Health System

In 2003, more than 3.2 billion prescriptions were filled; that's an increase of more than 65% since 1992. This good news comes from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation's recently released 2004 Chain Pharmacy Industry Profile.

How is it going today?" This is a question that management likes to ask in the pharmacy. She walks in, uninvited, flashing a big smile. You know this is going to take up time you do not have. If you're lucky, she notices you are busy, waits patiently, and asks her question when you're between tasks.

A recent survey found that 14% of heart failure patients with prescription drug coverage chose not to fill an Rx in the prior year due to cost. Now the findings of a new survey suggest that many of the sickest patients do not tell their healthcare providers what they are doing. Cost-related medication underuse: Do patients with chronic illnesses tell their doctors? was published in the Sept. 13 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Many manufacturers are helping pharmacy retailers draw diabetes patients into their stores and keep them coming back. The strategies they're using include extensive advertising, added diabetes services that help the pharmacists interact with customers, and awareness programs to educate minority populations affected by diabetes.

Materials management. The words may not set a pharmacist's pulse to pounding, but the subject is near and dear to hospital chief financial officers. So when 28 CFOs at Premier institutions signed up for the alliance's third annual Supply Chain Collaborative Breakthrough Series in 2003, directors of pharmacy and other departments toed the corporate line.

Health institutions in Washington State can compare notes on how they're doing in terms of improving patient safety by perus- ing a new report issued by the Washington State Medical Education and Research Foundation. The WSM-ERF report evaluated current safety procedures, identified barriers to improvements, and recommended future actions for the state's hospitals, clinics, and other health organizations.

The vigorous involvement of health-system pharmacists is critical in reducing surgery-related infections under guidelines recently promulgated by Medicare's National Surgical Infection Prevention Project (SIP) (see Drug Topics, July 26). So declared Charles E. Stimler, M.D., medical officer with IPRO, a Medicare quality improvement organization (QIO) in Lake Success, N.Y.

Managing patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in an outpatient setting is cost-effective and more efficacious, particularly when pharmacists manage the treatment program. According to the July 2004 report, "Streamlining Heparin Administration Processes," released by The Advisory Board, researchers concluded that pharmacy-driven heparin protocol is an efficient and focused method of ensuring proper dosing and administration. But in order for it to be successful, there must be increased pharmacy staffing.

Pediatricians have so much faith in a drug for treating neonatal hyperbilirubinemia that even though it hasn't been approved by the Food & Drug Administration yet, they are recommending its use in their just-released guidelines.

A 45-year-old woman, B.R., who is 5 ft. 5 in. tall, 80 kg in weight, is hospitalized following a total abdominal hysterectomy. For 36 hours she's been using a meperidine patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) to control pain (loading dose = 30 mg, incremental dose = 20 mg, lockout interval = eight minutes, four-hour limit of 200 mg). During your team rounds, you find B.R. is agitated and irritable, with uncontrollable twitching. The resident asks you to recommend a sedative. Checking the chart, you notice B.R.'s serum creatinine (SrCr) prior to surgery was 1 mg/dl, but today it is 2.0 mg/dl. What do you recommend?

Pediatricians have so much faith in a drug for treating neonatal hyperbilirubinemia that even though it hasn't been approved by the Food & Drug Administration yet, they are recommending its use in their just-released guidelines.

Drug manufacturers respond to demands for the on-line posting of clinical trial results

There's new clarification for nurses on PRN orders dealing with opioids.

This case involves a patient with elevated liver function test and whether a statin should be used

critical are manpower shortage

Pharmacies told to check their wholesalers out in light of the surge in drug counterfeiting

concern over medication safetypharmacy leaderhsip institute

ashp 2004 summer meeting overview

Leapfrog group comes out with more rigorous patient care standards for hospitals to meet

This case involves a diabetic patient with foot problems

Jersey City Medical Center moves to new facility

Folks chortle when they first hear about Boudreaux's Butt Paste but the wily Cajun pharmacist behind the skin cream is laughing all the way to the bank.

DepoDur, a new morphine formulation, receives FDA approval for pain management.

Aurora quick care kiosks are operating in several Wisconsin locations to alleviate the use of ER visits for primary care problems.

HRT with hip replacement?

Novartis gets ready to launch a new transplant drug

VHA best practice awards

At Boston patient safety conference, ISMP shares data on hospital performance

American Pain Foundation offers tools to help health professionals manage their patients' pain.

R.Ph.s are attempting to reshape their image and increase visibility in hospitals