Content about Medical prescription

WASHINGTON — Increasing the prescriptions filled by Medicare beneficiaries by 1% would reduce the program's spending on medical services by about 0.2% by reducing costs in such areas as hospitalizations, according to a new report by the Congressional Budget Office.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association on Wednesday released Moving Forward on a Solid Foundation: Year One Progress Report, which examines the success of the association's strategic initiative Pharmacists Advancing Medication Adherence. 

SUPPLIER NEWS — MediSafe Project has launched what it called the first cloud-synced mobile app to help prevent emergencies caused by over- or under-dosing medications. 


NCR Corp. is partnering with health kiosk maker SoloHealth to provide on-site repairs to its interactive consumer healthcare kiosks at retailers as SoloHealth rolls them out around the country. The stations provide screenings for vision, blood pressure, weight, symptoms checking, body mass index and overall health.


LONDON — The global market for generic drugs will reach more than $125 billion next year, according to a new report by a British market-research firm.

CLEVELAND — Smart Insurance on Wednesday announced it is working with Walgreens to offer in-store consultations with licensed SmartD Rx plan agents, available at select Walgreens to speak with Medicare beneficiaries who are either enrolling in a new Part D prescription drug plan or evaluating their current coverage options.

PASADENA, Calif. — Automated phone and mail reminders increase the likelihood that patients with new prescriptions for cholesterol-lowering drugs will pick them up from the pharmacy, according to a new study.

Kaiser Permanente Southern California enrolled 5,216 patients and found that those receiving an automated reminder were 1.6 times more likely to fill prescriptions for statin drugs than those who didn't receive reminders. The study was published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine Monday.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Any trickle-down of an improving economy hasn't trickled down to Fred's consumer base, Bruce Efird, Fred's CEO, told analysts Tuesday morning in discussing the discounter's third-quarter results. "During the third quarter we continue to see generally weak economic conditions throughout the Southeast which are clearly weighing heavily on our customers and influencing how they shop for their basic needs," he said. "It's more evident that things are not getting better for our core customers." 

WASHINGTON and WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Residents in counties across the country that participate in the National Association of Counties' Prescription Discount Card Program have saved more than $500 million on their prescription medications since the launch of the program in 2004, according to data released by NACo and CVS Caremark.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — As part of its continuing efforts to help communities affected by Hurricane Sandy, CVS/pharmacy has announced that it is waiving prescription co-payments, deductibles and other financial liability related to prescription medications for patients who cannot pay at selected stores in the hardest hit neighborhoods in New York City and surrounding communities. 

TORONTO – Waiving $2 co-pays in Ontario is a big piece of the reason behind a 6% lift in prescriptions dispensed for the third quarter through Oct. 6, Shoppers Drug Mart reported Tuesday afternoon. It's all part of a strategy to drive more seniors — and their prescriptions — into the store, executives told analysts. "We're seeing store gains across the country," noted Domenic Pilla, Shoppers president and CEO. "The incremental script count is above our initial expectations," he said.

STAMFORD, Conn. — Drug maker Purdue Pharma and the National Community Pharmacists Association have introduced the latest version of a video designed to educate pharmacists and other pharmacy staff about pharmacy crime.

The video, part of RxPatrol, Purdue's broader initiative to combat pharmacy crime, launched on the initiative's website. Titled "RxPatrol Pharmacy Safety and Security," it is free of charge, and is part of the NCPA's Protect Your Pharmacy Now! initiative, which started in 2008.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark reported strong numbers on both the retail and PBM sides of its business — but the real bombshell for analysts on the call was the news that the company has raised its estimate on the number of Express Script patients that CVS feels it can keep from going back to Walgreens.