Luyện nói tiếng Anh bằng Shadowing qua video: Pharmacy Podcast - Ep 11- How to Increase your Pharmacy’s Revenue Achieving Better Patient Outcomes

Welcome to the Pharmacy Podcast.

Join us as we delve into the dynamic world of pharmacy, exploring the latest trends, innovations, and insights that shape the industry.

Our podcast is proudly brought to you by Independent Pharmacies Australia IPA,

dedicated to supporting independent and bannered pharmacies, nationwide.

We're committed to connecting all member pharmacies under the IPA national brand,

recognized by Australians for elevating community health care to meet local needs.

Our vision drives our mission to empower pharmacists and pharmacy professionals.

From discussions on health care advancements and regulatory updates,

to interviews with industry experts and success stories from pharmacy professionals, we cover it all.

Our goal is to inspire and equip pharmacists to thrive in today's ever-evolving landscape while championing the values of independence,

community, and excellence.

Today's episode is a special one because we're exploring the unique collaboration between DBG Health,

Pharma Programs, and Independent Pharmacies of Australia IPA.

Three organizations working together to transform healthcare delivery at the very grassroots level.

So how do they connect?

DBG Health is the umbrella organization,

a dynamic health, wellness, and pharmacy-centered group that is all about supporting community health through smarter solutions and partnerships.

Pharma programs sits under the DBG family, and they're the engine behind many of the professional services programs pharmacists use today.

They work closely with pharmaceutical companies,

tech partners, and pharmacists nationwide to deliver programs that are practical, efficient, and patient-focused. And IPA.

IPA is a member-based network of pharmacies supported by DBG.

IPA gives its pharmacies the tools, resources, and programs, which are often powered by pharma programs,

that they need to thrive in a growing and competitive environment.

Today, I have the pleasure of speaking to Neda Mitri, who is an executive director within pharma programs,

where he spearheads the development of pharmacy and patient engagement initiatives, driving innovative solutions across the healthcare landscape.

With 20 years of experience as a pharmacist, Nadar brings a deep understanding of the industry,

having previously owned three community pharmacies and serving as a committee member for the Pharmacy Guild.

He holds a master's degree in health economics,

which further enriches his strategic approach to improving patient outcomes and fostering collaborations within the pharmaceutical sector.

So if you were to actually walk into a room and you were asked to tell them,

the whole room, who you are and what you do, what would you say?

Hello, I'm Nader.

I'm a pharmacist and I've been working in pharmacy for over 20 years.

And now I help pharmacists and pharma companies do better for their patients.

So I'm going to take us on a little bit of a journey.

Correct me if I make a mistake in any area.

So after you finish the master's degree and after you finish being a pharmacy owner,

you then moved into pharma programs.

And now you're looking over the whole umbrella piece of Axe Health.

And can you just break down for me what is in the Axe Health portfolio

so I've got a better understanding of that?

Yeah, Axe Health is, we've got two, we look at this in two components.

We have the B2B side of the business or health services B2B side of the business,

which is all around how we work with healthcare and pharma companies in Australia.

And then we have our incubator piece, which is how can we launch or assist new startups within the healthcare services?

And it's very much around healthcare services.

How do we launch new startups or incubate ideas around the health startups or health industry?

So in terms of established business, we have programs, which are detailed.

We have our wellness for life business, which is nurse engagement and nurse support both to patients and to pharmacy.

So running clinics, vaccination clinics, injection clinics, screening clinics in community pharmacy.

We have our Pharma Force business, which is our medical detailing business.

So contracted sales for other pharma partners.

there is practice on which is our online education platform

so CPD for a wide range of healthcare practitioners globally

and back sub is free for all practitioners whether you're a GP

or pharmacist or a nurse

and then on the startup side we've got precision health rad

likes not gnostics business some pharmacists may have worked with us in our IPA X branded trial of the

point of care testing machines and also we have the Arrowvet business

which is our generics for veterinary products

which is still very much in our startup phase as well okay well I don't know

if I should be congratulating you on your promotion

or like it's massive massive but I'm sure

and this is me just now asking and just being curious would you say

that some of the elements you've done being a pharmacy owner

doing the degrees has led you to where you are right now

because sometimes I tend to wonder as a pharmacist

and myself being a pharmacist I trained I became pharmacist and then at one point it felt like I'd hit the ceiling.

It was only when I went into corporate that I actually noticed there was more.

But even still then in corporate, there's the danger of actually hitting the ceiling again.

But you look like you are breaking some ceilings there and making inroads.

So would you Just saying that what bit of your whole career has probably led to what you're doing today?

