Cigna to use benefit incentives to promote compliance
April 24th 2006Cigna Pharmacy Management is launching new preventive prescriptiondrug plan options that are designed to promote medicationcompliance by providing a higher level of benefit coverage toemployees who need certain medications to prevent illness oraddress specific chronic healthcare conditions. One option allowsemployers to waive the plan deductible for more than 700 usuallycovered preventive prescription drugs.
Walgreens sued for 'failure to warn' in pregnancy case
April 24th 2006Erin Cutler, a Marion County woman who is already suing Walgreensafter allegedly finding demeaning comments attached to herprescriptions in the section reserved for patient information, hasadded a "failure-to-warn" count to the lawsuit. Cutler claims thata Walgreens pharmacy did not warn her that her bipolar medicationdecreases the effectiveness of her birth control.
CMS bans co-branded logos on Part D cards
April 24th 2006CMS has advised Medicare Part D plans that as of Oct. 1, they canno longer put the logos and/or names of co-branding partners onbeneficiary cards. The agency instituted the logo ban because somebeneficiaries mistakenly thought they could fill prescriptions onlyat the pharmacies shown on their Part D cards.
Boca Medical Products recalls Ultilet Insulin Syringe
April 24th 2006Boca Medical Products and the FDA have notified consumers andhealthcare professionals of a recall of Ultilet Insulin Syringe 30g1/2cc (Lot #-5GEXI; NDC #-08326-3002-50) because ofpossible bacterial presence of Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcusintermedius. This presents a risk of local infection due to softtissue injection with a contaminated syringe as well as a risk ofintroduction of contaminating organisms into a previously sterilevial.
Fewer pharmacy students pass licensure exam
April 24th 2006Out of the 11,190 candidates who sat for the North AmericanPharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) last year, 85% received apassing grade, compared with 92% in 2004, according to the NABPadvisory committee on examinations. The 7% drop was attributed to anew NAPLEX standard adopted last year that requires a slightlyhigher level of ability for candidates to achieve a passing scoreof 75% or higher.
Seniors to save $23 billion over five years with new generics
April 24th 2006Seniors and the Medicare Part D program could potentially save morethan $23 billion over the next five years, as at least 14brand-name drugs commonly used by seniors are scheduled to becomeavailable in generic form, according to a new analysis released byPCMA. The analysis examined the top 100 drugs used by seniors toarrive at a conservative estimate of potential Medicare costsavings.
R.Ph.s find asthma not controlled
April 24th 2006Early results from a national pharmacist intervention pilot studyshowed that 75% of asthma patients do not have their disease undercontrol, according to NCPA, which is conducting the study withMedical Care and Outcomes and GlaxoSmithKline. By mid-April, theprogram had enrolled 369 independent pharmacists, who use afive-question assessment tool to determine how well a patient'sasthma is being controlled.
Walgreens offers help on Medicare drug benefit
April 24th 2006Walgreens is offering one-on-one Medicare drug benefit assistanceevery Monday through Friday from 9 A.M. to 3 P.M. through May 15 at1,000 select locations. Pharmacy staff will explain how the newprogram works, provide information on different plans, and reviewthe factors that should be considered in order to make a goodselection.
Get used to this exceptions request form
April 24th 2006The American Medical Association and America's Health InsurancePlans have developed a form for doctors to use to ordernonformulary drugs under Medicare. This Exceptions Request Form isavailable atwww.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/Downloads/Form_Exceptions_final.pdf onthe CMS Web site.
PAPs expand following IG decision
April 24th 2006The Inspector General has issued an advisory opinion declaring thatit doesn't plan to take any action against Schering Plough'spatient assistance programs (PAPs), which provide free medicines toneedy patients, including Medicare beneficiaries. Drugmanufacturers had been worrying about whether their PAPs would bedeemed as steering Medicare patients to their drugs and thus aviolation of antikickback laws.
AHRQ expands network to focus on healthcare issues
April 24th 2006The HHS Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announcedan award of $16 million over the next five years to establish fournew Centers for Education & Research on Therapeutics (CERTs) toincrease awareness of the benefits and risks of therapeuticproducts, including prescription medicines, biological products,and medical devices, and to translate research findings intoimproved health care. The CERTs are located at Rutgers, the StateUniversity of New Jersey in New Brunswick; the University of Iowa;Baylor College of Medicine in Houston; and Weill Medical College ofCornell University in New York City.
PrairieStone unveils drug compliance tool
April 24th 2006PrairieStone Pharmacy is introducing DailyMed, a retail drugpackaging solution that presorts multiple prescriptions, OTCs, andvitamins into easy-to-use single-dose packets. DailyMed is approvedby the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy and is available in most statesby calling 1-(800) 973-1955.
Advances in treatment of MI reported at ACC show
April 17th 2006The low molecular weight heparin enoxaparin (Lovenox, Sanofi-Aventis) is superior to unfractionated heparin as an adjunct to thrombolytic therapy in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (MI), researchers reported at the 55th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology (ACC). The meeting was held in Atlanta last month.
Home IV market still dominated by independents and hospitals
April 17th 2006The market for home infusion services is approaching $10 billion annually. The amount is split almost evenly between reimbursement for drug product and for the services pharmacists provide in preparing, delivering, and supporting home IV therapy.
R.Ph.s allegedly refused to dispense vitamins/antibiotics
April 17th 2006Cedar River Clinics, a woman's health clinic and abortion provider, complained to the Washington State Board of Pharmacy that a hospital outpatient pharmacist cited moral objections for refusing to dispense a script for an abortion-related antibiotic, according to published reports.
Interest in pharmacy residency programs continues to grow
April 17th 2006More than 1,350 pharmacy students participated in the residency matching program held in mid-March, representing an almost 13% increase over last year. In addition, more than 1,000 participants were matched with a residency, a 15% increase compared with the previous year.
XLHealth and CVS offering medication advice
April 17th 2006XLHealth, a disease management company, and CVS/pharmacy have partnered to provide free one-on-one medication consultations to a large segment of the Medicare beneficiaries participating in the Tennessee Medicare Health Support pilot program.
Hy-Vee offering free COPD screenings
April 17th 2006The American Lung Association of Iowa and Hy-Vee are joining forces to offer Iowa residents free screenings for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in America. Early detection through screening is essential to the diagnosis of COPD in its earliest stages. The screenings are available this month and will run through June.