Content about Medical prescription

December 12, 2012

Specialty patients in Los Angeles could be forced to use mail-order, advocates say

Thousands of patients in Los Angeles with serious, chronic diseases could soon find themselves unable to get their drugs from community pharmacies, advocates for the pharmacies said.

NEW YORK — Thousands of patients in Los Angeles with serious, chronic diseases could soon find themselves unable to get their drugs from community pharmacies, advocates for the pharmacies said.

December 11, 2012

Electronic prescribing comes full circle with automated refill authorizations

E-prescribing offers many well-known benefits to physicians, pharmacists and patients alike. Beyond the well-known patient benefits, real-time transactions with automated requests and responses promise to create efficiencies by speeding the medication ordering process, reducing or eliminating the back-and-forth communications between pharmacists and clinicians commonly associated with handwritten prescriptions.

December 7, 2012

AffordRx makes prescription-discount card available nationwide

AffordRx.com is making a prescription discount card that offers savings of up to 75% at more than 56,000 pharmacies across the country available to all residents of the United States, the company said.

DALLAS — AffordRx.com is making a prescription discount card that offers savings of up to 75% at more than 56,000 pharmacies across the country available to all residents of the United States, the company said.

The company said the cards would be available without restrictions on membership and that there were no income requirements, age limitations or applications.

"We are excited to launch this program, potentially saving Americans millions of dollars on their prescription medication," AffordRx spokesman Dylan Marc said.

December 6, 2012

CVS/pharmacy adds new health, shopping features to CVS mobile suite

CVS/pharmacy has introduced a variety of new features to its mobile suite, which consists of the CVS mobile app and a mobile-optimized website at m.CVS.com.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy has introduced a variety of new features to its mobile suite, which consists of the CVS mobile app and a mobile-optimized website at m.CVS.com.

The new features range from health resources that make it easier to schedule immunizations and identify pills, to a sleeker look and feel for the CVS Mobile app that makes mobile shopping a snap.

December 6, 2012

Rite Aid reports 3% decrease in comps for November

As expected, Hurricane Sandy left its mark on Rite Aid's monthly sales as the chain reported a decline in comps for November.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — As expected, Hurricane Sandy left its mark on Rite Aid's monthly sales as the chain reported a decline in comps for November.

The company said the 3% decrease in same-store sales for the five-week period ended Saturday included a 0.5% decrease in front-end comps and a 4.2% decrease in pharmacy comps, while same-store prescription count increased 2.2% compared with the same time last year.

December 5, 2012

McKesson introduces new ExpressRx Track pharmacy automation solution

McKesson High Volume Solutions on Tuesday unveiled an all new ExpressRx Track pharmacy automation solution featuring state-of-the-art robotics, upgraded imaging and expanded vial capabilities.

PITTSBURGH — McKesson High Volume Solutions on Tuesday unveiled an all new ExpressRx Track pharmacy automation solution featuring state-of-the-art robotics, upgraded imaging and expanded vial capabilities. The company suggested the solution was ideal for pharmacies dispensing 1,000 to 3,000 prescriptions per shift looking to drive efficiency, reduce cost-to-fill and redeploy labor into revenue-generating front-of-store programs.

December 5, 2012

WAG posts 3.9% November sales decline, but 38 million new loyalty members bodes well for future

Walgreens reported November sales of $5.9 billion, a decrease of 3.9% versus the same period last year.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens Wednesday morning reported November sales of $5.9 billion, a decrease of 3.9% versus the same period last year. Total front-end sales decreased 0.3% compared with the same month in fiscal 2012, while comparable store front-end sales were down 1.7%. Customer traffic in comparable stores was down 4.9% while basket size increased 3.2%.

However, registrations for Walgreens Balance Rewards loyalty program, which launched in September, totaled more than 38 million through November, denoting a strong start for the program.

December 4, 2012

QS/1, CoverMyMeds partner on prior authorization automation

Pharmacy technology provider QS/1 has entered a contract with CoverMyMeds to automate a process often required by insurers to dispense specialty drugs.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Pharmacy technology provider QS/1 has entered a contract with CoverMyMeds to automate a process often required by insurers to dispense specialty drugs.

QS/1 said it entered a partnership with CoverMyMeds to automate the prior-authorization process, required for 90% of specialty drugs on the market.

"A pharmacist can spend a lot of time cutting through the red tape to get these prescriptions filled," QS/1 pharmacy market analyst John Frady said. "CoverMyMeds helps cut down on that work load by automating the process."

December 4, 2012

Surprise! Rx medicines lower overall health costs

Amid the glacial pace of change in government and health policy, congressional number crunchers have finally acknowledged an indisputable fact long known to health and pharmacy experts: prescription medicines save money.

It seems obvious enough. But it was only last week, near the end of November, that the Congressional Budget Office unveiled the results of a new study showing that greater prescription drug access and utilization can reduce health care costs in other areas, including hospitalizations.

