Content about counseling

WASHINGTON — Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., on Monday became the 11th senator to sign on as a co-sponsor for the Medication Therapy Management Empowerment Act of 2011. The legislation was first introduced in February by Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C.


The pharmacies of tomorrow are expected to be more service-oriented, and Discount Drug Mart is preparing to be exactly that: a comprehensive pharmacy point of care. 


“We are really marketing pharmacy more now than we have in the past,” noted Tom McConnell, Discount Drug Mart VP and CFO. For every month since an October 2010 implementation of the pharmacy-focused marketing, and a $1.99 generic drug program covering 50 generics, Discount Drug Mart has been realizing comparable-prescription gains, he said. 


BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — The Little Clinic has appointed Eileen Myers as director of prevention and health management. She will be responsible for leading the health-and-wellness initiatives and for overseeing the rollout of an expanded scope of services for the clinic operator.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT For more than a decade, retail pharmacy advocates have worked to convince every stakeholder in the U.S. healthcare system -- physicians, payers, policy-makers and patients themselves -- that community pharmacists have a lot more to offer the nation’s massive health-and-wellness network than simple medication dispensing and basic counseling. As the health-reform debate reached a crescendo last year, those arguments on behalf of pharmacy’s value found their way into congressional hearings and onto the pages of many newspapers.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Edith Rosato’s appearance on CBS affiliate WUSA-Channel 9 in Washington earlier this week -- in the midst of a massive snowstorm that kept many Washingtonians at home in front of their TV and computer screens, including, presumably, health policymakers –- was another highlight for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, where she serves as head of pharmacy affairs and the NACDS Foundation.

NEW YORK If anyone still doubted the extraordinary contributions that pharmacists can bring to the nation’s costly and overloaded healthcare system, the Nov. 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine should lay their doubts to rest. In a report on a new and innovative approach to treating hypertension, the publication highlighted the impact that a true working collaboration between doctors and pharmacists can have on successful patient outcomes.

NEW YORK There are a couple of items of note with Ross’ announcement. First is the value of the pharmacist. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll released last week found that almost half of Americans are putting off healthcare costs, with 33% of Americans reporting that they’re replacing a possible doctor’s office visit with a trip to the pharmacy to purchase an over-the-counter solution.