There’s a Better Way

The episode delivers concrete insights about pharmacy integration, interoperability challenges, and specific clinical programs with measurable outcomes. However, it relies heavily on a single case study (the lipid management program) and repeats core themes (pharmacist isolation, lack of EHR access, TEFCA solution) multiple times rather than introducing novel claims throughout. The density is solid but plateaus after the Project Impact discussion.

“pharmacists in these 40 different pharmacies that participated in this initiative, where they were credentialed just like their physician colleagues, and paid just like their physician colleagues on the team, identified people with atrial fib at over three times the rate that those people would have even been expected to exist in a normally distributed population”

“medication misadventuring that can be completely eliminated and, or resolved is truly extraordinary”

The core argument - that pharmacists should be integrated into care teams via EHR access and data interoperability - is sound but not novel in healthcare circles. The specific application to AFIB and point-of-care testing represents some freshness, but the broader framework (align incentives, improve outcomes, control costs) and TEFCA-as-solution are increasingly mainstream healthcare policy talking points. Limited contrarian or first-principles thinking.

“pharmacists are some of the most accessible clinicians in healthcare. The the problem is that they have historically been the least connected to it”

“make the bold choice to actually implement an integrated electronic health record in your community pharmacy practice”

Ben Blumel is a 30-year veteran pharmacist with genuine practitioner roots and institutional credibility as executive director of the APhA Foundation. He has led actual research initiatives and programs with measurable outcomes. However, he is primarily a policy/standards advocate rather than an active operator running a pharmacy, limiting his direct hands-on caliber versus a community pharmacy owner or health system pharmacy director still in daily practice.

“Ben got his start as a hospital and a health system pharmacist in the Kansas City area and he was an early leader in pharmacy informatics standards”

“executive director at the American Pharmacist Association Foundation, Ben heads research and innovation, designing structure and process models”

The episode is rich with specific numbers, named programs, and concrete outcomes: 40 pharmacies across 20 states in Project Impact, 2,100 patients screened, 3x detection rate for AFIB, 32-38% adherence baseline for lipid therapy, 58-71% diabetes prevention success rate, named companies (Calestec, Cardiomobile), and specific payers (Neridian Max, Palmetto Max). The patient story about the grandchild adds human specificity. Some claims lack citations, but the density of named metrics is notably high.

“program was implemented in 40 community pharmacies in 20 different states that actually comprise the two Medicare administrative contractor regions, the Neridian Max and the Palmetto Max”

“pharmacists in these 40 different pharmacies...identified people with atrial fib at over three times the rate”

The host (Melanie) asks solid foundational questions and invites storytelling effectively, particularly around patient narratives and the lipid program. However, she rarely pushes back on claims, misses opportunities to challenge vagueness (e.g., 'integration' is repeated without detail), and doesn't probe contradictions or limitations. Follow-ups are mostly confirmatory rather than clarifying. The conversation feels collegial but lacks the rigor needed to test assumptions or expose weaknesses.

“Can you tell us more about a patient who maybe their care went off track because a pharmacist couldn't see or wasn't involved?”

“what do you think about the chicken and egg situation?”