to make from a professional and business perspective.
There is still lots of dollars in the industry to be had. I know I won't be making billions like SDM, but even if I can take a small percentage of what one of their stores makes, then I will be doing just fine. My overhead and expenses will be lower because it will be just me, and I know for certain that I can out-customer-service a Shoppers or Pharma Plus Rexall with my eyes closed and hands tied behind my back any day of the week.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't going to be easy, I know. But the bottom line is that all these changes were inevitable...and this isn't the last major change to the industry in my lifetime. But it was now or never.
So here I go, wish me luck.
Showing posts with label Shoppers Drug Mart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shoppers Drug Mart. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Small pharmacy is really screwed, but that doesn't mean I can't be only a little screwed.
So, it's been a while since I last posted.
What's happened since then? Well, I've had some excitement in my personal life, but this is not the forum for that.
And in my professional life, well, all has gone to hell, as they say. The Ontario Government has decided they aren't happy with how well the retail pharmacy industry is doing these days, so they've decided to slit our wrists, give us a bandaid, and let us all bleed out slowly. And by "us" I mean pharmacists in Ontario. Go to www.stopcuts.ca or http://ontario.communitypharmacies.ca for more info. Educate yourself, but in the meantime, here's my take.
The government has announced they will be eliminating all forms of professional allowances to pharmacies from generic drug companies (which is about 750 million bucks/year), while slashing the allowed cost of generic drugs to 25% of the brand name price. They did, however, agree to increase the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) reimbursed dispensing fee from $7 to $8 - which is very nice since they've only increased it by $0.56 over the past 21 years. Hrmmmmm....maybe its cus they knew the funding model for drugs in Ontario was screwed up and they were okay with letting pharmacies and generic drug companies work out their own deals. So now the government wants a piece of the action...or probably is thinking, "if we can't have a piece of the action, no one can". They did agree (but haven't given specifics yet) to fund pharmacists for the provision of certain professional services. Who knows what that will be and how much it will pay or even when it will take effect.
Bottom line is this: they are removing about $750 million from the industry and only giving back $250 million....where the heck is the difference coming from? The answer is the public. The innocent bystander who hears from their elected government that they will be saving money on drugs. But if pharmacies are going to lose money on every prescription they fill, either someone will pay, or pharmacies will start cutting back and going out of business.
It's happening already. People are getting laid off. Hours are harder to come by. Previously free services are being charged for (eg, $5 per delivery of a prescription). And the smaller pharmacies who aren't 17,000 square feet with 5000 square feet of high end cosmetics (and aren't receiving kickbacks to stock those cosmetics, by the way), will get hit the hardest. The independent pharmacy. Not the large/public corporations like Shoppers Drug Mart or Rexall Pharma Plus (Katz Group).
Thanks Premier Dalton McGuinty and Health Minister Deb Matthews....you have officially solidified your role in Canada's history as the government that destroyed the pharmacy as we know it, and as we have known it for the past 20 years or even longer. Wait you two. One day soon you or someone you love will likely need a pharmacist... And by then these changes will have had time to have their full effect on the industry. And when you need the assistance of your pharmacist and don't get it or have to pay out of pocket or have to wait a very long time, I hope you curse yourself. I can only imagine what you would do if someone came along and said "you are not allowed to make the salary you have been getting for the past 20 years anymore, so now will earn 50% less for yet to be determined increase in workload." Ya, good luck with that.
I'm not really all that upset with making changes. Seriously, I agree we need lower drug prices. I'm just upset with how they went about doing it. The government created these "professional allowances" in 2006...it was their idea!! And now they are making pharmacists look bad for using that. And they are being vague and unwilling to negotiate or discuss possible resolutions with any of the pharmacy associations/groups. They are making drastic changes to and industry they know little about. And just because they pay for the largest insurance plan in the company and want to reduce their debt, they figured that by paying less for drugs, their debt will decrease. So why not legislate lower prices? Genius they thought. Meanwhile they will screw millions of people in the coming years.
Until then, I'm not going to let you burst my bubble. I am still going to open my own pharmacy. I will modify my business model to account for your stupidity and arrogance and future inevitable stupidity. I will do whatever I can to prove myself and the services I provide to my patients are worth their time, loyalty, and business. I will let them know that the government doesn't really care about anyone but themselves. I will succeed whether you try and stop me or not.
