CMSA Public Policy Summit, April 10
By Nayte Carrick | January 30, 2012
CMSA Member and Case Management Professionals will Trek to Capitol Hill
CMSA members and case management professionals will meet in the District of Columbia, April 10, 2012, where they will receive important updates on legislative and policy related to case management and concering national issues in health care and reform. They will learn how to develop interaction at the National level and how to apply this knowledge to the local level for greater impact. They will also spend time with members of Congress, representatives from federal agencies, CMSA leaders, and other experts.
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6 Ways to Lose the Interview FAST
By Nayte Carrick | January 30, 2012
Over the years I have reviewed Thousands of resumes. It is always surprising that a job seeker would put the time and effort into applying for a job and kill their chances in so many ways that would be easy to correct.
I’ve put together a collection of some of the most egregious examples of the types of things that can kill your chances before you even get to the interview. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Nurse Case Management, Pharmacy, Staffing Trends | No Comments »
Case Manager Society National Board Vote
By Tyler Schuster | January 24, 2012
February 13 - March 12, 2012
www.cmsa.org/vote
Voting in CMSA’s National Election is the easiest way to take part in the activities of your professional organization. Visit www.cmsa.org/vote to read each candidate’s information, weigh your decision, and cast your online vote for the Board candidate of your choice. There’s only one new position on which to vote this year.
Topics: Conferences, Nurse Case Management | No Comments »
IV Nurse Day: A Day to Honor Infusion Nurses
By Tyler Schuster | January 24, 2012
NORWOOD, Mass., Jan. 18, 2012 — January 25, 2012, Marks 31st Celebration
NORWOOD, Mass., Jan. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Infusion therapy is delivered through intravenous (IV) catheters across all healthcare settings. If you’ve been on the receiving end of an IV catheter, you know you want an expert who can get it right the first time. Nurses who specialize in infusion therapy, and in particular, credentialed nurses (Certified Registered Nurse Infusion—CRNI®), are an integral part of the healthcare team that provides the correct dose of medication and keeps patients safe from catheter-related bloodstream infections. Read the rest of this entry »
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Bill Would Require Registered Nurses to Have Bachelor’s Degrees
By Tyler Schuster | January 9, 2012
The bill is part of a national push to address a nationwide shortage in skilled nurses.
Some fear the new requirements would discourage some from getting into the field making the problem worse.
Topics: Nurse Case Management, Staffing Trends | No Comments »
When Nurses Catch Compassion Fatigue, Patients Suffer
By Nayte Carrick | January 5, 2012
As a nurse in the cancer center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Wilhelmina Roney, 26, sometimes feels overwhelmed by demands from patients, even though she tries her best to care for them. During a rough week, patients may die in such quick succession that she barely has time to cope.
Topics: Nurse Case Management, Staffing Trends | No Comments »
Healthcare Scouts Expands Staff and Operations
By Nayte Carrick | November 10, 2011
Healthcare Scouts (HCS) recently announced a sizable expansion in its Nurse Case Manager (NCM) operations, increasing office space, personnel and operational capacity. The expansion comes as a result of significantly increased demand from HCS’ existing clients and several large new clients recently brought on. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Company News, Press Releases | No Comments »
Happy Memorial Day Weekend.
By Tyler Schuster | May 27, 2011
Happy Memorial Day weekend! Thank you to all the soldiers who protect our great country.
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Pharmacists more Important as Healthcare Changes
By Nayte Carrick | April 18, 2011
At a Political Leadership Breakfast on Monday morning this past March, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) told attendees that these days, health care providers have to work collaboratively.
As the country goes down the road of health care reform, McDermott said, “I don’t think anyone will be successful without a smart use of pharmacists.” He said that the young people in the room have a whole long life ahead of them in a new paradigm. He mentioned the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, saying it cited medication therapy management (MTM) as a model of high-quality care. He said to look around at current models such as the Asheville Project. “We don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Conferences, Pharmacy, Staffing Trends | No Comments »
Innovate Or Be Commoditized: The PBM and Pharmacy Challenge for 2011
By Nayte Carrick | April 1, 2011
Doing more with less; dealing with constant change; and having technology be a part of everything… Those are things that the next generation will take for granted. For the rest of us, those are dynamics that are changing our personal and professional lives. We’re constantly bombarded with information and decisions to make.
While the pharmacy industry has generally avoided the collapse of the automotive industry and the radical change of the health insurance industry, we’ve seen unprecedented change in the past few years.
- We’ve seen more than 100,000 people lose their jobs in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry[i].
- We’ve seen CVS and Walgreens make numerous acquisitions – Caremark, Longs, Duane Reade, Universal American.
- We’ve seen Wellpoint and Aetna along with others enter into long-term deals with standalone Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs).
- We’ve seen Prescription Solutions grow from a niche captive PBM to the 4th largest PBM and one that might allow UnitedHealth Group to insource their PBM business from Medco Health Solutions.
- We’ve seen retail pharmacies beginning to be centers of care with clinics and administration of vaccines.
- We’ve seen PBMs buying genomic companies such as DNA Direct and Generation Health.
- We’ve seen the PBMs distancing themselves from the manufacturers only to potentially come full circle with specialty pharmacy and REMS.
- We’ve seen Wal-Mart try several new models – $4 generics and direct-to-employer at Caterpillar.
- We’ve seen Humana’s captive PBM grow significantly and begin partnering with Wal-Mart on Medicare Part D.
It’s almost impossible to go a few days now without seeing information about prescription drugs in the mainstream news. You might hear a financial analyst talking about the lack of blockbuster drugs in the pipeline. You might read about a drug recall in USA Today. You might see a new report talking about the $290B cost of non-adherence[ii] to the country. Or, it might simply be water cooler discussions around how more than 25% of kids[iii] now take a prescription medication or how non-adherence can lead to hospital readmissions[iv].
This has raised the average consumer’s awareness of the industry and continues to push the trend of consumerism with which the entire healthcare industry is dealing. Most of us in the industry already knew that pharmacy was the most used benefit (12 Rxs PMPY for PPO members[v]) and believed that pharmacists were a critical part of the care continuum.
The challenge now is for the industry to demonstrate their value beyond simple trend management. The growth in generics will slow down while specialty spending grows. Pharmacy and pharmacists have to become critical path in the care continuum and demonstrate how they engage consumers to improve outcomes. It will become increasingly important to link outcomes and reimbursement as CIGNA Pharmacy did in their diabetes deal with Merck[vi].
Reposted from an article by George Van Antwerp, who is General Manager for the Pharmacy business at Silverlink Communications.
Topics: Hot Markets, Laboratory/Biotech, Pharmacy | No Comments »