- Should Pharmacy Staff Have Optional Breaks? (pharmacytimes.com)Minnesota Board of Pharmacy REQUEST FOR COMMENT (mn.gov)
Pharmacists in Minnesota are fighting for the rights to take breaks and refuse to work more than 12 hours in a row...Since September 2015, the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy has received...comments for and against a work conditions rule that would prohibit pharmacies from denying breaks and requiring pharmacy staff to work more than 12 consecutive hours.
- ...those opposing the work condition rule tended to be from trade and professional associations, health systems, pharmacy owners, and pharmacy managers.
- ...National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the Minnesota Retailers Association submitted comments that suggested limitations on hours and uninterrupted breaks could “go against the professional judgment of a pharmacist for certain situations.”
- ...CVS Health “strongly believes that a pharmacist should continue to manage their own work schedule and not rely on a board rule to dictate work conditions,” a company spokesperson commented.
- ...opposition to the rule said they feared consequences related to their schedule.
- ...Nearly all those in favor of the rule were pharmacists.
- How MTM Is Disrupting Pharmacy Care (pharmacytimes.com)
All MTM (medication therapy management) services may be billed for, but the question remains: which insurance companies will reimburse them? Many studies have validated the value of the pharmacist in providing MTM services solely as a cost-avoidance model for any specific medical group. Ideally, MTM services would be billed and reimbursed while cost-avoidance would be documented through an increasingly positive outcome of care for these specific patients...MTM services may be focused on specific situations such as a targeted medication review or discharge education, or they may be provided as complete comprehensive medication reviews...The following are general descriptions of the different forms of MTM services:
- Comprehensive Medication Review
- Target Medication Review
- Bedside MTM
- As Time Permits
- Inpatient MTM Program
- Outpatient MTM Program
- Complete MTM Program
- Billing for MTM Services
- MTM Implementation
- Conclusion
- 3 Exotic Diseases Pharmacists Should Know (pharmacytimes.com)
Pharmacists should learn how to properly diagnose foreign-acquired diseases in order to optimize outcomes for infected patients...these diseases are rarely seen in US emergency departments, health-system pharmacists might nevertheless encounter them during their careers...It’s important to recognize these diseases and know what you need to help them, [but] you don’t need to be an expert...Pharmacists can also play a role in preventing these diseases by reminding patients that they must follow their entire prescribed regimen when taking drugs prior to travel...The following are some exotic diseases primarily coming from Southeast Asia that pharmacists should know:
- Malaria
- Dengue Fever
- Typhoid Fever
- Prevention Strategies Pharmacists Can Use to Reduce Errors (pharmacytimes.com)
Natasha Nicol, PharmD, FASHP, director of Global Patient Safety Affairs at Cardinal Health, provides prevention strategies to reduce medication errors.
- Risk Tool Helps Pharmacists Qualify Patients for Take-Home Naloxone (pharmacytimes.com)
Alongside the growing prevalence of chronic pain and prescription opioid use, drug-related overdose continues to claim the lives of 17,000 Americans each year...Deaths from unintentional opioid overdose have increased 56% since 2010. In 2013, 83% of the opioid overdoses were unintentional...In 2010, there were approximately 136,000 emergency room visits related to opioid-induced respiratory depression and overdose. Needless to say, opioid overdoses are...drastically increasing health care costs...When naloxone is administered by first responders outside an institutional setting, it can improve outcomes for emergency opioid reversal prior to a patient reaching the emergency department. There are currently 2 FDA-approved naloxone formulations for take-home use: the auto-injector...and the new intranasal formulation...
- Who Should Receive Take-Home Naloxone?
- The Risk Index for Overdose or Serious Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression (RIOSORD)
- Risk Factors Associated with OSORD (opioid-induced respiratory depression)
- How Can I Use RIOSORD in a Community Pharmacy?
- Risk Mitigation and Patient Education
- Conclusion
With the availability of naloxone for take-home use, no one should lament over the loss of a loved one because a life-saving medication was not easily accessible...We can’t agree that naloxone availability will end opioid overdose deaths, but it certainly is our professional responsibility to ensure that we’ve taken every step to reduce risks...Pharmacists, physicians, and student clinicians have an excellent opportunity to mitigate opioid overdose risks by employing the validated RIOSORD tool. RIOSORD can aid opioid prescribers in identifying at risk patients, and it can also help encourage a candid dialogue among pharmacists, patients, and caregivers to reduce patient harm.