That was my rant on the current situation in the retail/community pharmacy industry in Ontario.
Until next time,
The Canadian Pharmacist.
What's happened since then? Well, I've had some excitement in my personal life, but this is not the forum for that.
And in my professional life, well, all has gone to hell, as they say. The Ontario Government has decided they aren't happy with how well the retail pharmacy industry is doing these days, so they've decided to slit our wrists, give us a bandaid, and let us all bleed out slowly. And by "us" I mean pharmacists in Ontario. Go to www.stopcuts.ca or http://ontario.communitypharmacies.ca for more info. Educate yourself, but in the meantime, here's my take.
The government has announced they will be eliminating all forms of professional allowances to pharmacies from generic drug companies (which is about 750 million bucks/year), while slashing the allowed cost of generic drugs to 25% of the brand name price. They did, however, agree to increase the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) reimbursed dispensing fee from $7 to $8 - which is very nice since they've only increased it by $0.56 over the past 21 years. Hrmmmmm....maybe its cus they knew the funding model for drugs in Ontario was screwed up and they were okay with letting pharmacies and generic drug companies work out their own deals. So now the government wants a piece of the action...or probably is thinking, "if we can't have a piece of the action, no one can". They did agree (but haven't given specifics yet) to fund pharmacists for the provision of certain professional services. Who knows what that will be and how much it will pay or even when it will take effect.
Bottom line is this: they are removing about $750 million from the industry and only giving back $250 million....where the heck is the difference coming from? The answer is the public. The innocent bystander who hears from their elected government that they will be saving money on drugs. But if pharmacies are going to lose money on every prescription they fill, either someone will pay, or pharmacies will start cutting back and going out of business.
It's happening already. People are getting laid off. Hours are harder to come by. Previously free services are being charged for (eg, $5 per delivery of a prescription). And the smaller pharmacies who aren't 17,000 square feet with 5000 square feet of high end cosmetics (and aren't receiving kickbacks to stock those cosmetics, by the way), will get hit the hardest. The independent pharmacy. Not the large/public corporations like Shoppers Drug Mart or Rexall Pharma Plus (Katz Group).
Thanks Premier Dalton McGuinty and Health Minister Deb Matthews....you have officially solidified your role in Canada's history as the government that destroyed the pharmacy as we know it, and as we have known it for the past 20 years or even longer. Wait you two. One day soon you or someone you love will likely need a pharmacist... And by then these changes will have had time to have their full effect on the industry. And when you need the assistance of your pharmacist and don't get it or have to pay out of pocket or have to wait a very long time, I hope you curse yourself. I can only imagine what you would do if someone came along and said "you are not allowed to make the salary you have been getting for the past 20 years anymore, so now will earn 50% less for yet to be determined increase in workload." Ya, good luck with that.
I'm not really all that upset with making changes. Seriously, I agree we need lower drug prices. I'm just upset with how they went about doing it. The government created these "professional allowances" in 2006...it was their idea!! And now they are making pharmacists look bad for using that. And they are being vague and unwilling to negotiate or discuss possible resolutions with any of the pharmacy associations/groups. They are making drastic changes to and industry they know little about. And just because they pay for the largest insurance plan in the company and want to reduce their debt, they figured that by paying less for drugs, their debt will decrease. So why not legislate lower prices? Genius they thought. Meanwhile they will screw millions of people in the coming years.
Until then, I'm not going to let you burst my bubble. I am still going to open my own pharmacy. I will modify my business model to account for your stupidity and arrogance and future inevitable stupidity. I will do whatever I can to prove myself and the services I provide to my patients are worth their time, loyalty, and business. I will let them know that the government doesn't really care about anyone but themselves. I will succeed whether you try and stop me or not.
That was my rant on the current situation in the retail/community pharmacy industry in Ontario.
Until next time,
The Canadian Pharmacist.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Shoppers Drug Mart Politics
Usually, when a company asks an employee to take over a position that has been held by the same person for many many years, that new employee should adapt to their new environment and staff, right? Well, not if you're talking about Shoppers Drug Mart.
