Chain Pharmacy

A retired chain pharmacist reflects on the downside of a culture that values efficiency above all.

An independent drugstore in Illinois recently expanded its boutique section for breast-cancer patients to include a wide variety of medical products and clothing.

This fall Saint Joseph College School of Pharmacy will open its new 35,000-square-foot facility in the heart of downtown Hartford, Conn., to its first class of students. Its curriculum will be organized in blocks, allowing students to concentrate on one course at a time through a variety of learning activities.

An American PharmD candidate describes his trip to Istanbul, Turkey, where he was fascinated by the similarities and differences of pharmacy practice conducted among people of different culture, beliefs, and expectations.

A new report urges states to replace Medicaid fee-for-service pharmacy programs with the kind of managed drug benefits used in Medicare Part D plans, Medicaid managed care organizations, and some commercial health plans.

The latest info on VTE in HIV; intracerebral hemorrhage; and antiplatelet/warfarin combinations

Telepharmacy is still a novelty, and there is a lag in implementation of new laws after professional and technological innovations are deployed.

Controlling the expensive price tag of Medicare is an ongoing concern of both the Obama administration and Congress. Therefore, any Medicare provider can expect an audit. Is your pharmacy prepared?

Proposed rules designed to cut waste in Medicare Part D could create problems for long-term-care pharmacy.

In response to a Drug Topics column that viewed e-tracking as the solution to illegal methamphetamine use, a law-enforcement veteran speaks out about the drawbacks connected with e-tracking systems.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has issued updated guidelines regarding the use of antiviral agents for the treatment and chemoprophylaxis of influenza, according to a report in the January 21 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The new recommendations, which include a summary of the effectiveness and safety of antiviral treatment medications, update those issued by the committee in 2008.

New draft standards from the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention could bring dramatic changes to Rx labels as early as 2012. Changes to USP Chapter 17, Prescription Container Labeling, include larger font, placement of the most important information at the top, more understandable language, and more white space.

Some Medicare Advantage patients have a new way to buy over-the-counter products: OTCNetwork, a prepaid point-of-sale card.

Oncology treatment and benefits are changing. Buy-and-bill, the traditional methodology that had physicians buying chemotherapeutic products, treating in the office, and billing the payer, is going the way of surgery by barbers. But no one is quite sure what will replace the one-time standard of payment.

Many pharmacies are aware of the 340B Drug Pricing Program, but few understand the mechanics of how such a program works and to what extent a community pharmacy may be able to capitalize on its benefits.

The states that are looking for ways to stop illegal sales of pseudoephedrine should be commended. But a prescription requirement for cold and allergy medications that customers rely on every day is bad public policy that will have an unnecessary impact on many patients.

After much legal wrangling, pharmacies in San Francisco can no longer carry cigarettes.

A survey of new Rx, new generic, and new OTC products

While there may be some notable breakthroughs to brighten an otherwise bleak pharmaceutical pipeline for 2011, the overall outlook remains grim as the number of new drugs under development continues to shrink, compared to the glory days of just a few short years ago.

Pharmacists save the medical system millions of dollars every day by being the last resort for the poor people who have nowhere else to turn.

Medtronic Inc. in Minneapolis, Minn., recently received FDA approval for its new CareLink Pro 3.0 Therapy Management software.

An OIG audit concluded that CMS is paying pharmacies for dispensing terminated drugs under Medicare Part D, while CMS insists it is not.

A relief pharmacist should spend the first 10 minutes with an internal checklist. Its items may be small in themselves, but overlooked, they will make the day considerably harder.

In October 2010, FDA approved dabigatran etexilate (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim), the first oral direct thrombin inhibitor for the prevention of thromboembolic stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Starting this month, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires employees with tax-advantaged health accounts to have a prescription for an OTC drug to qualify for account reimbursement and preferred tax treatment. Insulin and OTC medical devices and supplies are exempt.

Under the federal Controlled Substances Act, marijuana is classified as Schedule I, a definition that gives it a high potential for abuse, with no current safe or medical use. Meanwhile, in 14 states, patients have access to medical marijuana upon physican recommendation.

January is prime time for colds and other respiratory illnesses. Because people tend to equate January sniffles with colds and flu, they may go straight to the cough/cold area and bypass the allergy/sinus aisle, which is also of concern this time of year.

Medication therapy management is looking like the next new career opportunity for pharmacists as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, health plans, and employers press for its adoption.

Drug Topics' annual business outlook survey, conducted online in October, drew more than 400 responses from community, hospital, and long-term-care pharmacists. Their conclusions about the coming year may surprise you.

In this season of gustatory indulgence, it can't hurt to prepare for the occasional upset stomach.