Has catacled into your experience?

Yeah, my wanting to have conversations with everyone.

My getting to pharma programs was as a result of building a network through pharmacy.

The team that founded pharma programs, including Cos Galavos and Contangularcus and Adam,

I had known them for a long time before I started working within pharma programs.

And I got to know them through my network of pharmacists.

And, you know, obviously I have some skills that they desired.

And so when it was time for me to step away from being a pharmacist full time, that's when the opportunity came up for them to say,

this is an opportunity we think you would take and would you be interested in joining us on this journey?

And that's how I ended up where I am now.

So it's a blend, right?

You know, there's a bit of luck in there and everyone has a bit of luck, but also you have to make your own luck.

You have to work hard and you have to put yourself out there

and you need to talk to people

and talk to as many people as you can and just be a genuinely good person.

And people will be drawn to that.

And I think that that's probably one of my softer skills

that I can build some great strong relationships just through being a nice person.

I don't know, Melody, you have to tell me whether whether you think I'm a nice person or not.

But well, well, but also I think that,

you know, you touched on a really one of my sore points with pharmacy.

I have some strong opinions on certain things.

And one I think that is that owner pharmacy owners don't treat their pharmacist well enough at all.

I think that, yeah, I don't think that it's um

when i look at a lot of my colleagues who don't

work who i went through uni with who don't work in pharmacy anymore a lot of it is

because they had the same feeling as you they hit

100

that glass ceiling and they didn't know how to break through it

101

and so they get to the point in community pharmacy well they go well

102

if i'm not an owner and i don't want to be an owner what am i going to do

103

because they look at their friends who they went to high school with

104

and some are lawyers some are some working bankers somewhere can finance

105

and they can see this really clear career progression that their colleagues have got

106

all their friends you know if you're working a bank or

107

if you work in finance or if you're a lawyer or

108

if you're an accountant you have a career path

109

because often often the companies that they work for have

110

that established already then they walk into a pharmacy and they work in the same four walls every day.

111

The owners don't treat them.

112

The store owners don't treat them very well sometimes.

113

And they go, well, what's the point?

114

I'm going to go and work in industry.

115

And that's what they do.

116

And so therefore, that's why we tend to find it really hard to, well, I find it easy to bring pharmacists into pharma programs,

117

but owners find it very hard to find employee pharmacists.

118

You're very true when you've said everything that you've said right there is crystal because I don't know if you know, I actually stepped away from pharmacy.

119

I actually wanted to step away from pharmacy at one point because I just thought, where else?

120

What else can I do?

121

And apart from becoming a partner or part owner,

122

and it's not like property where you can go online and just look for a house that suits your,

123

you know, likes and needs.

124

you actually almost need an invite to become a partner in some of the pharmacies that we work in.

125

And if you're not exposed to that or you don't have that opportunity, what then?

126

Yes.

127

Where do you go?

128

Yeah.

129

Yes.

130

Yeah.

131

Yeah.

132

100% resonate with that.

133

And if it wasn't for, and in my case, it was pure serendipity that brought me to working for IPA.

134

IPA and DBG as well.

135

It was pure serendipity and

136

if it hadn't been someone putting my name forward in some conversation I wouldn't be here and it shouldn't be that way.

137

It should not be that you just need luck to be on your side.

138

There needs to be some sort of pathways

139

that we need to create for new pharmacists coming into the industry as well as other pharmacists in the industry?

140

Yeah, look, pharmacy is a really exciting career choice.

141

And you can do so much.

142

You can do so much with a pharmacy degree.

143

Unfortunately, the universities don't tell student pharmacists or those thinking about pharmacy about what that is.

144

So you kind of walk into it thinking i'm either going to work in a hospital

145

or i'm going to work in retail

146

and then some have the idea of working in industry

147

but they don't know really know what working in industry actually means

148

or they think you're just going to go and work for a big pharma company

149

Are you going to become a drug rep?

150

Yes, that's what I thought.

151

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

152

So yeah, so with pharma programs, when I look at it, because I've used it in the pharmacy setting, so obviously by the time I became a pharmacist,

153

I remember one of the very first programs

154

that used to come up on pharma programs was the lipitor a 12 statin sort of interaction consulting

155

that was that would have been before my time oh my gosh yeah i am not that old

156

just before my time just before my time but we had this extender program which was one of our first

157

our first programs, which was around supporting pharmacists to engage with their patients.

158

Sixsender, cold chain, injectable, those things, yeah.

159

Well, that's what I want to understand a little bit, because I remember my boss saying, oh, don't forget to claim on pharma programs for all the interactions that you're making.

