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Robots + AI = Rx Replacement?
In an earlier article (Avatars May Take Over Patient Communications – Where to from there?, I discussed the possibility of pharmacists being able to be displaced, especially in the area of drug information delivery to patients. Big Pharma has always wanted to be able to advertise directly to patients because they know the power of…
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A4M Proposes a $1 trillion health cost save for US – why not Australia?
The American Academy for Anti-Ageing (A4M) is a medical group researching and treating the ageing process through utilising the concept of Integrative Medicine. They have come up with a simplified 10 point proposal designed to slash major costs from the health bill in the US – they say reductions of up to $1 trillion are…
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The King and I – Shall we Dance?
Speculation is growing that the King Review – a review of future pharmacy options for the federal government – has been asked to consider two additional options: * Open ownership including supermarkets and foreign operators. * A government-owned franchise model involving full nationalisation of the pharmacy sector. The reasons given for the investigation of these…
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The Patient Proposition
I am wondering if there are any pharmacists out there who have ever created a written proposal to recruit patients to your practice. The reason I ask is that so many pharmacists in their communications with each other or with other health professionals, talk in terms of having “customers”, with the word “patient” appearing spasmodically…
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Developing a Single Patient View
From the last business cycle to the current version, pharmacists and community pharmacies have undergone some profound experiences and rapid change. The transition to now is leaving in its wake a sense of indecision and while many opportunities have arisen to improve pharmacist skills and community pharmacy development, only a small number of talented individuals…
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Losing isn’t the opposite of winning, it can be a part of winning
Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.” Like most kids growing up, the importance of finishing first or winning was always stressed. As a competitive person, I thought that second place was the same as last. Losing was a source of shame and bitterness. No one wants to be defined as…
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Micro-practice – Future Direction for Pharmacy
I2P has long proposed that pharmacy attracts two types of consumers – customers and patients. A little reflection will resolve this issue because clearly, customers will be attracted to the more commercialised aspects of pharmacy that compete with retailing in general, and the reason why pharmacists see their major competitors as supermarkets and variety stores.…
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Strong corporate culture is a boon to business
In 1788 Edward Gibbon set forth in his famous book, “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,” five basic reasons why that great civilization withered and died. They were: 1. The undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis for human society. 2. Higher and higher taxes. 3. The mad…
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The Pauline Hanson Echo Chamber and the Manufacturing of Consent in Science
Pauline Hanson recently ignited an echo chamber of media opinion, (major outrage building on previous outrage of reporters covering other reporters covering other reporters’ outrage), because she expressed a view on the ABC’s Insider Program that: “parents needed to make an ‘informed’ decision about whether or not to vaccinate their children”. “What I don’t like…
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Value Over Profit ?
When pharmacy comes under financial pressure it always looks for a “quick fix” and it usually takes the form of concentrating resources and focus into various retail channels of activity. Even though pharmacists are criticised for expanding their retail offering and daring to create survival profits, it is a necessary activity to ensure that the…