Podcast: What You Missed at ThoughtSpot 2022 Day 1

Hello and welcome to Over the Counter, a podcast from Drug Topics. I’m your host, Lauren Biscaldi, Managing Editor. This special episode is coming to you from sunny Orlando, Florida, where our editorial team is on-site at the AmerisourceBergen and Good Neighbor Pharmacy annual ThoughtSpot Conference and Trade Show.

Every year, ThoughtSpot brings together nearly 5,000 independent pharmacy owners and advocates for a jam-packed slate of educational sessions, buying opportunities, and networking, as well as incredible opportunities to celebrate the value that pharmacists bring to their patients and the larger health care system.

This year, ThoughtSpot has returned to in-person events after two years of virtual programming—just in time to commemorate Good Neighbor Pharmacy’s 40th anniversary.

There’s just so much to be excited about at this year’s meeting. With the first full day of programming complete, sit back, relax, and enjoy this quick recap of what’s happened at ThoughtSpot 2022 so far.

The energy was palpable as attendees rolled into the convention center bright and early Thursday morning. A slate of continuing education sessions and certification programs allowed attendees the opportunity to address some of the most pressing issues in pharmacy and patient care. From cash flow and tax planning to functional approaches to optimized mental health care and more, attendees had their pick of quality educational opportunities to choose from.

As pharmacies continue expanding their clinical role due to the COVID-19 pandemic, point of care testing has become a key, continuing priority for both Good Neighbor Pharmacy and its customers. Today, pharmacists can vaccinate patients, test for COVID-19, and prescribe Paxlovid—albeit with some limitations. ThoughtSpot attendees who sat in on one of today’s CE sessions—I Got This Point-of-Care Testing Machine, Now What?—learned the finer points of various state regulations and best practices for creating a plan to expand point-of-care testing services right in their own stores. Let’s take a listen:

"Benefits of these [tests], as we all know, the ease and accessibility, especially within our pharmacies to be able to do this. A lot faster results, if you think of the traditional testing process: you go to the doctor; they recommend that you need the test; they give you an order or a prescription. Now you have to go to a separate testing facility. That's another visit that you have to do. And a lot of times when you get your blood drawn, or whatever the sample collection process is, you have to wait a while to get that result back, much faster result. And low cost, because that process that we just outlined, that we're all used to in a normal testing environment, is very costly as well. So these [tests] are easy and accessible, fast results, and low cost."

We can’t wait to return on Friday for yet another full day of exciting program. General Session starts at 9 AM sharp with a two-hour program of exciting announcements, discussions with GNP leaders, a keynote address from NFL legend Emmitt Smith, and the much-anticipated announcement of the 2022 Pharmacy of the Year winner. Ready to learn who takes home the prize? Find out in the next episode of Over the Counter, coming Saturday morning to a podcast feed near you.

Thanks so much for tuning in. You can follow Drug Topics’ coverage of ThoughtSpot 2022 on our website, drugtopics.com/conference/thoughtspot, or on your favorite social media feed—that’s all linked right in our show notes.

We’ll be back tomorrow with our recap of ThoughtSpot Day 2. As always, thanks for listening and we hope to see you next time—at the counter.