160

And I think it was only after I started working with IPA that I somewhat had an understanding that,

161

okay, so there's more to what I'm doing with the pharma programs.

162

It's not just about the claiming.

163

There's actually a whole sphere around it.

164

Could you just break it down for me?

165

Because I think that's where the chain of sort of command, number one, and also the benefit of doing a pharma program.

166

And who is the winner? Who wins? Who wins?

167

The chain of command is interesting because it goes back to this whole owners looking at one thing and pharmacists,

168

employee pharmacists, thinking more holistically sometimes than owners do about their patients.

169

And so that kind of breaks down.

170

That's creating the divide there.

171

But the owner is saying to you, put the claim in because the owner is thinking about the financial reward and you're thinking, this is just a financial reward.

172

I don't really understand why I'm doing it, but there's more to it.

173

There's a lot more to it because from our perspective or from a pharma program's perspective, It's about engaging your patients, having a conversation with them,

174

talking to them about the treatment that the doctor has prescribed for them, whether it's a new therapy or an old therapy or giving them some advice.

175

And what we want you to do is actually we're paying you to deliver a service.

176

We're paying pharmacies to deliver a service.

177

We want you, we recognise that pharmacists are valuable and that they can make a contribution.

178

And so we're saying, hey, Mr. and Mrs. Pharmacist or Mr. and Mrs. Pharmacist, we're giving you some money in recompense for your time for spending it with your patients.

179

We know you could pick 10 or 20 or 30 different other things to be doing.

180

But here, we want you to prioritize this.

181

We want you to spend time with your patient and have this discussion with them.

182

Enroll them in our support program.

183

Why?

184

Well, we know and all the evidence suggests and you can go

185

and Google it and ask Chad GPT or co-pilot or whoever else it is.

186

There is a stack of research to show that the patients who get supported, the patients who get enrolled in patient support programs are more adherent and more compliant.

187

And that's important because one, it means instead of coming to your pharmacy for their prescription six times a year, year.

188

They'll actually come eight, ten or twelve times a year.

189

And those dispensing fees that you will get as a pharmacist for those extra six times.

190

I mean, that's your benefit.

191

That's the owner's reward.

192

It's not just the ten dollars that they get or twelve or fifteen dollars for the claim.

193

It's the ongoing loyalty of the patient to your pharmacy.

194

It's also one of those situations where what happens if Mrs. Smith comes into your pharmacy?

195

She has her prescription dispensed for an osteoporosis product and you don't enroll her in the program.

196

You don't tell her anything about it.

197

She then goes the next six months later, goes to a pharmacy down the road who is completely engaged in our programs.

198

And that pharmacist says to her, hey, you go, Mr. Smith, how's it going?

199

Here's your injection, by the way.

200

Or here's your tablet.

201

Here's your osteoporosis tablet.

202

I'm giving you some some free vitamin D today I can

203

tell you where mr. Smith is gonna go forever from now on right all

204

because the other pharmacy couldn't be bothered enrolling her in the program

205

so we're giving you also all these we're giving pharmacists a glue for their patients

206

so they're also a winner so the patient wins

207

because they feel like they're getting supported yes the pharmacy wins

208

because you've now got a super loyal super sticky patient they're not gonna go somewhere else

209

because they know if they don't go something they are worried

210

if they go somewhere else I may get that vitamin d

211

or they may not get that support or they may not get

212

that free needle yeah so it's a win-win all around

213

and of course our partners win because patients are more compliant

214

and they're more here and they stick to their therapy more often

215

so we're really trying to close the gap and make sure

216

that everyone wins it really is a win-win-win-win-win amazing

217

and you said something there that i'm going to highlight the fact

218

that as being part of pharma programs we actually get remunerated for our time

219

and that is a big thing and it still is a big thing in

220

which pharmacists don't know how to charge for the time

221

and the services

222

that we do we give away way too much for free

223

pharmacists are very good at giving things away for free

224

which is also very painful exactly because as the world is changing we're also realizing time is money and

225

as services keep adding on to our plates with NIP vaccines, with full scope of practice,

226

there's gonna have to be that shift.

227

And if pharmac programs can help us make that shift and make it a little bit easier on us, please, I'm putting this on your agenda.

228

Could you help us out?

229

I'd love to, I'd love to.

230

I wish pharmacists would stop giving away things for free they're worried that if they don't, someone else will, so let's give it away for free anyway.

231

So lack of commercial judgement, which I think comes a lot from a lack of training out of the universities.

