This episode of Pharmacy View features a fascinating conversation about the power of AI (artificial intelligence) to keep community pharmacies competitive. Host Scott Carpenter welcomes Michael Alexander, a pharmacist and tech entrepreneur whose insights you won’t want to miss. 
Michael shares his perspective as someone who has worked in the pharmacy industry both in Australia and the U.S. and for companies both large and small. He breaks down some of the differences between the consolidated chain-oriented market in the U.S. versus the culture of independent pharmacies in Australia and how they differentiate from big-box discounters.

'Community Pharmacies can use AI to keep their competitive edge'

In this episode of the Pharmacy View Podcast, Host Scott Carpenter, EVBC is joined by  Dr. Ganesh Naidoo, Co-founder and CEO at Medmate, a conformant software product for e-prescribing that lets the user access over 1000 pharmacies across Australia at the click of a button. 
While over the last year and half of all businesses have been increasingly turning to the use of technology, Medmate’s humble beginnings go back to Ganesh’s years of being a general practitioner where everyday he’d come home, order a pizza from Uber Eats at the click of a button, have it delivered to his doorsteps in under 20 minutes, and wonder if something like that were possible in the pharmaceutical and medical field, at large. ‘Medmate’ was the solution that he and his friends envisioned. Not undermining the importance of face-to-face counsel, he emphasizes that Medmate makes access to medication easy for those who cannot, owing to any number of reasons, go to a brick-and-mortar store to collect their scripts.

Ep38 Medmate - Prescription delivery in 60 minutes

Listen to this episode of Pharmacy View Podcast where host Scott Carpenter sits with Pharmacist Mark Feldschuh to learn more about Mark’s journey in the Pharmaceutical industry. 

Having owned a Pharmacy for over three decades, Mark is passionate about the industry. Over the course of time, Mark learned from a whole lot from people: from attending conferences to hearing people talk about new ideas—learning was everywhere. As advocacy and professional development have also always been areas of interest, Mark worked towards bringing betterment in those regards and really wanted to give back in the same way.  Mark now helps business owners develop their own pharmacies. 
Mark emphasizes the need for the following in any Pharmacy:
1.	Systems
A key requisite that Mark champions is the need for using systems. He says that once systemization is in place, it becomes easier to manage Pharmacies. 

2.	Patient’s Interest 
Another key element is to ensure that the Pharmacy is serving the patient’s best interests.

Systems for both Management and Risk Mitigation

In this episode of the Pharmacy View Podcast, we are joined by Brad Butt, Founder and Lead Pharmacist at Men's Health Downunder. Listen in as he and host Scott Carpenter, talk about how this experienced Pharmacist has followed his passion and provides competent professional services with a particular focus on men’s Urological health and the medications and devices men can use to optimize outcomes.
Brad calls himself a passionate Community Pharmacist and rightfully so. Trying to strike the perfect balance between his personal and professional lives, Brad works as a full-time community Pharmacist four days a week and private practice with Men’s Health Downunder for the fifth day: all the while enjoying being a family man. After having talked about how he started in the Pharmaceutical industry and his work with Life Pharmacy Group, Brad goes on to talk about Men's Health Downunder which was founded in 2015 owing to a lack of reliable and cost-effective endorsed medical grade treatments for men. The company website offers patients a complete solution at a competitive price from a highly regarded profession.
Brad finds technology to be critical in the Pharmaceutical industry and so the company uses technology geared towards two things: Positive Business Outcomes (PBOs) and Positive Patient Outcomes (PPOs). The three primary technologies used in the business are:
1.	Dragon (an AI tool used for dictation that eases taking of patient notes, writing of letters, and managing of emails)
2.	Clinico (a CRM platform that allows you to have a patient database)
3.	Clinicom (Support service) 
Brad concludes by saying that there are primarily two things that a Pharmacist needs to focus on:
1.	Connecting with the patient
2.	Making them feel that they are cared for

PView Mens Health Downunder Brad Butt AUDIO FINAL 290522

In this episode of the Pharmacy View Podcast host Scott Carpenter, talks with Beshara Dafesh, founder and CEO of LeaseIQ, a platform that helps Pharmacy owners manage and keep up to date with their property portfolios and leases. 
Beshara has had over two decades of experience in various sectors—retail, healthcare, QSR, and
telecommunications. He has completed numerous property transactions across the health and medical industries, among others. He founded LeaseIQ with the goal of making a difference and bringing about significant benefits to leasing, site acquisition, and property management so that clients can leverage the data the platform provides to not just grow but also innovate their businesses. 
Having launched LeaseIQ just under 12 months ago, Beshara calls it a real success story. A lot of organizations and individuals have used it to manage their leases across different sectors, he says. As he puts forth, one of the biggest reasons as to why he created LeaseIQ was that he wanted to give tenants the power over their data as a lease, he believes, is an active document. The features that LeaseIQ provide include (but are not limited to):
-	an extensive mapping tool, 
-	one-touch lease summaries,
-	pre-built fields to track leases, 
-	automated updates,
-	benchmark dashboard, and 
-	reporting functionality
LeaseIQ is a centralized cloud-based software system that allows the user to access information whether it is via desktop, mobile or tablet. It keeps track of all the critical dates, documentation compliance, location management and benchmark reporting. A Pharmacist can access industry data and make informed decisions. From guiding investments to lease re-negotiations, data on the platform is a tool that the clients can use to their advantage.

