Author: Peter

I have worked with, and still work with, pharmacists who continue to practice well into their 70s and even 80s. These pharmacists are extremely knowledgeable, excellent with patients, and exceptionally skilled when it comes to educating younger pharmacists. The one thing that each one of these very seasoned pharmacists has in common is that they do not need to work. To them, pharmacy is a way of life, and they find meaning in what they do..

more than one-third of US adults regularly using the Internet to self-diagnose, there has been a proliferation of online symptom checkers offering streamlined medical advice....it is important for pharmacists to remind patients that online symptom checkers are by no means conclusive,...helpful to offer advice about which ones may be most useful.

1. Symcat – 71% accurate
2. Isabel – 69% accurate
3. AskMD – 68% accurate
4. DocResponse – 67% accurate
5. iTriage – 64% accurate
6. Mayo Clinic – 59% accurate
7. FamilyDoctor – 56% accurate
8. Healthline – 53% accurate
9. HMS Family Health Guide – 52% accurate
10. WebMD – 51% accurate

National Health Service (United Kingdom) has announced a £15($23) million scheme to fund, recruit and employ clinical pharmacists in GP practices....pharmacists will offer a range of clinical care including helping patients to manage long-term conditions, giving advice on medications, managing repeat prescription requests and developing bespoke medicine plans for patients.

Jeremy Hunt (Health Secretary) is a facing a growing backlash over his comments during a speech on the National Health Service (United Kingdom)...he essentially gave doctors an ultimatum to get on board with seven-day working....threatened to impose a new contract for doctors if negotiations to.. end the "monday to friday" culture...are unsuccessful.

ProPublica calculated death and complication rates for surgeons performing one of eight elective procedures in Medicare, carefully adjusting for differences in patient health, age and hospital quality. Use this database to know more about a surgeon before your operation.

Big Pharma is staring down a number of serious threats that could drag down their share prices in the not-so-distant future.

1. soaring cost of newly approved therapies..many ..to investigate new pricing models

2. stiff competition - "Little Pharma" -- the smaller up-and-coming players

3. advent of multiple new classes of game-changing products

Food and Drug Administration’s drug approval process…is the fastest in the world,.. Americans…have first access to new drugs…agency has transformed the approval process—approving 51 new molecular entities and biological products last year…drug discovery and development is not keeping pace for many diseases.

Publix Pharmacy announced it is offering biometric screenings at the company’s more than 970 pharmacy locations. (Glucose, Lipid Panel, Lipid Panel + Glucose, Blood Pressure, Body Mass Index).."As both a supermarket and pharmacy, we are uniquely positioned to assist our customers in their overall health and wellness goals,"

More than 4,000 care providers recognized with Positive Actions Toward Health Excellence in Patient Service Awards for hitting key quality measures in treatment of Medicare Advantage membersProgram is helping encourage transition to value-based payments from fee-for-service approach..

government (United Kingdom) is promising a "new deal" for general practitioners in England if they sign up to seven-day opening…Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he will increase the GP workforce by 10% to deal with the added workload. (video)