Community Practice

CMS is considering new regulations that would require Medicare Part D prescription drug plans to contract directly with long-term-care facilities rather than with consultant pharmacists. This doesn't sit well with the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists.

In March the National Association of Chain Drug Stores relaunched its advertising campaign to promote new MTM legislation and pharmacists ' role in medication therapy management.

Many third-party payers have either switched to or are considering moving to a mail-order requirement for long-term prescriptions that would prevent patients from choosing to purchase medications through retail pharmacies. Pharmacists and patients are pushing back.

Readers speak out about the increasing efficiency demands of chain pharmacies.

A DNA paternity test kit is available in New York retail pharmacies for the first time.

Using social media to promote their businesses can give independent pharmacy owners the competitive edge.

The role of pharmacists in medication adherence has taken center stage nationally since last year's passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, when medication adherence and medication therapy management were recognized as areas that should receive funding.

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

The first medical marijuana kiosks are expected to roll out in medical marijuana dispensaries starting in April.

Finding stability in an unstable economy can be difficult, but it seems that many pharmacists have done just that. Pharmacists report low unemployment rates, high salaries, and high job satisfaction at a time when many industries are struggling with layoffs and budget cuts. But the perks of being a pharmacist don't come without stress.

As a counter-detailer, Mark Greg meets with physicians to encourage use of generic over brand-name medications in medically appropriate circumstances. He's a pharmacy rep's worst nightmare.

As America's diverse population continues to grow, disparities in healthcare delivery have become more prevalent. Studies show that when it comes to healthcare benchmarks, many racial and ethnically diverse populations are at a disadvantage

Tats and studs and rap and hip-hop can turn off patients and send them on a search for the real pharmacist. You're a medical professional. You need to look and sound the part.

A letter about Walgreens' POWER program gets David Stanley asking questions.

A roundup of information on CHA2DS2-VASc score versus CHADS2 as a thromboembolism determinant; the incidence of pulmonary embolism in knee arthroscopy patients; the increase of venous thromboembolism with antipsychotic drug use.

DEA's "Office of Diversion Control" prevents, detects, and investigates the diversion of controlled substances from legitimate sources while ensuring an adequate and uninterrupted supply for legitimate medical needs. To accomplish this mission, the DEA sets forth regulations designed to prevent any such diversion.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Foundation is currently accepting applications for the 2011 Award for Excellence in Medication-Use Safety.

FDA has approved peginterferon alfa-2b (Sylatron, Merck) for the adjuvant treatment of melanoma with microscopic or gross nodal involvement within 84 days of definitive surgical resection including complete lymphadenectomy.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently decided to delay implementation of its proposed long-term-care ?short-cycle dispensing? rule and ease requirements for pharmacists.

NACDS has raised several concerns with the U.S. Pharmacopeia on prescription container labeling.

The anticholinergic drug tiotropium is more effective than the Β2-agonist salmeterol in preventing exacerbations in patients with moderate-to-very-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a multicenter European study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease may need 2 doses of adjuvanted split influenza A vaccine to elicit the same antibody response as healthy individuals, reported a recent Swiss study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism.

Clopidogrel hypersensitivity, which affects 6% of patients, can be successfully treated using short-course corticosteroids and antihistamines without interrupting drug therapy, reported researchers at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.

Combining angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors with angiotensin-receptor blockers is associated with increased risk of adverse renal outcomes, according to a recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists recently published Anticoagulation Therapy: A Point-of-Care Guide for clinicians, pharmacists, and pharmacy residents.

The use of high-dose clopidogrel compared with use of standard-dose clopidogrel does not reduce the incidence of death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or stent thrombosis among patients with high on-treatment reactivity after percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents, according to a recent multicenter study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Antibiotic use is rising at Veterans Affairs medical facilities across the country, according to findings released at the annual meeting in Dallas of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

Both the Food and Drug Administration and officials from a number of generic drug companies indicate they are in active talks on creating user fees to be paid by that industry to give the agency more resources to speed generics to the market, carry out inspections and other functions.

The American Pharmacists Association Foundation recently announced the first 25 healthcare organizations that will be participating in its Project IMPACT: Diabetes program.

Kathleen Jaeger has resigned as executive vice president and CEO of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) because she disagreed with NCPA executives about the organization's direction.