Pview - Ep - Leaseiq - Bes AUDIO - FINAL 2022 - Jun - 01

In this episode of the Pharmacy View Podcast, host Scott Carpenter, EVBC, sits with Yvette Anderson, Clinical Pharmacist, Business Founder, and Consultant. In this episode, they talk about The Spectrum Pharmacist and how Yvette’s life as such has given a sense of direction to what they do on a professional level.



Yvette grew up in Sydney and has been in Pharmacy Industry since they were 16 years old. They have worked in most areas of Pharmacy—community, consulting, home medication, asthma medication, hospital pharmacy (both public and private), and age care. Yvette is a mother to 3 boys, two of whom are neurodiverse. It was initially challenging for Yvette and their family to understand and help their sons. That is how Yvette came up with The Spectrum Pharmacist: an amalgamation of their lived experience and professional knowledge.



Yvette believes there is a lack of understanding, education, awareness, and even inclusion of the neurodiverse space. Pharmacists are the first line of contact for so many people, and they have empathy that many people lack—that makes people trust them. Yvette thinks this makes the dissemination of information a tad bit easier for Pharmacists.



Regarding the work with PharmOnline, Yvette talks about what a great mentor Anna Barwick has been since they connected over LinkedIn in 2001. PharmOnline is a telehealth service that allows you to contact Pharmacists 24*7*365 from the comfort of your home. The platform also allows users to book a one-on-one consultation with Yvette. Adding to that, they say that technology plays an important role in what they do, to the point of making global communication possible.



When asked about access to education and training, Yvette shares how they have been working on education modules and that they provide services through Neurodiverse Squad, which is an invitation for individuals and their families, teachers, carers, health professionals, and anyone to spend an hour and a half with Yvette and a special guest.

All in all, Yvette’s goal is to increase awareness and understanding in the neuro-diverse space. And they want everyone to understand the challenges and come in with a bit of compassion and empathy.

Ep#61 PView Yvette Anderson The Spectrum Pharmacist 31122

In the very first episode of Pharmacy View Podcast’s Pharmacy Career, Resource & Training, we are joined by host, Kavita Nadan, Pharmacist, and Founder at Locumate, and guest, Karen Brown, Managing Partner at TerryWhite Chemmart, Co-Founder & Director at Batch Tested and Pharmacy Redefined. Listen in as the two passionate Pharmacists talk about the Pharmaceutical Industry at large and how Pharmacies across the country sit at the cusp of transformation in the near future.

Karen, in their own words, wears many hats. In addition to being an Award-winning Pharmacist and Pharmacy Owner, Karen is a Founder, a Director, a Leader, a Speaker, and most importantly, a wife and a mother. Having said that, they see synergy in everything that they do and say that at the core of it all is their want to help people—helping their team members be better people, helping their patients get healthier, helping the community achieve better results. They believe that whether in sports or in business, they are people managers who bring together a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.

Having done so much across sectors, when asked what their top three pieces of advice for someone starting something completely different, their prompt response was

· Take your blinkers off

· Say yes to opportunities

· Build the plane while you’re flying it (don’t wait for it to be perfect before you launch it)

Having said that in their own business, Karen knows how one person as a Pharmacy Owner doesn’t need to know everything and should rather take on the challenges while surrounding themselves with a team of experts. Their advice being, “You need to get comfortable being uncomfortable.”

Karen, a firm believer in their mission to challenge the status quo and to redefine how people view community Pharmacy, is no stranger to awards and accolades. They are the Winner of Australian and Qld TerryWhite Chemmart of the Year - Arana Hills 2022, Winner of Small Business Person of the Year - Dickson Australia Day Community Awards 2021, Finalist in the Rhonda White Leadership Award 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and Nominee for Telstra Business Women’s Award 2019, 2020, among others.

They believe their work reflects the mark they have left in redefining community Pharmacy. Even though there is validation, they believe that as a team they need to understand that so long as good work is done, the community responds to that.

Talking about what Pharmacies need to focus on, they share about

· investing heavily in personal development for the team as they strongly believe that people want to belong to something bigger than themselves and people want to belong in a team;

· investing in professional development and finding the right person for the right job.

