Is there any truth to this rumor?

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as --Not Pharmacy--, Disgusting, Education, Government, Just a question, Laws, Lazy People, Me hating others, Politics, Stupid People, True Story, Welfare

The following piece of literary magic was forwarded to me from my conspiracy theorist friend. I get emails from him every week — I usually take the first sentence, google it with the word “snopes.com,” and send him back the link to the DEBUNKING of his trite. He never searches snopes first. He never sends my debunking back out to his email listserv….

I still enjoy out little chats — I’m always curious to see what will come out of his mouth next…:-)

Anyway — if you have any knowledge of these issues please post a comment. Debunk it. Post a supporting link if possible. I just cannot accept all of this as fact….

“I live and  work in a state overrun with illegals. They make more money  having kids than we earn working full-time. Today I had a 25-year old with 8 kids – that’s right 8; all illegal anchor babies and she had the nicest nails, cell phone, hand bag, clothing, etc.. She makes about $1,500 monthly for
each; you do the math. I used to say, “We are the dumbest nation on earth.” Now I must say and sadly admit: WE are the dumbest people on earth (that includes ME) for we elected the idiot idealogues who have passed the bills that allow this. Sorry, but we need a revolution.. Vote them all out in 2010.

REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER 2010, WE HAVE A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO CLEAN OUT THE ENTIRE HOUSE AND ONE-THIRD OF THE SENATE!

This is an insult and a kick in the butt to all of us…

Get mad and pass it on, I don’t know how, but maybe some good will come
of this travesty.

If  the immigrant is over 65, they can apply for SSI and Medicaid and get more than a woman on Social Security, who worked from 1944 until 2004 .

She is only getting $791 per month because she was born in 1924 and there’s a ‘catch 22..’

It is interesting that the federal government provides a single refugee with a monthly allowance of $1,890. Each can also obtain an additional $580 in
social assistance, for a total of $2,470 a month.

This compares to  a single pensioner, who after contributing to the growth and  development of America for 40 to 50 years, can only receive a monthly maximum of $1,012 in old age pension
and Guaranteed Income Supplement.

Maybe our pensioners should apply as refugees!

Consider sending this to all your American friends, so we can all be ticked off and maybe get the refugees cut back to $1,012 and the pensioners up to $2,470. Then we can enjoy  some of the money we were forced to submit to the Government over the last 40 or 50 or 60 years.

What a Putz

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Drug Companies, Engrish, Government, Insurance Companies, Me being a dick, Politics, Stupid People, True Story, Welfare

Yup…sure would hate to see that…

To be completely honest, while I have my issues with them, Medicare and Medicaid are well-run programs. They allow their money to be spent all helter-skelter, they are the most efficient programs in the entire government. The overhead of CMS is abysmal compared to your other big players like BCBS, Paid, Anthem, and Caremark.

I’m not sure why the post office is always busy. I’m not sure why the DMV is slow as hell — these are subcontracted out anyway, so blaming the government is stupid. It’s like blaming Dr.Reddy’s for having to wait too long for your Glimepiride in my pharmacy.

• индивидуалки долгопрудный

You can see the video or the original comments in its entirety here. In all honesty, it was probably just a slip of the tongue. But, calling someone else stupid and making fun of them makes me feel better about myself…:-) просмотор порно

волосатые письки

бесплатное порно со зрелыми первый анальный секс

7 to 10 of the 10+ Things Your Pharmacist Won’t Tell You

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Disgusting, Drug Companies, Education, Insurance Companies, Laws, Me being a dick, Me hating others, Patient Education, Pharmacy School, Stupid People, TPA, True Story, Update, Welfare, Work Sucks

The first part of this post containing number 1 to 6 can be found at: http://www.theangriestpharmacist.com/2009/05/12/1-to-6-of-10-things-your-pharmacist-wont-tell-you/

Let’s get back to ripping this bitch up… [The Article was originally published in "Smartmoney Magazine" on April 28th, 2009. No primary author was identified -- that was smart...otherwise I would be CALLING him/her.]

Update: Their main source for information is a man named Larry Sasich of Pennsylvania. I visited the PA Board of Pharmacy and he is NOT a registered pharmacist in the state of PA. Way to verify your sources there Smartmoney.com — BTW, I’m sure he’s a nice man and very smart. You can’t be an idiot and make it to his position at what seems to be a very innovative, accredited  pharmacy program/school. I’m merely calling in to question every single fucking what that came out of his mouth. It’s all junk, bogus, and bullocks.

Update 2: His bio on the schools website says Larry D. Sasich, Pharm.D., M.P.H., F.A.S.H.P. — also says he’s a nuclear pharmacist and the creator of that trainwreck of a site called Worst Pills, Best Pills (WorstPills.org). DrugMonkey has a link to it — it’s how I first found it. Most of it is trash, but it opened my eyes on how they found this guy for the article. Scaring people into questioing everything and being insanely/overly cynical is right up this guy’s alley.

Update 3: I have posted a comment on the article at SmartMoney.com — You can view the comment HERE. I also sent an email to Dr. Larry Sasich who is a main contributor to items 7 through 10. You can view the email I sent him HERE.

