walgreens
SPOTLIGHT: Retailers enter clinic business; patients rejoice
One major symptom of consumer-driven healthcare's emergence: No-wait clinics in drugstores and other retail settings are drawing the attention of the mainstream business press. This BusinessWeek piece focuses on the recent acquisition of MinuteClinic, the largest provider of such services, by pharmacy chain CVS. Wal-Mart, Rite-Aid, Walgreens and Osco are also getting into the act with other clinic providers. Waiting 15 minutes for a flu shot--instead of days or weeks--sounds good to an increasing number of consumers. Article
ALSO NOTED: Part D plans ordered to cover dropped drugs; Minnesota Blues draw fire; and much more...
> Medicare Part D plans that drop drugs from their forumalaries will be required to continue providing them to existing customers who take the drugs. Article
> A Massachusetts-style health initiative would cost California about $9.4 billion, according to new research sponsored by the California HealthCare Foundation. …
... Read more...ALSO NOTED: Case at Children's Hospital of San Diego raises alarm; and much more...
> Bad news at the Children's Hospital of San Diego, where a respiratory therapist has been arrested and charged with sexually abusing patients and posting indecent pictures on the Internet. Article
> In response to patient pressure, doctors at hospitals like the Cleveland Clinic are opting for chemotherapy and heart surgery in cases where the patients' age would have ruled the …
... Read more...SPOTLIGHT: Cardinal plans to market 'talking pill bottle'
Cardinal Health will be marketing a "talking pill bottle" designed to prevent prescription drug errors. The novel sounding idea was developed by MedivoxRx, which FierceHealthcare reported on several months ago. Doctors and pharmacists will able to record messages for patients who might need specialized instructions, particularly those who they think might be easily confused by labeling. "Rex: The Talking Prescription Bottle System" will now compete with "Talking Rx," a rival …





