Putting the Community Back into Community Pharmacy

July 10, 2023

Play episode

In the very first episode of PAGCAST, a stream of Pharmacy View Podcast that provides regular interviews with Pharmacy leaders, entrepreneurs, and members of The Platform Alliance Group, host Melody Mugari, a Pharmacist and Programs and Corporate Partnerships Manager at The Platform Alliance Group is joined by Michael Flannery, Pharmacist, CEO of Life Pharmacy Group and Executive Director of The Platform Alliance Group. In this inaugural episode, Melody and Michael dive into an insightful discussion about the future of Pharmacy, the challenges faced by Pharmacy leaders, and the role of The Platform Alliance Group in helping the industry prosper. Stay tuned for an episode filled with knowledge, inspiration, and a glimpse into the exciting world of Pharmacy leadership.

Michael is a man who wears many hats. When asked how he manages it all, he describes himself as a flexible person and as someone who can handle multiple tasks efficiently. He believes passion is crucial, as it helps him prioritize and make time for the things he loves, bringing him a sense of satisfaction and balancing various aspects of life. While occasionally reflecting on possibly needing more downtime, he finds joy in his dynamic and fulfilling lifestyle.

Michael then discusses his upbringing in Forbes, a town where his father worked as a Pharmacist. Growing up in a community where his father was the local Pharmacist provided him with insights into the role of a Pharmacist beyond dispensing medications. He was inspired by his father’s giving nature and the importance of patient-centered care. This helped shape his understanding of Community Pharmacy. While initially uncertain about his career path, he eventually found his passion in Community Pharmacy. He embraced the management challenges it presented, leading him to focus his career in that field.

Pharmacy View Podcast · Pagcast EP-1 Putting the Community Back into Community Pharmacy

Throughout the conversation, Michael emphasizes the importance of Community Pharmacists as individuals who can establish meaningful connections with patients. He highlights the value of conversations and listening to understand patients’ needs beyond their immediate medication concerns. Michael believes that Community Pharmacists have a crucial role in addressing the diverse socio-economic needs of their patient community, offering holistic care and intangible benefits beyond prescriptions and products. He also expresses concern that government policies (like 60-day dispense) may overlook these aspects of care. He says there is a need to recognize the vital role of the entire Pharmacy team in promoting patient well-being.

Adding to that, Michael describes the initial shock and panic felt by Pharmacy owners in response to the government’s announcement. He highlights the importance of staying calm and analyzing the details of the policy before taking action. Michael underlines the role of the Platform Alliance Group team in providing support, offering financial planning strategies, and organizing webinars to help Pharmacy owners navigate the challenges brought about by the government’s changes. He also expresses concerns about the potential negative impact on patient well-being and stresses the significance of Community Pharmacists in providing holistic care and access to health services.

Michael expresses hope and excitement about the future of Pharmacy. He emphasizes the importance of professional environments, clinic rooms, and expanded scope of practice for Pharmacists. He also mentions the need for collaboration and teamwork within the Community Pharmacies to overcome challenges and explore opportunities.

Summing it all down, Michael reminisces about his experiences building and expanding his Pharmacy business over the years. He purchased his first store in 1990 and faced challenges and unexpected events. With the support of mentors, dedicated staff, and a focus on community engagement, Michael successfully merged and expanded stores, implemented new initiatives, and fostered a culture of care and innovation within the pharmacies in the Life Pharmacy Group. He thanks his partners and team members for their crucial role in shaping the success and values of the Life Pharmacy Group.

Topics Covered

Michael’s journey in the industry
Michael’s passion for Community Pharmacy
Learning the ropes of running a Pharmacy and managing people
The significance of networking and mentorship in the industry
Community engagement and initiatives
Challenges faced during industry changes and overcoming them
The importance of the people and culture within the Life Pharmacy Group
PAG’s role in shaping a better tomorrow for Pharmacies

Key Quotes (Time Stamps)

“But I think it comes down to if you’re passionate about something, you find time for it. You need to follow what your passion is to enjoy life. And that’s what my goal every day is. And I get a sense of satisfaction in what I do. And that drives being able to balance more, probably in the average day, than a lot of people would want. And sometimes you look back and go, I probably could have had a bit more time out, but that’s life, and it’s fun.” (1:52 – 2:17)

“I was fortunate to grow up in the community of Forbes. When your father’s the local Pharmacist, you get a lot of insights into the role of a Pharmacist, both within the trading hours of the Pharmacy and also the expectations of the community over and above what your role is. But also, in seeing his personality, understanding his personality—he was a very giving parent and a person to the community. So, I grew up with a role model. That community pharmacy was more than just dispensing medications. It was actually all about the patient in so many different ways.” (4:21 – 4:54)

“But once I got my feet on the ground in Community Pharmacy, I realized that was what was for me. And I also really enjoyed the management challenge. So, that gave me the opportunity to focus. And that’s where my career path has really been focused on ever since.” (5:21 – 5:34)

“What I understood at the time and looking back was the fact that for dad it was all about leadership, that especially when you’re the son of the owner, and you transition as a Uni student and then an intern to a Pharmacist, you shouldn’t be able to ask people to do anything that you’re not willing to do yourself. So, by setting the standard, I was happy to go out and sweep the footpath every morning.” (7:57 – 8:22)