-=+=-

7. “Paying out-of-pocket? The price of your prescription just went up.”
- I love how this article completely ignores the way businesses operate in every other sector — assuming that the business aspect of pharmacy should run differently than say, the grocery business. Does a gallon of milk cost the same at the gas station ($5.95) as it does Schnucks ($4.15), Walgreens ($4.60) or Walmart ($3.95)? [Prices made up but the point remains]. Of course NOT! It’s all based on the contract your business can garner with the milkman, the amount you sell, what portion of your business milk sales account for, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera! Why should pharmacy be different?
- Larry Sasich (Chair of Pharmacy Practice Dept at LECOM School of Pcy in Erie, PA — Year round 5 yr Pharm.D. program) seems to think “The pharmacist has to figure out his break even point.” The article also says, “Among the variables is the % of rxs filled covered by insurance. If there are lots of covered patients, the BEP (break even point) is shifted heavily to pts paying full price….generally the elderly on Medicare or the working poor….” — And again Sasich chimes in with his inane babble, “pharmacists can’t push around a big HMO, but they can push arounnd a little old lady.”
- I’m not sure what pharmacies Larry has worked at in the past, but pharmacists do not concern themselves with break even points (I doubt indy pharmacists even do — Angry, care to share?). The ratio of covered customers to cash paying customers also has little to do with how we go about charging patients. I don’t even know what my ratio is! I know that I’m a Medicaid Majority with Medicare not too far behind. Considering only primary coverage I’d guess I’m 40% Medicaid, 35% Medicare,  20% Insurance, and 5% Cash/Self Pay. This is just a WILD guess, and I know it’s off because that 5% self pay seems way too low, but the numbers aren’t working out, I’m tired, and I’ve drank about 4 beers — just enough to feel a baseline buzz and start to get sleepy.
- Next take a glance at the bolded text. This essentially says that pharmacies prey on the elderly on medicare and the poor (I’m assuming uninsured.) This is completely retarded because those over the age of 65 now have access to Medicare Part D. Even those that are poor can qualify for SOMETHING to cover their medicines. Those below 150% of the poverty level (or whatever the exact number is) as defined by MY state qualify for Medicaid. So really, the groups he’s saying pay the cost that pharmaciSTS recoup after poor  reimbursement from insurance payors DON’T REALLY EXIST due to our socialized systems set up to protect those very groups.
- Finally, we end the section by saying pharmacists can’t push around big HMO, but they can push around granny grunt. I’m offended by this statement. Firstly, I don’t need to push around HMOs or insurance companies. I have my corporate counterpart to deal with those dickheads. And, for what it’s worth, there’s no such thing as pushing around HMOs. The run the show, and not even Walgreens has the balls to stand up to them. Sure, they could drop them, but they won’t A pharmacist personally has no business dealing with HMOs in most circumastances. So, that is a pointless statement. What offends me is this dickwad insinuating that pharmacists, since they cannot wheel and deal with HMOs take out their frustration on innocent elderly women. That’s asinine. And, once again, they have Part D to cover them as well as Medicaid.

8. “This medication is stale.”
- This has an example of a crooked pharmacist diverting short dated drugs from a nursing home distributor in NINETEEN NINETY-ONE — that’s right, 17 years ago! He bought them cheap and dispensed them and some of them were out dated in some instances. It also talks about buying quantities of meds that are “far bigger than they’re legally allowed to handle.” I wasn’t aware that there was limitations on how much you could carry. I understand limits on compounding as a percentage of your total sales — as well as the likelyhood that there are limits on the number of CIIs you can order or have on the shelf….but I don’t know what the article is referring to.
- Anyway, this bullshit point is just another example of fear mongering. Believe me, the likelyhood of a person getting a short dated drug or expired medication is getting less and less each day. I know it’s hard to catch, but I always try and check the date on drugs that I don’t dispense often as I am checking them. I also put red stickers on drugs that expire within the next 3 or 6 months just as a way to ENSURE I check the bottle each time.
- And like many chains do, I return drugs that expire within the next 100 days. Picked that tip up from Wally world.
- I wouldn’t say this to a patient, but from what I’ve been told and picked up along the way, medication expiration dates are usually just a guess. They really have no idea, but the FDA requires them to have an expiration date…so they stick on on there. I, personally, will take most medications that are way expired (I dunno, a year maybe?) unless of course smell funny or have aspirin in them. [Aspirin DOES expire - sometimes before it's date Acetylsalicylic Acid breaks down into ACETIC ACID (Vinegar) and Salicylic Acid (Wart Remover)] — I love my in-laws to death. My father-in-law and I are very good friends. I wish we lived closer because I enjoy him so much, but they are PACK RATS! I’ve found meds in their closet that expired when I was still in high school. I had a headache, and their 800mg Ibuprofen was filled in July of 1997…worked fine. Don’t say placebo effect…:-)

