Steve Abbott:
Hello everybody, and welcome back to episode 19 of CCA's Medical Minute podcast. We are going to do our second round of chemo discussion today, prompted by our new friend, Tina, who asked about some of the long-term effects of chemotherapy and radiation, so we're going to do that in just a minute. But first, a couple of announcements. Our little fledgling podcast is now sponsored by the 22,000 good folks at Kroger Health.
Sherry Hughes:
Thank you, Kroger Health.
Steve Abbott:
It's pretty awesome. I didn't know this until today. They have 2,300 pharmacies around the country 200 in-store clinics. I'm going to give you a chance to start out the first explanation today. They have 11 specialty pharmacies. What is a specialty pharmacy? How does that differ from other pharmacies, Jill?
Jill Hunt:
A specialty pharmacy is where you are going to get very specialized medications. You're not going to get your run-of-the-mill blood pressure medicine or insulin from a specialty pharmacy. But those medications that are astronomically expensive, most pharmacies are not going to keep those on their shelf.
Steve Abbott:
Yep.
Jill Hunt:
Each insurance company will tend to have them, some of the hospital systems will have their own specialty pharmacies, but it's just a local reposit for those more treatment-specific, disease-specific drugs that tend to be a little bit more costly.
Steve Abbott:
Like my $11,000 a month drugs.
Jill Hunt:
I actually had a patient bring in a bottle of Ibrance, which is used for breast cancer. She brought it in, and she handed it to me. She said, "Have you ever wondered what it felt like to hold $12,000?"
Steve Abbott:
I know.
Sherry Hughes:
Wow.
Steve Abbott:
It's crazy.
Jill Hunt:
I looked at it, and I turned it over, and I shook it a little bit.
Sherry Hughes:
That's what it feels like.
Jill Hunt:
I thought this should come with some bling on it or something. Maybe it should light up when you open it.
Sherry Hughes:
We should say that for some of the specialty medications, there are different programs out there, so thankfully, a lot of the people that need them do not have to pay the 11,000.
Jill Hunt:
Yes.
Sherry Hughes:
Again, that is the big price tag there on some of those kinds of drugs.
Jill Hunt:
Yes. That price tag, when patients get that explanation of benefits, can be a little breathtaking.
Sherry Hughes:
More than breathtaking, jarring, to say the least.
Jill Hunt:
Yes.
Steve Abbott:
By contrast, do you guys remember when they introduced the $4 prescription?
Jill Hunt:
Yes.
Sherry Hughes:
I do.
Steve Abbott:
There are still people standing in line because of that $4 prescription.
Sherry Hughes:
Wow.
Steve Abbott:
For someone like me, Mr. short term attention span-
Sherry Hughes:
Yeah.
Steve Abbott:
Diana goes to the pharmacy for us.
Sherry Hughes:
Yes.
Steve Abbott:
Because I just can't deal with it. But anyway-
Jill Hunt:
We digress.
Steve Abbott:
Yes. We digress. I'm not going to be my normal kind of loose guy today because my wife has made me feel very self-
conscious.
Sherry Hughes:
What did she tell you?
Steve Abbott:
She gave me lots of good feedback this weekend. Lots of very positive feedback, but she told me that I slouch.
Sherry Hughes:
Okay, then are you sitting up straight?
Jill Hunt:
Are you sitting straight?
Steve Abbott:
I'm trying to sit up straight.
Steve Abbott:
Sherry's so tall that it looks like I'm slouching anyway.
Sherry Hughes:
I'm not that tall. I'm just 5'9".
Steve Abbott:
Well, you look taller than that.
Jill Hunt:
But I also sit up straight.
Steve Abbott:
All right.
Sherry Hughes:
It does.
Steve Abbott:
Right. Kroger Health, by the way, also is the presenting sponsor of our golf outing, which we just announced today, April 20 sorry. August 29 at Maketewah Country Club, with Anthony Munoz, not that matters, but I