Author: Peter

Roseman’s College of Nursing (Roseman University) recently expanded its offering of nursing degree programs with the creation of a 9-month RN to BSN program. The program is designed for nurses with an associate’s degree who desire a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree...the...new...program is structured to support working nurses in completing their baccalaureate nursing education while continuing their day-to-day responsibilities...The RN to BSN program offers nurses the opportunity to expand their clinical and theoretical skills and knowledge so they are better positioned to advance in the profession...Roseman University utilizes a block curriculum where students take only one class at a time, focus intently on that content area, and master the content before proceeding to the next block or course. The RN to BSN program consists of eight blocks each taught online by expert faculty with a myriad of clinical, educational and professional backgrounds. The program also includes two one-week, on-campus residencies in Henderson...

City and health directors from across the country are urging the Food and Drug Administration to adopt new labels to "explicitly warn about a dangerous combination of medications" that have been fueling the nation’s prescription drug overdose epidemic over the years...Available online, the petition, which has been signed by academics, researchers and physicians, requests that the FDA amend black box warnings on all opioid analgesic and benzodiazepine class medications...to require medication guides that specifically warn patients of concurrently using both drug classes...We believe that this black box warning is a critical first step in raising awareness around the danger of co-prescribing these medications…The warning educates doctors so that they can provide the highest quality of care to patients...

Loblaw...posted $33.6 billion in revenue for its year ended Jan. 2, a 6.5% lift with one week less of sales - Loblaw's fiscal 2015 represents 52 weeks while fiscal 2014 represents 53 weeks...I am pleased to report that we continued to deliver against our financial plan in the fourth quarter...The company continues to execute on its strategic framework and purpose...delivering the best in food, best in health and beauty, operational excellence and growth...this framework has positioned us to achieve our financial plan amidst a competitive environment and continued pressures from healthcare reform...For the fourth quarter, Loblaw's retail pharmacy arm Shoppers Drug Mart realized same-store sales growth of 5%, with same-store pharmacy sales increasing by 4.2% and same-store front-store sales increasing by 5.7%.

The...controversial Cancer Drugs Fund will be replaced by a new fund controlled by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence from July this year... officials have now waved through proposals that will see the CDF switch to a ‘managed access’ fund...the current CDF list will be rolled over but will remain closed to new drugs pending the start of the new scheme in July...The operational detail of the new scheme will be developed over the coming months, but NHS England insists that it will help provide faster access to the most promising new cancer treatments for patients, drive stronger value for money for the taxpayer, and for drug companies willing to price their products "responsibly," offer a new fast-track route to NHS funding...Industry reaction... largely unchanged proposals that carry a very real risk of significantly setting back patient access to cancer medicines, now and for the foreseeable future...if cancer medicines go through more or less exactly the same NICE appraisal process that was in place five years ago - which necessitated the setting up of the CDF in the first place - we will largely get the same answers as before - the majority of medicines will be turned down...The Government needs to come clean about the impact of these proposals on cancer patients by publishing an assessment of their impact...

New master’s will help grow number of healthcare professionals...As our community prepares for significant population growth...the University of Nevada School of Medicine and Renown Health are continuously working together to combat the shortage of healthcare providers in our region...latest effort will be seen in 2017 with the start of a new Master of Physician Assistant program. Renown Health will be an integral partner...committing $500,000 to help kick-start the program as well as providing the expertise of Renown providers and...training sites for future Physician Assistants…This full-time program will last 27 months and include academic and clinical skills courses as well as supervised clinical practice. Students are required to have at least 2,000 hours of healthcare experience before applying and because there is no residency needed after graduation, they can immediately begin working...upon completion of the program...the first PA class would begin in June 2017 on the University's Redfield Campus and the first 24 graduates will be seen in fall 2019.

Ritzman Pharmacy and Northeast Ohio Medical Center’s ‘Pharmacy of the Future" collaboration is about to be open to the public. The Ritzman Pharmacy at NEOMED’s grand opening will take place March 7 at the...Education and Wellness Center...The new pharmacy is driven by an interest in creating a pharmacy experience that takes a holistic approach to wellness where the pharmacist is at the center of a patient’s care. It will offer fitness facility membership, primary care services, medication management and physical therapy in addition to standard pharmacy services...I am proud to be at the forefront of this effort to promote community-oriented, whole-person health. The pharmacy experience can be so much more than an errand to check off a list...