232

You don't get taught any business skills or any business, you don't get given any business education when you come out of pharmacy college or pharmacy school.

233

You just get told, here you go, go and talk to your patients.

234

And so without that lack of business training, and you think that, who needs to be taught how to run a business?

235

A lot of people do.

236

A lot of people really do, especially pharmacists.

237

Yes, 100 percent, because in the first meeting or in the first month while you're there, the owner of the store will sit down with you and start looking at a,

238

you know, profit analysis, sales analysis and you're looking at it and thinking, what are all these columns?

239

What are all these numbers?

240

And you've gone and put jelly beans, the whole box, you know, in the system.

241

And you've messed up the whole, you know, sales analysis just because you entered something wrong.

242

And he's wondering why he's in the negative because you've been selling boxes of jelly beans instead of packets of jelly beans.

243

So I will never forget that.

244

Clearly, I have made that mistake and I will never forget it.

245

Unfortunately, Melody, you won't be the last person to make that mistake.

246

And yeah, and now you have to.

247

Or fortunately, or fortunately, or fortunately, whichever way.

248

And you have to answer for that.

249

But I've actually seen an evolution of the pharma programs that we've done.

250

I mean, I was there as well for the inhalation techniques element.

251

So there was a program on that.

252

And then I've noticed that there's been a big major shift in the last couple of years

253

in that the partnerships and the suppliers are, I would say like on another level,

254

they're global partners, number one, in some of the services and it's newer products as well.

255

So it's those innovative products.

256

And not only are we delivering a service to a patient and ensuring compliancy and adherence,

257

But I'm also noticing there's that training component as well that's coming into it.

258

That is quite comprehensive.

259

Looking at all of that, you mentioned the osteoporosis program.

260

Could you just for a moment dive into that?

261

Because you mentioned there's free vitamin D for a patient.

262

What exactly is the program?

263

What does it entail?

264

You also mentioned the point of care testing program.

265

I know I'm a part of it in that we did the pilot within IPA to start off with,

266

but I think the future is actually on pharma programs.

267

And so start off with the osteoporosis program and then tell me how that leads to, you know, point of care right?

268

I think.

269

Yeah, look, I'm not sure if there'll be a linkage between osteoporosis and point of care,

270

maybe down the track if osteoporosis diagnosis can become more of a point of care diagnostic.

271

There are tools which allow point of care diagnosis of osteoporosis right now.

272

You know, as we know, you need a DEXA scan and DEXA scans.

273

DEXA scan is big and expensive and those things.

274

But the osteoporosis program is really around the fact that,

275

you know, in Australia, there's 1.3 million patients who have osteoporosis and only 600,000 patients know and are on treatment.

276

So what we're trying to do is identify and this is talking before you said pharma companies are looking for more, our partners are looking for more.

277

And this is a component of it.

278

Pharma companies are starting to understand, really and truly understand the power pharmacists has and the conversation that they can have with their patients.

279

And so they've recognised that one of the best ways

280

that they're going to get to those other 600,000 or 700,000 patients is through community pharmacy.

281

Asking pharmacists to have a conversation with all of their patients who maybe has never had an osteoporosis treatment,

282

never heard of osteoporosis, never thought that they might have osteoporosis, and say, hey, did you know you might be at risk?

283

Did you know that you might have a complication?

284

Did you know that your steroid tablet that you've been taking for the last five years or something else could be causing, could be putting you at risk of osteoporosis?

285

And so this is a big factor for our partners is they're saying, OK, hey, pharmacists, we know you can do this.

286

We're empowering you to have these conversations with your patients.

287

And likewise with the point of care testing, this is also around saying,

288

OK, the Queensland Scope of Practice trial saying to pharmacists actually have the skills to diagnose and treat.

289

And here we're going to provide you the solution to diagnose and treat.

290

And while at the moment it's very limited because the technology is still in development, the ability to do a lipid test, a lipid panel test, or a HbA1c test,

291

and implement that in the continuity of care of a patient,

292

adjusting their cholesterol medication, adjusting their metformin or their something else.

293

Those, in that whole scope, scheme of scope of practice, that's really important.

294

And that's where we at Pharma Programs

295

see our role is very much in enabling supporting and upskilling pharmacists in scope of practice because that is a great opportunity.

296

And that in itself will bring a lot of patients back.

297

That sorry a lot of pharmacists back.

298

That will bring a lot of funds out of industry out of the weeds out of doing other things

299

that they never wanted to do because now they're providing a lot more value to their patients.

300

And that also ties in with all the other departments you work with, doesn't it?

