The Premier healthcare alliance recently announced a new efficiency dashboard identifying 15 categories where health systems could find significant savings opportunities. Many healthcare system’s budgets have been reduced and it’s critical for them to find additional savings opportunities. In a …   Read More »

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued stage 2 meaningful use criteria. The proposed rule carries forward the pharmacy-related recommendations outlined last summer by the CMS HIT Policy Committee. Health systems will be given incentive payments for adopting …   Read More »

According to an InformationWeek article, “Alert Fatigue: Searching for a Cure,” most electronic medication alerts at Indianapolis VA are best interpreted by pharmacists and not prescribing clinicians. Alerts, generated by electronic health records systems (EHR), notify physicians of important information …   Read More »

South County Hospital, in Wakefield, RI, announced a new free service that helps patients manage their prescribed medications to avoid possible harmful drug interactions and save money. The Pharmacy department is leading this program and it includes counseling sessions to …   Read More »

As I was visiting customers last week, I heard over and over their concerns about the drug shortage crisis. Even with great inventory management techniques to help prevent drug shortages, pharmacists continue to struggle.  In a recent msnbc.com article, 60% …   Read More »

I’m a strong advocate in the expanding role of the pharmacy technician. With pharmacy technicians taking more medication distribution activities, pharmacists will have more free time to collaborate with the medical team. In a Pharmacy Practice News article, “More Work …   Read More »