pharmacies
HHS: Medicare pharmacy pay lower than Medicaid
A new report from the HHS Office of Inspector General has given pharmacies ammunition in their fight for better reimbursement under the Medicare prescription drug benefit. According to the report,... Read more...
Retail clinics go from concept to reality
Ah, retail clinics. They've generated a lot of heat over the past year, largely Read more...
ALSO NOTED: Eldercare costs twice as high as expected; CT AG investigates Health Net; and much more...
> A recent study concludes that consumer out-of-pocket costs for eldercare are double what had previously been estimated. Read more...
Wal-Mart as healthcare destination
About a year ago I suggested, half tongue-in-cheek, that Wal-Mart might want to go into the business of Read more...
CMS administrator promises more transparency
Acting CMS Administrator Kerry Weems is promising something everyone wants from the agency: openness. Weems, who briefed reporters on his policy agenda this week, concedes that CMS hasn't always... Read more...
IBM offers RFID in fight against counterfeit drugs
Electronic tracking of pharmaceuticals is becoming the norm in hospitals and pharmacies, but now IBM wants to apply it to the drug manufacturing process in an effort to stamp out counterfeiting. A... Read more...
Publix pharmacies to offer free antibiotics
Publix Super Markets will provide seven popular antibiotics for free to customers with prescriptions, regardless of whether they have insurance coverage, at all 684 of the company's pharmacies in... Read more...
ALSO NOTED: States work to offset Medicaid drug cuts; Biotechnology generics bill progressing; and much more...
> States are hoping to offset the effects of a proposed CMS rule that would cut Medicaid reimbursements to pharmacies for generic drugs. Article
> A Senate committee has approved pending legislation that would help the FDA approve generic versions of biotechnology drugs. Article
> Charlotte, North …
AMA demands retail clinic regs, backs off ban
While they backed off from demanding an all-out ban on retail clinics, delegates at the AMA annual... Read more...
Senator works to limit resale of pharmacy data
Right now, pharmacies are allowed to transfer or sell off assets--including prescribing information, Social Security numbers and medical data--to anyone they choose, thanks to a loophole in HIPAA. This is a sharp contrast with other areas of medicine; for example, doctors are required by federal law to let patients know whenever they share that patient's information. But this doesn't sit well with Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY). He's asking HHS secretary Michael Leavitt to push for changes …
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