A study on diabetic patients by the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences identified cost savings with improvements in a key indicator of glucose control in diabetes patients, the hemoglobin A1C measurement. The A1C provides a three-month average of the amount of excess glucose in the blood. Higher A1Cs indicate that a patient is at higher risk for developing long-term complications associated with diabetes, such as kidney disease or vision problems.

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Published last spring in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, the UB study of 50 patients with Type 2 diabetes demonstrated that in just six months clinical pharmacists, in collaboration with primary care providers, were able to significantly reduce patients’ A1C levels.

In the UB study, patients’ A1C levels were reduced by an average of 1.1 percent, from an average of 8.5 percent to 7.4 percent, one year after being enrolled in the program, while also improving the overall metabolic profile.

“Our results show that enhancing the patient’s access to care through collaborative physician-pharmacist relationships can yield lower blood glucose levels, improve the overall metabolic profile and reduce costs to the payer,” says Erin Slazak, PharmD, UB clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice and board certified pharmacotherapy specialist.

These clinical improvements occurred while monthly costs per patient went down by approximately $212, around $2,500 per year, even though there were nominal increases in the cost of medications prescribed.

The key to success?

“Patients had unlimited access to pharmacists throughout the year,” says Slazak.

School of Pharmacy, Buffalo School of Pharmacy, University, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmaceutical, pharmacists, Pharmacy, School, health care, health, care, Pharmacy Schools and University

Patients referred to the UB program had been identified by their primary care providers as having difficulty controlling their blood sugar. Slazak notes that it was not uncommon to see patients with glucose levels as high as 400 mg/dl (normal levels are below 100 mg/dl).

The UB pharmacists spent an initial one-hour appointment with each patient, where they worked up detailed health records covering dietary information and all medications and disease conditions, and then reviewed them with each patient.

After that, patients could call or make appointments with pharmacists at will.

“We did extensive education with patients about how to manage their conditions,” says Slazak. “In many cases, we were instrumental in getting them to start insulin. There is a lot of resistance to that, and not just because it’s an injection.”

For patients in the initial stages of administering insulin, she says it was common to be contacted once every few days. The pharmacists then made suggestions to physicians about changes in medications, dosages or lifestyle that might be beneficial to their patients.

That kind of individualized attention is far from the norm for diabetic patients.

“Nationwide, the standard of care is that the primary care provider manages diabetes alone,” says Slazak. “Pharmacists typically do not have direct involvement.”

That is partly because some states, including New York, have not yet approved collaborative practice agreements between physicians and pharmacists. In the Buffalo study, for example, physicians were required to review pharmacists’ recommendations and approve all interventions first. Completion of the review process and approval occurred in only half of the cases, potentially limiting the overall benefit to the patient.

“We know there’s a long-term clinical and economic benefit to pharmacists working directly with patients and we think that can continue to grow,” says Scott V. Monte, PharmD, UB clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice and director of Diabetes and Cardiovascular Research, CPL Associates, LLC, in Buffalo. “Pharmacists can help achieve better outcomes if given the chance.”

The study was conducted through MedSense™, part of the Pharmacotherapy Research Initiative, a collaborative effort between Lifetime Health Medical Group and UB, to study how pharmacists impact patient care. MedSense™ is one of many program sites that are part of the UB Pharmacotherapy Research Initiative in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, which was established to study how pharmacy medication management can improve the health of patients while cutting costs through patient-centered pharmacotherapy.

In addition to Slazak and Monte, other co-authors on the paper include Nicole Paolini Albanese, PharmD, UB clinical assistant professor; Martin Adelman, PhD, chief information officer at CPL Associates, LLC; Gauri Rao, a student in the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Joseph A. Paladino, PharmD, UB professor of pharmacy and director of outcomes research at CPL Associates, LLC.

The program is jointly funded by Lifetime Health Medical Group and the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Pharmacists Improve Care of Diabetics While Cutting Costs, Research Shows is a post from: Pharmacy in jobs, news, schools

The health-care industry added an additional 29,000 jobs in October, nearly the same amount it grew in September. In total, since the start of the recession, the industry has added 597,000 jobs, according to the BLS.

The biggest month-to-month jump came in the category of health care and social assistance, which added approximately 3,400 positions.

keys: Pharmacy, pharmaceutical, Health Care, Health

And like in September, there was growth across all health-care sectors, including in hospitals, ambulatory-care settings and in doctors’ offices.

