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Reevaluating the Use of Guaifenesin in the Management of Acute Cough Associated With the Common ColdDespite its popularity and its status as an FDA-approved expectorant, evidence to support guaifenesin’s efficacy is limited and conflicting.
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Orphan drug gets FDA nod for phenylketonuriaFDA approves a new molecular entity, Kuvan, to treat phenylketonuria.
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The simple truth of retail chain pharmacyThe most destructive thing an employer can do to an employee is to assign tasks that are impossible to accomplish. Retail chain pharmacists experience this daily.
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MTM opens door to direct patient careIf the Washington, D.C.-based Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative has anything to say about it, MTM will help shift pharmacists' roles from dispensing to direct clinical practice.
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FDA Safety Page: Metadate ER or Metadate CD?Problem: The Food & Drug Administration would like to alert healthcare providers to medication errors involving confusion between Metadate ER and Metadate CD. Practitioners should be cautious when
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Earn add-on winter sales with medicated skin careMedicated skin care products are highlighted in this stockchecker article by the Hamacher Group.
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Viewpoint: Free to a good home-e-technologyHow would you like to receive free e-prescribing software? Or maybe a state-of-the-art medical records software package, complete with Internet connectivity and help desk support? Well, get ready, because some gifts may be coming your way! On Aug. 8, the Department of Health & Human Services, through its CMS and Office of Inspector General, published parallel final rules allowing certain healthcare groups to donate e-prescribing and electronic health record (EHR) technology to physicians, pharmacies, and others. And, better yet, the final rules are broader and more practical than those proposed back in October 2005.
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Field tests planned for automated syringe systemIntelligent Hospital Systems plans to release within a year-into two North American hospitals-a machine capable of filling intravenous bags and syringes. The Canadian medical device company said final testing of its Robotic IV Automation System (RIVA) was scheduled to begin in August. If testing goes as planned, the system will be ready for use at Winnipeg's St. Boniface General Hospital in early November.
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R. Ph.s can identify patients at risk of diabetesAs healthcare professionals, we are all painfully aware of the increase in the incidence of diabetes in our nation. We are also aware that there are many people in our midst who don't realize they have diabetes. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) estimates that the disease affects over 18 million Americans, with 5.2 million of those cases going undetected. As the most visible and accessible health provider in the community, the pharmacist has a unique opportunity to help stanch the spread of diabetes in our country. Therefore, our objective is to have community pharmacies increase their frequency of random glucose screenings in order to identify patients who are at elevated risk for diabetes or may have the disease and not know it. Pharmacists should also be prepared to provide education not only on the treatment but also the prevention of diabetes.
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R. Ph.s can identify patients at risk of diabetesAs healthcare professionals, we are all painfully aware of the increase in the incidence of diabetes in our nation. We are also aware that there are many people in our midst who don't realize they have diabetes. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) estimates that the disease affects over 18 million Americans, with 5.2 million of those cases going undetected. As the most visible and accessible health provider in the community, the pharmacist has a unique opportunity to help stanch the spread of diabetes in our country. Therefore, our objective is to have community pharmacies increase their frequency of random glucose screenings in order to identify patients who are at elevated risk for diabetes or may have the disease and not know it. Pharmacists should also be prepared to provide education not only on the treatment but also the prevention of diabetes.
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Viewpoint: A matter of degree: Let's get it rightIn the "B.S. vs. Pharm.D." exchanges that have been featured in these pages over recent months, one facet of the issue has been overlooked. A sine qua non of pharmacy is attention to detail, yet these exchanges have, as is so often the case, fallen into using the abbreviation "B.S." to refer incorrectly to the bachelor of science in pharmacy degree.
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What Bartenders and Pharmacists Have in CommonTurns out running a bar shares many similarities with running a pharmacy-but the mistakes cost a lot more.
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New report offers guide to brain injuriesWith traumatic brain injury (TBI), the first question we often ask is, Will the patient recover? Beyond concerns about cognitive function and disability, little is generally known about the milestones and setbacks patients encounter while recovering from a TBI.
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DSCSA is Coming. Are you Ready?The Drug Supply Chain Security Act has been a decade in the making. Pharmacists must be prepared to comply by November 2023.
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Clinical Q & A: What are the right OTCs to treat cough associated with the common cold?It is that time of the year when consumers flock to their local drugstores seeking the "long-trusted" remedies for the common cold and its associated symptoms-particularly cough. In response, pharmacists will be called upon to make therapy recommendations that suit the needs of each individual patient.
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Viewpoint: Three ways to fight reduced reimbursementIndependent and chain drugstore pharmacists have had to address a significant number of new issues during 2006, such as the launching of the Medicare Part D program and new demands on their professional time to assist customers. Perhaps the single most pressing issue facing R.Ph.s, however, is reimbursement. No other issue ignites more debate than how an insurance plan, government program, or patient reimburses pharmacists for their products/services. A growing number of pharmacies across the country are falling into debt, laying off workers, and facing closure due to inadequate reimbursement levels and slow payment. This article summarizes the reimbursement plight pharmacists find themselves in and reviews three attempts under way to help resolve this issue.
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Lefamulin Could Be Vital in the Pneumonia FightThe drug comes at a time when antibiotic resistance worries are high. Here’s why it matters.
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MTM codes may become permanent, R.Ph.s hopePharmacy representatives attending an American Medical Association's Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) editorial panel meeting recently in San Diego have asked the panel to make codes for medication therapy management (MTM) permanent.
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Viewpoint: Seven steps every R.Ph. should knowWhen my career as a pharmacist began, I thought checking prescriptions was one of the most important tasks that pharmacists performed. Was I ever wrong! It is the most important task that we perform.
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NCCN's new lung cancer guidelines called a useful referenceNCCN's new guidelines for nonsmall cell lung cancer contain new recommendations relating to drug therapy.
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Time is now for new pregnancy labeling, says committeeAs the 10th anniversary of the FDA's public hearing on pregnancy labeling approached, the Teratology Society once again called for regulations to be enacted.
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Going Beyond Dispensing: The Future of Pharmacist RolesWalk into a pharmacy in 2030 and there’s a good chance you’ll see a pharmacist. And there’s a good chance the pharmacist will have little or nothing to do with dispensing.
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Viewpoint: A new view of Alzheimer's diseaseI know the jury is still out on this issue, but I firmly believe mercury exposure is to blame for Alzheimer's disease (AD). It's a subject I feel strongly about because my grandmother is a victim of this horrible condition. I can see firsthand the toll it takes on patients and their families. Even though my grandmother is still alive at 89 years old, she is often so disoriented and confused, it's almost as if she's not here.