9. “I don’t just sell drugs. I make them.”
- More fear mongering. If the mass produced product is available, you are going to get it in 99.9% of pharmacies out there. While many pharmacists may ENJOY compounding and are completely qualified to do so, I doubt ANY of them would ignore the stock bottle on the shelf so they can brush up on their aliquots and punch 30 capsules or break out the mortar and pestle to crush tablets for a suspension. It’s irresponsible, not profitable (contrary to what this article says), and TIME CONSUMING.
- Again, I’m not sure where Larry Sasich got his pharmacy experience, but I think he’s done nothing but talk out of his ASS. If he had an RETAIL pharmacy experience, he would KNOW that NO insurance company is going to pay for a compounded drug when the same thing is available commercially. He’d also know that when you take into account the time taken to compound something, you actually lose money while considering the big picture.
Example: I made an Omeprazole Suspension the other day. It was 20mg/5ml #150mL. 30-20mg Omeprazole capsules costs what? Less than 5-10 dollars? It also requires 30mL Cherry Syrup, Baking Powder, and distilled water. Total cost of goods? We’ll say 15 dollars. I had to triturate the contents of the capsules. Wash the mortar with cherry. Incorporate the baking soda. Wash again. Shake well and wait some time as it fizzes HORRIBLY, and QS to 150 with water. My total time spent was like 20 minutes (counting my interupptions). So, my reimbursement was fair. I got back the cost of goods sold and something like 13 dollars on her insurance plan. Good deal right? WRONG. As a pharmacist, I make a dollar a minute (I know, life’s a bitch). Since I spent between 15 and 20 minutes doing it, my 12 or 13 dollar profit is GONE as I didn’t make back my own salary. Of course she might have bought a lot of shit, but I doubt it.
- The Ole’ Apothecary and I often exchange emails. He sent me one last night not long after Part 1 of this post went up alerting me to the necessity of Excedrin prior to completion of the smut published by SmartMoney.com — He also produced a very good point concerning compounding. In the “olden days” Pharmacist was *THE* healthcare worker. There were no doctors. There were no manufacturers. Compounding was the LIFEBLOOD of pharmacy. That is precisely why the mortar and pestle are still the logo of pharmacy. That is precisely why pharmacy students are still trained thoroughly in what is all but a dying art. It’s cheaper to mass produce. There’s also less chance of error and CONTAMINATION.
-Contamination brints me to my next point. The example they use in this section is “some pharmacists compound drugs that already exist such as INJECTABLE MORPHINE or HRT…because it’s cheaper…they do that so they can make more money,” says Larry (flying by the seat of my pants) Sasich. Now, think about what’s wrong with this picture? INJECTABLE MORPHINE CANNOT BE COMPOUNDED IN RETAIL PHARMACIES. Why, you ask? Because it would have to be a STERILE product as it is going to be used intravenously. Products for injection are required to be sterile (or delivered from the manufacturer as sterile) due to the potential for injection if contaimnated. Have you every seen a LAMINAR FLOW HOOD IN A RETAIL PHARMACY? I haven’t. I’m sure there are a FEW out there that have them, but certainly not enough to make this statemtn not seem retarded,

10. “You can get any prescription you like online.”
-Yep, you can also pay hundreds of dollars for Pez. There are a few legitimate websites out there, and if they are legit, I’m not 100% opposed to them in CERTAIN circumstances. The circumstance? The patient is taking the medication LONG term, on a stable dose, and completely versed in the medication being delievered to them.
-But, before someone does this, I want them to ask themselves this: What do you pay for at a pharmacy? You pay for the drug, granted. But, a lot of the cost is for ME — you pay for me! And what happense? You don’t get the drug on time, or something gets CFed and you come crawling back!
- Here’s what scares me about the situation (aside from the lack of direct pharmacist intervention or counseling or people getting grifted by shady pharmacies) – people getting adulterated medications that did not come out of an FDA inspected pharmacy. Drugs that came from Canada or Mexico — an area of the world that cannot even sanitize its own drinking water for safe human consumption. Awesome….

There you have it folks — my take on the TEN THINGS YOUR PHARMACIST WON’T TELL YOU

I am going to come up with a REAL list tomorrow to share with the world. A legitimate list of things your pharmacist won’t tell you along with the explanation. Something that people can ACTUALLY benefit from without trying to scare the shit out of them.

Something for nothing

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Education, Lazy People, Me being a dick, Stupid People, Welfare, store

In honor of those lovely patients that always want something for nothing, I have created a new shirt. I really believe it to be my most creative shirt to date. I think everyone will get a laugh out of it.

It’s a response to those special Medicaid patients that never seem to have 50 cents, a dollar or two dollars to pay for their copayment but always seem to reek of cigarette smoke, Colt 45 (or Wild Irish Rose), and/or weed.

My shirt proposes the new way we deal with these folks. It will learn them a lesson — especially since taxes are going up very soon.

Be sure and read both sides of the shirt.

YOU CAN’T AFFORD YOUR COPAYMENT?(DARK SHIRT)

YOU CAN’T AFFORD YOUR COPAYMENT? (LIGHT SHIRT)

Click here to visit the entire store where you can arrange shirts by date or popularity (number sold).