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Three major spring meetings for pharmacists have been cancelled due to the coronavirus...

• APhA...to cancel its APhA 2020 Meeting and Exhibition...March 20-23
• NACDS was...forced to cancel its 12th Annual NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill...planned for March 10 to 11
• The American College of Clinical Pharmacy...cancelled its 2020 ACCP Spring Forum...held in St. Louis, Miss., April 25 to 26

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law allowing pharmacists to test and initiate treatment for influenza and Group A Streptococcus...“The bill will improve convenient access to quality care while removing avoidable pressures on hospitals and acute settings–a meaningful benefit at all times, and a benefit that is top-of-mind amid demanding public health situations ranging from flu outbreaks to the current coronavirus concerns...READ 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.

It’s no secret that healthcare is in a state of rapid shifts—it has been for a long time, and it shows no sign of slowing in its evolution—and pharmacy is no exception. From independents to big box to large chains to hospitals, every pharmacist is going to feel (and is already feeling) significant changes...Perhaps the greatest shift in recent years, however, has come from chains. Changes in chains affect not only the pharmacists working in those chains, but show how pharmacy as a whole is evolving...READ MORE

CGH Medical Center pharmacists say the system’s Med Card gives patients a better way to keep track of their medications – and say using the software has helped increase clinical knowledge...At CGH Medical Center in Sterling, Illinois, preventable readmissions represent a huge financial and clinical uncertainty...

• THE PROBLEM
• PROPOSAL
• MARKETPLACE
• MEETING THE CHALLENGE
• RESULTS

Pharmacists counseled more than 650 patients in the first eight months of the program at the 97-bed facility. They identified medication interventions in nearly half of all discharges. Depending on the intervention made, these changes had a major impact on patient safety and the cost of their medications...“While we haven’t been able to measure it yet, we are looking into how this program will impact our overall readmission rates and penalties, as well as HCAHPS scores,” said Tim Dunphy, director of pharmacy at CGH Medical Center...READ MORE

Despite increased access to naloxone, many individuals in rural communities continue to face barriers to obtaining the medication…However, informed pharmacists can serve as an educational resource, even if their pharmacies do not have the medication in stock...Ongoing efforts to expand prescribing methods through the United States have helped to improve naloxone accessibility. In Georgia, specifically, a standing order decrees that any individual may obtain naloxone from a licensed pharmacy without a prescription. Despite the standing order, pharmacies have been slow to adopt stocking naloxone and dispensing the medication…READ MORE

The National Community Pharmacists Association is highlighting pharmacists' expanding role in health care to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services...NCPA is urging CMS to enhance coverage of pharmacist-provided care services and reevaluate strict supervision requirements, as well as coverage policies for incident-to services...In response to President Trump’s Executive Order #13890 on Protecting and Improving Medicare for Our Nation’s Seniors...In addition to emphasizing that pharmacists improve patient care and outcomes when collaborating with health care professionals, NCPA argues in its comments that restrictive regulations currently hinder pharmacists’ ability to continue providing this care at the federal level, especially when state laws are already expanding to allow health care practitioners to contribute fully to patient care...READ MORE

With conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease on the rise, providing in-store cognitive screening can fulfill an unmet need and could be an opportunity for pharmacies to advance their self-care initiatives...“There is an opportunity for retail pharmacists to take the lead in testing for early cognitive decline — in particular testing when it matters most, when a patient can take action to modify underlying risk factors...The proactive management of modifiable risk factors can delay or slow the onset or progression of the cognitive decline...“As retail pharmacy clinical services continue to evolve, cognitive screening can play an integral role in identifying individuals who will benefit most from early detection so they can make lifestyle modifications to lead healthier, better lives,”...READ 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.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law last month new legislation that allows pharmacists in the state to initiate and dispense HIV medication without a prescription. The law, SB159, was amended to say that “a pharmacist may initiate and furnish HIV preexposure prophylaxis” and “a pharmacist may initiate and furnish HIV postexposure prophylaxis.” Previously, only pharmacists in specific collaborative practice agreements were able to dispense the drugs independently.In order to dispense either preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or postexposure prophylaxis (PEP), pharmacists will need to complete a boardapproved training program, according to the law...READ MORE

One of the current problems with intraoperative resuscitation is the lack of organization...The “Perioperative Pharmacy Attendance for Intraoperative Codes” safety initiative attempts to tackle this problem by addressing the role of “medication procurement, compounding, and time recording.” Pharmacists can quickly assess and provide dosing recommendations...Pharmacist attendance also allows anesthesia professionals to perform alternative tasks during a code, as they are usually responsible for running the code. The anesthesia team and nursing staff can more efficiently procure equipment and supplies because the pharmacy team is now responsible for obtaining the medications...READ MORE