Karen believes that the Pharmaceutical Industry is sitting at the precipice of something huge and they are excited about the endless possibilities that the future has in store. They think that in the near future there will be boutique health hubs and more work will be driven toward specialty services and niching. And even though at the core each Pharmacy will still be the same, the customer journey and use of technology will evolve.

When asked about Owner’s Summit. Karen elaborates how ownership can be lonely and how contrary to popular assumption, Pharmacy owners are not competitors, they are one another’s biggest cheerleaders rather. They add that instead of doom and gloom, people need to come together, share ideas, and have the courage to be vulnerable in a safe space so that together they can work towards better outcomes. Karen shares how it is important to not just share ideas but also understand how the shared ideas are handled so that the fear of rejection doesn’t plague team members. As they iterate, the pillars remain the betterment of health, team, and community.

Ep 63 Karen Brown: Redefining Community Pharmacy

In this episode of the Pharmacy View Podcast, host Scott Carpenter, EVBC talks to John Thornett, Owner, Peak Strategies (WA) Pty Ltd, a Chartered Accountant, and a Pharmacy Expert. Listen to the episode to learn about how the qualified and professional team at Peak Strategies has been helping Pharmacy owners across Australia.  
Having started off as a Chartered Accountant, John recounts the story of how Peak Strategies came into being and how its entire client base now consists of Community Pharmacies. When describing over 25 years of work with Community Pharmacies, John says, “When you love what you do, it fills your soul with so much joy.” Furthering why they enjoy working in the industry, they quote these reasons:
•	First on the list for John are the people in the industry who are wonderful and have so much to offer
•	Second reason is being able to specialize and have a niche. John understands what the pain points are for Pharmacy Owners because of having put in so much time to understand the industry and business as a whole. John adds that with the level of knowledge, they can provide more value to the clients and have increased abilities to help people. Pharmacy is a unique beast and having the level of knowledge that John and his team have is reassuring from the client’s perspective. 
John then compares Community Pharmacies during and post Covid. When Covid hit, Community Pharmacy’s reputation really grew as they were open and accessible all the time. In Western Australia, the closing of borders meant more and more people went to their Community Pharmacies. While good money was made, it was exhausting. John then raises some pertinent concerns about Pharmacies in 2023:
•	While 2021/2022 was good for Pharmacy business across the board, things have changed in 2023 as we live in a different world now. 
•	Family purses have been tightened because of inflation and higher interest rates. What does it mean for Pharmacies moving forward?
•	What will happen to the market for buying a Pharmacy? It won’t be the same as it was in 2022.
•	Pharmacy owners are exhausted and you can’t find a Pharmacist for the love of money.
•	What revenue opportunities were missed in the lack of resources?
•	Changes in margins owing to wages, stock-piling, and lease renewals.
Pointing out the aforementioned challenges and opportunities in the industry, John then goes on to talk about how busy Peak Strategies has been with the following:
•	A lot of work in the Validation space
•	Work with owners in the marketing space
•	Pharmacy Mastermind Program to help owners have a profitable and sustainable business
•	A lot of work in the Partner space for first-time owners looking to be Junior Partners
•	Podcasts 
•	Content-driven website
To John, everything comes down to helping people. And they believe that technology can aid the process through the automation of repetitive tasks. This needs to be done so that people can focus on what people are good at—human interaction.