A board composed partially of representatives from local trauma centers recommended not designating any of three new applicants as a Level 3 trauma center...The Regional Trauma Advisory Board, which makes a recommendation to the Southern Nevada Health District Board of Health on trauma center applications, voted to reject approval of authorization for the Level 3 trauma centers sought by Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center, Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center and Mountain View Hospital...The hospitals applied in the fall to receive Level 3 designation, the lowest trauma designation recognized by the Southern Nevada Trauma System. Level 3 centers provide "definitive care to the less severely injured patients" and work to support any Level 1 and 2 facilities in the trauma system, which can provide care to more severely injured patients...UMC Department of Trauma Services Medical Director John Fildes...suggested the formation of a needs-based assessment task force, which would review the community's trauma needs and assess the impact of adding new trauma centers in the future. He suggested all three applicants be invited to become part of the task force.

Amid ongoing safety concerns over compounding pharmacies, a new analysis finds state oversight is a spotty patchwork of regulations, raising questions about the ability to protect the public health.

• Only about half of the states require compounding pharmacies that make sterile medicines, which are injected or infused into the body, to fully comply with recognized quality standards.
• 60 percent of the states do not require compounding pharmacies to report serious adverse events and reactions related to sterile compounding...
• 16 states reported they do not track compounding pharmacy activity at all.
• 28 states allow traditional compounding pharmacies as opposed to those that make large amounts of medicines for hospitals to provide drugs without prescriptions for individual patients. This practice conflicts with??federal law.
• nine states do not plan on taking any action, such as requiring compounders to register with the FDA or disciplining these businesses.
• 53 percent of the states conduct annual routine inspections for in-state pharmacies that perform sterile compounding.
• any issues discovered during an inspection, 79 percent of the states requires a written response from the pharmacy describing how the issues were addressed,
• 67 percent also need an additional on-site inspection to verify compliance.
• one-third of the states do not perform on-site follow-up inspections to verify needed changes.
• Most of the states...have the authority to issue cease-and-desist orders, but 70 percent also said they were unable to mandate a recall of compounded drugs or were unsure of their explicit authority.

Independent pharmacy owners face significant business challenges in a market dominated by large retail pharmacy chains...research has shown that 83% of all new pharmacies go out of business within an average of 2.5 years...Pharmacy Development Services recently brought independent pharmacy leaders together at its annual conference in Orlando, Florida, to discuss building business strength and solvency...In a keynote session called "How Truly Wealthy Entrepreneurs Secure Big Gains with Their Money," Kevin O’Leary, who’s also known as Mr. Wonderful on ABC’s "Shark Tank," candidly offered no-nonsense advice for independent pharmacy businesses to not only stay afloat, but also reach the next level of success...Specifically, he advised PDS attendees to abide by the following 10 tips that can help strengthen their businesses.

1. Employees are valuable, but they aren’t your friends.
2. Maintain a clear line of command.
3. Be accessible.
4. Delegate, delegate, delegate.
5. Don’t procrastinate.
6. Never pass the buck.
7. Service trumps price.
8. Use technology as a weapon.
9. The boss shouldn’t necessarily make the most money.
10. Business is war.

With 2016 well underway, pharmacies of all sizes should review recent regulatory updates to ensure compliance with rules already in effect, and preparation for those to be implemented soon. Three, in particular, warrant a close look.

USP 797 Pharmaceutical Compounding – Sterile Preparations. The comment period for USP’s proposed revisions for compounding sterile preparations closed January 2016, and comments are now under review. If finalized as-is, USP 797 may publish by November 2016, at which time pharmacies will face significant changes...

USP 800 Hazardous Drugs – Handling in Healthcare. This was approved and published in February 2016. It defines hazardous drug containment processes to promote patient safety, worker safety, and environmental protection...

Drug Supply Chain Security Act. Enacted in November 2013, this sets forth requirements to build electronic systems to identify and trace certain prescription drugs in the United States. Pharmacies should consider which aspects of the law they’re held accountable for now, and which aspects they will be held accountable for in the future...