301

Because if I don't have the time, because please trust and believe, I don't always have the time to be consulting with,

302

you know, Mrs. Smith about, you know, her bone health.

303

but I can get a nurse to come in and actually hold a clinic.

304

Like back in the day, we used to have the Arotex clinics, Arotex clinics.

305

I remember that.

306

Yes.

307

Yes.

308

So this is an expansion of the Arotex clinics.

309

They're now our wellness clinics and it is an expansion.

310

But again, this is all about not trying to take patients away.

311

This is about providing a service to your patients, to the pharmacy's patients and saying you can come in

312

and get this service from us come in

313

and have this this care from us and we'll provide you the resources

314

and the materials to give to your patients

315

and our nurses will support the patients on their treatment journey

316

or their life cycle journey and

317

so these clinics can be quite valuable particularly in areas where maybe there isn't a gp

318

or it's very hard to get into a gp i think

319

that that's also and that's also what we're finding with a lot of our new partners

320

or a lot of our partnerships with our current businesses is

321

they're recognizing that there is an opportunity here for us to find those patients in those under-serviced areas

322

so i'm trying to consolidate everything

323

because it's been quite a lot like i actually was thinking i don't know

324

if you sleep but um because i slept very well i tell you that I tell you that very much.

325

Yeah, to put everything together.

326

And each initiative is actually quite big.

327

Because not only, I know being part of point of care health screening checks that are happening.

328

And the pilot happened in IPA.

329

You're also looking for new ideas.

330

You're also out there canvassing, trying to look for new opportunity for pharmacists who are part of the IPA family,

331

but also part of the pharma programs family.

332

And that's around, again, the recognition of the value pharmacies provide.

333

When we see the opportunities or recognition of the skills that pharmacists have.

334

The one thing that a lot of community pharmacists have in common is they are exceptional communicators.

335

They're very good at building relationships.

336

And that's something that can't be taken away and something

337

that we can utilize and give pharmacists an opportunity to capitalize on that skill that they've developed throughout their career.

338

So the opportunities will be often around utilizing pharmacists to engage with their current patient network.

339

And I'm going to actually quote you in something that you wrote, because I think this is what resonates with you.

340

So I was reading an article that you wrote for The Australian, And I think it was titled Connect the Digital Dots for Better Healthcare.

341

And in it, you noted that one of the only certainties is rising customer expectations,

342

especially within digital channels.

343

You also cited that it was estimated that 60% of healthcare interactions took place online in 2020.

344

And up to 42 only took place in 2019.

345

So only 42% took place in 2019.

346

We jumped to 2020 and it's now 60%.

347

And so I'm guessing that number is going up and up and up.

348

So I think that customer expectation is tied in in what you said before about the osteoporosis program,

349

providing that next level of patient care, as well as all the other programs that come out of pharma programs.

350

And for me, it seems silly that a pharmacy wouldn't be doing pharma programs.

351

It seems totally silly.

352

You lose nothing.

353

Like, it's free to join.

354

You jump on.

355

You deliver the services anyway.

356

And we've already discussed about getting remunerated for the services.

357

So it's no brainer on my end.

358

But then I'm going to touch on how you see the digital dots.

359

So with pharma programs, is it going to grow?

360

Is it going to change?

361

Is it going to morph to reflect what our consumers and our patients are looking for?

362

Yeah, absolutely.

363

We would be silly not to think about how we can continue to evolve in the digital space

364

and give pharmacists digital tools to better engage with their patients.

365

And that's not that's not unique to us that do something

366

that we will be seeing MedAdvisor doing and Scriptly and all of these other companies out there.

367

Maybe they don't play in the professional services space, but they're all looking to digitise healthcare.

368

And that's just a fact of where we are.

369

I had a conversation with a friend of mine, a very close friend of mine.

370

His daughter is 11, and in almost the last 10 years,

371

His daughter has never physically walked into a GP clinic.

372

Wow.

373

Not once.

374

Now, there's a distinction there between needing to talk to a doctor.

375

Healthy?

376

No, there's a distinction between needing to talk to a doctor and physically walking into a GP clinic.

377

Ah, gotcha, gotcha, gotcha.

378

So that's where, you know, so in his daughter's lifetime,

379

she may never ever go and physically see a GP

380

and not because not because she's never been sick it's

381

that she's raised to know

382

that she doesn't have to go into a GP clinic she can access all of the health care

383

that she needs virtually and so eventually there will be a time

384

when pharmacy evolves into

385

that space pharmacists are always going to be needed it's just how we deliver our service

386

and how we deliver our models of care will will eventually change.