Pharmacy – Looking for a Job? Health Care Is Still a Good Bet is a post from: Pharmacy in jobs, news, schools

THE ISSUE: How much do Americans who have employer-sponsored health insurance pay in premiums? What do their employers pay? Would that change if the system is overhauled?

THE POLITICS: Health care costs have been increasing. For Americans and the businesses that insure most of them, that translates into higher insurance premiums. The average premium cost for employer-provided insurance has doubled since 2000. These days, coverage for an individual with employer-provided insurance costs on average $4,824 a year, with the employee paying $779 of that amount, according to a 2009 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust. For a family plan, the premium is $13,375 with the employee paying $3,515. Under current law, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that in 2016 average premiums for employer-based insurance will rise to about $7,500 for a single policy and about $19,000 for a family policy.

WHAT IT MEANS: Numerous factors will affect the cost of insurance under proposed health care bills, making their impact hard to predict. But President Barack Obama has vowed to lower the cost of health care. A recent study by America’s Health Insurance Plans said the most moderate of the Democrats’ health insurance plans would increase premiums. But the study only examined select aspects of the bill and ignored provisions aimed at making health care more affordable. The legislation would set up exchanges where companies would compete for customers. It also would provide subsidies for lower-income people.

_ Jim Kuhnhenn

Health care issues: The cost of health insurance is a post from: Pharmacy in jobs, news, schools

Fifty jobs are under threat at a private hospital in Ballykelly, County Londonderry.

The North West Independent Hospital said they had no alternative but to consider redundancies and restructuring.

In a statement the hospital said: “There has been a considerable downturn in work due to the reduction in referrals from the NHS Trusts.”

Health, health jobs, jobs, pharmacy, under threat

The hospital has said they are currently consulting with elected representatives and that discussions around the redundancy proposals are ongoing.

The hospital, which has 36 beds, offers both in-patient and out-patient facilities and have three operating theatres, X-Ray department, pharmacy and physiotherapy services.

SDLP East Derry MLA John Dallat has said that the Assembly must take action to prevent further job losses in the North-West.

He said that the East Derry area has been devastated by job losses: “The cutback in work going to the Ballykelly Clinic is a double whammy. It will result in job losses and, of course, mean that people on the hospital waiting lists will have to wait longer.”

50 health jobs under threat is a post from: Pharmacy in jobs, news, schools

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Dreams of medical and health professions careers – Appalachian alumni is a post from: Pharmacy in jobs, news, schools

Doctor of Pharmacy
COLCHESTER, Vt., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Following nearly two years of
planning, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences opened its Vermont
Satellite Campus today, welcoming 70 students in the inaugural class. The
campus, located in scenic Colchester, Vermont, is home to the only pharmacy
program in the state. 
Doctor of Pharmacy
The ACPHS-Vermont campus offers a four year program culminating in a Doctor of
Pharmacy (Pharm.D.). The Pharm.D. is the degree required to practice pharmacy
in the United States. Students entering the program have completed a minimum
of two years of college coursework, with prerequisites that include biology,
chemistry and physics.

The members of the incoming class were selected from more than 1,200
applicants. They represent 20 states (including three students from Vermont)
and 16 countries. Their average age is 25 years old.

"When we announced plans to open the campus, Vermont was one of just three
states without a pharmacy program [Delaware and Alaska are the others]," said
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences President James J. Gozzo. "Now
that the campus is established, we look forward to becoming an important
contributor to the state's growth by helping address Vermont's existing
pharmacist shortage and conducting advanced pharmaceutical and biotech
research."

Research will be an important part of the teaching and learning taking place
at the College. Many of the 12 ACPHS-Vermont faculty are actively pursuing
grants and awards. The College has also joined the Vermont Biosciences
Alliance and hosted that group's first event in June 2009. The Alliance seeks
to strengthen Vermont's bioscience industry by helping facilitate
collaborations among researchers in higher education, health care, government
and the private sector.

Robert Hamilton, Pharm.D., will serve as the Vermont campus' Associate Dean
and Chief Administrative Officer. He will be responsible for all academic,
professional and community activities for the campus. Dr. Hamilton has served
many roles during nearly 30 years at ACPHS, including chair of the department
of pharmacy practice, director of the post-baccalaureate Pharm.D. program and
director of the College's continuing professional development program.

