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Community pharmacy, also known as retail pharmacy, is the most common type of pharmacy that allows the public access to their medications and advice about their health. Traditionally known as a chemist, it is the healthcare facility that is responsible for the provision of pharmaceutical service to a specific community group or region.

NCPA, NACDS explain importance of pharmacies in Medicaid program

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association have sent a joint letter to every Governor and State Medicaid Director, explaining the importance of pharmacies in Medicaid, offering recommendations, and expressing a desire to work together to cut costs without endangering Medicaid beneficiaries' access to pharmacy prescription drug services.

21 Feb 2011

Kaiser Permanente earns J.D. Power 2011 Customer Service Champion distinction

Kaiser Permanente's National Pharmacy Programs and Services was recognized at the J.D. Power and Associates Customer Service Roundtable in Las Vegas as a J.D. Power 2011 Customer Service Champion — one of only 40 companies to have earned the distinction this year.

19 Feb 2011

PBMI awards CVS Caremark and ArcelorMittal the 2011 Rx Benefit Innovation Award

CVS Caremark announced today that the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) awarded the company and its PBM client ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel company, the 2011 Rx Benefit Innovation Award. The award recognizes the Pharmacy Advisor program, which was developed by CVS Caremark to manage costs, improve medication adherence and close gaps in care for members with diabetes.

19 Feb 2011

American Scientific announces Lebanon-based HospiServices in Middle East, Africa

American Scientific Resources, Inc. announces Lebanon-based HospiServices is the Company's new distributor in the Middle East and Africa. HospiServices has placed its second order totaling 684 units for the Kidz-Med line of VeraTemp non-contact thermometers which will be distributed to pharmacies.

19 Feb 2011

Upsher-Smith expands voluntary recall of Jantoven Warfarin Sodium, 3 mg Tablets

Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc., of Maple Grove, Minnesota is voluntarily expanding its previously announced recall of Jantoven® Warfarin Sodium, USP, 3 mg Tablets to include additional products that were packaged on the same packaging line between May 17, 2010 and November 17, 2010.

19 Feb 2011

Healthspring fourth quarter revenues increase 29.4% to $50.9 million

HealthSpring, Inc. today announced its results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2010. HealthSpring's 2010 results include one month's contribution from the operations of Bravo Health, Inc., which was acquired by HealthSpring on November 30, 2010, and transaction expenses related to the acquisition.

18 Feb 2011

Statin drug may help prevent blindness in diabetics

New University of Georgia research has found that a statin drug that is often known by the brand-name Lipitor may help prevent blindness in people with diabetes.

17 Feb 2011

Medicaid should stop paying more than Medicare for pharmacy benefits

To help reduce state Medicaid spending, the New York State Health Department yesterday proposed that the program's prescription drug benefits be managed more like those in Medicare and commercial plans. The Department's "Proposal to Redesign Medicaid" says this move would save state taxpayers $350 million though 2015.

17 Feb 2011

MDI releases major software update to Viewpoint Analytics

MDI has released a major enhancement to Viewpoint Analytics, a powerful web-based healthcare data warehousing, management, and reporting solution. Among the biggest additions to Viewpoint's suite of capabilities, MDI has integrated McKesson's CareEnhance Disease Monitor solution, improved Viewpoint's innovative medical risk scoring, and enhanced overall reporting speed and performance through data cubing.

16 Feb 2011

Bisphosphonates appear to reduce risk of postmenopausal colorectal cancer by 50%

An international team of researchers has found that the use of bisphosphonates - drugs already taken by millions of healthy women to prevent bone-loss - for more than one year was associated with a 50 percent reduction in the risk of postmenopausal colorectal cancer. The results were published this week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

15 Feb 2011

UC Davis and Sutter first to share electronic health records in the region

Steven Hedrick, deputy director of rehabilitative programs at the California Department of Corrections, was relaxing at home recently when a sharp pain rippled through his lower abdomen. The ache was so severe that he drove to the nearest treatment center Sutter Urgent Care, Yuba City. Physicians there quickly evaluated Steven, obtained a CT scan and diagnosed him with kidney stones. Hedrick was prescribed pain medication and counseled to check in with his primary care physician at UC Davis as soon as possible.

