- McKesson AccessHealth enhances suite of reimbursement tools (drugstorenews.com)
McKesson AccessHealth...expanded its suite of reimbursement and performance enhancement tools and relationships...While the shift to preferred networks and new reimbursement models is challenging for many independents, there are also opportunities for incentives...There is a tremendous chance for innovative pharmacies to leverage their strengths, improve their overall pharmacy performance and maximize their reimbursement by interacting with their patients and providing care...more than one-third of Medicare D claims through AccessHealth contracts will include performance-based reimbursement incentives...those pharmacies or pharmacy networks who display top performance will be charged a smaller...Direct and Indirect Remuneration, amount than those who underperform. This...presents independent pharmacies with an...opportunity to reduce their DIR charges, thereby maximizing their potential reimbursement. The new suite of tools include:
- AccessHealth Pharmacy Performance Guidebook...offers detailed instructions on how to develop action plans to improve patient behavior and boost outcomes using such tools as medication therapy management case completion, refill reminder programs, medication synchronization and behavioral coaching;
- AccessHealth DIR Estimator Tool...allows a pharmacy to enter information specific to them and estimate accrual and incentive amounts that may impact DIR payments in order to plan accordingly;
- AccessHealth Webinar Series...designed to help independent pharmacies prepare for new reimbursement rates as well as identify opportunities to leverage the movement toward pay-for-performance incentives.
- Teva Said to Seek Fast EU Approval for Allergan Unit Bid (bloomberg.com)
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. will try to win an early European Union approval for its takeover of Allergan Plc’s generics unit by making concessions to regulators this week...Teva and Allergan will meet a deadline to propose remedies aimed at allaying any EU antitrust concerns...If EU regulators are satisfied with the proposals, they could clear the transaction without an extended probe that can last about 90 working days. The companies plan to close the deal by the end of March...Teva’s $40.5 billion cash-and-stock bid for Allergan’s generics drugs business will make it the world’s largest maker of generic medicines, giving it greater negotiating power with governments and private-health insurers. Allergan will receive a $1 billion termination fee from Teva if the deal fails to close due to regulatory issues.
- Report calls out weak FDA stance on medical device cybersecurity, favors stronger regulation (healthcareitnews.com)Assessing the FDA's Cybersecurity Guidelines for Medical Device Manufacturers: Why Subtle 'Suggestions' May Not Be Enough (icitech.org)
...the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology, a bipartisan collaborative meant to bridge the gap between federal agencies and private-sector leaders in the interest of protecting the nation's technology backbone, claims recent guidance from Food and Drug Administration for device makers falls way short...In practically all matters of cybersecurity within the health sector, the FDA seems to be in a constant state of offering subtle suggestions where regulatory enforcement is needed..."Assessing the FDA's Cybersecurity Guidelines for Medical Device Manufacturers: Why Subtle 'Suggestions' May Not Be Enough," knocks the agency for failing to implement enforceable regulations for manufacturers...It may be beneficial to healthcare providers, healthcare payers, and legislators to petition the FDA to make the guidelines regulatory. Otherwise, medical device manufacturers could ignore the guidelines altogether...
- More College Students Misusing ADHD Med as Study Aid (realclearhealth.com)
College students aiming for an academic edge may explain a surge in the misuse of a stimulant commonly prescribed for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder...Among U.S. adults, the number of Adderall prescriptions stayed stable from 2006 to 2011, but misuse of the drug jumped 67 percent and related visits to emergency rooms went up by 156 percent...The majority of adults who are using Adderall nonmedically are in the age range of 18 to 25...The researchers speculate that college students may prefer Adderall over the other stimulants because it increases two brain chemicals linked with better cognitive functioning and has a reputation for making people smarter...Many students mistakenly believe these drugs will make them smarter and more efficient at studying, so in their view the risk is worth the reward...because Adderall can improve focus, it may also give some students an unfair advantage, thus constituting academic dishonesty...
- Pharmacy Week in Review: February 19, 2016 (pharmacytimes.com)
Mike Glaicar, Business Development: Pharmacy Times...(PTNN) This weekly video program provides our readers with an in-depth review of the latest news, product approvals, FDA rulings and more.