387

Not that pharmacists will become irrelevant.

388

That's not true.

389

It's that how we deliver our models of care will change.

390

And that's what we at pharma programs want to be a part of.

391

We want to support pharmacists in

392

that evolution of delivering care whether it's through our programs or through our services or through the technology that we develop.

393

So having said that our services will always be needed and will always be there and we feel it.

394

Believe me, we feel it.

395

Yeah, absolutely.

396

We are problem solvers.

397

I mean, pharmacists are professional problem solvers and no level of AI will be able to solve problems like human logic.

398

So that's what we do.

399

There will be a component.

400

Well, with pharma programs, I know I've asked about, you know, the supply alignments and then delivering services to the patient

401

but with full scope of practice coming up or expanded scope of practice coming up to the pharmacist?

402

Number one, will you be doing it?

403

Yeah, so I still practice.

404

I still practice semi-regularly.

405

And yes, I do want to do the scope of practice course

406

and training because I think it'll be valuable for me as a pharmacist.

407

I also think it'll be valuable for me to be able to articulate what pharmacists are doing with our partners,

408

to say, look at all this fantastic work that pharmacists can do now, and I can speak firsthand.

409

And I think that in my role, that's an extremely, my lived experience, gives a lot of credence to what we do.

410

It gives a lot of support to what we do.

411

And I think that's really, really important for me to stay up to date.

412

Yeah, no, I 100% agree with you.

413

And I think as many of the pharmacists within IPA, DBG, are probably going to be doing full scope of practice as well

414

because most of us actually still practice and work weekends in a pharmacy.

415

And most of the owners, so the directors of IPA actually own pharmacies.

416

So they sort of tap us on the shoulder and say, what are you doing on a Saturday?

417

And they're a director, you sort of go, what would you like me to do on a Saturday?

418

So with that, we're about to close the podcast.

419

And I thank you for your time because I know

420

that you're very busy and especially meeting with suppliers and getting programs up and running.

421

When you look at the point of care testing.

422

It's a program that is quite different from anything we've ever done in pharmacy.

423

This is the first time a pharmacist has probably actually been

424

involved truly in almost gathering the results of a patient's pathology test.

425

In the past, patients have come in with their pathology test results and said, look what I have received.

426

And it's been more of an FYI in most of the cases.

427

But this is the first time we've actually conducted pathology grade tests

428

and actually make lifestyle modifications or lifestyle recommendations to a patient to actually change how their health is affected.

429

How do you see that playing as we roll it out nationally?

430

And what is the backbone behind success for, number one, the pharmacist, the pharmacy business?

431

What is the backbone?

432

I think, first of all, pharmacists need to be able to articulate their value to their patient.

433

Because this is something that patients are not going to understand.

434

Why all of a sudden is my pharmacist asking me to do a HbA1c test or a cholesterol test?

435

If a doctor asks the patient to do one, the patient goes, sure, then just go and do it.

436

Sometimes there's an out-of-pocket expense, sometimes there is.

437

All of a sudden, we've created this platform for pharmacists to ask the patient the same question, which patients are going to be completely on the back foot about.

438

That's number one.

439

And so I would encourage any pharmacist who is going to consider taking the machine or doing point-of-care testing

440

to be able to articulate to themselves in a mirror, why am I recommending this pay my patient have this test because

441

if you can't articulate it to your patient you're not going

442

to you're not going to be able to deliver a really engaging and successful service.

443

So before even making the decision look at yourself and say Mr. Smith,

444

I'm giving you want you to take this test today because ABCDEFG and explain that value to the patient.

445

And sure, the patient is going to have to pay.

446

So for some patients, again, they've never paid for a cholesterol test or they've never paid for HP1 test.

447

Now they're going to be paying you to do that test.

448

But it's worthwhile you having that conversation

449

and being able to articulate it to your patient so

450

that they see the value in having that test done on the spot

451

so that you can have that conversation with them about their lifestyle changes.

452

I had the test done.

453

I've had it done a couple of times.

454

And I remember the first time I had it done, I my triglycerides were high.

455

And I thought, oh, my gosh, I'm a really healthy guy.

456

I'm genuinely quite healthy and I'm fit.

457

I exercise, I eat really well, but why am I triglycerides high?

458

And I realize it's because I enjoy a nighttime whiskey and lots of wine, right?

459

So, but without, I would never have known that if I didn't do the test.

460

I wouldn't have known because I'm reasonably healthy most of the time.

461

I'm not going to go and ask for a cholesterol test.

462

So I had no idea that my triglycerides were actually high.

