The Officina Profumo-Faramceutica di Santa Maria Novella, located in Florence, Italy is believed to be the oldest pharmacy in the world, having commemorated its eighth century in business last year.
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In mid-March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that inflation had increased by 7.9% during February, reaching a new 40-year high. Prior to that, in January, drug makers announced price increases on hundreds of medications. The Wall Street Journal reported that almost 870 drugs were affected, with increases that averaged 6.6%. This compared with the same period in 2021, when manufacturers raised prices an average 4.5% on 893 drugs.
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Last November, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) released an "economic health report," which assessed the financial standing of the nation's community pharmacies. The results, according to NCPA, reflect an industry "struggling to survive" as pharmacies face challenges ranging from staffing shortages, supply disruptions, small business taxes and inflation. These factors, of course, are in addition to unprecedented increases in direct and indirect renumeration (DIR) fees.
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The 2021 NCPA Digest reports that 84 percent of community pharmacists offer influenza immunizations, with 80 percent offering shots for non-flu-related illnesses. And while pharmacists today may be feeling a bit overwhelmed by demand for COVID-19 vaccines and tests, it's worth pointing out just how profitable a well-executed pharmacy immunization program can be. How does $40,000 in additional revenue sound? $90,000?
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It's a story pharmacists know well. An elderly patient with more than a dozen prescriptions can't keep up and becomes non-adherent. Before long, the patient is hospitalized. The patient is eventually released, but with no clear plan to manage those medications, is at risk for the situation repeating itself. For too many patients, this leads to a loss of independence, and admission to a long-term care facility. Except when Florida pharmacist AJ Patel tells the story, it has a much happier ending.
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If there was ever any doubt, findings from a new national survey seem to validate the role of pharmacists in providing patient services that go beyond traditional dispensing. According to the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Pharmacy Study, for the first time, more than half of pharmacy customers said they had used health and wellness services during the past year. The survey also found that patients who made use of pharmacy-offered services tended to spend more while in the pharmacy, and had a higher sense of customer satisfaction than patients who did not receive services.
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In an early July press briefing, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases revealed the startling fact that more than nine out of ten Americans who died from COVID-19 during the previous month were unvaccinated. "Millions of Americans are still unvaccinated and unprotected," Fauci said in remarks reported by The Hill. "And because of that, their communities are at risk, their friends are at risk, the people they care about are at risk."
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You have to go all the way to page 242 of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) fiscal year 2022 budget to find information about direct and indirect renumeration fees (DIR fees), but once there, the information is truly shocking. The document reads, "The data show that pharmacy price concessions, net of all pharmacy incentive payments, grew more than 91,500 percent between 2010 and 2019." And there you have it. Pharmacies have long known that DIR fees were increasing at an alarming rate, and dramatically affecting their bottom lines, but who knew it was by 91,500 percent?
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In a mid-June issue of The New York Times, readers were greeted with the type of banner-like headline usually reserved for momentous events like a presidential election or global calamity. "'A Momentous Day': New York and California Lift Most Virus Restrictions," the headline blared, announcing that two of the nation's more populated states had largely rolled back COVID-19-related restrictions, following the vaccination of more than 70 percent of adults. As the Times' exuberant headline makes clear, there is much to celebrate this year. Americans who spent Summer 2020 largely tethered to their homes, unable to travel to favorite vacation destinations, attend summer camps, or enjoy other rites of summer, seem eager to make up for lost time.
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Twenty minutes. That's how long it used to take staff members at Priyank Patel's New York City-area pharmacies to address instances when a patient's medication was either not covered by a benefits plan or was prohibitively expensive.
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While pharmacists deserve daily gratitude and respect for their work, we especially appreciate these hardworking individuals during October, which is "American Pharmacists Month." The American Pharmacists Association (aPhA) began the October tradition in 2004 as a way to celebrate and recognize the important contributions pharmacists have made. Since then, the month-long celebration provides an opportunity to promote awareness among the public, patients, policy makers and other stakeholders about the many services pharmacists provide beyond their traditional role of dispensing medicines. So hat's off to America's dedicated pharmacists, for the vital role they have in promoting health and well-being, and for the extra steps they take – on a daily basis – to engage with patients and ensure medication safety and adherence.
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What would our pharmacies be like without the hardworking technicians who dedicate their professional lives to assisting patients and ensuring safe, accurate disbursement of prescription medications? Pharmacy technicians are regularly described as “indispensable,” “essential,” and “critical,” to today's pharmacy operations, and are taking on expanding roles in hospital, health-setting and retail pharmacies nationwide. "In many ways," Pharmacy Technician Certification Board CEO Everett B. McAllister, MPA, RPh told Pharmacy Times, “technicians are the backbone of the pharmacy operation, and they are instrumental to a successful pharmacy." It's fitting then, that we take a day – October 15 – to celebrate the nation's 420,000 pharmacy technicians, and thank them for their dedication and tireless hours of service.
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A few years ago, a room was designated in the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) headquarters, located in Washington, D.C., to commemorate the significant contributions women have made to the pharmacy profession. Although it may seem that women have a commanding role in today's pharmacies – and indeed they do – it wasn't always this way. Which is why it's important to take a moment to celebrate the innovative women who broke down barriers and blazed the way for today's dedicated women pharmacists.
