PHARMACIST STEVE

Opioid Treatment 10-year Longevity Survey Final Report http://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/treatments/pharmacological/opioids/opioid-treatment-10-year-longevity-survey-final-report From the article: Patients in this study were found to be functioning quite well after 10 or more years on generally stable opioid dosages—with the vast majority able to care for themselves and even drive. Results and Findings Patients in this study appeared typical of most chronic […]

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SilverScript Insurance Company Announces Collaborations with Accountable Care Organizations to Improve Pharmacy Care for Medicare Part D Members http://info.cvscaremark.com/newsroom/press-releases/silverscript-insurance-company-announces-collaborations-accountable-care From the article: WOONSOCKET, R.I., June 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ –SilverScript Insurance Company, a CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) company, announced today that it has entered into collaborations with seven Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) across the country. The […]

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This showed up in a FACE BOOK POST !         I can’t hold this in one moment longer!! Most of you know for the past few years I basically just share links and a occasional comment…it’s not because I don’t have a lot to say, because those that know me well know […]

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This showed up today: I worked last night with student who is going to pharmacy school starting next month. I wished him good luck, and he replied he was going to needed it since  he would have to write dissertation. I asked, “you’re getting a PhD”, and from his reply it seemed to me that […]

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http://www.grassley.senate.gov/sites/default/files/news/upload/Letter%20to%20CMS%20%28Patient%20Surveys%29%206-23-14.pdf http://americannewsreport.com/nationalpainreport/senators-claim-doctors-pressured-by-medicare-survey-to-prescribe-painkillers-8824100.html Patient satisfaction surveys used by Medicare to help identify good hospitals could be contributing to the “growing epidemic” of abuse of prescription opioid drugs, according to two U.S. senators. In a letter to the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Dianne Feinstein […]

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Your Doctor Knows You’re Killing Yourself. The Data Brokers Told Her http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-26/hospitals-soon-see-donuts-to-cigarette-charges-for-health.html You may soon get a call from your doctor if you’ve let your gym membership lapse, made a habit of picking up candy bars at the check-out counter or begin shopping at plus-sized stores. That’s because some hospitals are starting to use detailed […]

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http://crazyrxman.blogspot.com/2014/06/how-to-drive-business-to-goofmart.html From the article: So here we are, while patients are waiting, looking at this year’s numbers compared to last year. Sales are actually up but our bottom line is down because the cost of the drugs went up more than sales went up. I also saw a post from a indy in Tx that […]

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I got this question posed to me indirectly from another pharmacist and the question was “Why doesn’t Steve write more about Pharmacy issues ?” The answer is pretty simple.. .since I don’t work in pharmacy anymore.. I can only write about what other Pharmacists send me about what is going on out there in the […]

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Health Insurers Pressing Down on Drug Prices http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/21/business/health-plans-bring-pressure-to-bear-on-drug-prices.html?_r=0 From article: In dealing with health plans, drug companies are facing a new imperative — bargain or be banned. Determined to slow the rapid rise in drug prices, more health plans are refusing to cover certain drugs unless the companies charge less for them. The strategy appears […]

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Omnicare pharmacy company to pay out $124 million http://www.wkyc.com/story/news/health/2014/06/25/nursing-home-pharmacy-company-to-pay-out-124-million/11355807/ From the article: WASHINGTON – Omnicare Inc., the nation’s largest provider of pharmaceuticals and pharmacy services to nursing homes, has agreed to pay $124.24 million for allegedly offering improper financial incentives to skilled nursing facilities in return for their continued selection of Omnicare to supply drugs […]

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