December 2015

The new buzzword in health policy circles is value.

In June of 1981 an unspeakable new disease entered the public consciousness in the United States and it did so quickly and unexpectedly, leaving illness, tragedy, and death in its wake.

In the recent case of Tug Valley Pharmacy et al v All Plaintiffs, the West Virginia Supreme Court weighed in on public policy concerning the diversion of controlled substances.

It comes as no surprise that as health care organizations look for ways to improve outreach to their patients, they look first to HIPAA"compliant texting services.

Following unanimous passage of pharmacy benefits manager legislation in Iowa during the 2014 and 2015 legislative sessions, the Iowa Pharmacy Association continues to work closely with the Iowa Insurance Division on rule-making.

Health-system consolidation, both vertical and horizontal, is occurring at an unprecedented pace, with no indication of slowing in the near future.

Nearly 10 years ago, the Institute of Medicine made a statement that could have been read as a call to action for pharmacists.

A shortage of primary care physicians is looming in many areas of the United States.

As the relationship between pharmacist and physician developed, doctors began asking the pharmacist to go beyond offering advice and to initiate changes to the drug and dosage regimens in response to patients' signs and symptoms.

New pay-for-performance strategies are being used by payers to improve quality by providing bonus incentives to providers based on their performance, forcing health care providers to focus on quality of care to ensure that patients are achieving positive health outcomes.

Almost 6 years ago, the Affordable Care Act was signed, a law constructed with the notion of making health care more affordable, accessible, and of higher quality.