"We have assembled an exceptional group of students and faculty and provided
them with resources that are on a par with the best programs in the country.
Everyone on the campus is excited about being involved with a program that has
the potential to positively impact the health of Vermonters and people
throughout the country," said Dr. Hamilton.

The College plans to add 70 students in each of the next three years, bringing
the total enrollment to 280 students by the 2012-13 academic year. Additional
faculty and staff will be hired as new classes are enrolled.

About Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Founded in 1881, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is a private,
independent institution committed to the advancement of health. The College
has academic programs and research activities spanning the full spectrum of
pharmacy and health sciences - from drug discovery to patient care.  Nearly
1,600 ACPHS students are pursuing a wide range of career pathways in health
related fields through degree programs in pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences,
biomedical technology and health and human sciences. The College's main campus
is located in Albany, New York; its satellite campus is in Colchester,
Vermont. For more information, please visit www.acphs.edu.

SOURCE  Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Doctor of Pharmacy
Gil Chorbajian, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications, Albany
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Work: (518) 694-7394, Mobile: (518)
542-5532, gil.chorbajian@acphs.edu

Doctor of Pharmacy – College of Pharmacy Albany and Health Sciences Opens Vermont Satellite Campus is a post from: Pharmacy in jobs, news, schools

Aug. 7 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama may accept nonprofit health-insurance cooperatives in place of a new government-run plan as long as consumers are guaranteed more choice and competition in buying insurance, a top aide said.

“We would be interested in that” if those conditions are met, Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office of Health Reform, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television’s “Conversations with Judy Woodruff” airing today.

DeParle said she expected Congress to pass health-care legislation on a bipartisan vote “around Thanksgiving.”

Each house of Congress has already missed the president’s deadline of passing a version of health-care legislation by its August recess. Obama says he wants to sign a bill before year’s end.

“It is true that the House and Senate have not voted yet on the floor, but we expect that to be happening when they come back,” DeParle said. “We feel like we are in better shape now than we’ve ever been before, and we’re very close to our goal.”

The proposal to create a new government-run insurance program is one of the most contentious issues that lawmakers are grappling with as they debate how to extend coverage to tens of millions of people without adding to the deficit. They’re also considering whether to mandate that employers offer health insurance to their workers, and how to pay for a plan that may cost $1 trillion over 10 years.

Oppose Public Option

Most Republicans and some Democrats oppose the creation of a so-called public option. And while three House committees have incorporated that approach into legislation, the Senate Finance Committee dropped the Medicare-like plan during bipartisan negotiations between three Democrats and three Republicans on the panel. The six met with Obama at the White House yesterday.

The president has championed a public option even as he’s left himself room to be flexible.

When asked in a June 23 press conference whether his desire for a public plan was non-negotiable, Obama replied:

“We have not drawn lines in the sand other than that reform has to control costs and that it has to provide relief to people who don’t have health insurance or are underinsured.”

Two weeks later, Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, told the Wall Street Journal it was more important for health-care legislation to inject competition among insurers than to create a government-run plan.

“The goal is to have a means and a mechanism to keep the private insurers honest,” Emanuel said.

Statement From Moscow

Within hours, the White House issued a statement from Moscow, where the president was attending meetings, to reiterate Obama’s support for a public plan.

That approach, Obama said, would be “one of the best ways to bring down costs, provide more choices, and assure quality” as well as to “force the insurance companies to compete and keep them honest.”

In the Bloomberg TV interview, DeParle said a public plan would “level” the playing field by providing consumers “another choice” in “something like 88 percent of markets in this country right now” that are served by only one or two insurance companies.

The public plan would also lower costs, she said.

Obama ‘Open’

Nonetheless, DeParle said the president may be interested in cooperatives — if they are designed to achieve his objectives.

Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, reinforced that view during his briefing yesterday when asked if Obama would sign a bill that didn’t include a public plan.

“The president is open to a bill that increases choice and competition,” he said.

DeParle distanced herself from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s description of the health-insurance industry as “immoral.”

“That isn’t the way I would probably describe it,” she said. She said the industry has “worked together constructively” with the White House toward a comprehensive health-care overhaul.

DeParle also said the president is spending two to three hours a day on health-care matters, whether speaking in public, consulting with staff or conferring with lawmakers.

