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ICD-10 go live date came and went...with many organizations reporting small, if any, hiccups. One of those...was Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center…with CIO John Halamka,.. reporting on his team's first few days…other than a few small refinements, the impact has been unnoticeable…financial system is able to process both ICD-9 and ICD-10 to support patients who were admitted on 9/30 and discharged on 10/1…scorecard listed only five minor issues...which our local teams…were able to…quickly close…thanks to all involved in this extremely smooth go live…Our next steps will be monitoring the coding of the initial inpatient cases and payer submissions along with watching reimbursements over the next 60 days.

Summer was a busy season for FDA drug warnings...Now that fall is in full gear, pharmacists should get familiarized with the drug safety communications sent out this past summer...Here are the FDA’s medication safety alerts since June, starting with the most recent:

1. Ceftazidime and avibactam (Avycaz) - drug strength
2. Tramadol (Ultram, Ultram ER, Conzip) – pediatric use
3. Clozapine (Clozaril) – neutropenia management , REMS Program
4. Ingenol mebutate (Picato) - adverse reactions
5. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors - joint pain warning
6. Fingolimod (Gilenya) - progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
7. Gadolinium-based contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging - brain deposits
8. Vortioxetine (Brintellix) and ticagrelor (Brilinta) – name confusion
9. Codeine-containing cough-and-cold medications – pediatric use, respiratory conditions
10. Methylphenidate transdermal system (Daytrana patch) - permanent skin discoloration

Two brothers were arrested today on federal drug trafficking and money laundering charges for allegedly utilizing a bogus pharmacy to obtain and distribute large quantities of prescription narcotics,..Berry Kabov, and Dalibor Kabov, 32, are charged in a 40-count indictment that also alleges they operated Global Compounding Pharmacy in West Los Angeles to illegally import large quantities of anabolic steroids… records show…Kabov brothers purchased massive quantities of drugs, including nearly 100,000 oxycodone pills, as well as tens of thousands of pills of hydrocodone…and hydromorphone...

The state is accusing the University of Washington Medical Center of not keeping critical pharmacy areas clean enough…Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission says this could affect public health, safety and welfare…"...daily cleaning of sterile compounding areas either had not occurred ... or were not documented."…It also found that, "multiple facility controls had rust, glue and dirt visibly present." And that there was "an open window to the area, high traffic in the area, and personnel who were not properly garbed."… both the director and manager of the Pharmacy - as well as the Pharmacy itself could face suspension or revocation of their licenses.

Nevada Division of Insurance has posted 2016 health insurance rates for individual and small group markets online at http://healthrates.doi.nv.gov/Wizard.aspx,...This is the first opportunity for Nevadans who purchase health insurance on their own or as a small business to see how much it will cost in 2016. Open enrollment begins Nov. 1…

Minnesotans could get their prescription drugs from Canada by 2017 if a state representative has his way…State Representative Joe Atkins plans to introduce a bill next legislative session that would make it legal for Minnesotans to buy…prescription drugs from Canada through their local pharmacies…"Right now – we're turning Americans into criminals. We've got Minnesotans driving up to Canada to buy these drugs at much lower prices.".. His bill would require the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services to establish the program where local pharmacies could sign up, as well as creating a web site for ordering prescriptions.

…last January, the total verdict for the pharmacist plaintiff who complained he was discharged in violation of the ADA for refusing to provide immunizations in light of his documented fear of needles was upwards of $2.6 million. On September 23, the Court responded to a defense motion for judgment as a matter of law by largely finding that the jury had a sufficient basis for awarding back pay, front pay, and some amount of compensatory damages. However, the amount of compensatory damages was $900,000, and the Court agreed with the defendant that this amount was excessive. The Court ordered a remittitur of the compensatory damages to $125,000...

Despite our gleaming new hospital at the Glen offering state-of-the-art facilities, when Université de Montréal researcher Damien Contandriopoulos gives the closing address on the future of hospitals for the Hospital Conference at McGill University…he will paint a bleak portrait of health care in Quebec….new Montreal hospitals, even those which haven’t opened yet, would be fantastic answers to the problems of the health care system of 10 years ago,"… "There is a disconnect between what people expect and what hospitals have to offer,"…"People waiting in a corridor seems normal in a hospital — but it’s not normal." Quebec is lagging behind the rest of Canada in terms of the performance of its health care system.

Thousands of Americans in communities across the country discarded more than 350 tons of unused, expired, or unwanted drugs as part of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Initiative on Saturday, September 26…This past weekend, more than 3,800 federal, state and local counterparts took in more than 702,365 pounds of unused, expired or unwanted drugs at more than 5,000 collection sites....

Montreal pharmacist who was fined a hefty $50,000 by the disciplinary council of the Quebec Order of Pharmacists for his lucrative, but unethical, practice of repackaging single doses of an expensive eye medication into three applications is now appealing the decision…John Di Genova,...has lost his license for 19 months　after the council concluded　that his repackaging of the drug Lucentis (ranibizumab),..was a violation of the professional code of pharmacists…After subdividing the single-dose…Di Genova proceeded to charge the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec for three full doses,…the Order found that Di Genova "illegally demanded money from the drug insurance board."