Pharmacy group praises bill's long-term-care drug exemption

The Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition (SCPC) applauded the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday after it advanced the 21st Century Cures Act, which protects long-term-care (LTC) patients. The bill features language exempting Medicare Part D beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities and other settings from a proposed medication-management "lock-in" provision that targets prescription-drug abuse. Read More »

Agency: TRICARE users should be wary of shady compounding pharmacies

The Defense Health Agency (DHA) is taking action to help TRICARE beneficiaries amid recent aggressive and misleading marketing practices of some compounding pharmacies targeting TRICARE, Dr. George Jones, DHA's chief of pharmacy operations, said recently. Compounding pharmacies prepare medications for patients who need different medication-strength levels than those available in commercial products. Read More »

Fate of CO-OPs seen undermined by unreasonable premium rates

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act’s Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) Program, some 24 qualified nonprofit health insurance issuers have been created in 24 states using startup loans and solvency grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of these so-called CO-OPs is to increase consumer choice and foster competition in the individual and small group health insurance markets -- two goals now being undermined by premium rate turmoil. Read More »

McKesson releases new edition of InterQual decision-support system

McKesson Health Solutions unveiled the latest edition of InterQual, the company's flagship decision-support software and technology system, on Monday.      The 2015 edition includes 55 new and enhanced evidence-based clinical content areas and extensive updates, including the first admissions criteria to include comorbidities, criteria for 29 new specialty drugs and 33 new molecular diagnostic tests, as well as support for gene panels, among other features. Read More »