Maybe the biggest thing that’s concerning about retail pharmacy is that Walgreens and CVS aren’t concerned about what’s happening. Another #twitteRX 🧵 1/
Currently work conditions are horrible to the point that pharmacies, especially Walgreens are closing pharmacies on a regular basis because they can’t find enough pharmacists to work. 2/
Let’s be crystal clear, there’s no pharmacist shortage, just a shortage of pharmacists willing work in the conditions being offered. But why aren’t they doing anything to change the conditions? That’s the answer I’m afraid to find out. 3/
Generally it was thought that the poor conditions were a result of excessive new grads always providing them with candidates who desperately need income to pay off their massive student loans. They always had people needing jobs, so they didn’t care if people quit. 4/
It was thought that once they ran out of people, they would be forced to improve working conditions to get better retention and avoid having to close stores. But they’re just letting stores close and not really changing much 5/
Some might say that the huge signing bonuses are ‘something’ but they’re not. They are minor bandaids that fill a position for a year or two. Nothing long term. They want to staff pharmacies like a temp agency with constant turnover. 6/
Why would they do that? Because limiting RPh pay is the end goal. Get the old timers to quit and hire new grads at a lower rate…that’s always been the theory. But I think it goes further than that. 7/
With little concern or effort to make work conditions better to entice loyalty, I think their ultimate goal is to reduce the RPh role in the pharmacy and change laws to allow more remote verifying and supervising pharmacists off site. 8/
I think the model they are going for is allowing pharmacies to be mainly ran by techs with pharmacists supervising, sometimes in person but often remotely ‘supervising’ multiple pharmacies. It’s sometimes used by rural pharmacies but they want to do it in much busier places. 9/
The writing seems to be on the wall that something major is going to happen and it’s not for the better. The reasons come down to corporate greed but also the result of PBMs and insurance companies destroying reimbursements. And they’re not going to fight that. 10/
The real question is why do people keep giving Walgreens and CVS business (other than being forced)? Most businesses would be failing. They keep doing what they do because the customers keep bring them business regardless. 11/
Until customers start leaving them in masses, they will continue down this path. The lack of panic from having to shut down stores for lack of staff makes it clear that they think the customers will never leave and they might be right. 12/12
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