Letters
All state welfare systems, Veterans Administration health care, and countless other costly "stop-gap"' plans and services would not be needed if a national healthcare plan were instituted. Just imagine how great it would be, in this wealthy country, to have all Americans covered well, as they should be. It is truly a tragedy that this is not the case.
All state welfare systems, Veterans Administration health care, and countless other costly "stop-gap"' plans and services would not be needed if a national healthcare plan were instituted. Just imagine how great it would be, in this wealthy country, to have all Americans covered well, as they should be. It is truly a tragedy that this is not the case.
A. Steve Giordano, R.Ph.
Temple Pharmacy
Kane, Pa.
vze8bmep@verizon.net
CE fee well worth it
Karen Cushing, CPhTWys2UWays@aol.com
Down memory lane
Have you really been publishing for 149 years? If so, how about re-publishing some of the articles from your first year? What were the hot topics and "the most up-to-date pharmacy news" in 1856? Perhaps you could reprint one article per issue in celebration of your 150th year.
Marilyn Menninga, R.Ph.
Buffalo, Minn.
Editor's reply: Yes, indeed, we will be celebrating our 150th anniversary in a year and we are planning to come out with some special features similar to the suggestions you raised. Thank you for suggesting them.
Thumbs down to DTC advertising
Regarding your August Instant Poll on the subject of direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs, as a registered pharmacist who owned and operated his own pharmacy for 23 years, and who is now employed as director of pharmacy in a major hospital in Massachusetts, I am vehemently opposed to any and all prescription drug advertising aimed at a patient.
Unless the patient has some background in medicine/pharmacy, he has no concept as to the proper (1) indication, (2) route of administration, (3) physiology of the drug, (4) dosage, (5) pharmacology, (6) toxicology, and/or (7) prescribed method of treating untoward side effects (drug allergies/idiosyncrasies) should they occur.
Richard K. Gordon, Pharm.D.rlgrx@comcast.net
Off one's hands
Your July 11 issue ("Hospital R.Ph.s weigh in on new JCAHO patient safety goals") talked about "hand-offs" of patients between caregivers.
This is also an issue within hospitals when a patient is transferred-handed off-from one unit to another. We have pharmacists reviewing medication histories when this transfer takes place, as, for example, when a patient is transferred from an SICU to a step-down unit.
I love your publication and the Health-System Pharmacist section.
Balancing Cost and Margin for Sustainable Cancer Care
April 19th 2024While prioritizing either cost or margin may be necessary at a site of care, big picture items, such as societal responsibility and long-term health care affordability, should guide financial analyses, said Scott Soefje, PharmD.