“He is very steeped in the details,” she said. “He tells them the things that he wants to see, he wants to make sure that costs are lowered. He wants to get everybody covered.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Edwin Chen in Washington at echen32@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: August 7, 2009 06:00 EDT

Obama Open to Creation of Health Cooperatives, DeParle Says is a post from: Pharmacy in jobs, news, schools

Job Ref:

WR/JOBS/27212-13630

Discipline

Job Description :

Flame Health Pharmacy Jobs – Pharmacist Job – Folkestone, Kent

Flame Health’s Pharmacy division are currently recruiting for a Pharmacist in Kent. Our client is a national leader within the food sector and operates over 2000 stores across the UK, Ireland, Central Europe and Asia. They are currently expanding their existing pharmacy operation within the UK and are looking for Pharmacists who want to develop themselves and the business, are passionate about providing excellent patient care and who are looking for a challenge within the sector of community pharmacy.

Your role within the operation will be diverse and will be based around providing support to the pharmacy manager whilst leading and motivating the team and improving their skill set so that they are able to deliver excellent patient care and achieve the financial targets as agreed with the pharmacy operations team. You will also be responsible for ensuring effective working relationships are developed with the Primary Care Organisations (PCO) and surgeries within the local area and ensuring that all services within the company pharmacy agenda that are commissioned by the PCO are delivered to a high standard.

As a pharmacist within this leading organisation, you will also be visible to patients and ensuring that they receive advice with prescriptions and medicines in addition to conducting face to face consultations where appropriate.

In return you will receive outstanding benefits, training and development including the largest amount of time off for CPD within the market and the opportunity to develop your career in the larger pharmacy operation or within the global retail arm.

For more information, please contact Flame Health on 0800 085 0858 or email careers@flamehealth.com

Job in Pharmacy – Pharmacist Jobs – Folkestone, Kent is a post from: Pharmacy in jobs, news, schools

data for Pharmacy database letter E,F and G is a post from: Pharmacy in jobs, news, schools

RESTAT President David R. Kwasny, R. Ph. said the company’s core PBM and evolving healthcare payer services have experienced rapid growth, requiring a more strategic approach to financial management. Mark Helvick is uniquely qualified to support RESTAT’s aggressive growth plan,? explains Kwasny. He has built a significant career in healthcare with experience in the acquisition, integration and, start-up of multiple benefit management offerings.?

Helvick most recently served two UnitedHealth Group subsidiaries in executive capacities, including OptumHealth Specialty Benefits, as CFO, and National Benefit Resources, Inc., as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO). In addition, Helvick worked for Assurant Inc., for more than 11 years, rising to the position of Vice President and Controller for the Milwaukee-based, health and specialty insurance company.

I believe our society has been damaged by Wall Street’s pursuit of purely financial-based goals,? said Helvick. I am thrilled to use my strong analytical background for a company that is looking to challenge the norms, increase efficiencies and reduce costs,? he added. As we further align to meet our clients needs to reduce the complexity and cost of healthcare, we are actually helping to improve a fragmented health system.?

Kwasny added, The extensive knowledge and expertise that Mark brings to his position as CFO will assist us as we partner with our clients to provide access to high-value jobs.pharmacy-bg.com/”title=”pharmacy” >pharmacy benefits and other life science utilization in a cost-contained, cost-plus, transparent model.?

ABOUT RESTAT:

Headquartered in West Bend, Wis., RESTAT manages prescription benefits for more than seven and a half million people annually, offering customized prescription card programs designed to benefit all client types including self-funded employers, unions, and managed care organizations. Since 1985, RESTAT has developed a national provider network that now includes more than 62,380 pharmacies, allowing for easy consumer access to discounted pharmaceutical services. Ranked as one of the largest Prescription Benefit Management companies in the country in 2008 by Business Insurance, RESTAT is truly independent, without ownership ties to drug manufacturers or distribution channels. To learn more, visit www.restat.com or call 800.926.5858. RESTAT is part of the Dohmen family of businesses connecting people with healthcare products and services since 1858.

Photos/MultimediaGallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6015006&lang=en

Carole Pfeil
Vice President, Corporate Communications
Dohmen (Parent Company of RESTAT)
414.299.4914
Cpfeil@dohmen.com

Source: RESTAT Copyright Business Wire 2009

RESTAT Taps Former United Health Group Executive for CFO Position

RESTAT Taps Former United Health Group Executive for CFO Position is a post from: Pharmacy in jobs, news, schools