- WHO-backed pharmacovigilance program in India lags (fiercepharmaasia.com)
India's program to track the side effects of drugs in patients around the country is being hindered by low staff, lack of equipment and poor funding...India's pharmacovigilance program...currently sends data that medical professional collect of drug side effects to VigiBase--the database of the World Health Organization--as part of a global initiative to improve drug safety...Low staff numbers and poor equipment, as well as few properly trained personnel, have hampered the collection of this data...These important details about drug reactions could be dangerous to miss...The lack of quantity and quality in drug reaction data means India's government has less information on judging whether certain drugs have adverse side effects. Though the number of reports has risen...India has a long way to go to get their pharmacovigilance up to speed...
- Congressman Heck pushing for EMS to continue to use controlled substances (kolotv.com)
A Nevada Congressman is pushing to make sure emergency medical teams retain the ability to administer life-saving medicine in the field. Congressman Joe Heck says the Drug Enforcement Agency wants certain drugs to be used only in hospitals, because of fears over the accountability of controlled substances and how they are administered. Heck says paramedics should be able to do the job they’re trained to do...current law states that medical directors can create standing orders that apply to emergency situations. If a patient meets certain criteria, a substance can be administered in the field...He says the DEA wants to take that ability away from paramedics, saying they can no longer use controlled substances, even under these standing orders from medical directors. Heck says this will hinder a paramedic’s ability to give quality care to a patient. He says this is an issue especially in rural areas, where a patient could be in an ambulance for a long time without proper care..."There’s a way to make sure that we can ensure the accountability of these controlled substances while still allowing the paramedics to administer these life-saving materials...this bill will specify the protocol for a physician creating a standing order. The bill also says standing orders must be made available for Attorney General Loretta Lynch at her request...
- U.K. cost gatekeepers say ‘show me’ to Alexion’s new rare disease med Kanuma (fiercepharma.com)
The U.K.'s cost-effectiveness gatekeepers think Alexion's newest rare-disease drug, Kanuma (sebelipase alfa), may be worth using in babies with lysosomal acid lipase deficiency. But it's going to need to see more research on the pricey med's costs and benefits before it shells out...At £491,992 ($704,630), the therapy doesn't represent good value for all patients, the National Institute of Heath and Care Excellence said in draft guidance. But there's still time for the company to change the watchdog's mind before it makes a final decision...Alexion...said in a statement that NICE had "failed to recognize the transformative clinical innovation of Kanuma" as a treatment for LAL deficiency, which can be particularly serious in babies. The inherited genetic disease causes fat to build up in cells, with survival for babies pegged at less than 12 months...it'll be up to the...drugmaker to prove the treatment's worth...
- Community pharmacy reforms (rpharms.com)
Changes to community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond...In a letter to the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee...the Department of Health and NHS England announced there would be a...reduction in funding through the community pharmacy contractual framework...this reduction in funding will have a substantial impact on pharmacy business owners, their employees and locums...it was announced that funding...would be cut by at least 6%, equating to £170 million ($242 million); lowering the funding available through the community pharmacy contractual framework from £2.8 billion ($4 billion) to £2.63 billion (3.75 billion). It is anticipated these changes will take effect in October 2016...Alongside the cut in funding...further changes that the Government would like to see, including:
- To better integrate pharmacy into the wider primary care and community health system – such as closer working with GP surgeries, care homes and urgent and emergency care departments - so that patients can benefit from pharmacists’ clinical skills through a "Pharmacy Integration Fund".
- A "Pharmacy Access Fund", which would provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared to others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.
- The potential for automation and centralising dispensing to provide efficiencies. Also, in some areas, the distribution and number of pharmacies does not match local patients' needs.
- The view of the Government that patients would like to order prescriptions online and that "click and collect" and delivery options would be easier to arrange.
- Hospital operator, Nevada coalition at odds over contract negotiations (reviewjournal.com)Health care coalition pickets in front of Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center (reviewjournal.com)
A contract dispute between a major hospital operator and a health care coalition in Southern Nevada could affect more than 275,000 people...Health Services Coalition, which negotiates health plans for about 20 labor groups and employers in Nevada...that talks were ongoing with Hospital Corporation of America, the operator of Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center and MountainView Hospital...The two parties are trying to negotiate a three- or four-year contract, according to the coalition... HCA wants to increase rates for access to their medical facilities but declined to provide additional details...Historically, we've had trouble with the increases they're requesting...Our main goal is to make sure that we have a contract or an extension past the deadline...