Authors
Latest:
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.
Latest:
Lefamulin Could Be Vital in the Pneumonia FightThe drug comes at a time when antibiotic resistance worries are high. Here’s why it matters.
Latest:
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.
Latest:
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.
Latest:
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.
Latest:
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.
Latest:
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.
Latest:
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.
Latest:
FAIR OR FOUL?Among the questions asked were what is expected for sales, salaries, and staffing for 2008.
Latest:
Out-of-pocket expenses to rise in 2009 for Medicare Part DMedicare Part D beneficiaries will see a 7.5% increase in costs in 2009.
Latest:
How pharmacy technology has evolved: What is and what could beDuring the past 50 years, advances in technology have enabled pharmacists to become more efficient and more accurate during the typical day, while simultaneously giving pharmacy personnel more time to interact one-on-one with patients.
Latest:
Gamunex wins orphan-drug approval from FDA for treatment of CIDPFDA approves Gamunex for treatment of neurologic disease.
Latest:
FDA safety page: Drug errors associated with MaaloxMaalox is a well-recognized brand name that healthcare professionals associate with nonprescription or OTC antacid drug products containing the active ingredients aluminum hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, and simethicone. However, the Food & Drug Administration wants to alert healthcare professionals that Maalox Total Stomach Relief (an OTC upset stomach reliever/antidiarrheal drug product) contains the active ingredient bismuth subsalicylate.
Latest:
Exclusive survey-PHARMACY: 2032The next 25 years hold promise of more clinical involvement and collaboration ? and more respect for pharmacists.
Latest:
Wholesalers called weak link in pharmaceutical supply chainPharmacies told to check their wholesalers out in light of the surge in drug counterfeiting
Latest:
Birth control takes new turn with approval of hormonal ringOrganon's NuvaRing is approved for birth control.
Latest:
Managing Chronic Kidney Disease in Patients With DiabetesHow can pharmacists help slow the progression of diabetic kidney disease?
Latest:
Viewpoint: Can independents survive Part D?Decades ago, when there were no pharmacy benefit managers and pharmacists were fondly called Doc and sold only medication, pharmacists were respected for the tireless care they gave patients. Over the past 20 years, PBMs working for insurance companies and government agencies have gradually disconnected the care from health, treating pharmacy like a commodity business. Because of PBMs' steady ratcheting down of reimbursements, pharmacists now barely make 1% to 2% profit margins on dispensing prescriptions for private and government plans.
Latest:
Anticancer drug treats skin lymphomaThe recently approved Zolinza (vorinostat), the first anticancer drug to be developed by Merck & Co. in 20 years, targets a little-known malignancy that's often mistaken for eczema or psoriasis. Vorinostat, also known as suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), is indicated for the treatment of cutaneous manifestations in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, who have progressive, persistent, or recurrent disease on or following two systemic therapies.
Latest:
Comparing the effectiveness of drug treatmentsMost Medicare providers and beneficiaries are unaware of the provision for comparative effectiveness research which is part of the Medicare Modernization Act. Politicians, policymakers, and manufacturers view it as a key initiative for the future of Medicare and beyond.