463

So there's some value in it for everyone.

464

And so being able to understand what the tests are for, why you would want to do them,

465

what population, or what is the reason for every population in your pharmacy to have the test done.

466

I think that that's really important. And charge.

467

Don't give this away for free.

468

Don't do this test for free because all you're doing, again, is setting yourself backwards.

469

You're investing time without any remuneration, and that's something we as pharmacists have done for so long, and it's time that we need to think about how we actually deliver these services.

470

because patients are prepared to pay for the right reason.

471

If you train them and educate them, they are prepared to pay for our time and our service.

472

Well, thank you.

473

I'm going to ask you two more questions and then we're going to call it a day.

474

I'm convinced.

475

I'm convinced.

476

You can stand up.

477

Fine up.

478

Get the machine.

479

Jump on the farmer programs and get your machine.

480

Yeah.

481

I work at Nutribay Pharmacy.

482

I'm actually inching my way to speaking to my boss to say, hey, can we get the Affinia machine or the Roche machine put in

483

so that we can actually start offering services within the community?

484

Because that's also what I've also noticed.

485

That's probably what's going to make us differentiate her as well amongst other pharmacies.

486

So, yeah, so that's the bit where I'm looking for that.

487

We need to be the health care hub within our community.

488

I've actually got a question that's come from Joe Martino, who is currently the marketing and project manager at Pharma Program.

489

So he's your right hand person.

490

He might not be your right hand person.

491

At the present moment, he is.

492

But who wants to know, knowing everything you do now about professional services and patient programs,

493

if you could walk back into one of your pharmacies for just one day, what would you do differently?

494

And would your past self actually believe you?

495

I would have doubled down on having a dedicated person to professional services.

496

Oh, OK.

497

Really doubled down on having a person only dedicated to delivering services within pharmacy,

498

because at the time we sort of thought it was an ad hoc adjunct to everything that we do.

499

Dispensing is still part of our core business and it still will be and always will be part of our core business.

500

but doubling down on a dedicated person to upskill, train, educate on every service that a pharmacy can deliver,

501

not just pharma programs, not just point of care testing, not just blood pressure monitoring, but evolving every time the patient comes in for a blood pressure test,

502

evolve that into a holistic service and double down on those

503

because that really would have set me apart in the areas that I was, more so than price and anything else.

504

I think.

505

And then it would have also set me up for success now because my pharmacies would be point of care testing ready.

506

They would be scope of practice ready.

507

They would be vaccination ready and not just flu vaccine COVID, but shingles and everything else.

508

I mean, there's there's something like I heard a really absurd number the other day, but I was shocked.

509

It was I think 10 percent of pharmacies are administering shingles vaccines or 18 percent of pharmacies are administering shingles vaccines.

510

And to me, that is absolutely absurd.

511

There is no reason why every pharmacy shouldn't be doing that.

512

There's absolutely no reason.

513

It's it's a health it's a health service.

514

It's a service to their patients.

515

Nobody wants to have shingles.

516

And it's an easy conversation to have.

517

So, yes, that's my long winded answer of what I would change.

518

It's a free service to the patient if they're under the NIP.

519

He also asked something about Bitmoji and why do you use it on WhatsApp?

520

I thought I would save his job and not ask, but since it's been thrown out there, why do you use Bitmoji on WhatsApp?

521

Is it a brand thing or is it a name-on thing?

522

What's going on there?

523

I just haven't let go.

524

I find it sometimes, especially with friends, it's easier to send one Bitmoji than it is to write a whole sentence.

525

and also I do it now because my mates hate it.

526

They really don't like me.

527

They just, because they keep saying that I'm the only person who keeps Bitmoji alive.

528

So plug to Bitmoji, you know, if you want to send me some gear or something, sure.

529

But I just do it to annoy them now too because I'm the only one that uses it.

530

So that's it.

531

It's a neat arping.

532

That's right, yeah.

533

My last question comes from ChatGPT.

534

Now, ChatGPT would like to know, if your career so far was turned into a movie,

535

what would the title be and which actor would play you?

536

Benjamin Button.

537

Benjamin Button.

538

You can play Benjamin Button.

539

Has it been Benjamin Button, the guy who ages backwards?

540

Yeah, and Leo.

541

I just think Leo because I think he's one of the best actors in the history of time.

542

So, yeah, because I feel like I'm not aging.

543

I feel like I just continue to take on more.

544

And as my career progresses, I feel like I'm going backwards in time.

545

So maybe that's, I don't know, I think that that's.

546

By the time you're running Health in Australia, you'll be a five-year-old.

