Chain Pharmacy

Chief executives from key pharmacy organizations met in mid-2010 to reinforce the joint message that the fight to move pharmacy into a central healthcare role has just begun.

A roundup of information on compression stockings after stroke; quality of home INR testing; and cardiovascular risk in users of clopidogrel

Sometimes pharmacists can't help judging their patients by appearances. Then they look deeper — and find a real human being looking right back at them.

There are 2 measures of success every pharmacy should post on its wall. The first indicates percentage of QREs (quality-related events) in prescription fills, and the second measures the percentage of QREs caught before they reach the patient.

In 10 of its Chicago-area stores, Walgreens is piloting a program to provide healthy food options such as fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen meats and fish, eggs, and whole-grain cereals and pastas in its stores.

From arthritis to blisters to ingrown toenails, hurting feet present a huge public health concern.

Pharmacy technicians have emerged as key players in the growth of telepharmacy in both inpatient and outpatient settings in areas like North Dakota, which relies heavily on telepharmacy.

Pharmacists speak out about solutions for the poor, drug shortages, counterfeit drugs, and Plan B.

A revolutionary flu vaccine patch is likely to be developed in the course of an upcoming 5-year clinical trial. Data indicate that it is more effective in animals than are traditional injections.

A survey of new Rx, new generic, and new OTC products

The Department of Veteran Affairs is partnering with the Indian Health Services to improve prescription delivery to the federally recognized tribes of IHS, a population of about 2 million people.

A retired chain pharmacist reflects on the downside of a culture that values efficiency above all.

An independent drugstore in Illinois recently expanded its boutique section for breast-cancer patients to include a wide variety of medical products and clothing.

This fall Saint Joseph College School of Pharmacy will open its new 35,000-square-foot facility in the heart of downtown Hartford, Conn., to its first class of students. Its curriculum will be organized in blocks, allowing students to concentrate on one course at a time through a variety of learning activities.

An American PharmD candidate describes his trip to Istanbul, Turkey, where he was fascinated by the similarities and differences of pharmacy practice conducted among people of different culture, beliefs, and expectations.

A new report urges states to replace Medicaid fee-for-service pharmacy programs with the kind of managed drug benefits used in Medicare Part D plans, Medicaid managed care organizations, and some commercial health plans.

The latest info on VTE in HIV; intracerebral hemorrhage; and antiplatelet/warfarin combinations

Telepharmacy is still a novelty, and there is a lag in implementation of new laws after professional and technological innovations are deployed.

Controlling the expensive price tag of Medicare is an ongoing concern of both the Obama administration and Congress. Therefore, any Medicare provider can expect an audit. Is your pharmacy prepared?

Proposed rules designed to cut waste in Medicare Part D could create problems for long-term-care pharmacy.

In response to a Drug Topics column that viewed e-tracking as the solution to illegal methamphetamine use, a law-enforcement veteran speaks out about the drawbacks connected with e-tracking systems.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has issued updated guidelines regarding the use of antiviral agents for the treatment and chemoprophylaxis of influenza, according to a report in the January 21 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The new recommendations, which include a summary of the effectiveness and safety of antiviral treatment medications, update those issued by the committee in 2008.

New draft standards from the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention could bring dramatic changes to Rx labels as early as 2012. Changes to USP Chapter 17, Prescription Container Labeling, include larger font, placement of the most important information at the top, more understandable language, and more white space.

Some Medicare Advantage patients have a new way to buy over-the-counter products: OTCNetwork, a prepaid point-of-sale card.

Oncology treatment and benefits are changing. Buy-and-bill, the traditional methodology that had physicians buying chemotherapeutic products, treating in the office, and billing the payer, is going the way of surgery by barbers. But no one is quite sure what will replace the one-time standard of payment.