BEYOND TRANSPARENCY: THE $4 DOLLAR EFFECT
Using the four dollar generic program in a transparent, Full Pass-through PBM Model to drive rapid reduction in cost to Payors & members First, this case study will seek to highlight the impact of the $4 generic program, which has growing enthusiasm with payors, and has been applied to a Health Plan in the Midwest with over 80,000 members. The Midwest Health Plan is under a fully transparent and pass-through PBM arrangement with ProCare Rx. Secondly, this case study will describe the overall impact on the claims volume effect on this segment of generic pharmacy utilization. Health Plans and Pharmacy Benefit Managers ...
4 Ways Pharmacists Will Make A BIG Impact In 2010
Medication Therapy Management (MTM) Medication therapy management (MTM) is becoming more and more important as many patients continue to participate in increasingly complex and difficult pharmacotherapeutic treatment regimens concurrently that target a variety of disease states. Pharmacists are experts at fine tuning treatment regimens to be effective and safe, sharing their expert advice with other healthcare professionals in order improve treatment outcomes and avoiding unnecessary healthcare cost. After years of observation, this concept has shown itself as quite valuable in the arena of healthcare. A study published by Barnett MJ, Frank J, Wehring H, et al. J Manag Care Pharm. 2009;15:18-31 ...
Over The Counter Chaos!!
While at work the other day, I received a phone call from one of our nurses. She was given a sample of a corticosteroid nasal spray from her physician, and was curious how to correctly use it. After resolving the issue, I asked her how she felt, since that cute voice on the phone I usually talked to was distorted with a raspy tone. She explained to me that she was feeling very ill(aches, congestion, cough, etc.) I empathized with her situation since I had been there the week before, coughing, aching, and feeling the dreaded malaise and myalgia, ...
The Future of Specialty Drugs
(Part of a series) Molecular biology is the field that overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry. Molecular biology chiefly concerns itself with understanding the interactions between the various systems of a cell, including the interrelationship of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis and learning how these interactions are regulated. Researchers in molecular biology use specific techniques native to molecular biology, but increasingly combine these with techniques and ideas from genetics and biochemistry. There is not a hard-line between these disciplines as there once was. Molecular biology is the study of molecular underpinnings of ...
Specialty Pharmacy
While pharmaceuticals have always had a vital impact on patients' outcomes and improved quality of life, they also have played a large role in the growing expenditures of healthcare. Increased spending on pharmaceuticals outpaced every other category of healthcare expenses throughout the 1990s. But in the past few years, managed care pharmacy executives have had a bit of relief, in part because of the increasing rate of generic utilization. However, it seems that newer, more complex drug therapies are in development, which means continued escalating cost concerns are always on the horizon. Specialty pharmaceuticals is a fundamental case. The utilization of ...
Is Central Fill Taking Away My Job?
Recently I was filling in a shift at a local retail pharmacy and was listening to a couple of technicians talk about Central Fill coming to their company. As you can imagine, the first thought that came to their head was “Am I being replaced by a robot?” Good question, but not likely. Although central fill and automation may offer some core efficiencies, there are a couple of considerations here… First, most central fills focus on refills. Most pharmacists and technicians realize that “training” the customer to call in a day ahead of time may be a challenge. Unless the central fill is ...
Will OTCs Help Reduce Healthcare Debt?
With the focus on healthcare changing, everybody in pharmacy is scrambling to show value added services and improved healthcare at lower reimbursement rates. It’s everyone’s guess where the potential health plan will land, but rest assured, there will be a need for patients to spend more time looking at ways to make their healthcare dollars stretch. Many employers are beginning to move towards the “Consumer” model where the patient or family member has to make informed decisions, and makes it not so appealing to run to the emergency room for every sniffle. Having started my career twenty-five plus years ago as a stock ...
Rx Quiz Question of the Week
*NEW*Answer for your chance to receive a FREE RxTimes travel coffee mug!What is the “term” for the side effect experienced by infants as a result of their inability... [More]
Rx Topics
BEYOND TRANSPARENCY: THE $4 DOLLAR EFFECT
Using the four dollar generic program in a transparent, Full Pass-through PBM Model to drive rapid reduction in cost to Payors & members First, this... [More]
4 Ways Pharmacists Will Make A BIG Impact In 2010
Medication Therapy Management (MTM) Medication therapy management (MTM) is becoming more and more important as many patients continue to participate in... [More]
Over The Counter Chaos!!
While at work the other day, I received a phone call from one of our nurses. She was given a sample of a corticosteroid nasal spray from her physician,... [More]
The Future of Specialty Drugs
(Part of a series) Molecular biology is the field that overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry. Molecular... [More]
Specialty Pharmacy
While pharmaceuticals have always had a vital impact on patients’ outcomes and improved quality of life, they also have played a large role in the... [More]
More Rx Topics
Dose of Laughter
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- Cardiac Science Automated External Defibrillators (Powerheart, Cardiovive, CardioLife, NK, Responder models): Class I Recall
- Thomas Medical Products, Inc., Transseptal Sheath Introducer Kits: Class I Recall
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Rx Times MagazineRx Times Magazine is an online journal dedicated to providing pharmacists and pharmacy technicians with information relevant to today’s pharmacy practice to assist in improving patient care. Our ePublication offers pharmacy professionals one-stop access to information which impacts the daily operations of the pharmacy profession and business. Find... [More]
