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CMS proposes raising the rates for paying Medicare providers for outpatient care

If a Medicare Rx benefit allows PBMs administering the program to use their own mail order pharmacies, it would add $14.5 billion to $29 billion to the cost over 10 years, according to an analysis by two leading economists.

Discount Rx cards saved an average of less than $5 per script, according to a study by the Congressional General Accounting Office of nine drugs commonly prescribed for seniors.

Wholesalers pick independent superstar pharmacies for 2003

Lawyer tells pharmacists how to comply with HIPAA's security regulations

Clinicians who treat persons with Gaucher disease will soon be able to offer their patients the first oral treatment option for this condition to be approved in the U.S. The FDA recently approved miglustat (Zavesca, Actelion Pharmaceuticals) for the treatment of adult patients with mild to moderate type I Gaucher disease for whom enzyme replacement therapy is not a therapeutic option. Miglustat will be available to patients later this year.

State pharmacy boards are generally exempt from the provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), according to the attorney representing the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

If pharmacies don't beef up their patient leaflets by 2006, FDA will pass regulations, instead of relying on the private sector, to get the job done

USP safety review column

Florida passes law prohibiting illegible prescriptions and palm pilots do away with handwritten orders

The growth of specialty pharmacies.

PharmEcology offers new services to help hospitals dispose of their hazardous drug waste.

FDA task force on drug counterfeiting will develop a report with recommendations on how to protect our drug supply.

An update on the prescription discount cards of the nine companies out there and CMS' proposed card program

Crestor (Rosuvastatin) is a new statin indicated for patients with high cholesterol and triglycerides.

Clinicians will soon be able to offer men with erectile dysfunction (ED) the first drug to be approved in five years for the treatment of this condition. The FDA recently approved vardenafil (Levitra, Bayer/GlaxoSmithKline), which will be available in pharmacies within the next several weeks.

New cough, cold, and sore throat products for upcoming season.

This installment covers the deadline for meeting electronic claim submission requirements in health care and Medicare.

Why pharmacists don't do a good job of detecting drug interactions and how this can be improved

PBMs launch partial fill programs using 5.1 and reaction from chains that have had lawsuits brought against them regarding partial fill Rxs

So the kids are off to college--what health supplies did they pack?

Advate for prevention and control of bleeding in people with hemophilia A.

Oncologists will soon be able to offer patients the first 5-HT3 receptor antagonist with an indication for delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). The FDA recently approved palonosetron (Aloxi, MGI Pharma/Helsinn Healthcare) injection for the prevention of acute nausea and vomiting associated with initial and repeat courses of moderately and highly emetogenic cancer chemotherapy and the prevention of delayed nausea and vomiting associated with initial and repeat courses of moderately emetogenic chemotherapy. Palonosetron will be available to patients within the next several weeks.

What happens when a patient can't pay for his Rxs?

Here's how to get more R.Ph.s to use their prescriptive authority, allowed in most states but lagging in practice

Three state pharmacy boards are adopting an on-line pharmacist licensure renewal program developed by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

PhRMA supports requiring drugs to be pedigreed to prevent counterfeiting, while HDMA thinks there other ways to get this done

How do R.Ph.s feel about PBMs and other third-party payers they have to deal with day in and day out? Find out in this exclusive Drug Topics survey