June 19th 2024
A survey of health system specialty pharmacy employees found that hybrid work significantly improved quality of life and workplace productivity.
Antidepressants still have a viable role in treatment
December 8th 2008Steve Stoner, PharmD, BCPP, chair and clinical professor of the Division of Pharmacy Practice University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy, presented data on suicidality. The data came from various studies done throughout the United States. He used the data to help give some perspective as to where the country is in comparison to other countries and to identify common risk factors associated with the use of antidepressants and increased suicidal behavior and ideation.
ASHP 08: Jorgenson receives ASHP leadership award
December 8th 2008James A. Jorgenson, MS, FASHP, executive director of Clarian Health Partners Department of Pharmacy Services in Indiana, received the Distinguished Leadership Award during the opening session of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) clinical meeting in Orlando, Fla.
ASHP 08: Novant receives ASHP's medication safety award
December 8th 2008Novant Health, a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Winston Salem, NC, received the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists' 2008 Award for Excellence in Medication-Use Safety for an innovative program that significantly reduced adverse drug events and hospital admissions.
ASHP 08: APP Pharmaceuticals launches heparin safety site
December 7th 2008APP Pharmaceuticals, right now the only supplier of heparin sodium vials in the U.S. market, has launched a safety web site to help healthcare officials reduce heparin-related medication errors and implement 2009 Joint Commission requirements.
ASHP 08 Survey: Technology use in hospital pharmacies increasing
December 7th 2008In an attempt to reduce medication errors and adverse drug events and to provide pharmacists with more time for patient counseling, health-system pharmacies are increasingly adopting health information technology, according to a first-of-its-kind survey by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).
ASHP 08: Insulin safety in transitions of care
December 7th 2008According to Sandra Leal, PharmD, CDE, clinical pharmacy supervisor, El Rio Health Center, Tucson, and president, American Association of Clinicians for the Underserved, also in Tucson, "We see patients who are leaving the ER and going to the pharmacy and then coming to us." She notes that many of these patients don't know how to self-manage their insulin and diabetes.
ASHP 08: Organizational challenges to insulin safety: it's not just a pharmacy problem
December 7th 2008In this forum, Frank A. Federico, RPh, content director for the 5 Million Lives campaign being conducted by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, opened by asking the question: "What keeps you up at night when it comes to insulin safety?"
ASHP 08: HRSA medication safety collaborative reports positive outcomes
December 7th 2008Pharmacists and healthcare organizations involved in the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)'s Patient Safety and Pharmacy Services Collaborative are already seeing positive results in reducing medication errors and reconciling medications, according to early outcomes presented on Sunday.
ASHP 08: Safety strategies for pediatric medicines concern all pharmacists
December 7th 2008According to Stuart Levine, PharmD, an informatics specialist with the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) in Horsham, Pennsylvania, although a hospital may not have a defined pediatric program, every hospital provides pediatric care. "If a child comes into your ER because of a car wreck, for example, you will be treating that child," Dr. Levine said.
ASHP 08: ASHP kicks off its 43rd annual midyear clinical meeting
December 7th 2008The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) kicked off its 43rd annual midyear clinical meeting on Sunday with the announcement that the organization has received the 2008 Award for Excellence in Medication-Use Safety
CMS altering some reporting requirements
December 4th 2008The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently informed Part D plans they are suspending the current collection of long-term care rebate reports for 2008 and 2009, in lieu of a new reporting requirement that will be changed in 2010. Additionally, the agency plans to test the proposed reporting requirements with a small number of Part D sponsors prior to 2010.
Health Mart continues to expand
December 2nd 2008Health Mart pharmacy network now represents 2,000 independently-owned pharmacies across the United States, the company recently announced. Since the Health Mart pharmacy network was re-launched in June 2006, the franchise?s membership has grown by more than 500 percent. The Health Mart franchise is owned and operated by McKesson Corp.
Personal diagnostics category continues to expand
November 20th 2008According to Information Resources, Inc. (IRI), the at-home testing kits segment generated over $41 million in food, drug, and mass outlets (excluding Walmart) during the 52 weeks ending October 5, 2008 and has seen a 6 percent increase in sales from just one year earlier.
Pharmacy recruits offered lucrative incentives
November 12th 2008Pharmacists remain in short supply across the country, particularly in rural areas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With such a high demand, some retail and hospital pharmacies are offering signing bonuses and other incentives to recruit new pharmacists.
PhRMA hopes Obama will usher in change at the FDA
November 12th 2008Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) President and CEO Billy Tauzin today expressed his hope that the next head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can work with diverse constituents and improve the agency?s scientific bases.
AHA 2008: Microalbuminuria associated with development and progression of coronary calcium
November 12th 2008New Orleans-Subjects without symptoms of heart disease who have microalbuminuria are more likely to have coronary artery calcium and are more likely to have progression of coronary artery calcium over time than those without microalbuminuria, says Andrew P. DeFilippis, MD.
AHA 2008: New stent entices progenitor cells, has low rate of thrombosis
November 12th 2008New Orleans-A new type of stent coated with an antibody that binds circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) is associated with a low rate of stent thrombosis and requires only 1 month of dual antiplatelet therapy. Drug-eluting stents require at least 6 months of dual antiplatelet therapy to reduce the risk of stent thrombosis.
AHA 2008: MR-proADM strong short-term prognosticator of mortality in heart failure
November 12th 2008New Orleans-Mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin (MR-proADM) is a better biomarker for predicting short-term mortality in patients presenting with shortness of breath who are diagnosed with heart failure, according to results of the Biomarkers in the Assessment of Congestive Heart Failure (BACH) trial. Use of this marker was significantly more accurate than brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) or N-terminal prohormone BNP (NT-proBNP) in detecting which heart failure patients were likely to die.
AHA 2008: ARB ineffective in HF with preserved ejection fraction
November 12th 2008New Orleans-The use of irbesartan for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) failed to improve outcomes compared to placebo, says Barry Massie, MD, investigator for the Irbesartan in Heart Failure with Preserved EF (I-PRESERVE) trial. These results are consistent with two previous trials (CHARM PRESERVED, PEP-CHF) that failed to show a positive effect with an angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB) for these patients, explains Dr. Massie, University of California, San Francisco.
AHA 2008: ‘Vascular age’ of obese children similar to that of middle-aged men
November 12th 2008New Orleans-Obese children, particularly those with elevated triglycerides, have a “vascular age” similar to those of 45-year-old white men, says Geetha Raghuveer, MD, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine. “I think this is a wake up call,” she says. “These children may need intensive management including pharmacological management of risk factors.