Office of Pharmacy Affairs gains access to 340B data
November 21st 2005The government agency responsible for overseeing the 340B Drug Discount Program again has the power to access data on the drug prices charged to healthcare providers who serve underprivileged communities, following an intervention by Senator Chuck Grassley (R, Iowa).
Is use of these agents justified? Here are tips
November 21st 2005Having trouble rationalizing the use of popular but off-label critical care agents? A special session at the American College of Clinical Pharmacy's annual meeting explored evidence for the use of vasopressin, Factor VIIa, intravenous proton pump inhibitors, and dexmedetomidine (Precedex, Abbott Laboratories).
Federal bill would promote apology after medical errors
November 21st 2005Supporters of the notion that apologies are better than malpractice lawsuits got a boost in late September. Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D, N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D, Ill.) introduced the National Medical Error Disclosure and Compensation (MEDiC) Act to encourage hospitals to apologize after medical errors and negotiate fair compensation.
Hospital safety project aims to save thousands of lives
November 21st 2005A new project in mid-Atlantic region hospitals puts the spotlight on reconciling medications for intensive care unit (ICU) and operating room patients. As part of a nationwide "100,000 Lives and Beyond" Collaborative, pharmacists who care for patients in Delaware, Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, D.C., hospitals beginning in January 2006 will have the opportunity to formalize processes for getting a complete and accurate list of each patient's current home medications, including name, dosage, frequency, and route and comparing them to the physician's admission, transfer, and/or discharge orders.
Virginia health system wins award for new safety rules
November 21st 2005At Sentara Healthcare in Norfolk, Va., an aggressive program borrowed from the nuclear energy industry recently won the health system a prestigious patient safety award. Called "Culture of Safety," the program focuses on what its practitioners call behavior-based expectations (BBEs), or "Red Rules," emphasizing communication and accountability.
ICU patients at greater risk for adverse events
November 21st 2005The fast-paced complex environment of a hospital critical care unit presents significant patient safety challenges for healthcare practitioners. High-risk decisions are often made with incomplete patient data, and, because patients require high-intensity care, if something goes wrong, they have a higher risk of getting hurt.
New protocol says meds can help treat addiction
November 21st 2005Saying it's an exciting time for the use of medications to treat opioid addiction, the federal Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released a protocol giving details of the clinical pharmacology, screening, treatment matching, and other aspects of recommended use.
Reducing RSV risk in preemies: Here's how
November 21st 2005According to the National Center for Health Statistics, premature births are at a record high. Combine that fact with the reality of the crowded living conditions in the wake of recent hurricanes and we may have a recipe for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disaster this coming season.
Clinical Twisters: Attaining pain relief for PHN
November 21st 2005A 70-year-old man, P.A., is seen in your ER with burning, stabbing, shooting pain on his lower back. He has recently had shingles; the emergency physician diagnoses his current discomfort as postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). The physician is debating what to prescribe and asks your opinion. You note from the patient's history that P.A. also takes donepezil (Aricept, Eisai) 10 mg, digoxin .125 mg, and benazapril 20 mg daily. What do you recommend?
Surgeons need help with antibiotics
November 21st 2005Most surgeons misuse antibiotics most of the time. That is the blunt warning from Robert Sawyer, M.D., codirector of the surgical trauma intensive care unit at the University of Virginia Health System. The problem is not ignorance of appropriate use, he told the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress meeting in San Francisco recently.
Counterfeit meds: Urgent action needed
November 21st 2005I recently read a book titled, Dangerous Doses: How Counterfeiters Are Contaminating America's Drug Supply (Harcourt, 2005). It is written by Katherine Eban, an investigative medical reporter who provides a very detailed account of the counterfeiting of drugs and other major problems in the U.S. drug distribution system. Most people have little awareness of the scope of these problems or the potential consequences.
Medicare Part D help coming for pharmacists
November 21st 2005There's some good news for pharmacists adrift in a sea of Medicare Part D confusion: They will be able to electronically determine whether a patient has prescription coverage, and they don't have to keep track of how much beneficiaries have spent out of pocket.
Research sheds new light on Parkinson's disease treatment
November 21st 2005Medical practitioners treating Parkinson's disease (PD) tend to focus on controlling patients' movement disorders. So said Monique Giroux, M.D., medical director of the National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. But for the patient, other disease-related symptoms are sometimes just as troubling as the motor disorders.
New growth hormone can aid short kids
November 21st 2005Children whose growth falls below the third percentile for their age and gender are said to have "short stature." A variety of factors—including genetics, constitutional delays, and medical conditions—may cause this delay in growth. Children genetically predisposed to short stature typically have a parent of short stature, while children with con-stitutional growth delay may initially exhibit slow growth patterns but experience a rapid growth phase during puberty.
Diabetes still growing, but new treatments on the way
November 21st 2005More systematic applications of new treatments for Types 1 and 2 diabetes should have a profound effect on glucose control and the complications of diabetes. So said William Herman, M.D., Stefan S. Fajans/ GlaxoSmithKline Professor of diabetes, professor of internal medicine and epidemiology, and director of the Michigan Diabetes Research & Training Center at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor. He spoke at a recent media press briefing in New York City sponsored by the American Medical Association.
Hot off the Press for November 14, 2005
November 14th 2005Seniors offered Medicare Rx worksheet AANMA: Preferred drug lists interfere with successful asthma control Medco study finds low rate of dispensing errors CARE Pharmacies adds franchises Medicine Shoppe offers nutritious recipes for diabetes patients Study: Omega-3 fatty acids and lutein could help seniors Longs cancels flu shot clinics; FluMist available in some locations McKesson begins second phase of Health Across America tour U.S. has higher healthcare costs, more medical errors
Hot off the press for November 7, 2005
November 7th 2005Most see triptans not safe as OTCs FDA mandates digital Rx label submissions OTC pain medications can cause serious stomach problems Rx recall news may negatively impact drug trials AstraZeneca proposes mandatory FDA review of DTC ads Walgreens Home Care to acquire Home Pharmacy of California Salus Corp. recalls shampoo caps Consumers Union to FDA: DTC reforms needed Quigley, NCOA to educate seniors on safe OTC use R.Ph.s protest TennCare Rx cuts FDA approves Trileptal as adjunctive therapy Kaletra tablets get FDA nod NPI supports pertussis vaccination in adults ACIP recommends universal hepatitis A vaccination for children Coalition opposes monopoly protections for brand drugmakers CDC study supports aggressive initiative to combat diabetes Medicare beneficiaries get one free Rx plan change Preliminary vaccination priorities for bird flu announced CIGNA launches depression management program Florida Medicaid to curb benefits CHEC to focus on medicine safety Walgreens opens its 5,000th store NQF publishes report on home healthcare performance standards
Campaign launched to promote safe drug use
November 7th 2005McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals has launched an on-line educational campaign to inform patients of the importance of the proper use and storage of medications and of maintaining a healthy medicine cabinet. The campaign comes on the heels of a recent survey conducted for McNeil by Harris Interactive. The survey found that nearly half (46%) of American adults have taken an expired over-the-counter (OTC) medication.