Working with Pharmacies Across America

Pharmacies across America are stepping up to help you understand and get ready for the Health Insurance Marketplace. And I want to say “thank you!”

Families throughout our country look to their pharmacy as a place they can go to for honest, straightforward advice they can trust. 

Today, I was in Hoboken, New Jersey, as Rite Aid announced they would take an active role in outreach and education to help their customers learn more about the Marketplace with a range of resources in their stores and online.  And others, too, have agreed to spread the word. 

Companies such as Thrift White Pharmacy, BI-LO Pharmacy, Winn-Dixie Pharmacy, SoloHealth, StayHealthy, and CVS, are willing to help out because they know that quality affordable health coverage is important.

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FDA Drug Safety Podcast: FDA warns of rare but serious skin reactions with the pain reliever/fever reducer acetaminophen

Narrator: Welcome to the FDA Drug Safety Podcast for Healthcare Professionals from the Division of Drug Information.  Today’s Topic: FDA warns of rare but serious skin reactions with the pain reliever/fever reducer acetaminophen

Timothy Kim, a pharmacist in the Division, will provide you with additional information about this communication.

Dr. Kim: On August 1, 2013, the FDA issued a Drug Safety Communication informing the public that acetaminophen has been associated with a risk of rare but serious skin reactions. These skin reactions, known as Stevens- Johnson Syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), and acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP), can be fatal.  Acetaminophen is a common active ingredient to treat pain and reduce fever; it is included in many prescription and over-the-counter products.

HIPAA Has New Rule Changes Effective September 23, 2013. Is Your Pharmacy Ready?

There are several changes to the HIPAA Rules that go into effective September 23^rd.  Pharmacies need to take action now to avoid repercussions of non-compliance.  All pharmacies should review, revise and/or replace their existing HIPAA Compliance Program.

Who do the Changes Affect?

HIPAA business associates, including a wide range of vendors who contract with pharmacies and access protected health information (PHI). So if you do business with an organization that comes into contact with Personal Health Information from your pharmacy, make sure you have a business associate agreement on file!

What Action is Required? 

So, if your pharmacy cannot locate your HIPAA Manual or Procedures, or if these procedures have never been reviewed or revised, they need to be updated now to be compliant.  

At a minimum:

New Pharmacy Technician Accreditation Commission Launched

Bethesda, MD—The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) are pleased to announce their collaboration to accredit pharmacy technician education and training programs, beginning in late 2014.

The collaboration will result in the creation of the Pharmacy Technician Accreditation Commission (PTAC), which will be tasked with assuring and advancing the quality of pharmacy technician education and training programs.

New AHRQ Initiative Helps Pharmacists and Patients Make Informed Treatment Decisions

The Utah Pharmacists Association has partnered with the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to connect pharmacists with valuable research and educational tools. Tools such as AHRQ’s free, evidence-based treatment summaries help health care professionals and patients learn about treatment options for a wide variety of health conditions. 

These brief summaries, developed by AHRQ’s Effective Health Care (EHC) Program, highlight the findings of research reviews that compare the effectiveness, benefits, and risks of treatment options for many common conditions. The clinician summaries, typically just two pages, provide context about key clinical questions and offer a “Clinical Bottom Line” section that summarizes research conclusions and indicates the strength of evidence behind each finding. Patient summaries are designed to help patients and caregivers understand a variety of health conditions and treatment options. 

FDA Announces Nationwide Voluntary Recall of all Products for Sterile Use From Specialty Compounding

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting health care providers and patients of a voluntary nationwide recall of all products produced and distributed for sterile use by Specialty Compounding, LLC, Cedar Park, TX.  There have been recent reports of bacterial bloodstream infections potentially related to the company's calcium gluconate infusions.

All sterile use products produced and distributed by Specialty Compounding are being recalled and none of these products should be used by patients or administered to patients. Facilities, health care providers and patients who have received the products since May 9, 2013 should immediately discontinue use, quarantine the products, and return the products to Specialty Compounding.

According to information provided by the firm, the recalled products were distributed directly to patients nationwide, with the exception of North Carolina.  Recalled products were also distributed directly to hospitals and physicians’ offices in Texas.

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Call for Nominations for PTCB CPhT of the Year

PTCB is seeking nominations for the 2013 PTCB CPhT of the Year. PTCB aims to honor the achievements and recognize the contributions of outstanding CPhTs. PTCB CPhTs with active certifications who have been certified for at least two years are eligible to be nominated. Semi-finalists will be selected by PTCB, and finalists will be chosen through open online voting. The winner will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and be recognized at a ceremony and reception in Washington, DC in late October. Nominations are due by August 28.

PTCB will sponsor travel and accommodations for the winner and finalists to participate in the ceremony in Washington, DC. If you would like to nominate a qualified PTCB CPhT, review the Official Description and then submit your nomination online. When nominating a CPhT, you will be asked to provide information and answer a brief series of questions asking you to describe accomplishments and workplace contributions of the nominee. You will also be asked to provide a quote from the nominee.

PTCB looks forward to receiving your nomination of an outstanding PTCB CPhT. Please go to PTCB’s Facebook page and Like PTCB to keep up on the CPhT of the Year nomination process!

Pharmacists Feeling Pain Over AMA Resolution

A bluntly worded American Medical Association (AMA) resolution that was intended to curb a barrage of retail pharmacy phone calls to physicians requesting additional information about pain medication prescriptions has triggered a backlash from pharmacists, some of whom objected to the resolution’s sharp tone as a departure from the mostly collegial relationships that exist between the two professions.

“It’s a step backward,” said David Craig, PharmD, BCPS, a clinical pharmacy specialist at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, in Tampa, Fla. “I work collaboratively with many physicians who do not agree with this resolution at all. In fact, they welcome any pharmacist’s input, advice and recommendations.”

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Why Tumors Become Drug-Resistant

Aug. 6, 2013 — Cancer drugs known as ErbB inhibitors have shown great success in treating many patients with lung, breast, colon and other types of cancer. However, ErbB drug resistance means that many other patients do not respond, and even among those who do, tumors commonly come back.

A new study from MIT reveals that much of this resistance develops because a protein called AXL helps cancer cells to circumvent the effects of ErbB inhibitors, allowing them to grow unchecked. The findings suggest that combining drugs that target AXL and ErbB receptors could offer a better way to fight tumors, says Doug Lauffenburger, the Ford Professor of Bioengineering, head of MIT's Department of Biological Engineering and an affiliate member of MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research.

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Surescripts Expands Network to Provide Clinical Messaging Capabilities for Users of Four Health Technology Vendors

ARLINGTON, Va. - JULY 23, 2013 - Surescripts, the nation's largest health information network, continues to expand its reach by enabling four additional health technology vendors to offer clinical messaging capabilities to their users. Surescripts' messaging and communications product for clinical interoperability will now be offered to users of Greenway, Inofile, SCI Solutions, and SOAPware.  These enhanced capabilities will allow healthcare providers to seamlessly communicate and share important clinical information through a secure and integrated messaging service powered by the Surescripts network.

"Clinical messaging enables the safe and timely exchange of electronic health information across rapidly evolving healthcare communities," said Jeff Miller, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Clinical Interoperability for Surescripts.  "We are thrilled to expand our network reach to include these leading organizations and to provide innovative solutions to improve overall care and patient outcomes."

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