15 Feb 2011

US Oncology's PAPs help cancer patients to access high quality care

Through the continuous and tremendous growth of its patient assistance support program, US Oncology, Inc., a division of McKesson Corp. and a leading integrated oncology company, is helping cancer patients access the high quality cancer care they need. By helping patients obtain financial assistance, thousands can now afford much needed treatment and cancer therapies.

15 Feb 2011

Oral bisphosphonates outweigh the risk associated with jaw disease

A commonly prescribed osteoporosis drug is associated with a slightly elevated risk of developing the rare, but serious condition, osteonecrosis of the jaw; nonetheless the risk remains extremely low. These findings are published online in the Journal of Dental Research, the official journal of the International and American Associations for Dental Research.

14 Feb 2011

University Hospitals to deploy Allscripts EHR for 1,400 physicians across Northeast Ohio

University Hospitals (UH), one of the nation's leading healthcare systems, will significantly expand its deployment of Allscripts ambulatory and acute care solutions to enable caregivers throughout Northeast Ohio to collaborate for a team approach to patient care.

14 Feb 2011

Huntington Insurance adds HealthWarehouse.com to prescription drug benefit program

HealthWarehouse.com, Inc., a leading retail mail-order pharmacy, and Huntington Insurance, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated and leader in employee benefits products, announced today a partnership that will give customers across the Midwest access to low-cost generic prescription medication.

14 Feb 2011

Campaign to undermine e-prescribing's safety, savings benefits

Some drug manufacturers are aggressively pushing legislative proposals in states across the country that if enacted would undermine electronic prescribing's (e-prescribing) proven safety and savings benefits, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) said today.

14 Feb 2011

Pharmacy, engineering professors at UH combine efforts to speed development of new antibiotics

Eliminating tens of thousands of manual lab experiments, two University of Houston (UH) professors are working toward a method to cut the development time of new antibiotics. While current practices typically last for more than a decade, a computerized modeling system being developed at UH will speed up this process.

11 Feb 2011

UCSD: Medication education can help patients with diabetes better stick to drug treatment plans

Researchers at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California, San Diego say that medication education is a key factor in helping patients with diabetes better stick to their drug treatments plans.

10 Feb 2011

State and federal efforts to monitor drug prescriptions and payments face challenges

The Center For Public Integrity reports on the challenges Medicare faces in trying to ensure that prescription drugs paid for by its contracting health plans are actually prescribed by doctors. Meanwhile, The Miami Herald chronicles the latest chapter in the ongoing story about the state's pill mills.

10 Feb 2011

Humira and Enbrel have best overall clinical profile for treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis: Survey

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis, the highest proportion of surveyed dermatologists and managed care organizations' (MCOs) pharmacy directors indicate that Abbott/Eisai's Humira and Amgen/Pfizer/Stiefel/Takeda's Enbrel have the best overall clinical profile when compared to other currently available agents.

9 Feb 2011

Pharmacy News and Research

Further Reading

NCPA, NACDS explain importance of pharmacies in Medicaid program

Kaiser Permanente earns J.D. Power 2011 Customer Service Champion distinction

PBMI awards CVS Caremark and ArcelorMittal the 2011 Rx Benefit Innovation Award

American Scientific announces Lebanon-based HospiServices in Middle East, Africa

Upsher-Smith expands voluntary recall of Jantoven Warfarin Sodium, 3 mg Tablets

Healthspring fourth quarter revenues increase 29.4% to $50.9 million

Statin drug may help prevent blindness in diabetics

Medicaid should stop paying more than Medicare for pharmacy benefits

MDI releases major software update to Viewpoint Analytics

Bisphosphonates appear to reduce risk of postmenopausal colorectal cancer by 50%

UC Davis and Sutter first to share electronic health records in the region

US Oncology's PAPs help cancer patients to access high quality care

Oral bisphosphonates outweigh the risk associated with jaw disease

University Hospitals to deploy Allscripts EHR for 1,400 physicians across Northeast Ohio

Huntington Insurance adds HealthWarehouse.com to prescription drug benefit program

Campaign to undermine e-prescribing's safety, savings benefits

Pharmacy, engineering professors at UH combine efforts to speed development of new antibiotics

UCSD: Medication education can help patients with diabetes better stick to drug treatment plans

State and federal efforts to monitor drug prescriptions and payments face challenges

Humira and Enbrel have best overall clinical profile for treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis: Survey

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Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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