Technology

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently recalled two unapproved and uncleared devices whose manufacturers claimed could treat various medical conditions. The recall was a Class 1, which means there is a reasonable probability that the use of a device will cause adverse reactions, including death.

An Ohio hospital automates its pharmacy with an integrated medication management database.

A study says that pharmacy workers may be affected by dangerous levels of drug dust. The study's funder may have a remedy for that.

Northern Michigan Regional Hospital is the first hospital in the country to win certification in waste management.

The searchable database will include information on all drug products available in the United States.

A civic group has collaborated with Georgia Power and Home Depot to provide price discounts on emergency generators to pharmacies in the community of Buckhead, Georgia.

PharmMD will provide medication therapy management services to 265,000 HealthSpring members. Company pharmacists will use technology to watch for drug interactions and monitor drug regimens.

As the FDA issues more medication safety alerts, hospitals are stepping up the ways they quickly get that information out to pharmacists, doctors, and patients.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did its best Tuesday to extend an olive branch to pharmacists who struggle to maneuver around its web site to find information from the Division of Drug Information (DDI).

In an attempt to reduce medication errors and adverse drug events and to provide pharmacists with more time for patient counseling, health-system pharmacies are increasingly adopting health information technology, according to a first-of-its-kind survey by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

According to Stuart Levine, PharmD, an informatics specialist with the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) in Horsham, Pennsylvania, although a hospital may not have a defined pediatric program, every hospital provides pediatric care. "If a child comes into your ER because of a car wreck, for example, you will be treating that child," Dr. Levine said.

Online prescription drug trafficking, abuse, and availability are the targets of the newly passed Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act.

The Soarian information management system will enable Virginia Hospital Center to revolutionize every aspect of patient information management.

Hospitals throughout California are embracing smart pump technology as a way to reduce error and save lives. Among them are The Little Company of Mary (Torrance), Torrance Memorial Medical Center, and the Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center in Harbor City.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island teams up with Wellpoint NextRx, an independent pharmacy benefit management company, to offer Rhode Island physicians SureScripts-RxHub connectivity, expanding their use of electronic health records and managing patients' prescriptions online.

The transplant unit at Indiana University is using a free, Web-based program to help physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and patients manage prescriptions.

Lawmakers are using financial carrots and sticks to induce doctors to begin electronic prescribing.

NACDS backs legislation to adopt health information technology.

A new electronic version of the 222 ordering system is poised to help hospitals streamline the order prescribing process for Schedule II controlled substances.

Information technology for pharmacy is allowing more efficiencies and supporting more services, according to two chain executives.

The merger of e-prescribing networks RxHub and SureScripts may go a long way toward accelerating e-prescribing adoption, which could lower pharmacists' transaction fees, according to one expert.

Physicians would have the choice of doling out electronic prescriptions for controlled substances with a proposed regulation from the DEA.

Move comes as part of a broader effort to encourage the adoption of health information technology.

Consumers must register to take advantage of site's perks.

Company unveiled its offerings at its 19th annual retail business conference this week in Orlando.

Rule also incorporates security controls for physicians and pharmacists.

More and more pharmacies are using interactive voice response systems to improve patients' drug compliance.

Hospitals will have to test their CPOE system to get a good rating from the Leapfrog Group.