- Live ICD-10 updates: Get the latest news, reactions to the code change (healthcareitnews.com)
It's October 1, 2015, the ICD-10 diagnostic code set is live at last, and medical professionals now have nearly 70,000 codes to choose from when filing patient claims…Healthcare IT News and sister site Healthcare Finance will be reporting on the changeover throughout the day, using the live blog below to highlight the latest news, real-time reactions and frequent updates from our cadre of volunteer ICD-10 correspondents, a group of healthcare insiders who have agreed to keep us posted on what they're seeing post-switchover.
- Medicare drug plan prices set to rise in 2016, some by a lot (cnbc.com)
More than 15 million people enrolled in the top 10 Medicare "Part D" prescription drug plans will face average premium hikes of 8 percent next year,...Those top 10 plans account for more than 80 percent of enrollment in such drug plans…Five of the top prescription drug plans will see double-digit premium hikes next year.
- Pharmacists Shouldn’t Use TPA Abbreviations (pharmacytimes.com)
…abbreviations "TPA" and "t-PA" are causing medication mix-ups between alteplase (Activase) and tenecteplase (TNKase)….This confusion is a significant contributing factor to wrong drug errors between Activase and TNKase, according to the FDA and Institute for Safe Medication Practices… To avoid this, ISMP recommends removing the abbreviations from all standardized order sets, electronic order entry screens, and treatment protocols, and referring to the medications by their brand names, generic names, or both in all verbal and written communication.
- Walgreens and HHS flu shot voucher initiative to deliver $15 million in vaccinations (drugstorenews.com)
Walgreens is providing up to $15 million worth of free flu shot vouchers through its collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services, in an effort to improve immunization rates among uninsured and underinsured…the voucher initiative has been instrumental in helping to protect more people from the flu each season,… providing access to flu shots at no cost for those who are eligible, we can make a significant impact by protecting more people throughout the flu season…
- DSNTV: NCPA panel explores specialty pharmacy model for independents – Part 2 (drugstorenews.com)
Avalere Health’s Mike Johnsrud moderated a panel of leading stakeholders in the specialty pharmacy arena at an exclusive National Community Pharmacists Association...forum that explored specialty pharmacy as a viable and promising business model for entrepreneurial independent pharmacists. DSNTV was on hand to capture the highlights of that panel in this video, including insights from Diplomat Pharmacy’s Ela Lourido and H.D. Smith Specialty Solutions’ Tom Doyle. (video)
- NVSHP Annual Meeting 2015, October 3, 2015 (nvshp.org)
NVSHP would like to welcome all Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians, Pharmacy Students and other Health Professionals to the Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 3rd, at the JA Nugget Casino in Sparks Nevada…There will be 4 hours of CE available and an exhibit showcase. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there!
- PPMI: Advancing Pharmacy Practice (Steve Nelson)
- Nevada Law CE (Nevada State Board of Pharmacy Staff)
- Updates on Biologic Therapy for Plaque Psoriasis (Stephen Lee)
- Naloxone Rescue 101 (Danielle Finn, Kelly Krieger, Heather Mooney)
- EMV Chip Cards: What Pharmacies Need to Know (pharmacytimes.com)Credit and Debit Cards Lag on Upgrades -Half of Americans won’t get a chip-loaded card by the deadline. (bloomberg.com)
Independent pharmacies will want to consider updating their credit card processing terminals to accept EMV chip cards this fall…Named after their original developers (Europay, MasterCard, and Visa), EMV cards have a small, metallic square on the front of the card that serves as a microprocessor to store data securely, making the cards nearly impossible to counterfeit…starting October 1...the liability for credit card fraud will shift from banks to stores that are not EMV compliant…liability will shift to "whichever party is the least EMV-complaint in certain fraudulent transactions...
- CVS Pharmacists Can Dispense Naloxone Sans Rx in 12 More States (pharmacytimes.com)
CVS Health pharmacists can now provide the opioid overdose antidote naloxone to patients without a prescription in a dozen more states…CVS patients could already receive naloxone in Rhode Island and Massachusetts without a prescription, CVS recently announced that it was expanding access in 12 more states, which have the following legislation concerning naloxone dispensing:
- Arkansas
- California
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Montana
- New Jersey
- North Dakota
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Wisconsin
- Right-to-Die Laws: What Pharmacists Need to Know (pharmacytimes.com)
California pharmacists could soon participate in dispensing lethal medications to terminally ill patients, pending Gov. Brown’s review of the state’s End of Life Option Act…"It will be critical for pharmacists to be highly engaged with patients, their physicians, and caregivers in discussions about end-of-life considerations,"…"As a member of the health care team and expert in medication use, pharmacists may be placed in situations that require their expertise and should be conversant in the medication-related aspects of these choices, regardless of whether they choose to actively participate in end-of-life actions or not."
- Demonstrating Quality in Specialty Pharmacy (specialtypharmacytimes.com)
Heather Bonome, PharmD, director of Pharmacy Segment at URAC, discusses the standards that illustrate quality in specialty pharmacy. (video)