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In May, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final rule for 2015 Part D prescription drug benefit programs, requiring increased price transparency for pharmacies by 2016.

In a study of patients at high risk for stroke, patients without periprocedural warfarin who were bridged with low-molecular weight heparin showed a >10-fold increased odds of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) in the 48 hours after ablation for atrial fibrillation, compared with those on uninterrupted warfarin.

FDA approved eslicarbazepine acetate on November 8, 2013 as an adjunctive treatment of partial-onset seizures in adults.

Provider status, access to patient health information, more inclusion on the healthcare team, and recognition as patient-care professionals - progress in the pharmacy profession is taking place. Will you take the ball and run with it?

Pharmacists need to believe in the basic skills that were once taught. We need to practice pharmacy in the traditional sense.

A pharmacist must have a valid license issued by the board of the state in which he wishes to practice. New pharmacy graduates need to investigate individual state pharmacy board requirements.

Some healthcare professionals have to make “professional discretion” decisions based on the patient’s subjective opinion. Pharmacists need to be objective about subjective pain that patients express.

The creation of patient-specific compounds is one of the most constructive ways pharmacists can help provide meaningful pain management and address concerns with opiate use.

Every time pharmacists consult a patient about a prescription they need to address the safety of its use and proper disposal.

E-prescribing was supposed to reduce prescription errors by eliminating the problem of illegible Rxs. The result? Nowadays prescriptions are easier to read - and just as full of errors.

Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who received metformin and then added insulin were at higher risk of all-cause mortality than those who added a sulfonylurea, according to a report published June 11 in JAMA.

If a pharmacist has to hide what he is doing, then maybe he shouldn't be practicing pharmacy.

You can own your own pharmacy, and it can give you a fulfilling life. But you gotta play the angles.

New Rx, generics, and OTC for pharmacists

Shrinking budgets and drug shortages are two of the biggest challenges faced by hospital pharmacy directors, according to a new report.

Not unexpectedly, in May Drug Topics readers were drawn to stories written by their peers, as four of the top 10 stories were opinion pieces. With a promotional assist from The Cynical Pharmacist, Kim Ankenbruck’s blog “A dose of pharmacy truth: Report from the front lines” was our most-read story in May.

From reader Bill Tarr comes the second article in Drug Topics' new series, Pathways through Pharmacy. While the first signs of his professional direction may have come as something of a surprise, he rose to the challenge and found that it gave him a vehicle for the good life.

California is considering changes to state law designed to make the labels on prescription drug containers easier to understand.

Physician Assistants. Nurse Practitioners. Nurse Clinicians. Nurse Anesthetists. Need we say more?

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) has introduced a new logo and tagline that it said better represents the group’s mission and vision.

Walgreens has introduced a new service for visually impaired patients, a talking prescription device that attaches to the prescription bottle, providing the prescription medication label instructions and alerting patients to take their medication.

Antimicrobial stewardship teams that include infectious disease (ID) pharmacists and physicians in hospital settings can encourage more judicious use of antibiotics, resulting in lower mortality and cost savings, according to a report published online for the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy.

The number-crunchers add to the story.

An Oklahoma pharmacist and the pharmacy department at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston have received the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ (ASHP’s) Chief Executive Officer’s Award for Courageous Service.

Current healthcare reform initiatives emphasize high quality, safe, and cost-effective care, and greater accountability for those who seek to provide it. The ability of key stakeholders along the care continuum to work collaboratively will be critical to achievement of these goals. In response to these priorities, the Hospital and Health-System Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative (PPMI) highlights a future-oriented model that supports and recognizes the impact of pharmacists, in particular, as providers of direct patient care.

Cannabis extracts show strong potential for treatment of various medical conditions. The same cannot be said about smoked marijuana. Here are a few of the reasons.

FDA approved the first generic versions of Celebrex (celecoxib) last week. The drug is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, short-term (acute) pain, and other conditions.

The most powerful drug in your pharmacy is not what you may think.

CVS Caremark in July will begin offering patients access to specialty medications at local CVS pharmacies with the launch of Specialty Connect, a specialty prescription services program.

The union representing more than 1,400 pharmacists employed by Kaiser Permanente Southern California has reached a tentative agreement with the company, heading off a threatened strike planned for June 2.