Last night I worked relief in a Shoppers Drug Mart (SDM) that has a new "Associate Owner" (slash "sucker"). The staff filled me in on all the gossip. The old Associate left the store to take on a cushy head office job. And the new guy comes into the new store for not even 2 weeks and has already started digging his own grave.
You think that as the new guy and new boss of a pretty large and decent staff, you'd want to keep them on your good side. But not this genius. He comes in and as one of his first acts of business, he decides to end the store's methadone program!! WTF?!?! Those meth patients are trying to get clean, and you walk in and mess everything up!! Of course, I'm working the first full day after they started telling their patients that they're going to have to find a new methadone store. Thanks asshole, now I'm working until midnight with a bunch of pissed off recovering drug addicts and the staff and I are getting an ear full.
So, why would this idiot choose to take over a store where there's methadone if he's to big of a pussy to deal with it? My guess: he's an idiot. But, an even better question: Why would SDM let a new associate take over a new store and start changing things around so drastically? My guess: they're idiots. But he's all they've got, and they're all he's got. Why? Say it with me: They're all idiots!
The whole situation gets worse because the staff are the ones telling the patients that they are closing the program and so the staff are getting yelled at. And who do the staff blame? The new guy. The idiot. And head office. The idiots.
This isn't an isolated incident. Every time I go to a SDM, there's some sort of political nonsense pissing all the store level staff off. Listen up Shoppers: don't piss off your store-level staff. They are your bread and butter...not the stupid idiots at head office in their cushy desk jobs with fancy offices and furniture (I've seen the fancy head office by the way).
So, what did I do? Naturally, I stirred shit up. I told the nice ladies, the technicians, to be empowered. I told them to say something to the new guy. And if that doesn't work, then speak to their regional manager. Worst case, get the pissed of patients to complain to head office and if necessary, complain to the college.
Call me a shit disturber. Seriously, call me that. Because that's what I am.
All Shoppers stores have issues. And the issues are typically all the same.
Too bad this hugely successful company are not smart enough to recognize it and do something about it. It's only a matter of time before it all comes crashing down.
Last night I worked relief in a Shoppers Drug Mart (SDM) that has a new "Associate Owner" (slash "sucker"). The staff filled me in on all the gossip. The old Associate left the store to take on a cushy head office job. And the new guy comes into the new store for not even 2 weeks and has already started digging his own grave.
You think that as the new guy and new boss of a pretty large and decent staff, you'd want to keep them on your good side. But not this genius. He comes in and as one of his first acts of business, he decides to end the store's methadone program!! WTF?!?! Those meth patients are trying to get clean, and you walk in and mess everything up!! Of course, I'm working the first full day after they started telling their patients that they're going to have to find a new methadone store. Thanks asshole, now I'm working until midnight with a bunch of pissed off recovering drug addicts and the staff and I are getting an ear full.
So, why would this idiot choose to take over a store where there's methadone if he's to big of a pussy to deal with it? My guess: he's an idiot. But, an even better question: Why would SDM let a new associate take over a new store and start changing things around so drastically? My guess: they're idiots. But he's all they've got, and they're all he's got. Why? Say it with me: They're all idiots!
The whole situation gets worse because the staff are the ones telling the patients that they are closing the program and so the staff are getting yelled at. And who do the staff blame? The new guy. The idiot. And head office. The idiots.
This isn't an isolated incident. Every time I go to a SDM, there's some sort of political nonsense pissing all the store level staff off. Listen up Shoppers: don't piss off your store-level staff. They are your bread and butter...not the stupid idiots at head office in their cushy desk jobs with fancy offices and furniture (I've seen the fancy head office by the way).
So, what did I do? Naturally, I stirred shit up. I told the nice ladies, the technicians, to be empowered. I told them to say something to the new guy. And if that doesn't work, then speak to their regional manager. Worst case, get the pissed of patients to complain to head office and if necessary, complain to the college.
Call me a shit disturber. Seriously, call me that. Because that's what I am.
All Shoppers stores have issues. And the issues are typically all the same.
Too bad this hugely successful company are not smart enough to recognize it and do something about it. It's only a matter of time before it all comes crashing down.
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