The drug industry has a new sales partner — your pharmacist

Secret persuaders

This is outrageous! I can’t believe this is even legal.

Some pharmacy chains are now training their pharmacists in “motivational” techniques. And guess where their so-called motivation is aimed?

Straight at YOU!

It sounds incredible, and more than a little bit shady, but the next time you consult with your pharmacist, he might actually try to recommend drugs your doctor hasn’t even prescribed.

More motivation…more pills…more money

Last week I told you about a new Walgreens drug adherence program.

In that little plan, an “agent” for Walgreens calls to encourage you to take your meds and refill prescriptions.

But the “agent” isn’t even an actual Walgreens employee. They’re just contracted with Walgreens to contact you. That means a third party has your prescription information. And what’s worse, they’ll likely use your information to persuade you to take every last pill you purchased at Walgreens.

That’s disgraceful. NOBODY should ever share your prescribing information.

But now we have a new twist on that plan. And it’s just as bad in a completely different way.

A recent Wall St. Journal reports on pharmacists who are “going further than merely dispensing pills.” That’s because Big Chain Pharmacies are training their pharmacists to use “motivational interview techniques.”

To simplify, the article includes a four-panel cartoon. It dramatizes the wonderful benefits of consulting with a “motivational” pharmacist.

In panel one, the patient and pharmacist meet in a private office.

In panel two, the caption reads… “He checks if statins and blood-pressure drugs are prescribed, as recommended, for diabetes patients.”

In panel three, the caption reads… “If the patient agrees, he calls the physician to suggest prescribing these drugs if they are missing.”

And in panel four, the pharmacist puts a pill bottle in a bag. Absurdly, the patient seems to be reaching for it with both hands, as if she can’t WAIT to take her new drugs! And the caption… “The program has contributed to a rise in patients being prescribed statins and blood-pressure drugs.”

It’s insane! The patient is diabetic, so he “motivates” her AND her doctor to add a statin and a blood pressure medication. Is this because she has high cholesterol and high blood pressure? No. It’s because it’s “recommended!”

So the pharmacist has rung up sales for two additional prescriptions. Way to be motivational, cartoon pharmacist! (I wonder if he told his cartoon customer that statins might raise her blood sugar and damage her muscles.)

The title of the WSJ article reads… “The Pharmacist Is In and Nudging You to Take Your Pills”

Nudging? That’s quaint. Call it what it is. Drug pushing!

I’m outraged by this, but I also find it very sad. I remember reading once that for 19 out of 20 years, pharmacists were voted the most trusted profession. Looks like the Big Chain Pharmacies are hoping they can turn that trust into big bucks.

Sources:
“The Pharmacist Is In and Nudging You to Take Your Pills” Laura Landro, Wall St. Journal, 6/26/12, online.wsj.com