“I think the bigger role of the Community Pharmacists is what they can establish and what they can build in talking to people. And the people who come in and drop off a prescription, people, whether it be for a chronic medication or acute medication when they come in for advice, it gives the Pharmacist the opportunity to talk to someone and listen to understand that there may be things outside what they’ve come in for, that the Pharmacy and the Pharmacist maybe are to help them with.” (10:05 – 10:32)

“The socio-economic lifestyle of our patient database or patient community is so variable that it’s really important we understand what drives that person’s needs.” (10:48 – 11:00)

“And I think having a conversation with someone and understanding what actually is driving them, what is actually they’re looking for in that communication, and what they may not be speaking about, but they may be intending to ask advice for. I think it’s a really innate quality of community pharmacists to be able to elaborate on that and evaluate when someone comes in for a conversation about medication, and what else there is that we can help them with.” (11:01 – 11:33)

“We decided the best thing was to actually probably turn the momentum in the storytelling of the 60-day dispense; leave the negotiations with the government to the Pharmacy Guild, and by all means all the various owners to go and represent individually. But as a PAG organization, the best thing we felt we could do and what we’ve done subsequently is go and talk to members about where we saw opportunities to help them.” (16:29 – 16:53)

“As we know, each Pharmacy is very different. Each Pharmacy has different rent-to-turnover metrics, different staffing wages, different aged care facilities, methadone payment, whatever it may be. But within the PAG experience, we have enough to be able to say we’ve got a bespoke model to look at how we can help you plan to take on the challenges of the 60-day policy from a financial point of view and apply, there might be 13 to 15 little levers that we can do within your business to help you claw back some of the revenue that may be about to head out the door when these policies come in if they get legislated.” (17:02 – 17:37)

“This is about the industry being sustainable, and there’s a lot of single ownership Pharmacy owners who are out there really worrying about what do I do or where do I go for advice. So, we opened up the webinars to the industry, and we had people from–we had accountants, we had solicitors, we had brokers, we had members of other groups and the board. And really, it’s all about PAG helping the industry and using our insights for our members and every owner that is out there in Australia.” (17:55 – 18:20)

“Our view was we really need to get out there quickly and tell people we’re here. We don’t have all the answers yet. And not every answer, not every lever will be applicable to every store, but across the scope of what we’re doing as an organization, we can help every Pharmacy.” (18:52 – 19: 05)

“Community health and access to health is not getting any better through any of these government changes. Regardless of bulk billing incentives to doctors, we still know GPs are really hard to get into in all communities–Sydney, regional, rural, remote– and I think the role of Community Pharmacists is going to get even more important.” (19:25 – 19:42)

“Our concern is that the well-being of the patient who we’ve looked after through all these other services will be challenged because we will have to actually pay charged fees for areas that we haven’t before because the funding of the dispensary is reduced.” (20:14 – 20:29)

“And we still need to have the people to have those conversations because that’s really important. So, it’s not just about a medication being dispensed, it’s actually about the conversation and about that conversation extending into the conversation when the delivery driver drops it off to Mrs. Smith at home and checks that she’s okay when you drop the medication in or drop the frozen meals in if you were delivering frozen meals. So, it’s a lot more than just the one dimension.” (21:00 – 21:22)

“We have to step up to that level of training. We have to step up to level of the investment in our property, in clinic rooms and equipment and technology. And to me, I think that excites me for a future Pharmacist, Clinical Pharmacist, for a future owner, I think that’s great.” (26:04 – 26:20)

“One thing PAG are looking at as part of health tech in the future is bringing the patient closer to the Pharmacist from a communication and engagement point of view. And I think they’re exciting things that will enable the viability of Pharmacy to continue from a financial ownership point of view.” (27:31 – 27:45)

“We’ve got to get through these next six months. We’ve got to look after each other. We’ve got to let down our barriers and share information across organizations that may, over the years have competed, whether it be brands, whether it be wholesale brands, whether it be ownership groups. And I think, for the better the Community Pharmacy industry, we really need to work as a team.” (28:25 – 44)

“I think as an organization, we are building and providing tools to help people move through this really tough time.” (30:11 – 30:16)

“Most importantly that the people like the Simons, the Tanyas, the Pauls, and then the other partners who’ve come in subsequently have all been the caliber of people that have created the culture that you saw in LPG. That’s the most important thing I have and the most fortuitous thing I’ve had is the people that have aligned with me and I’ve aligned with them as partners and not all as partners, people who’ve worked in that business for 20-30 years but don’t want to be an owner, happy to be a Pharmacist, happy to be a retail manager. They’ve been the huge part of the fabric of what is LPG. And that culture has been built from the ground up by the people and I’m lucky to represent it.” (42:20 – 43:02)

“I’m not restricted by what we should do–the conservative view, insight or viewpoint. I am actually happy to challenge them and that’s probably a trait that can be good and can be bad, but that comes to my insight or my solution–probably happy to not follow the rules and think outside the square a bit to find a solution for the future.” (48:35 – 48:49)

Social Media Clips (Time Stamps)

Michael Flannery: The Multifaceted Maven (1:31 – 2:17)
How Michael’s father and mentors shaped his remarkable journey (5:35 – 6:34)
Providing holistic care in Community Pharmacy (8:57 – 13:27)
How PAG has been empowering Pharmacists to navigate challenges (13:33 – 22:38)
The future of Pharmacy (23:06 – 30:16)
Finding success through networking and mentorship (31:50 – 43:41)
Chat GPT asks, “What does Michael Flannery want to be known for?” (44:17 – 45:15)
The solution is outside the box! (45:37 – 48:49)