Legal News

New Jersey governor has signed a law that requires hospitals to test intensive care patients for a deadly staph infection.

Pennsylvania law requires reporting patient infections, and provides incentive payments when infection rates are successfully reduced.

A recent Institute for Safe Medication Practices teleconference with a surveyor from The Joint Commission highlighted the rigor with which TJC is implementing its medication management standards and National Patient Safety Goals.

Recent approvals have provided new options for treating kidney cancer. Updated guidelines will help utilize the new drugs.

Evidence-based guidelines and tools are available to help reduce mortality and length of stay; one major hurdle to conquering severe sepsis is having these tools readily available.

The 2006 U.S. incidence rate for tuberculosis is the lowest since the start of national records. But unless we are careful how we give medications out around the world, we could create caldrons of TB drug resistance a plane-ride awa

Pharmacist is indicted for manslaughter after medication error that results in the death of a two-year old girl.

Chlorofluorocarbons substances responsible for thinning the ozone layer, have been almost phased out of use. A few uses deemed essential are still allowed, including some inhalers for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

U.S. Senator supports NACDS efforts to reduce burdensome Medication Guide (MedGuide) requirements for a growing number of prescriptions.

Proposed rules from the Health Resources and Services Administration to make children's hospitals eligible for 340B are moving slowly. And final rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will boost costs while cutting reimbursement.

The Joint Commission's recently announced 2008 National Patient Safety Goals include a new requirement to reduce risks associated with anticoagulant therapy.

A Congressional showdown is looming over electronic pedigree, with House and Senate bills calling for different ways to protect the drug distribution chain.

The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) have issued an update to their Unstable Angina/ Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (UA/NSTEMI) guidelines, last published in 2002.

A recent resolution by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists to require postgraduate one-year residencies for all pharmacists involved in direct patient care, has long-term consequences-and brings long-term controversy.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has come out with new, less stringent rules on the coverage of two popular anemia drugs. The new rules apply mostly to cancer patients who receive chemotherapy that causes anemia and people with the bone marrow disorder myelodysplasia.

CMS has proposed a rule that would require durable medical equipment suppliers to obtain a surety bond.

Medicare Survival Kit Links

Millions of dosage units of hydrocodone and alprazolam were distributed nationwide based on illegitimate Rxs.

Prosecutors charged Valdes with conspiring with the owners of Med-Pro Billing and Unimed Pharmacy to refer patients to them in exchange for half of what Medicare paid for compounded aerosol medications.

The author, a community pharmacist, shares his experience on how to spot fake prescriptions

The latest technology solutions for pharmacies.

The United States Pharmacopeia is finalizing revisions to Chapter 797 on sterile compounding for release this summer. The updated chapter will be released in two parts.

Getting work visas may prove to be more difficult for foreign-born pharmacists.

Congress inserted a little-noticed provision into the Iraq war supplemental spending bill, mandating the use of tamper-resistant Rx pads for Medicaid prescriptions not submitted electronically.

FDA and AHRQ heard from pharmacists and others that RiskMAPs have often caused complications in medication dispensing. Current drugs with RiskMAPs include Clozapine, Thalidomide, Lindane and Isotretinoin.

There is still inadequate communication among pharmacists from different practice settings about patients' medications. Pharmacists should take ownership of medication reconciliation.

Pseudoephedrine tracking systems improve on the log book to reduce burden on pharmacies and help law enforcement.

Pharmacists react to final rule for average manufacturers price rule for Medicaid generic drug reimbursement.

As part of this investigation, two Miami pharmacy owners testified that they billed Medicare for more than $20 million based on the referral of false prescriptions for compounded medications

CMS is encouraging providers to view their records to ensure that the information they furnished is current and accurate and does not include private information.