Democrats reopen debate on Medicare Part D
February 5th 2007The Democrats opened a new salvo in the battle over the Medicare drug benefit with the introduction of the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007. The bill, which passed the House mostly along party lines, mandates that the Secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) negotiate directly with drug companies over drug prices charged to prescription drug plans (PDPs). Still, the bill's future and how it will impact pharmacy remains unclear.
Democrats reopen debate on Medicare Part D
February 5th 2007The Democrats opened a new salvo in the battle over the Medicare drug benefit with the introduction of the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007. The bill, which passed the House mostly along party lines, mandates that the Secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) negotiate directly with drug companies over drug prices charged to prescription drug plans (PDPs). Still, the bill's future and how it will impact pharmacy remains unclear.
FDA grapples with curbing IL drug container errors
February 5th 2007Last July, an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report estimated that, on average, a hospital patient is subject to at least one medication error per day, although error rates vary by hospital and most do not lead to injury. The report urged the Food & Drug Administration to work with other agencies and healthcare providers to address drug labeling and packaging to minimize errors. In response to this recommendation, the FDA held a one-day public workshop last month to discuss how to improve the labeling of intravenous drug containers.
Viewpoint: Three ways to fight reduced reimbursement
February 5th 2007Independent and chain drugstore pharmacists have had to address a significant number of new issues during 2006, such as the launching of the Medicare Part D program and new demands on their professional time to assist customers. Perhaps the single most pressing issue facing R.Ph.s, however, is reimbursement. No other issue ignites more debate than how an insurance plan, government program, or patient reimburses pharmacists for their products/services. A growing number of pharmacies across the country are falling into debt, laying off workers, and facing closure due to inadequate reimbursement levels and slow payment. This article summarizes the reimbursement plight pharmacists find themselves in and reviews three attempts under way to help resolve this issue.
How will the minimum wage hike affect you?
February 5th 2007The House of Representatives recently passed a measure to increase the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour from its current rate of $5.15 an hour over a 26-month period. The Senate is expected to move swiftly to pass a similar measure. How will the hike affect chain and independent pharmacies?
FDA proposes new rules for investigational drugs
February 5th 2007The Food & Drug Administration recently proposed regulatory changes to make investigational drugs more widely and easily available to seriously ill patients with no other treatment options. The proposal also clarifies the circumstances and the costs for which a pharmaceutical company can charge for developmental drugs. The proposed regulations were published in the Dec. 14 issue of the Federal Register. They are described in detail at http://www.fda.gov/cder/regulatory/applications/IND_PR.htm and are open for comment for 90 days.
State legislation seen as key to survival
February 5th 2007State legislators have emerged as key players in pharmacy. Faced with shrinking margins from Medicare Part D and the specter of bankruptcy from proposed Medicaid reimbursement rates, many pharmacists are pushing their state legislatures to shift the balance.
Eight steps to reaching high performance
February 5th 2007Like it or not, health-system pharmacies are under tremendous pressure to perform at a high level. Addressing patient safety concerns, improving outcomes, implementing state-of-the-art technology, and keeping drug costs down requires a juggling act that pharmacists must perform on a daily basis.
NIOSH to update hazardous drug list
February 5th 2007NIOSH, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, is updating its list of hazardous pharmaceutical products. The new list will become part of the organization's 2004 alert, Preventing Occupational Exposure to Antineoplastic and Other Hazardous Drugs in Health Care Settings.
R.Ph. shooting spotlights workplace violence
February 5th 2007When Michelle Rutledge, Pharm.D., heard about the fatal shooting of a hospital pharmacist at Shands Jacksonville hospital in Florida last November, it really hit home. The victim, 37-year-old Shannon McCants, was a fellow graduate of the Florida A&M College of Pharmacy. McCants was shot by a customer who was waiting for a prescription to be filled in the outpatient pharmacy. Rutledge, an associate investigator at the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa, said that e-mails from former student-colleagues began pouring in.
JP at large: How wrong could I be?
February 5th 2007It seems to me that doctors are pretty much taking off the better-than-you crowns and the are-you-looking-at-me cloaks these days. They seem to be much more egalitarian than ever before. They often appear to be more democratic than they were just 10 years ago. I can even call them by their first names without getting attitude. When I question them on restricted refills on something like Freestyle strips, they are likely to back off and change to p.r.n. Doctors are getting human on us.
Feds push worth of ounce of prevention
February 5th 2007Medicare Part D has gone a long way toward closing an important gap in healthcare coverage by providing a prescription drug benefit to enrollees. Now several government agencies are aiming to close the gap between the availability and use of covered preventive services among persons with Medicare. The goal is to do more to help beneficiaries manage their medical care rather than just paying the bills.