ASH Clinical News ACN_5.3_web | Page 48

Heard in the Blogosphere Colin Taylor, MD @ColinTaylorMD As physicians, we make up a significant portion of the “System.” Without us, the “System” will cease to exist. Knowing this, why do we minimize our influence? We must work together to leverage our position within the “System” to change it from the inside out. #PhysicianBurnout Rob Dean, MD @drrdean When you’re married to a physician, the #heart on top of your latte tends toward the anatomically correct. @Drkldean Tatiana Prowell, MD @tmprowell My grandpa used to say “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” The 1st time I was old enough to get it, I said “That’s not fair!” He said “Exactly! So make it your life’s work to ensure everyone meets each other.” He’s 2 decades gone, but I’m still at it. #advocacy #MedEd Follow ASH and ASH Clinical News on: @ASH_Hematology, @BloodJournal, @BloodAdvances, and @ASHClinicalNews Facebook.com/American- SocietyofHematology @ASH_Hematology 46 ASH Clinical News The Good, the Bad, and the PBMs “In a market with competitive alternatives – such as generics and multiple name brands – pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) should be able to move patients from more expensive brand drugs to less expensive versions and extract lower prices by playing brands off one another. … So where did [PBMs] go wrong? In three areas: consolidation, rebate revenue, and transparency. … It is easy to cast [PBMs] as the bad guys of drug pricing, but with changes to the basic business model, they may be consumers’ best hope for holding down the price of pharmaceuticals.” —John Arnold on the complicated role of pharmacy benefit managers, in STAT