Here is a link to the PA standing order for naloxone, now including the OTC version. As you get the OTC version in, make sure you inform your customers that this is covered by insurance 100%. Suggest some signage. The…
Author: Monica Abel
NCPA Unveils an Opportunity to Fight Back Against DIR Fees
ORLANDO, Fla. (Oct. 16, 2023) – The National Community Pharmacists Association on Sunday announced a major new legal initiative for pharmacies that have been victimized by the unconscionable behavior of the largest pharmacy benefit managers that NCPA says have made billions…
In Case of Robbery – Steps To Take
Here is a reminder of what to do in case of robbery/looting at your pharmacy: In Case of Robbery-Keystone 2020 Updates
Fall 2023 RSV Decision Making for People 60 and Over
This resource is meant to inform on actions to take based on vaccines that are currently in stock at point of care, and vaccine co-administration strategies. Useful information in talking with adults about vaccines to prevent respiratory illnesses during cold…
NCPA 2023 Annual Convention
Use promo code BUY100 to receive $100 off your registration. Register at https://ncpa.org/annual-convention
Updates to PHE and PREP
Attached is a summary of the updates to PHE and PREP mean to pharmacies. It is strongly encouraged to print this out for your pharmacy staff. Updates PHE vs PREP Act
NCPA: Talk to Your Patients First Before the PBMs do!
If you don’t talk to your patients about Medicare enrollment, you can bet the PBMs and Big Insurance will. You can cut through their propaganda and help your patients choose the best plan for them by talking to them first.…
NCPA Educational Reality Series, “Show Me” Featuring Gwen and Chris O’Neill of Circle Pharmacy
Save the date for Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. ET. NCPA is hosting a watch party, via Zoom and Facebook, of our new educational reality series, “Show Me.” The series is produced by the NCPA Innovation Center and made possible…
FTC to Ramp Up Enforcement Against Any Illegal Rebate Schemes
The Federal Trade Commission announced that it will ramp up enforcement against any illegal bribes and rebate schemes that block patients’ access to competing lower-cost drugs. The enforcement policy statement issued today puts drug companies and prescription drug middlemen on notice that…
Prices for New Drugs Are Rising 20 Percent a Year. Congress Needs to Act.
Millions of Americans are forced to ration or go without prescription drugs because of their high cost. