Author: Peter

Today an oncologist-policy-maker-and-medical-ethicist reminds us that, in effect, we’re all paying for the sky-high price of new drugs. Which begs the question, if patients – or society – can’t afford the cancer treatments we’ve already got, why search for new ones?...bottom line: Precision medicine will help cancer patients. Already it’s a practice-changer, an oncology life-saver. So far, precision medicine has advanced care, and improved survival…it will take time, years, for physicians (and machines) to learn how best to give precise, targeted cancer treatments in combinations at the least toxic, optimized and effective doses for each patient. Doctors haven’t yet invented most of the “recipes” for good-quality PM, and are still searching for better ingredients (drugs)…Precision Medicine will emerge as a positive industry encompassing science, informatics and health care delivery. It makes no sense to keep science – or precision – out of clinics. Rather, science will, or should, become increasingly relevant to clinical practice…

Michael Zeglinski, vice president of Specialty Pharmacy Operations at BriovaRx, discusses the alignment between specialty pharmacies and ACOs.

Interview with Alan G. Rosenbloom, President and CEO of Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition about the Avalere Health Study: Long Term Care Pharmacy Sector Plays Key, Growing Role in U.S. Seniors’ Care as New Payment, Delivery Models Gain Prevalence in the industry.  (podcast 40:55min)

Governor John Kasich signed OPA-backed maximum allowable cost pricing and pharmacy benefit manager reforms into law. These reforms will better enable pharmacies to be kept whole on the medications they purchase and dispense to patients…While the law is now in effect, we expected the rollout to bring many questions and perhaps some foot-dragging by a few in the PBM industry, and as expected, it appears we're getting some of both. See below for a complete guide on the new law, implementation of the law, and what to do if you are working with a PBM who is failing to comply with the law.

• What are the new laws?
• How will the new laws be enforced?
• How do pharmacies register complaints if the law is not being followed?

We are pleased to report that it seems several PBMs seem to be embracing the spirit of the law so far, however we are hearing that not all PBMs are in compliance.

Beverly Schaefer, RPh, of Katterman's Sand Point Pharmacy in Seattle, Washington, talks about the benefits of having a travel section in a pharmacy.

As the heath care landscape continues to change, pharmacy technicians have been increasingly holding leadership roles on their pharmacy teams…Yet the task of managing a pharmacy can prove daunting to even the most experienced tech, as many technician training programs don’t necessarily prepare their students for pharmacy management…Although their targeted audience was consultant pharmacists, they provided the following tips for all pharmacy workers—including technicians—who are looking for ways to better manage their team.

1. Understand the Difference Between Management and Leadership
2. Identify Your Leadership Skills and Style
3. Observe the Group Dynamic
4. Identify Each Employee’s Motivation
5. Improve Communication
6. Set Goals
7. Provide and Be Open to Feedback
8. Look to Your Leaders

Transparency is key, expert says…Any number of incidents can erode a community's trust in a hospital, from a nasty disease outbreak to a slow corrosion of the hospital-community relationship over time. But both types of lost trust can be repaired…suggestions for rebuilding community trust, including:

1. Be transparent and communicate to show hospital leaders take the situation seriously when incidents such as infectious-disease outbreaks occur
2. Acknowledge mistakes and show strong support for staff while correcting those errors
3. Share stories of the good work the hospital is doing
4. Engage and partner with community groups to host events such as safety fairs and community walks/runs
5. Encourage hospital leaders to blog to engage the community with health-oriented information
6. Listen to what community members say in informal settings and be willing to respond
7. Research community needs, such as access to dental care, and work to serve those needs

‘Watson can help us ensure we’ve left no stone unturned in our search to diagnose and cure these rare diseases.’…IBM Watson and Boston Children's Hospital are taking on rare children's diseases that are hard to diagnose and treat. First up is a rare form of kidney disease…Their first project will focus on kidney disease. Watson will analyze the massive volumes of scientific literature and clinical databases on the Watson Health Cloud to match genetic mutations to diseases and help uncover insights that could help clinicians identify treatment options…IBM has been developing Watson's ability to analyze genomic data in collaboration with leading cancer centers around the world. The new project with Boston Children's represents the first time this technology will be applied to help clinicians efficiently identify possible options for rare disease diagnosis and treatment.

Ken Whittemore Jr, Surescript's senior vice president of professional and regulatory affairs, shares information on the current and future estimates of e-prescribing use.

VA hired thousands of new staff but can't see all patients within 30 days…Despite the addition of thousands of new doctors and nurses, Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald says the number of appointments not completed in 30 days within the VA system has grown from 300,000 to nearly 500,000…McDonald told the National Press Club that the VA is addressing the problems that led to delays in care and has completed 3.1 million more appointments in the latest fiscal year than the previous one. He said more veterans seek care at the VA because it is more convenient, effective and cheaper than other settings.