Category:

Federal officials say a Reno-area physician is among nine people, including several employees of a local auto dealership, accused of running in an illegal prescription drug "pill mill" distribution business...Dr. Robert Rand was arrested Friday...Richard Winston "Richie" West II, the son of a Reno auto dealer, was among the eight other defendants arrested...the investigation targeted the distribution of prescription opioid medications including oxycodone...

UnitedHealth Group Inc., which announced...it would limit its participation to a handful of Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges in 2017, will remain in Nevada’s exchange...so far is expected to halt participation in exchanges serving Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan and Oklahoma, had expanded its participation to 34 states this year...the insurer had unfavorable experiences and performances in the individual exchange market, citing the smaller overall market size and shorter-term, higher-risk profile of clients as indicators they couldn’t effectively service the market...UnitedHealthcare and OptumCare both fall under the UnitedHealth Group umbrella, and in Nevada, the former includes Health Plan of Nevada, Senior Dimensions and Sierra Health and Life...OptumCare...is a separate company that includes Southwest Medical Associates...Before the official announcement of a United Health Foundation grant to UNLV early this month, Robert McBeath, president and CEO of Southwest Medical, described United as having a "significant commitment" to Nevada.

Pharmacy students at Roseman University are volunteering to help Nevada’s Medicare population learn more about their insurance coverage, and a new grant is expected to boost their efforts...The students, who have been trained through the Nevada State Health Insurance Assistance Program, operate the school’s Medicare Call Lab, answering questions from Medicare participants and their families about insurance plans, prescription coverage and possible state and federal assistance eligibility...A $50,000 award through grant competition NobleCause will be distributed this month, allowing the lab to purchase tablets, dividers to separate students’ workstations and dual headsets to speed up training. It’ll also fund contract work with SHIP to have those counselors work more with students...Every call is a new experience because everybody has different issues, and they have different problems...Roseman’s Medicare Call Lab can be reached at 702-968-6615 or by email at medicare@roseman.edu.

• Darla Zarley Appointed to Board
• Does That DEA Number Really Match?
• FDA Approves Naloxone Nasal Spray to Prevent Opioid Overdose Deaths
• Selected Medication Safety Risks to Manage in 2016: 1) Patient Information – Placing Orders on the Wrong Patient’s Electronic Health Record; 2) Communication About Drug Therapy – Confusing the Available Concentration as the Patient’s
• Dose on Electronic Records
• FDA Provides Training Videos on MedWatch Resources and Breakthrough Therapy
• Reading Medicine Labels Helps Reduce Acetaminophen Overdoses
• Over-the-Counter Children’s Medicine
• Recalled Due to Incorrect Dose Markings
• FDA Offers Webinars on Online Drug Information Resources for Students and Clinicians
• Eye-Opening NTSB Analysis

On April 30th, 2016, local and federal agencies will once again partner together to sponsor the Prescription Drug Round Up event in Washoe County. Since the area’s first event in the fall of 2009, the Round Ups in Washoe County have collected over 1.6 million prescription pills. More than 230,000 of those pills were in categories that are commonly diverted and abused, such as painkillers, depressants and stimulants...Medications – including household prescription and over the counter pills and liquids – can be dropped off at the Round Up event with no questions asked. Citizens are asked to bring medications in their original containers if possible, and may mark out the patient’s name if they wish. Prescription waste or expired/surplus medications from medical offices or pharmaceutical companies or their representatives are not accepted at this event. In addition, volunteers from Northern Nevada HOPES and the Northern Nevada Outreach Team will be collecting residential sharps and providing information to the community about proper syringe disposal...Round Up Locations April 30th 10:00am – 2:00pm:

• Raleys - 18144 Wedge Parkway, Reno
• Walgreens - 10370 N. McCarran Blvd, Reno
• Save Mart– 4995 Kietzke Lane, Reno
• CVS - 680 N. McCarran Blvd, Sparks
• CVS – 5151 Sparks Blvd, Sparks
• Walmart – 250 Vista Knoll Parkway, Reno
• Incline Village Community Hospital – 880 Alder Ave, Incline Village

Donna Eom (PharmD candidate, Roseman University, College of Pharmacy) was this year’s recipient of the prestigious national United States Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Award...Donna was recognized for her demonstrated commitment to public health and public health practice in the Greater Las Vegas Valley through her role as Student Alliance VP of Community Affairs...LT Scott Myers, PharmD, an Officer & Senior Clinical Pharmacist with the U.S. Public Health Service, traveled to the Roseman University of Health Sciences College of Pharmacy campus in order to present her with the award...Donna was specifically honored for exemplary service to public health through the organization and execution of over 50 public health screening events. Primarily targeted to the underserved populations of the Las Vegas Valley, Donna was the point person for helping to coordinate Student Alliance’s delivery of blood pressure screens, cholesterol screens and diabetic fingersticks, through coordination with public and private stakeholders.

Manikins that breathe, sweat, cry and give birth are the newest high-tech teaching tools at Renown Regional Medical Center. They simulate normal healthy human functions. They can also imitate the symptoms of a medical conditions, giving health care professionals training opportunities...Sensors can tell the coordinators if the right medications and dosage were used. If not, the patient simulator may begin to display symptoms of a reaction. Organizers hope the program gives new and experienced nurses broader knowledge. Doctors and nurses will begin training with the manikins in early May...

Nevada ranks below the national average in emergency preparedness and health security...The Silver State scored a 5.9 overall on a 10-point preparedness scale in the 2016 National Health Security Preparedness Index...The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which directs the index and also supports the national County Health Rankings, found the United States is "relatively well-prepared" in the field of emergency management, averaging a 6.7 on a 10-point preparedness scale...Nevada struggled with lower than average marks in all but two of the six fields measured — incident and information management and environmental and occupational health...Nevada may be falling slightly behind other states in its emergency management preparations.

Eddie Lee, DMD Class of ’17, was selected by his American Student Dental Association peers for the Legislative Liaison of the Year Award..."Roseman’s DMD program is producing leaders who are being recognized for their contributions to the profession and the public it serves," said William Harmon, College of Dental Medicine Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Services...The Legislative Liaison of the Year Award honors an outstanding legislative liaison for motivating and organizing his/her chapter in the legislative arena and getting the chapter involved in advocacy efforts and events...The award is presented at National Dental Student Lobby Day...held April 11 through April 12th in Washington, D.C. It was a chance for dental students to get involved in advocacy and help give a voice to the issues that they care about...meet with members of Congress and their staffs to impact policy decisions.

Dr. Cathy Goring has seen many changes while practicing medicine in Reno. In this interview, she provides both the history and the planned future of medical school education in Reno. Goring is Chair of the Internal Medicine Department at the school of medicine as well as an academic hospitalist at Renown Health. Leading the discussion is Anne McMillin with the University of Nevada School of Medicine. (10:30 min podcast)