November 30, 2012

Prescription drugs lower Medicare costs, CBO study finds

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.

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.

November 30, 2012

The next blockbuster? It's called just taking drugs as prescribed

A new report shows that drug makers lose nearly $200 billion per year from medication nonadherence, illustrating that it's not just the healthcare system overall that loses when people don't take their medications properly.

This just goes to show the important role that pharmacy retailers have in helping to promote medication adherence by having pharmacists play an active role in patients' health care through services like medication therapy management.

November 29, 2012

NCPA releases progress report on medication adherence initiative

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.

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.

November 29, 2012

Pharmacy is star of the show in new programs, store concept

Ultimately, there’s no “retail pharmacy” without the “pharmacy,” and that’s true of any store that dispenses prescription drugs — whether it’s a small independent drug store, a nationwide chain, a supermarket or a mass merchandiser. But in many respects, Rite Aid is trying to make the “pharmacy” component of that phrase just a little bit bigger. 

November 29, 2012

ReportersNotebook — Chain Pharmacy, 12/10/12

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

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. 

November 29, 2012

Rite Aid finds the magic words: Wellness empowerment

The entirety of Rite Aid’s marketing message can really be broken down to just two simple, yet powerful words:  wellness empowerment.  

It is those two words that have helped inform Rite Aid’s entire wellness platform, from the introduction of its wellness+ loyalty card program in 2010 to the rollout of its new Wellness stores, beginning in 2011. It is those two words that have helped reinvigorate Rite Aid’s business — from how the store is formatted and how it looks, to the energy that pops among Rite Aid’s Wellness Ambassadors.  

November 29, 2012

Study forecasts steady generics growth through 2023

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.

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.

November 28, 2012

Physicians Interactive and McKesson collaborate on electronic voucher program delivered to clinicians

Physicians Interactive and McKesson Patient Relationship Solutions on Tuesday announced a joint collaboration to deliver eCoupon, one of the industry’s first automated pharmaceutical voucher and coupon distribution solution for clinicians who use electronic health records and ePrescribing software.

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. — Physicians Interactive and McKesson Patient Relationship Solutions on Tuesday announced a joint collaboration to deliver eCoupon, one of the industry’s first automated pharmaceutical voucher and coupon distribution solution for clinicians who use electronic health records and ePrescribing software.

November 28, 2012

Smart Insurance partners with Walgreens on in-store consults for Medicare beneficiaries

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.

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.

November 28, 2012

Technicians join fight to boost Rx adherence

Here’s a shocking statistic: half of the roughly 4 billion prescriptions dispensed by U.S. pharmacies are not taken as prescribed, according to The New England Journal of Medicine, which blames the problem for 33% to 69% of all medication-related hospital admissions.

Here’s a shocking statistic: half of the roughly 4 billion prescriptions dispensed by U.S. pharmacies are not taken as prescribed, according to The New England Journal of Medicine, which blames the problem for 33% to 69% of all medication-related hospital admissions. Nonadherence is also linked to some 125,000 deaths every year in the United States.

November 27, 2012

Phone, mail reminders improve statin adherence, study finds

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.

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.

November 21, 2012

It's the most magical time of the year - looking forward to pharmacy 2013

Each year, we say goodbye to the current year and welcome in the New Year full of hope and aspirations for a successful year ahead. Customers turn out in droves for “New Year, New You” specials and when they reach the register, the retail pharmacy world knows the scenario quite well.

Each year, we say good-bye to the current year and welcome in the New Year full of hope and aspirations for a successful year ahead. Customers turn out in droves for “New Year, New You” specials and when they reach the register, the retail pharmacy world knows the scenario quite well. In a few short weeks’ time, you and your staff will be asking these all too familiar questions, “Did you have any insurance changes? Did you have a change in benefits? Did you know your brand drug is now available in generic?” and so on.

November 20, 2012

Fred's looks to grow through Diplomat Specialty partnership and Drug and Dollar concept pharmacy

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.

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."

November 20, 2012

How tough should compounding oversight be?

When considering new, stiffer regulations governing the compounding of medicines in the wake of the meningitis outbreak, tread carefully and don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.

That’s the message chain pharmacy had for Congress as lawmakers mull new restrictions on drug compounding by pharmacists.

November 16, 2012

CVS Caremark: NACo Rx discount card has saved Americans more than $500M

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.

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.

November 16, 2012

NACDS joins advocacy, other healthcare groups in battle against prescription drug diversion, abuse

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores announced that it has joined pain care advocacy and other healthcare organizations in urging members of Congress to help address the problem of prescription drug diversion and abuse.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores announced that it has joined pain care advocacy and other healthcare organizations in urging members of Congress to help address the problem of prescription drug diversion and abuse.