The following are areas where pharmacy in Arizona is focusing its attention for the beginning of 2011.
I. Push to allow pharmacists to vaccinate children and young adults from ages 6 to 17.
II. Push to allow student pharmacist interns to be able to vaccinate under the direct supervision of a pharmacist.
III. Clarification of rules of distribution, sale, production, supervision and pharmacist involvement or avoidance of medical marijuana.
(More information on I, II and III on page 12)
IV. Push to allow pharmacists to prescribe drug therapies under the supervision and/or collaboration with physician.
V. Debate over the level of prescription security needed at a pharmacy. (Issue that set this off was Peoria, AZ requiring fingerprinting of patients at pharmacies picking up high abuse potential medications. More Information)
UPDATE (01/13/2011) The following items below are also on the scene for 2011: AzPIN Jan. 5, 2011(page 1)
VI. Supporting HIE (Health Information Exchange) in Arizona. Using technology to improve health-care service. More information
VII. Dealing with a budget crisis, specifically how does Medicaid remain sustainable.
VIII. AzPA monitoring of insurance exchanges.
IX. Monitoring board sweeps of funding, specifically trying to hold off sweeps of health care professional boards.
X. Working with the Industrial Commission to address the issue surrounding workers compensation.
XI. Working with the Community Health Center pharmacy directors on reimbursement related to 340b billing, specifically with AHCCCS.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Compounding Issues
Los Angles Times, Dec. 28, 2010 - Full Story
The increase of claims made by doctors and pharmacists submitting reimbursement requests to insurance companies for compounded prescriptions has caught the attention of several large forces ("corporations, insurance companies and labor groups") that benefit more from cheaper wholesale than from individual tailored sales. The debate is over whether doctors and pharmacists are abusing the system of compounding drugs, increasing the price of prescriptions unreasonably, thus trying to siphon off money from the larger corporations.
The feeling expressed in this article is that this will be an issue faced by all states at a point near in the future regarding how prescriptions are dealt with at compounding pharmacies.
The increase of claims made by doctors and pharmacists submitting reimbursement requests to insurance companies for compounded prescriptions has caught the attention of several large forces ("corporations, insurance companies and labor groups") that benefit more from cheaper wholesale than from individual tailored sales. The debate is over whether doctors and pharmacists are abusing the system of compounding drugs, increasing the price of prescriptions unreasonably, thus trying to siphon off money from the larger corporations.
The feeling expressed in this article is that this will be an issue faced by all states at a point near in the future regarding how prescriptions are dealt with at compounding pharmacies.
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