INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES

Canada’s most powerful pharmacy retailers have grown powerful in a relatively stable competitive arena, but that status quo is changing. One of the Big Three U.S. drug wholesalers has serious designs on the Canadian drug store market.

DMEPOS accreditation requirements threaten the availability across several durable medical equipment categories at the pharmacy level, including canes, walkers, wheelchairs, portable commodes, compression hose, mastectomy prosthetics, neck and body orthotics and wound care, among other products and services.

While Drug Store News has been, and continues to be, a staunch supporter for the widespread adoption of healthcare information technology — as it is the most logical first step toward a working healthcare system where providers communicate, patients get better, and payers get their money’s worth — rushing HIT legislation through in the name of economic stimulus is the wrong idea. And, not because HIT adoption won’t create jobs and stimulate the economy, either.

For several years, the Walgreens annual shareholders meeting had been a time of yearly celebration; this year, however, executives had a bit of explaining to do, in order to convince investors that the company remains a top-notch investment.

The fact that Take Care has hit the one millionth-patient mark is important because it is yet further evidence of just how quickly convenient care has ramped up in recent months, and offers a hint of what’s coming. While patient satisfaction, quality care and convenience contributed to the growth of the market, there’s no doubt that a recently launched marketing campaign, and the growing number of clinics that have opened over the last year has significantly helped bolster foot traffic.

The Ohio Legislature’s passage of a law named for a young girl who died after receiving the wrong IV solution to require a background check and competency test certified by the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy for pharmacy technicians provides a new measure of safety for patients.

Under current U.S. laws, only doctors and nurse practitioners can write prescriptions, but a limited contract between the Washington State Department of Health and pharmacy agencies to allow pharmacists there to prescribe antivirals in the event of a flu pandemic marks a major expansion of the role of community pharmacists in the United States.

NEW YORK With the country focused on expanding health care to 46 million uninsured, the fact that UnitedHealth and Cisco have thought to include retail clinics into their joint telehealth solution is a nod to the important role clinics play as healthcare extenders.