Author: Peter

Facing resistance from Pacific trading partners, the Obama administration is no longer demanding protection for pharmaceutical prices under the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, according to a newly leaked section of the proposed trade accord. Public health professionals, generic-drug makers and activists opposed to the trade deal, which is still being negotiated, contend that it will empower big pharmaceutical firms to command higher reimbursement rates in the United States and abroad, at the expense of consumers.

A new study published today in the American Journal of Public Health indicates that increased access to methadone or buprenorphine-based medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is critical to fully address the epidemic of opioid abuse and dependence in the United States. MAT is a comprehensive approach to address substance use disorders that combines the use of medication with counseling and behavioral therapies. Despite an increase in medication-assisted treatment capacity nationwide in the past decade, the rate of past-year opioid abuse or dependence significantly exceeded treatment capacity each year.

Medicare payment cuts exceeding $700 million were eliminated from legislation that sought to redirect this funding to an unrelated trade program, following an overwhelming vote in the U.S. House of Representatives last week. Now the U.S. Senate must take action. The success of Thursday’s House vote—397 to 32—largely can be attributed to efforts by the AMA and other health care groups and the bipartisan collaboration among members of the House, including the Doctors’ Caucus.

The second tenet of the APhA Code of Ethics states, "A pharmacist promotes the good of every patient in a caring, compassionate, and confidential manner." It sounds easy. It evokes an immediate response from each pharmacist and pharmacy technician: "I wouldn’t violate that, no matter what."

.... the House Calls program at Virginia Commonwealth University this year implemented a new benefit for some medically complex patients: an in-home consultation with a pharmacist. .......when visiting patients in their homes consists largely of "kitchen table" medication reconciliation and teaching patients and their families about their medicines.

Various pharmacy segments have recently been focusing their attention on what they can do to reduce avoidable readmissions of patients to hospitals, including improving the discharge process. Preventable hospital readmissions currently cost the US health system an estimated $25 billion annually. Pharmacists in different settings can play an important role in reducing these avoidable readmissions, especially if they learn to coordinate their efforts and collaborate.

North Dakota is making it easier for pharmacists to work on healthcare teams and also preparing the next generation of pharmacists to care for patients in contemporary practice settings. During its brief 2015 legislative session, the state enacted four laws that together enhance collaborative practice opportunities for pharmacists, confirm that pharmacists are healthcare providers, and provide new prescribing and billing authority under specific circumstances.

Investors are betting that the healthcare sector's strong run will not be held back for long even if the U.S. Supreme Court rules against the Affordable Care Act. At issue are the tax credits that help about 6.4 million low- and moderate-income Americans buy insurance. If the Court rules against the credits, millions of Americans may find they cannot afford their insurance. This could affect the health insurers as well as hospitals and other providers........