[VIDEO] A Podcast Interview with Todd Eury at the Pharmacy Podcast Network
I had the chance to sit down with Todd Eury on the Pharmacy Podcast Network recently and let's just say the gloves were off.
From a quaint setup in Brownsville, PA, we dug deep into what's rotten in Denmark—and it's not pretty.
So here are my takeaway nuggets, what I learned, and a summary, from my vantage, of the direction our incredible conversation went.
Spoiler alert: healthcare isn't "broken."
No, it was crafted, designed, and calibrated to operate exactly as it does: squeezing profits at the expense of real care.
For patients, it's frustrating.
For pharmacists? It's a soul-crushing grind. No surprise there.
Imagine this: you're a pharmacist who got into the field because you love chemistry, care about people, and want to make a difference.
But instead of doing that, you're stuck in a system that makes you count pills like an assembly line worker, with barely any time to connect with the patient in front of you.
These folks are the last line of defense in an increasingly profit-driven machine where "care" is little more than a slogan.
Pharmacists are running out of patience with this model, and the public is, too. People are finally realizing that they deserve better than to be treated as dollar signs on a ledger.
During our conversation, I couldn't help but point out the elephant in the room: PBMs—Pharmacy Benefit Managers, or as I like to call them, the Pharmacy Bullshit Menagerie. (Don't hate the players. Hate the game.)
These entities were supposed to streamline the process and cut costs, but they've turned into profit engines that leave patients and pharmacists alike footing the bill.
And yet, we're at a moment where things might actually change. Consumer awareness is surging. Patients are finally understanding where the system has been taking them for a ride.
Even big players like Mark Cuban are stepping in, shaking things up with his Cost Plus Drugs model, proving that the power to disrupt lies in putting patients first and profits second.
Let's talk about empathy here for a second.
Empathy isn't just a soft skill—it's the magic ingredient that makes healthcare feel human. Pharmacists have it, and they want to use it. But in this current model, empathy is a luxury, not a priority.
There's no "ROI" on empathy, and that's a huge part of the problem. But when pharmacists have the chance actually to connect with patients, they go from being "pill counters" to the trusted healthcare allies they were meant to be.
It's no wonder they're exhausted when they're forced to constantly fight against a system that undervalues what they bring to the table.
Todd and I didn't hold back.
We called out the BS for what it is: a racket. We talked about how companies like Cuban's are setting a new standard and how consumers—patients, family members, and friends—are finally seeing through the smoke and mirrors.
Imagine a world where patients have real options, where quotas don't shackle pharmacists, and where healthcare actually cares. Imagine what it would look like if patients and pharmacists teamed up to demand better from a system that's been fleecing them for decades.
I'll leave you with this: healthcare was built this way, and that's why it feels impossible to change.
But that doesn't mean we're powerless. Patients, pharmacists, and advocates are waking up to the fact that they don't have to accept the status quo. They can fight for better, more humane care. They can demand more than just being treated as dollar signs on a spreadsheet.
It's time for a healthcare revolution.
It's time for us to say enough is enough and start building something that works for everyone, not just the shareholders.
If you're fed up, ready for change, and believe in a system that values people over profits, let's unite. Get loud, get angry, and start tearing down this healthcare tower, brick by brick.
Just because the system was built, this way doesn't mean we have to keep it standing. Advocacy is one of the only things that's changed anything.
So, don't boo. Act.
MZ out.