Clarification on Nov. 4 Special Report
November 12th 2014In the November 4 Drug Topics’ Special Report (15 hospitals to be evaluated on insulin-pen safety), the headline and summary seemed to imply that the 15 hospitals had been singled out due to their unsafe practices with insulin pens. This is not the case. The hospitals were selected to participate in the ASHP’s Mentored Quality Improvement Impact Program for Insulin Pen Safety. Drug Topics regrets any misunderstanding.
NCPA Digest highlights trends in patient care services
November 3rd 2014Independent community pharmacists continue to offer valuable patient care services, including medication therapy management, immunizations, blood pressure monitoring, and diabetes training, demonstrating the increased prevalence of heart disease and diabetes among the populations they serve as well as the need for wellness and prevention programs, according to the National Community Pharmacists (NCPA) 2014 Digest.
Resource materials for Butrans available for pharmacists
October 24th 2014Purdue Pharma LP, along with the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), has created a brochure and an Initiation & Titration guide to instruct pharmacists on the proper dosing, application, rotation, disposal, and safety for its drug Butrans.
Pharmacists front-line defenders against Ebola anxieties
October 22nd 2014As fears of the Ebola virus and other infectious diseases rise, pharmacists will undoubtedly be called upon to provide patients with public health information and referrals to appropriate care, according to the American Pharmacists Association.
NCPA continues push for any willing pharmacy provision for Medicare Part D plans
October 22nd 2014The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) continues to advocate for legislation that would allow community pharmacies to participate in all Medicare Part D drug plan networks, including “preferred” networks.
Home infusion bill would benefit seriously ill Medicare patients
September 12th 2014Proposed legislation that would cover home-based infusion therapy for Medicare beneficiaries could save the healthcare system approximately $80 million over 10 years and provide access to life-saving care at patients’ homes. The potential savings is outlined in a report released in June by Avalere.
Bill permitting pharmacists to dispense naloxone without prescription passes in California
August 20th 2014California lawmakers passed a bill that would allow pharmacists to furnish naloxone without a prescription according to guidelines yet to be established by the state’s pharmacy and medical boards.
Need for specialty pharmacy certification grows
August 13th 2014As the field of specialty pharmacy grows and as graduates continue to enter the pharmacy profession, the need for specialty pharmacy certification will grow, said Gary Rice, RPh, MS, MBA, vice president of clinical services for Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy and immediate past president of the Specialty Pharmacy Certification Board (SPCB), during a webinar this week.
Pharmacy professionals in Sierra Leone dead following Ebola outbreak
August 13th 2014Reports received by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) specify that a pharmacist and four pharmacy technicians from the community practice setting in Sierra Leone have died as a result of the Ebola virus outbreak. Another report from Sierra Leone’s pharmacy board noted that a pharmacy technician who was working in a community pharmacy in Kenema has died.