Author: Peter

CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies recklessly distributed massive amounts of pain pills in two Ohio counties, a federal jury said...in a verdict that could set the tone for U.S. city and county governments that want to hold pharmacies accountable for their roles in the opioid crisis...Lake and Trumbull counties blamed the three chain pharmacies for not stopping the flood of pills that caused hundreds of overdose deaths and cost each of the two counties about $1 billion, their attorney said...The counties were able to convince the jury that the pharmacies played an outsized role in creating a public nuisance in the way they dispensed pain medication into their communities...READ MORE

...the new crop of pharmacy students nationwide will need much more than an introduction to rudimentary science courses, thanks to the notable progress that the pharmacy industry has made in advancing the clinical role of pharmacists. The pandemic also has elevated pharmacists’ roles and allowed them to assume expanded responsibilities...Many pharmacy schools are stepping up to the plate with new courses and electives, as well as honing some of their existing courses, to ensure that their students are well prepared to meet the myriad challenges that they will face as newly minted pharmacists...READ MORE

As the world enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare industry faces a variety of ongoing challenges and shifts in delivery of care, according to a new 2022 predictions report...They identified five key predictions for the coming year:

1. Health disparities will negatively impact rural Americans twice as much as urban Americans

2. Labor shortages will double the medication error rate among providers

3. Healthcare will no longer be considered a trusted industry as misinformation and cyberattacks continue

4. Sixty percent of virtual care visits will be related to mental health

5. The number of hospital-at-home providers will triple...READ MORE

A new ranking of the 10 most cost-efficient hospitals in the U.S. reveals that if all hospitals matched their performance, $8 billion could be saved in Medicare dollars...The ranking, conducted by healthcare think tank Lown Institute , was based on Medicare data from 2016 through 2018 on more than 3,000 hospitals focusing on what they billed and how many patients died. For the analysis, it adjusted both mortality rates and cost based on patient risk...Here are the 10 most cost-efficient hospitals in the U.S., according to the Lown Institute:

Pinnacle Hospital (Crown Point, Indiana)

Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center (Reno, Nevada)

Mercy Medical Center Dubuque (Dubuque, Iowa)

Encino Hospital Medical Center (Encino, California)

Park Ridge Health (Hendersonville, North Carolina)

Oroville Hospital (Oroville, California)

Saint Michael’s Medical Center (Newark, New Jersey)

UnityPoint Health – Meriter (Madison, Wisconsin)

East Liverpool City Hospital (East Liverpool, Ohio)

Maple Grove Hospital (Maple Grove, Minnesota)

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The National Association of Chain Drug Stores is hailing a decision by the Eighth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals...In the case — Pharmaceutical Care Management Association v. Wehbi — the Eighth Circuit relied on the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association in determining that all provisions in the North Dakota statute, which seek to regulate the relationship between pharmacy benefits managers and pharmacies, were not preempted by the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act...Importantly, the Court also found that most provisions in the North Dakota law were not preempted by Medicare Part D and outright rejected the PBMs’ argument that they could not be regulated in the federal or state arenas...READ MORE

President Biden announced his intention to nominate Robert Califf for commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration....Dr. Califf is an internationally recognized expert in clinical trial research, health disparities, healthcare quality, and cardiovascular medicine. He brings nearly four decades of experience as a doctor, researcher, leader, and public servant, including previous service as FDA commissioner from 2016-2017, for which he was confirmed by the Senate 89-4 with broad bi-partisan support. Currently, Califf is a professor of medicine at the Duke University School of Medicine...READ MORE

As the targeted treatment space for ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer becomes more crowded, Takeda is trying to get ahead of the competition with a drug pricing tool that’s rarely used among U.S. oncology players...Takeda recently launched a value-based pricing program for its ALK lung cancer med Alunbrig in collaboration with Point32Health, a combination of Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care covering 2 million people in the New England area...Under the agreement, Takeda will offer a “significant” rebate to Point32Health if a patient doesn’t stay on Alunbrig past three months because of efficacy or tolerability reasons...The size of the refund would be tied to the number of members on the drug...Patients would also get a refund from their plans for out-of-pocket costs...READ MORE