
๐งHealth & wellness community (+ podcast!) ๐ฅผBoard certified ambulatory care pharmacist ๐Advocate for community pharmacy + appropriate med use #StopPBMAbuse
Joined November 2019
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Hi #TwittRx - allow me to (re)introduce myself. I am a community pharmacist with a passion for all things education: pharmacy students, wellness, lifestyle medicine, appropriate medication use, and how PBMs are negatively impacting our (broken) healthcare system.
LONG TERM strategy: improve insulin resistance
- increase muscle
- lose weight through calorie restriction (sorry! That's what the data supports)
SHORT TERM strategy: blood glucose control
- balanced meals
- increase fiber
- walk after eating
Both important for health!!!
"you should not wait until you are sick to start caring about your gut health. This is so important for digestion... For brain health, but also for our brain health, our hormones, our hormonal balance" - @theguthealthmd
Katie Trotta, PharmD, BCACP retweeted
๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐.
๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ง ๐๐.๐%.
Medicareโs physician payment formula (the Conversion Factor)?
Down 9.9%.
Thatโs not โfiscal responsibility.โ
Thatโs institutional gaslighting.
๐๐๐๐ง๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐, ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ, ๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก.
But the doctors treating Medicare patients?
Theyโre being asked to do more with less, year after year, because โ๐ก๐๐ฒ, ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐จ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐โ, while the cost of running a practice skyrockets.
If the American people want Congress to preserve access to care for aging Americans, itโs time to speak up and tie Medicareโs payment formula to inflation, just like their own salaries.
๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง, ๐ ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐ค ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จโ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐๐ค๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ๐.
Theyโre busy trying to survive the 20th century in the 21st.
#HealthcarePolicy #Medicare #PhysicianBurnout #InflationMath #FixTheFormula
What happens when you eat a diverse diet:
1. Each plant food brings its own mix of fibers, micronutrients, and polyphenols
2. Diversity in the diet = diversity in the microbiome
3. All of the bugs in the gut have unique health benefits for the body
๐๐
๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ซ
Health effects of these bugs:
- strong immune system
- improved gut lining (no leaky gut!)
- great digestion
- reduced inflammation
- weight maintenance
- longevity
Biggest gut benefits are seen on those who eat at least 30 different plant foods each week
๐๐
๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ซ
Two things to remember about protein:
1. Focusing on fiber at each meal is just as important as protein for blood sugar, maintaining feelings of fullness, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease...just to name a few.
2. A high-protein ultraprocessed food is still ultraprocessed.
Bipartisan healthcare issues for 2025:
- fruits & veggies are healthy
- movement throughout the day is great for blood glucose
- obesity can't be blamed solely on genes
- restful sleep is essential for health
- being in a constant state of stress will dampen your health progress
This man must be in my head because these exact words have come out of my mouth. In the drug pricing world today, pharma needs to price their drugs high to make the same amount off their brand name drugs they made 10 years go. The rest goes back to the PBM in kickbacks.
Monday reminder ๐
Minimal effort does not yield maximum results. To be the best version of you, you have to try your best. Health included.
Quick reminder that the US spends $4 trillion on healthcare annually. Big business = big money.
But businesses can't make money if they don't have customers.
So what does this mean for you?
Longevity biohack, fitness edition: increase your cardiorespiratory fitness.
VO2 max, or peak oxygen uptake, is the max amount of oxygen the body can use during exercise.
Studies show "below average" VO2 max influences 50% mortality reduction over a decade compared to "low".
Katie Trotta, PharmD, BCACP retweeted
Worked with some awesome colleagues and former students on this scoping review of literature related to the impact that PBMs have on community pharmacies.
sciencedirect.com/science/arโฆ
Sad truth: Big Food WANTS you to be confused about what's healthy.
The relationship between research funding + bias is clear: studies funded by a food/beverage company are more likely to show positive health effects from consuming their products.
Solution? Eat real, whole foods
Katie Trotta, PharmD, BCACP retweeted
WATCH: After @ChuckGrassley asks what the antitrust agencies are doing about PBMs that raise drug prices, harm patients, and hurt local pharmacists, @linakhanFTC breaks down how the @FTC is cracking down on the industry.
Truth: a calorie deficit is necessary for weight loss.
Truth: food acts as instructions for how the body responds to said calories.
Real, whole foods provide nutrients + nourishment โฉ satiety.
Ultra-processed foods are extremely calorie dense + nutrient poor โฉ hunger.
If anyone can shake up the PBM game it's @markcuban
โPrice transparency allows consumers to shop around, effectively forcing companies to have better products and lower prices. So competition and consumer choice are the key to making medication affordable.โ - @HannahDCox
fee.org/articles/could-mark-โฆ @mcuban @alexosh @costplusdrugs
Katie Trotta, PharmD, BCACP retweeted
The winner of competition between Amjevita (-55%) and Amjevita (-5%) is higher $$ Amjevita. Clear ex. how biosims on PHARMACY side do NOT bring prices down. CVS makes more $$ on higher list pr The battle to win formulary placement is no different w/ biosims, highest price WINS!
Huh? @CVSHealth $CVS #PBM admits "plan sponsors will benefit from significant savings" of #biosimilars
Sorry, patients! #Amjevita (list price -55% vs. #Humira) is non-preferred, i.e., not lowest cost for patients with deductibles or coinsurance
Yuck.
drugch.nl/3Fya0v4











