PrimeRx Blog

Spring is in the air, and so too are the tree pollens, mold spores, dust mites, and other particles that trigger seasonal allergies. According to the Centers for Disease Control, roughly one-quarter of U.S. adults (25.7%) and nearly one-in-five children (18.9%) suffer from seasonal allergies, with another 5-7% at risk due to allergies to insects that reappear in the warmer weather including bees, wasps and fire ants.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which maintains records of all drug shortage activity, cites several factors that could affect a drug’s availability:

Walk into almost any independent pharmacy today, and you’ll notice something unique. It’s the personalized attention, the genuine care, and the fact that pharmacists know their patients by name, their conditions, and often their family history. But even as these pharmacies continue to serve as trusted pillars in their communities, many are now searching for the top pharmacy software that can support their operations behind the scenes. As the pharmacy software industry continues to evolve, independent pharmacies increasingly rely on a modern pharmacy management system to run both clinical and operational workflows. Independent pharmacists today are looking for more than just a digital tool, they need a trusted business partner.

A report last year by Deloitte found that women are 35% more likely than men to skip or delay medical care, which “potentially leaves their conditions untreated for longer and can compound the costs incurred at the individual, organizational, and societal levels.” When asked why they choose to go without care, the most common responses were cost and accessibility.

$17 million. That’s how much, according to the National Community Pharmacists Association(NCPA), the nation’s pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) spent last year to defeat efforts to impose meaningful legislative reform. By comparison, NCPA says it spent “just five percent of what they did,” or $850,000.

Would you buy a new car without shopping around and comparing prices? Probably not. Well, the same principle applies to pharmacy inventory management. With inventory accounting for an estimated 70% of a typical pharmacy’s operating budget, and at a time when an alarming number of pharmacies are opting to stop carrying certain high-cost medications, shouldn’t a pharmacist invest the time to ensure competitive pricing?

As pharmacies adapt to evolving regulations and patient needs, ensuring compliance with the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan (M3P) is crucial. PrimeRx offers a comprehensive solution that seamlessly integrates M3P into your Pharmacy Management System (PMS), making it easier to notify patients, facilitate communication, and streamline billing.

“A missed opportunity,” is how the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) described the failure by the U.S. Congress to enact pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform before adjourning in December 2024. Similarly, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) called the failure “a clear miss by Congress,” and noted the issue has broad bi-partisan support and “may be the only issue in Washington that [all sides] agree on.”

Final numbers aren’t in yet, but based on past years, it’s likely as many as 15% of Medicare beneficiaries began 2025 with a new coverage plan, the result of changes selected during last fall’s open enrollment period. This is in addition to the record 24 million consumers who signed up for Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans, and the untold number of employees affected by changes to the coverage offered through their workplaces. Together, these plan changes affect millions of patients, and coincide with price increases that took effect on January 1 on more than 250 branded medications.

U.S. consumers will again be encouraged to shop local with Saturday, November 30 designated as “Small Business Saturday.” This includes the nation’s almost 22,000 independent community pharmacies, which can use the occasion to raise their stature and promote the many OTC products found on their shelves.The sky is the limit with regard to how a pharmacy can take part.

When it comes to medication affordability, patients aren’t the only ones struggling to save on prescriptions and obtain the medications they need. Pharmacists also feel the sting of high medication costs, and must spend ordinate amounts of time searching for ways to mitigate costs.

Pharmacies received some welcome news in June 2024 when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced “small dispenser exemptions” from certain provisions of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). The announcement, which only applies to qualified pharmacies, affects provisions of the law that were scheduled to take effect on November 27, 2024. Compliance with those provisions has now been delayed until November 27, 2026.

Pharmacists continually navigate a sea of pharmacy compliance requirements in today’s ever-evolving regulatory landscape. Across independent pharmacies and large health systems, the need to follow strict regulations is essential to protect patients while maintaining efficient pharmacy operations.

Pharmacists may recall the popular textbook, Pharmacy Management Essentials for All Practice Settings from their school days. Many may still have a copy on their bookshelf, since it is still so highly regarded. A key lesson, found in Chapter 23, is the central role that inventory has in today’s pharmacy. “A pharmacy’s inventory represents its single, largest investment,” the authors wrote. “Consequently, no other asset has the potential to devastate a pharmacy as much as poorly controlled inventory.”