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The Pharmacist’s News Source
Volume 36 • Number 8 • August 2009 ❃
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Pharmacist-led Program For Smoking Cessation Can Double Quit Rates Miami—Pharmacists have a key role to play in helping people stop smoking and live longer and healthier lives, according to new research presented in posters at the 5th annual conference of the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association. In one of the posters, pharmacists who were trained to provide intensive smoking cessation counseling and drug therapy were able to double the quit rates reported in several earlier trials. Lead investigator Jane Pruemer, PharmD, said the successful outcome illustrates that pharmacists can excel at promoting wellness in their patients. “As pharmacists, we have a responsibility to help prevent cancers, as well as to help treat them,” said Dr. Pruemer, professor of pharmacy at the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, in Ohio. “We all know that smoking is one of the major causes of not
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see STOP SMOKING, page 34
McMahon Publishing
in this issue Clinical
In Brief ‘Artificial’ lung shows promise.
3
Hem/Onc Pharmacy Cancer surge poses challenge—and opportunity—for hem/onc pharmacists.
14
The case for and against vitamins in cancer.
16
Operations & Mgmt
Preparedness ASHP launches flu readiness resource center.
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Pharmacy Heritage Scoville’s test for pepper heat marked an early success for pharmacist research.
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Policy
Medication Safety FDA to study anesthesia risks in children.
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Charge master often neglected
Hospitals May Be Letting Crucial Drug Pricing Tool Rust Rosemont, Ill.—In a national survey, more than one-half of hospitals said they reviewed and changed line-item drug products on their pricing lists quarterly or less often. Nearly one-third (28%) reported reviewing the list only once annually. The failure to adequately manage the list, known as a hospital pharmacy charge master, can result in reduced reimbursement that not only hurts health-systems individually; lax updating can also trigger artificially low national pay rates set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, noted lead investigator Christine A. Pierce. The federal agency, Ms. Pierce explained, collects charge data from hospitals and then aggregates them to use in a formula for establishing national levels of payment.
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Technology
Closed-System Transfer Devices Lessen Worker Contamination—at a Cost Miami—The use of a closed-system transfer device (CSTD) to reduce the danger of contamination from chemotherapy drugs to the health care workers who compound and administer them is justified because of its potential safety benefits. However, there are other factors to consider when persuading your institution to budget for the use of these devices, according to pharmacists from The Ohio State University Medical Center Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital, in Columbus. There is no question that the use of the CSTDs cuts down significantly on exposures to dangerous chemotherapy drugs, said Ryan A. Forrey, PharmD,
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see CLOSED SYSTEM, page 12
see DRUG PRICING, page 40
E-Prescribing How to avoid CPOE growing pains in ambulatory oncology infusion settings.
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Informatics Anticoagulation made easier via tracking software.
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Product/Service Profiles Section begins on page
PP1
Educational Review Antimicrobial Efficacy Insert after page
10
Strategy bridges inpatient-to-outpatient care gap
Strong Medication Reconciliation Effort Lowers ADE Readmissions Rosemont, Ill.—Intensive pharmacist-provided postdischarge medication follow-up dramatically lowered the rate of readmissions for adverse drug events (ADEs) in a large health care system’s hospitals, according to presentations at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Summer Meeting. Pharmacists at Novant Health
found that patients enrolled in the health system’s SafeMed medication reconcilation program were 4.19 times more likely to be readmitted within 60 days and 1.74 times more likely to be readmitted within 30 days with an ADE than a control group not participating in the outreach program, reported Terri B.
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see RECONCILIATION, page 6
The Book Page Managing Anticoagulation Patients in the Hospital: The Inpatient Anticoagulation Service Michael Gulseth
WWW.CMEZONE.COM
See page
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