Ep 66 John Thornett - Automate the Repetitive with Technology

In this episode of Pharmacy View Podcast’s Pharmacy Career, Resource & Training stream, host Kavita Nadan, Pharmacist and Founder at Locumate, is joined by Kay Dunkley, Executive Officer (Part-time), Pharmacists’ Support Service (PSS) and Doctor Wellbeing Consultant (Part-time), AMA Victoria. Kay, also an accredited Pharmacist, received the PSA Symbion Pharmacist of the Year 2020 and PSA Victorian Pharmacist Excellence Award 2019 and is passionate about the health and well-being of healthcare professionals. Listen to this podcast episode as Kavita and Kay take you through Kay’s fantastic career in the industry, the changes that have come about in the years since their early days, and how they keep their passion alive while keeping up with demanding work.
It was the final year of college, and Kay wasn’t sure of the career they wanted to pursue. A career in Pharmacy was their last-minute choice, they say. And aren’t we all glad that the choice was made? In Pharmacy, they saw a perfect blend of science and health, and after having worked with inspiring people through their initial days in Hospital Pharmacy, Kay came to realize the immense love they had for the profession. Kay loved being a part of the healthcare team and enjoyed interacting with patients, doctors, nurses, and other allied health professionals. Over the decades, Kay moved up the ladder in the industry and worked with various hospitals and healthcare professionals. Now, Kay works with the Pharmacists’ Support Service (PSS) and AMA Victoria.
When asked what prompted them to work in the mental health and well-being space for health professionals, Kay says the impetus comes through their own experiences and exposure in the industry. They emphasize that there is a real need for support for health professionals. Pharmacy is a busy space where professionals are often required to do multiple things simultaneously while ensuring everything is done right. Many professionals, especially those new to the profession, struggle to keep up with the demands and undergo immense distress. As someone who has experienced this themselves and has seen/heard stories of other professionals, Kay is passionate about ensuring their well-being by giving them the skills to manage and get through difficult situations. 
Furthering, Kay adds that owners can help their staff members by building healthy relationships and communicating with them—by making them feel that they are being listened to and cared for. Being able to look after the staff makes them feel valued, and when people feel valued, it makes a massive difference in how people feel about coming to work. And Kay believes that addressing systemic workplace issues is essential.
Kay also underlines how it is vital for everyone to check in with themselves and know how they are feeling. Everyone must acknowledge that we are all humans and have emotions. To quote Kay, “We are human. We need to recognize and show our emotions and be willing to address those emotions, acknowledge that we're feeling sad or angry or grieving. It's really important to be tuned into ourselves. And, some evidence shows that emotional intelligence reduces the likelihood of burnout.” What happens in our personal life affects our work, and if we want to do better work, we need to address the underlying issues that cause us discomfort.
Talking about their work with PSS, Kay doesn’t shy away from crediting volunteers for all their fantastic work nationwide. The focus of the service is that PSS provides support, empowerment & information provision rather than advice.  In supporting pharmacists, PSS aims to benefit the public by ensuring that Pharmacists maintain their health and well-being to provide an appropriate level of service to the Australian community.

Ep 71 Importance of Ensuring the Mental Well-being of Health Professionals

In the first episode of Pharmacy View Podcast’s Full Scope Pharmacy Leadership stream, host Chantelle Turner, a Pharmacist Leadership and Business Coach at TURN Pharmacy Leadership is joined by Elise Apolloni, Pharmacist and Co-Owner, Capital Chemist Wanniassa. Elise was also the Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year in 2017. Listen to this episode if you want to understand what it means to be the Owner of a Community Pharmacy as someone who wants to impact the physical and mental health of the community positively and also to understand how empathic care and awareness are vital in realizing that dream.

Elise started their Pharmacy journey at the age of 14 when nudged in the direction by their Career Counselor; they begrudgingly went and worked for a week at their local Capital Chemist. The rest as they say is history as this year Elise completes 20 years of working in the Capital Chemist Group. Elise talks about how they always wanted to own a Community Pharmacy because they found it to be a lovely and respectful way to spend their time while also making a real difference in the lives of community people.

When asked about taking up a leadership role in Pharmacy, Elise emphasizes how they remember watching a former colleague owning a Pharmacy and that position allowing them to create an environment where people would want to work. At that point in time, Elise imagined owning a Pharmacy one day and creating an environment or an ecosystem that Pharmacists would love going into and that community people would like coming into as well. Also, they add how being an owner allows you to implement things the way you want them done.

Furthering on the leadership role at the Pharmacy, Elise talks about being aware of the enormous responsibility they shoulder when it comes to early career Pharmacists and Pharmacy interns. These people entrust the most critical year of their Pharmacy career to the mentor, so Elise doesn’t take this lightly. Elise then talks about how Community Pharmacies are places people often visit on their worst day. Emphatic care and awareness are important for Pharmacists and patients that walk into the Pharmacy.

To Elise, healthcare services are more than just treating health ailments. They are also about being able to provide preventive services. Having had lost a 16-year-old colleague to suicide in 2015, Elise’s passion for mental health only intensified. Because being a Pharmacist is primarily about working with people who are often on their worst day or worst month, Elise wants to bring a smile to the faces of those having a tough time. They talk about how being able to look outward can come in handy in this regard.

Supporting young Pharmacists to realize their full potential to help positively impact people’s lives stands at the core of Elise’s work. They want to do all they can and believe that trusting young entrants to the team and delegating responsibilities to them, provided they are given the right training and skill, can make the much-needed impact in bettering community health. And their favorite tool—empathy, of course! Empathy for the patients and empathy for the staff is needed. Only by seeing their real needs can the right help and service be given.

Disclaimer: This episode discusses suicide, and listener discretion is advised. Seek professional help if you or someone you know is in distress.

Ep 73 Creating a Great Work Environment Every Single Day

Welcome to Pharmacy View – Technology in Pharmacy Business Podcast Series where we provide regular interviews with Pharmacists and key industry people within the Australian Pharmacy and associated industry. In each podcast we look to discuss aspects of Pharmacy operation and how technology is improving or interacting with each guest’s current role or Pharmacy related business.

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