Public health group calls on CDC to issue vaccine warning
August 20th 2007According to National Vaccine Information Center, following analysis of reports submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a statistically significant increased risk of GBS and other serious adverse event reports was found when the HPV vaccine was coadministered with other vaccines.
Union levels charges at nursing home provider
August 20th 2007The Teamsters Union has sent a letter to the investors of PharMerica, warning them that the long-term care provider's close ties with AmerisourceBergen might not be in the best interest of shareholders. According to the union, AmerisourceBergen has been linked to problems with drug counterfeiting, an alleged illegal rebate scheme, and loss of controlled substances in several of its warehouses.
Pilot program in drug reconciliation aims to avoid errors
August 20th 2007Many hospitals have instituted paper-based systems to capture inpatient prescription information to avoid adverse drug events, but one community-based hospital has gone a step further to adopt an automated medication reconciliation program. Fauquier Health System in northern Virginia is currently testing a pilot system that electronically provides the hospital staff with a patient's medication history.
Little encouragement for hospitals from 340B changes
August 20th 2007Proposed 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.
Latebreakers: Police investigate school, professor for NAPLEX cheating
August 20th 2007U.S. marshals investigating cheating on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) have seized materials and computers from the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy and the offices and home of professor Flynn Warren Jr., M.S.