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September 25 has been designated “World Pharmacists Day 2019” by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). And while the day will certainly allow for much-deserved reflection on the many important services provided by pharmacists, FIP organizers have announced that “safe and effective medicines for all” will be the key theme of the day.
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Analysis by Express Scripts found patient/pharmacist consultations in a “traditional” pharmacy tend to last an average of about two minutes. But in a specialty pharmacy, clinical consultations average 15 to 18 minutes for patients with serious diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, hepatitis C and cancer.
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Almost 460 tons of unused and expired prescription drugs were collected nationwide during the October 2018 “National Take Back Day,” an initiative by the Drug Enforcement Agency to encourage people to rid themselves of unwanted or outdated medications.
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A popular blog written by an Iowa pharmacy owner recently detailed the author’s experiences with audits of his business. “Over my career as a pharmacy owner, we have faced over $1,000,000 worth of audited claims, and the PBMs have attempted to charge back over 10% of that amount,” the blogger wrote.
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Micro Merchant Systems through its PrimeRx™ pharmacy management system has been named “2019 Software Company of the Year” by the American Pharmacy Purchasing Alliance (APPA).
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Let’s start with the good news. Pharmacists continue to be among the most trusted professions, with 2018 Gallup findings reporting only nurses and medical doctors received higher marks for “honesty and ethical standards.” And 2017 research by CVS Health found almost two-thirds of patients think of their local pharmacist as part of their health care team.
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Every pharmacy manager dreams of a well-managed inventory in which drug levels are synchronized with patient demand, inventory remains on the shelf for a minimal amount of time, and patients in need of high-cost or rare drugs regularly pick up their medications. The reality though is most pharmacists regularly find themselves holding inventories of expired medications which, in most cases, impose a cost to the pharmacy’s bottom line.
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With baseball season back in full swing, and fans across the nation focused on their favorite teams and players, a compelling question to consider might be : What if your team took the field, but decided to leave its first baseman, or shortstop on the bench? Chaotic, reckless and ridiculous are outcomes that likely come to mind.
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According to the 2018 Generic Drug Access & Savings report, roughly eight percent of prescriptions for generic drugs, and 21 percent of prescriptions for brand-name drugs are abandoned at the pharmacy. That is to say, prescriptions are received by the pharmacy, filled, but never picked up.
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Last year a New York Times article referred to the high incidence of medication non-adherence as “an out of control epidemic,” and noted as many as 30 percent of all prescribed medications either go unfilled, or unused. The article cited “staggering statistics,” including an estimated $290 billion in added health care costs, and as many as 125,000 deaths each year that might be avoided with a proper medication regime.
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According to Becker’s Hospital Review, a leading source for healthcare industry news, 77% of all prescriptions were delivered electronically in 2017, which represents a 4% increase from 2016.
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For the past several years, the National Community Pharmacists Association has tracked the rate at which pharmacies are utilizing technology for various workflow functions. In 2017, findings showed steady growth in the use of key capabilities including point-of-sale, automated dispensing, mobile commerce/signature capture, and telephone IVR (interactive voice response).
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Although the typical pharmacy’s footprint has not changed over the years, expectations about how that space should be utilized have evolved dramatically. Today’s pharmacies are likely to include larger, more comfortable waiting areas; designated spaces for immunization or blood pressure clinics; and private areas for patient counseling, among other things.
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According to the 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), vaping increased nearly 80 percent among high schoolers and by 50 percent among middle schoolers in the past year, with one in five students saying they have used an e-cigarette in the past month
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Last year Walgreens conducted a study of pharmacy patients enrolled in Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (Part D) who were considered non-adherent in following their medication protocols.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook wowed the world when he revealed his company’s Series 4 Apple watch, which includes features to detect when a wearer has fallen, an abnormal heart pattern, and can summon emergency help when needed. “Outcome-changing,” and “Life-saver,” were among the terms used to describe the effect Apple’s technology breakthrough could have on patient care.
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Pharmacy-related issues have been very much in the headlines, with analysts full of predictions about how the latest news will affect the industry, Wall Street, consumers, and pretty much everything-and-everyone in between. A cursory look though, at recent pharmacy-and-pharmaceutical headlines, reveals a consistent trend in favor of patient-centered, technology-based changes.
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“Disruptive,” “gamechanger,” and “the start of something big,” were among the terms used to describe the impact Amazon.com’s planned acquisition of online pharmacy PillPack may have on the prescription drug industry.
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The number of patients – usually senior citizens – who take five or more drugs has become so significant, that the practice now has its own term. The term is “polypharmacy,” and according to 2016 research reported in JAMA Internal Medicine, more than 35 percent of older adults were taking at least five medications, up from 30 percent in 2011. Further, almost two-thirds reported using dietary supplements, including herbs and vitamins, and nearly 40 percent took over-the-counter drugs.
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The Health Department is excited to launch New York City's very own Heart Age Calculator, an online tool to help New Yorkers determine their risk for heart disease and stroke. The calculator is designed for adults ages 30 - 74 to understand their risk for cardiovascular disease and to obtain customized recommendations on how to become healthier. Knowing our heart age is a valuable first step for many of us to gain awareness of our risk factors and develop a plan to improve our health.
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When hundreds of community pharmacists converged on Capitol Hill in April 2018, the group had a clear message for lawmakers:
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