547

Sure.

548

I'll be happy with that.

549

I'll be very happy with that.

550

I mean, that's why I stay healthy, right?

551

Yeah.

552

Yeah.

553

I think I thought about the question myself and I said 24

554

because I the amount I don't know if you remember the TV series, the amount that was that happened in one hour.

555

like from detonating a bomb, saving the president, doing all these, even I was like, shoot, I would not wake up.

556

I would be like, stop this.

557

You'd be like, not put the snooze on.

558

The amount happening in that 24 hour period

559

and not once do you go and take a shower or go to the toilet is astounding.

560

So I'm 24 in that I can fit a lot in 24 hours.

561

I've seen how much you work Melody and I can absolutely vouch for that 100%.

562

I will be detonating, I'll be setting off bombs, disarming bombs, saving presidents.

563

I'm doing it all. So yeah.

564

No, but I thank you for your time and it's been wonderful actually learning more about the wonderful work that you've done,

565

your journey as well, understanding your career progression,

566

and that you're never bound to any mold.

567

I think it's the biggest message I've walked away with, that it's only a guideline, but you're never bound to it.

568

So from moving from a business owner to working in Sinax as a consultant to pharma programs

569

and to now building programs that are used nationally.

570

How many pharmacies are on the pharma programs platform? About 5,900.

571

So there's only about 100 pharmacies out there that don't use it, which again, like you said before, why?

572

It doesn't cost you anything to do, to engage with us

573

so when those hundred pharmacy please call me

574

and tell me why you are not on the pharma programs platform

575

so yeah i will get the answers for you i will get them for you

576

so yeah no and so it's been an it's amazing

577

and the fact that there's more to come

578

and what more to come looks like is yet to be determined is even yeah it's astounding

579

so thank you so much continue you're doing the hard work.

580

I'm happy to support you in whatever you need.

581

IPA pharmacies are always here to lend a helping hand when it comes to any development.

582

If you develop a program, you need to trial it, you need to pilot it.

583

IPA is your ground.

584

It's your ground.

585

I offer it to you.

586

all part of our family.

587

And so, you know, I would encourage anyone listening, looking for, as having been a member and being part of the family,

588

IPA are very strong, supporting independence, helping pharmacy owners deliver the best that they can, innovative models of care and support.

589

That's, I would agree with that, 100%.

590

And you get the opportunities.

591

You get the opportunities to partner with us and all of our businesses.

592

So, very exciting.

593

I will send you your T-shirt after this.

594

Unpaid plug.

595

At Independent Pharmacies Australia, we're dedicated to supporting a network of leading independent

596

and bannered pharmacies nationwide with a vision to connect all member pharmacies under the IPA national brand.

597

Recognized by Australians for elevating community health care to meet local needs.

598

Thank you for joining us today on the Pharmacy Podcast.

599

We appreciate your support in our mission to shape a thriving and patient-centric pharmacy industry.

600

For more information about Independent Pharmacies Australia, you can visit our website, ipagroup.com, or stay connected with us on social media.

601

Thank you once again for joining us.

602

We look forward to welcoming you back soon as we continue our journey together, enhancing community health care.

Phương Pháp Shadowing Là Gì?

Shadowing là kỹ thuật học ngôn ngữ có cơ sở khoa học, ban đầu được phát triển cho chương trình đào tạo phiên dịch viên chuyên nghiệp và được phổ biến rộng rãi bởi nhà đa ngôn ngữ học Dr. Alexander Arguelles. Nguyên lý cốt lõi đơn giản nhưng cực kỳ hiệu quả: bạn nghe tiếng Anh của người bản xứ và lặp lại to ngay lập tức — như một "cái bóng" (shadow) đuổi theo người nói với độ trễ chỉ 1–2 giây. Khác với luyện ngữ pháp hay học từ vựng bị động, Shadowing buộc não bộ và cơ miệng phải đồng thời xử lý và tái tạo ngôn ngữ thực tế. Các nghiên cứu khoa học xác nhận phương pháp này cải thiện đáng kể phát âm, ngữ điệu, nhịp điệu, nối âm, kỹ năng nghe và độ lưu loát khi nói — đặc biệt hiệu quả cho người luyện IELTS Speaking và muốn giao tiếp tiếng Anh tự nhiên như người bản ngữ.

Luyện nói tiếng Anh bằng Shadowing qua video: Pharmacy Podcast - Ep 11- How to Increase your Pharmacy’s Revenue Achieving Better Patient Outcomes

Về Bài Học Này

Phương Pháp Shadowing Là Gì?