- Payment for Community Pharmacy Services – Video from the FIP (International Pharmaceutical Federation) Congress (quadia.webtvframework.com)
Key Elements
- Remuneration based on pre-established transparent criteria including incentives for quality
- Greater communication – to allow others to better understand what pharmacists actually do
- Reduced complexity to allow the system to be interpreted and communicated clearly to the public and the political decision makers
- Mr. Mucus-repped cough meds get the most positive buzz online (fiercepharmamarketing.com)
Score one for Mr. Mucus. A new study found that the slimy spokes-character helped propel Reckitt Benckiser's family of Mucinex brands to three of the top four slots on a new list of preferred OTC cough-and-cold medicines. Treato, the online data-analysis company, created the list by analyzing findings from more than 5 million patient-written online posts and reviews...Mucinex D was No. 1, earning 4.6 (5-point satisfaction scale), followed by Delsym, which is also a Reckitt brand. Mucinex and Mucinex DM ranked Nos. 3 and 4, with Pfizer's Robitussin DM and Dimetapp brands tied at No. 5...Reckitt Benckiser's investment in DTC advertising is clearly paying off as consumers are disproportionately discussing their brands online...
- As Haggen exits, other businesses also suffer (reviewjournal.com)Haggen files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (reviewjournal.com)Haggen plans to close seven Las Vegas stores by Thanksgiving (reviewjournal.com)
The beauty boutique at 1946 Village Center Circle, inside Summerlin's Trails Village Center, has seen walk-in traffic tumble as much as 75 percent since the closure of grocer Haggen (Haggen Food & Pharmacy) next door, said owner Donna Catalfamo...Catalfamo's story illustrates how the closure of an anchor tenant in a neighborhood shopping center ripples down to small companies nearby. And a number of smaller businesses are feeling that effect today: Three of Haggen's seven Southern Nevada stores — locations at 1940 Village Center Circle, 820 S. Rampart Blvd. and 1031 Nevada Highway in Boulder City — remain empty, with few suitors in sight..."Traffic was down the minute the Haggen sign went up (in June)," Catalfamo said. "We started to feel the effects after the first week."...litigation can complicate leasing. Haggen is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and in August, it sued Albertsons, which sold Haggen 146 stores across the West for $300 million, alleging that Albertsons sabotaged its market debuts.
- FIP publishes guide to help pharmacists establish tobacco-free communities (fip.org)
In time for the quit smoking New Year resolutions that are anticipated at the end of this month, the International Pharmaceutical Federation has outlined the wide variety of different ways in which pharmacists can reduce the use of tobacco through a new publication. The briefing document, "Establishing tobacco-free communities: A practical guide for pharmacists", gives a number of examples from around the world, showcasing pharmacists’ value in performing health promotion, triage and referral as well as other interventions.
- 5 Must-Know Facts About Chikungunya (pharmacytimes.com)
Chikungunya (chik-ən-ˈgu̇n-yə) was rarely seen in US travelers before 2006, but the virus has grown more prevalent. Now, almost all states have seen at least one case of the disease in US travelers this year...Chikungunya virus is transmitted primarily through mosquito bites...Reports of infection tend to come from US travelers who visited Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the US Virgin Islands...Since there is no antiviral therapy specifically for chikungunya viral disease, patients diagnosed with it may be treated with corticosteroids or physiotherapy for joint pain. They may take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for pain and fever...Health care professionals should stress plenty of fluids and rest for infected patients...Here are 5 must-know facts pharmacists should know about chikungunya:
- Look out for symptoms such as fever and polyarthralgia among travelers.
- Chikungunya may cause central nervous system disease such as encephalitis.
- More than 2811 chikungunya cases were reported among US citizens in 2014.
- So far, 623 cases of chikungunya have been reported among Americans in 2015.
- Researchers have made strides in developing a chikungunya vaccine.