Most people spend more time researching a new phone than reviewing their Medicare plan. But with benefits, costs, and pharmacy networks changing every year, staying in the same plan could mean paying more than you need to. In this episode, experts from Outcomes and Healthpilot break down Medicare in simple terms, explain why annual plan reviews matter, and discuss the key changes coming in 2027 that could affect healthcare and prescription costs. You'll walk away knowing what to discuss with your patients and why it matters.

In this special "Off Script" episode of CPhT Connect, host Mike Johnston, CPhT-Adv, goes solo to speak directly to pharmacists, owners, managers, and anyone who builds the schedule. With World Pharmacy Technician Day coming up on Tuesday, October 20th, Mike shares what technicians told NPTA when asked one question: what would make you feel seen? Last year, 47% of technicians said no one recognized Pharmacy Technician Day at all, and Mike argues that recognition matters for retention, not just for being nice. Drawing on real responses from NPTA members, Mike explains why technicians aren't asking for a party. They're asking their employers to notice. He breaks their answers into two buckets: free recognition that costs only attention and recognition that costs something real, like pay that tracks the credentials, training, and responsibility they carry. Mike also speaks candidly to independent pharmacy owners working with thin margins, and closes with a simple three-step plan to use before October 20th. In this episode, we discuss: * It's a Noticing Problem, Not a Pizza Problem: Why the typical Tech Day pizza party is too generic to feel personal and too small to change anything, and why food showed up last on technicians' wish lists. * Bucket One: Recognition That Costs Nothing: What technicians said noticing looks like in their own words: don't cookie-cutter the appreciation, be fair, celebrate when they hit the goal, and see the work nobody sees. * Bucket Two: Recognition That Costs Something: Why technicians want pay that reflects their credentials, training, and responsibilities, and why keeping a tech is almost always cheaper than replacing one. * The Hidden Cost of Unused Skills: How training that sits on a shelf creates a morale problem, a retention problem, and a skill you paid for and never used, and why letting techs use what they learn may be the loudest recognition there is. * A Three-Step Plan Before October 20th: Write a specific sticky note for every technician, ask each one what would make them feel seen, and say it out loud to the whole team on Tech Day, then keep going on the 21st with one specific sentence to one tech every week. About Our Host: Mike Johnston, CPhT-Adv, is the founder and CEO of NPTA and founder of BPTS. He has owned his own company since 1999 and has spent more than 25 years helping thousands of pharmacy technicians grow their careers. This episode is part of CPhT Connect's partnership with the Pharmacy Podcast Network. Listen now at CPhTConnect.com to hear why one sentence is all it takes to show a technician you notice them. For free planning resources, visit RxTechDay.org, and to learn more about making recognition a year-round habit, explore the new Rx Team Builder program at cpht.org/employers

Cell and gene therapy has entered a new phase. The science is advancing rapidly, but the harder question is increasingly becoming: How do we actually get these therapies to the right patient, at the right treatment center, with the financing, logistics, clinical support, and follow-up required?

That is the problem McKesson is trying to address through InspiroGene, its dedicated cell-and-gene commercialization business. McKesson built InspiroGene to connect manufacturers, payers, providers, treatment centers and patients across the CGT journey. McKesson

A major area of focus for Joe and McKesson is what happens after a therapy proves clinically viable.

In 2026, Joe DePinto and Biologics by McKesson outlined the need for patient hubs purpose-built specifically for cell and gene therapies. These are more complex than conventional specialty-drug hubs because CGT may involve eligibility screening, treatment-center coordination, benefit investigation, financial assistance, scheduling, logistics, long-term follow-up and caregiver support. McKesson Biologics

McKesson has also developed an interactive map covering qualified treatment centers across 109 U.S. metropolitan regions, addressing another fundamental problem: patients may need to travel significant distances to receive CGT. McKesson

Question for Joe: “Joe, the scientific breakthrough gets most of the headlines, but is the bigger challenge now building the infrastructure that allows a patient to actually receive the therapy?”

Follow-up: “Where do you currently see the biggest friction — reimbursement, treatment-center capacity, logistics, patient identification, or ongoing follow-up?”

FDA has made a noticeable regulatory shift in 2026.

In June, FDA issued draft guidance allowing gene-therapy developers to rely more heavily on existing platform knowledge and prior scientific information, potentially reducing redundant testing for products using similar genome-editing technologies. FDA has also issued guidance providing more flexibility around chemistry, manufacturing and controls for CGT products. U.S. Food and Drug Administration

FDA says it has now approved close to 50 cell and gene therapies, signaling that CGT is moving well beyond a small experimental category. U.S. Food and Drug Administration

TWIRx takeaway: The regulatory conversation is shifting from “Can we safely approve these therapies?” toward “How do we safely accelerate an entire therapeutic platform?”