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Nicole Grassano, PTNN, Pharmacy Week in Review, this weekly video program provides our readers with an in-depth review of the latest news, product approvals, FDA rulings and more.

Nicole Grassano, PTNN, Pharmacy Week in Review, this weekly video program provides our readers with an in-depth review of the latest news, product approvals, FDA rulings and more.

Christina Mattina, welcome to This Week in Managed Care from the Managed Markets News NetworkHere are the results of our online poll of the top healthcare stories for 2019.

5. A judge strikes down Medicaid work rules in Kentucky and Arkansas.

4. The uninsured rate hits a 4-year high.

3. Doctors link a mysterious lung illness to vaping.

2. An appeals court brings uncertainty to the future of the ACA.

1. Dr Scott Gottlieb steps down as FDA commissioner.

Christina Mattina, welcome to This Week in Managed Care from the Managed Markets News Network

Publix Pharmacy is celebrating a milestone. It recently filled its 100 millionth free prescription as part of its free medication program...“We are proud to provide a service that helps our customers afford their medications,” Publix vice president of pharmacy Dain Rusk, said. “As the cost of health care continues to rise, this program has become even more important to our customers and our communities. Too often, high prescription costs prevent people from taking medication as prescribed. When medications are free or available at a greatly reduced cost, that barrier is lifted, and our customers can get the care they need.”...READ MORE

Despite aggressive advocacy efforts by state-based pharmacy organizations and individual New York pharmacists, Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week vetoed legislation to help to rein in costly pharmacy benefit manager practices by giving the superintendent of insurance licensing and regulatory authority over PBMs. This regulatory authority would put an end to the lack of transparency, oversight, and accountability that has allowed PBMs to engage in anticompetitive practices to the harm of the state’s patients and small-business community pharmacies...READ MORE

Nicole Grassano, PTNN, Year in Review, this weekly video program provides our readers with an in-depth review of the latest news, product approvals, FDA rulings and more.

Christina Mattina, welcome to This Week in Managed Care from the Managed Markets News Network

Only 1 in 10 California pharmacies have programs to take back unused prescription opioids and just one in five give consumers accurate disposal information, according to a study that suggests drugstores could do more to help combat substance abuse...The study results suggest that many pharmacies may be falling short as educators and as places for safe disposal...READ MORE

Ongoing threats to the safety of intravenous (IV) drug delivery include drug shortages and lack of IV product standardization, according to an expert panel...The panel of health care providers developed recommendations...The findings...were published in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy.

The panel’s findings include:

1. The panel believes in the overall superiority of manufacturer ready-to-use products, and says they are the safest IV drug delivery systems, followed by outsourced, ready-to-use, pharmacy compounded, point-of-care activated, and nonpharmacy compounded at point of care.
2. Drug shortages and lack of standardization are the 2 most significant threats to IV drug safety.
3. Variations in IV medication concentrations during transitions of care within the same institution or between different facilities can increase the likelihood of a medication error, leading the panel to identify lack of standardization as a major threat to safety.
4. Manufacturer-prepared products are the safest IV drug delivery system, and manufacturer-prepared, ready-to-administer products are preferred for patient use whenever possible...
5. Specialized education, training, certification, and competency with regard to compounding of sterile preparations should be required for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and other involved health care providers...
6. A legislative and regulatory framework that supports and encourages IV medication safety in all settings (such as physician offices) should be developed…READ MORE