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Trump administration’s drug price transparency rule blocked by federal…
Scott E. Rupp PharmaceuticalA recent Trump administration rule received a blow at the hands of a federal judge in early July 2019. The judge blocked a drug transparency rule that drugmakers have opposed — requiring that prices be listed in any television ads for the drugs. Merck & Co., Eli Lilly, and Amgen, along with the Association of National Advertisers, sued the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CMS to block the rule they call unnecessary and unlawful. It was set to take effect July 9.
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What are Direct-to-Patient logistics, and what are the challenges?
Mike Sweeney Distribution & WarehousingDirect-to-Patient (DtP) is an integrated supply chain system that enables patients to receive treatment in their own home or place of work — both clinical trials and licensed product applications can be supported. Services can include dispensing the therapeutic product, transporting it to the patient, or even in-home storage in a temperature-controlled manner. DtP also includes patient sample collection and unused drug/supply return. These services are often required in parallel and might be considered Direct-from-Patient (DfP) solutions. To help better understand some of DtP’s unique challenges, we have compiled the top three areas that you will need to consider.
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Study: Caring for dementia caregivers
Dorothy L. Tengler Mental HealthcareWorldwide, an estimated 50 million people are living with dementia. These numbers are projected to reach 82 million by the year 2030 and 152 million by 2050. Dementia, which is not a normal part of aging, is overwhelming not only for the people who have it but also for their caregivers and families. Dementia behaviors, such as wandering, sundown syndrome, anxiety, and hallucinations, are huge sources of stress. Now, a program of therapy and coping strategies for caregivers and family members with dementia promises to improve the caregivers’ mental status for a least a six-year follow-up.
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Chronic pain: We are adding to our patients’ suffering
Lisa Cole Medical & Allied HealthcareI started my professional practice in chemical dependency. Now, many decades later, I find myself advocating for chronic pain patients just to get them the drugs they need to continue functioning. More and more, they are erroneously considered “addicts” and being titrated down, cut off or given inadequate substitutes to what had been working well enough for them. Most simply want to attend to their activities of daily living without being immobilized by pain. This current prescribing practice only contributes to our patients’ suffering versus offering relief.
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Preventing chronic pain in lab mice
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareIn the U.S., chronic pain affects more people than cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes combined. When pain is chronic, signaling persists over time and can lead to biochemical changes in the nervous system. Options for treating chronic pain include oral and topical therapies. Other options include physical therapy, exercise, acupuncture, relaxation techniques, and psychological counseling. Effective drugs against chronic pain are not necessarily forthcoming. However, researchers have recently identified a protein as a future potential target for medicinal drugs.
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Viral infections among organ transplant recipients may be influenced by…
Chelsea Adams Medical & Allied HealthcareA study recently presented at the American Transplant College shows that the gut's microbiome plays a significant role in whether a transplant recipient will develop a viral infection of not. "Our results confirm and extend the novel association between the gut microbiome and the development of viral infections from stem cell transplant recipients to solid organ graft recipients," Dr. John Lee and colleagues wrote in the abstract. "Altogether, these findings support targeting the gut microbiota as a strategy to prevent and/or treat viral infections."
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Is your nursing career close to sunset?
Keith Carlson Medical & Allied HealthcareAs the baby boomer generation ages into retirement or semi-retirement, many aging nurses are facing the potential sunset of their nursing career. Having potentially worked decades in the healthcare arena, leaving the work that has held so much meaning for you as a professional can be a painful crisis of identity. But what if your career as a nurse didn’t have to completely end and you could simply change channels and enter an entirely new iteration of what it means to be you?
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Do leaders have moral obligations to their employees?
Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementWhen I ask this question to clients, their employees, and my business ethics students, they all answer very clearly yes or no. When it comes to questions about morals and obligations, to have such definitive answers is pretty rare. In ethics, HR, and leadership, we are used to gray areas. So why is it that the answers I receive to this question are so black and white? Whether you answered yes or no, here are a few things to consider when it comes to the moral obligations leaders have to their employees.
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5 ways to help your patients follow a home healthcare plan
Lisa Mulcahy Medical & Allied HealthcareAs a physician, you know how important it is for your patients to follow your instructions when it comes to carrying out health recommendations on their own — and you also know a lot of folks simply don't do it right. Whether they ignore your instructions, follow a care plan incorrectly, or lose motivation to keep up with their meds or healthy practices, you have more control than you think when it comes to making your orders clear and keeping your patients motivated. How? Follow this advice.
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Auto-generated email messages from EHRs can contribute to physician burnout
Scott E. Rupp Healthcare AdministrationThe time physicians spend on desktop medicine appears to be increasing compared to the amount of time they can spend with patients. The cause of this switch is the obvious current enemy of healthcare: electronic health record (EHR) documentation. In particular, it’s the emails generated by EHRs that are the problem. According to a new study, physicians' EHR inboxes are stuffed with system-generated messages on behalf of the electronic health records they are operating within their organizations, which can lead to job dissatisfaction and even burnout, Health Affairs reported.
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