Community Practice

A survey of new Rx and new OTC

Instead of giving out cards that reduce the copay of a prescription, why not just decrease the price per bottle of medication?

With the subject of healthcare reform on the front burner in Washington and across the country, Drug Topics invited members of its Frontline editorial advisory board to share their thoughts. A selection of their responses is presented here.

Unkempt appearance is often the pharmacist's first clue that a drug-chaser has entered the store.

A second round of revised quality standards for heparin became effective recently, the U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention has announced.

The products pharmacists discuss most often with patients are oral pain-relief products, lip balms, and cold-sore preparations, according to an exclusive Drug Topics survey of pharmacists.

The CEO and COO of American Associated Pharmacies, the product of the merger between Associated Pharmacies and United Drugs, talk about the new pharmacy cooperative and the future of community pharmacies.

Hospitals and health systems have taken the lead in expanding the role of pharmacy technicians. "The better educated techs are, the more they can support pharmacists," says Mary Mohr, RPh, MS, of Clarian Health.

Each year, pharmacists who offer special services are recognized by their peers and wholesalers through nominations for Drug Topics' annual Top Independent Pharmacists awards in categories pertaining to service, competition, crisis response, and merchandising/promotion. This year's awards honor pharmacists in Washington State, North Carolina, Illinois, and New York.

Pharmacy should be part of any team evaluating an outpatient center. Effective communication between physicians, hospital administrators, pharmacists, and nursing staff is crucial to whether the infusion center will succeed.

Everyone seems to realize that when the lady being a pain in the neck carries a Gucci handbag, she's someone who helps pay the pharmacy's bills. Not so many people seem to realize that this is equally true of the lady carrying the Medicaid card.

The one condition that is probably shared by most pharmacists can harm marriages, health, and jobs. But it comes with the job, so what do we do about that?

Financial planning for pharmacists requires a basic understanding of types of financial professionals, fee structures, and values.

A survey of new Rx, new indications, new generics, and new OTC

The FDA recently alerted pharmacists to medication error reports about mefloquine (Lariam) prescriptions calling for 250 mg daily rather than the recommended dose of 250 mg weekly for malaria prophylaxis.

With a mail-order pharmacy license granted by the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy, West Virginia Rx becomes the largest charity pharmacy in the nation.

Pharmacists speak out about radio broadcasts, name-calling, generics, and chronic pain

The FDA can require risk evaluation and mitigation strategies for certain prescription drugs and biological products, to ensure that the benefits of such products outweigh the risks. The effect of REMS ripples down through the supply chain to affect how pharmacies dispense medication.

When manufacture of biogenerics is a legal reality, brand manufacturers will still retain a strong market share for several years.

The FDA has announced the availability of the first draft guidance for industry on Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies.

CVS recently celebrated the grand opening of its 7,000th store in Little Canada, Minn. Continue reading for the full story.

On October 1, the 7,000th Walgreens store opened in Brooklyn, N.Y., amid festivities that included free health screenings and speeches from Walgreens CEO Greg Wasson and Borough President Marty Golden.

As the most accessible members of the healthcare team, pharmacists in Maryland are being offered an opportunity to train in preparation for a predicted H1N1 flu pandemic.

Pharmacy groups have filed three lawsuits that argue that California, New York, and Washington have not met their legal requirements to assure Medicaid patients receive access and quality care at least equal to patients in the general public.

Walgreens recently launched an initiative for 90-day prescriptions that promotes delivery of maintenance and chronic care medication through its national network of more than 7,000 pharmacies and employer worksite centers.

The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) is urging the IRS to quickly act on flexible spending account (FSA) regulations that are disrupting pharmacies? FSA debit card transactions.

HealthTrans, a healthcare management solutions company, recently announced changes it made to ensure market readiness for changes to Average Wholesale Prices (AWP). HealthTrans successfully transitioned clients Sept. 16,according to a statement to Drug Topics, and is now effectively processing claims based on Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC).

Cardinal Health is hoping that its newly expanded services offered to hospital pharmacies helps customers to make improvements to their work flow.

Community pharmacies and patients suffering the ill effects of a new flexible spending account (FSA) regulation could get some relief under two proposals the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) presented to the U.S. Department of Treasury in a letter Wednesday.

Controversy is in the mix after two mail-order prescription surveys with conflicting results were released within two days of each other.