Association Perspective
Michael D. Hogue, PharmD, FAPhA, FNAP, FFIP, Executive vice president and CEO of APhA
While walking to the office, I pass the Department of Commerce building, upon which is etched a phrase by Thomas Jefferson: “Cultivate Peace and Commerce.” I let my mind wander into the world of pharmacy and asked myself, “Is it possible for our profession to have peace from within the profession?”
Pharmacists have become extraordinarily valuable to our health care system in a variety of roles. Community and hospital pharmacists still represent the majority of the profession. Now tens of thousands of pharmacists work in PBM companies, health plans, the pharmaceutical industry, or regulatory affairs. Pharmacists lead large divisions of many Fortune 500 companies and are found in the C-suites of health systems.
When we look closely at pharmacist engagement, it doesn’t take long to see that our profession’s blessing of diversity in application of our degree may also be a curse—the economics of pharmacy and health care no longer align in a way that supports every pharmacist and all of pharmacy.
Patrick Lencioni, best known as the author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, writes that highly functioning teams must have five key behaviors in order to function optimally. The key tenets include trust; a healthy approach to handling conflict; a commitment to the team and to shared goals; accountability; and a results-oriented tenacity, driving everyone to a common goal.
When Lencioni wrote these principles, he was talking about teams working in a common environment. Corporate trust may be hard a hard sell for some. But within the field of pharmacy, can we trust our fellow pharmacists? I certainly hope so. Our profession simply can’t be successful if we are fighting among ourselves.
We have some seriously unhealthy conflict happening in our profession. Some of this conflict is unrelated to pharmacy and involves political issues eroding trust between colleagues. Another aspect is the economic decimation of community pharmacies across our nation, which has led to a complete disconnect between pharmacists working in one segment of our profession from pharmacists working in another.
Many pharmacists are “just doing as told and meeting their goals” rather than trying to sincerely understand if there is a pathway to improvement that doesn’t pit one segment of pharmacy against another. One business fades while another succeeds, and it’s assumed there must be winners and losers in health care. Really? When was the last time we had pharmacists at odds with each other sit together and discuss the issues, attempting to understand each other’s perspectives and work together on solutions?
Under the leadership of Randy McDonough, PharmD, president of APhA, the APhA Board of Trustees invited high-ranking representatives from PBMs, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and community pharmacist employers to engage in honest conversations about how we get past our current struggles and find paths to move the entire profession forward. We’ve had disagreements during these discussions, and we’ve also found common ground where we can work together to advance the profession. These conversations are continuing and will catalyze change across our great profession.
I believe that individuals have good intentions and that a brighter future is coming. Yet I fully understand that corporations are driven by stockholders, and many decisions are made several levels above the pharmacist. At the same time, I understand that there are well-positioned pharmacists throughout every corporation in America who have the potential to influence better decisions and serve as changemakers.
Returning to Jefferson’s concept of “Cultivating Peace and Commerce,” I think APhA’s charge is to cultivate fertile ground for conversation and healing as a place where we come together for tough, respectful discussions that lead to better outcomes for all. APhA is the only place where pharmacists and pharmacy personnel may rest assured that their personal careers are nurtured and developed, and they are fully supported as individuals.
For every pharmacist. For all of pharmacy. ■