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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.

Catalyst Rx awarded new service contract with Wellmark

Catalyst Rx, the pharmacy benefit management (PBM) subsidiary of Catalyst Health Solutions, Inc., announced the award of a new service contract with Wellmark following a competitive bid process. Wellmark does business as Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa and its subsidiaries include Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota and Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

25 Oct 2010

H1N1 linked to increased rate of empyema in children

The H1N1 influenza pandemic has led to a sharp increase in the number of children with a serious "secondary" bacterial infection called empyema in children, suggests a study in the October issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

25 Oct 2010

Intensive population management program reduces risk of death, health care costs

A new study from Kaiser Permanente Colorado is one of the first to show that an intensive population management program that matches heart disease patients to personal nurses and clinical pharmacy specialists not only reduces the risk of death but reduces health care costs as well.

25 Oct 2010

Neptune launches Onemia medical food

Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc. enters the pharmaceutical market with the launch of Onemia™, the first medical food of Neptune's subsidiary Acasti Pharma Inc.. Only two years since its foundation, Acasti has completed the development and launch of "Onemia™" on October 21, 2010 at the Cardiometabolic Health Congress meeting in Boston.

25 Oct 2010

UC San Diego researchers receive two federal grants for biomedical informatics

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, led by Lucila Ohno-Machado, MD, PhD, chief of the Division of Biomedical Informatics in the Department of Medicine, have received two federal grants totaling more than $25 million to develop new ways to gather, analyze, use and share vast, ever-increasing amounts of biomedical information.

25 Oct 2010

New multi-centre trial to treat cold and flu in children

Three Canadian research teams are trying to determine if a novel Canadian medicine approved by Health Canada for adults can help parents deal with the hacking coughs and runny noses their children suffer.

22 Oct 2010

Nurse leaders reveal $4,000 decrease in annual salary

Approximately 2,000 U.S. nurse leaders revealed a near $4,000 decrease in annual salary, according to a survey in a recent issue of Nursing Management, The Journal of Excellence in Nursing Leadership. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

21 Oct 2010

Plant-derived compound for treatment of nicotine addiction also effective against alcoholism

South Dakota State University researchers have demonstrated for the first time that a plant-derived compound used to treat nicotine addiction also has significant effects against alcohol addiction.

21 Oct 2010

Unitedhealth says it will test lump sum payments for some cancer care, reports earnings

Health insurer UnitedHealth said Tuesday that it will test a new way payment method for cancer doctors. The program pays doctors a lump sum payment for providing care during an entire course of care for the disease instead of how it's done now with a fee for each service a doctor provides.

21 Oct 2010

Thomson Reuters introduces new version of Clinical Xpert Navigator

Thomson Reuters, a global provider of information for healthcare professionals, has released the newest version of its award-winning Clinical Xpert Navigator mobile clinical data application.

21 Oct 2010

CIGNA plans help reduce annual health care costs without compromising care

When Americans engage in health-smart habits such as participating in health coaching and disease management programs, substituting generic medications for brand name drugs and avoiding unnecessary trips to the emergency room, their total medical costs went down 15 percent -- an average $358 per person in the first year -- according to a new multi-year study comparing the health care claims experience of 897,000 CIGNA customers in consumer driven health (CDH) plans, PPOs and HMOs.

20 Oct 2010

Atrius selects Sightlines, DxCG Risk solutions for healthcare processes

Verisk Health, Inc., announced today that Atrius Health has selected Sightlines Medical Intelligence and DxCG Risk Solutions to identify, manage, and predict healthcare risk across its commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare populations.

20 Oct 2010

SXC's informedRx PBM unit receives three-year contract

SXC Health Solutions Corp. a leading provider of pharmacy benefit management (PBM) products and services, today announced that its informedRx PBM unit has been awarded a three-year contract valued at approximately $240 million per year with a large Health Plan based on the U.S. east coast.

20 Oct 2010

Pharmacy graduate awarded national recognition for pioneering research in genetics

A young pharmacy graduate has been awarded national recognition for her pioneering research in the field of genetics which has the potential to treat diseases such as cancer and Parkinson's.

19 Oct 2010

UnitedHealth Group consolidated third quarter revenues increase 9% to $23.7 billion

UnitedHealth Group today reported third quarter results, including strong revenue growth in both its Health Benefits and Health Services business groups. Third quarter 2010 net earnings were $1.14 per share. Key performance metrics and costs were in line with or better than Company expectations.

19 Oct 2010

Few legitimate opioid users are getting information to keep medications safe

For some people with ongoing or chronic pain, opioids (medications such as oxycodone or hydrocodone) can make the difference between disability and the ability to function at near-normal levels. For those with acute pain, such as pain after surgery or injury, sound pain management with opioids can speed healing and recovery.

19 Oct 2010

Moderate amount of protein in low-carb beverage improves aerobic endurance: Report

Compared to a standard carbohydrate supplement, a low-carbohydrate beverage with added protein leads to longer endurance times in cyclists, reports the October issue of the The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, official research journal of the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

19 Oct 2010

60 Plus applauds FDA decision to remove unapproved colchicine products

James L. Martin, chairman of the 60 Plus Association, a seniors advocacy group, applauded the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) decision to remove unapproved colchicine products from the market, and called on drug manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies to help the FDA protect patients from unapproved drugs.

19 Oct 2010

PharmaTrust to launch third generation MedCentre remote dispensing system

PharmaTrust is launching the next generation of the MedCentre remote dispensing system with world-class features that redefine and take remote dispensing services to the next level. The MedCentre is a modular, scalable solution designed to meet both patients' need for convenience and counseling and healthcare professionals' responsibility to deliver the highest level of care.

18 Oct 2010

Emollient creams on eczemous skin likely to make condition worse

New research at the University of Bath suggests that using emollient creams to relieve the symptoms of eczema could actually make the condition worse.

18 Oct 2010