The Health-System Edition: From its genesis to the present

Serving the informational needs of hospital pharmacists has always been a high priority for Drug Topics. While every issue of the magazine has some articles of interest to hospital R.Ph.s, a concerted effort to reach them is made in every second issue of the month with our Health-System Edition (HSE).

With its distinctive blue color and compelling news content, HPR fast became a "must read" for hospital pharmacists. The growth of the magazine also paralleled the growth of health-system pharmacy as it emerged as a profession in its own right. The advent of patient-focused care and the pharmacist's growing role in patient safety helped hospital R.Ph.s-burdened for years with the "pharmacists in the basement" image-emerge as a vibrant component to the healthcare team.

Kathleen Gannon, former managing editor of HPR, said it was disappointing that HPR was dissolved just as it seemed to be hitting its stride. "With the right support, it could have continued its strong infiltration of the market," she said.

Despite the demise of HPR, the editors who gave the publication its unique personality are proud of their work and the product that they produced. "Working on HPR marked some of the most fulfilling years of my 25-year career at this company," said Chi.

The good news for readers is that HPR lives on every month in the form of Drug Topics' Health-System Edition. In this reinvention, HSE provides hospital pharmacists with timely news and information on both acute care and ambulatory care in a convenient one-stop format.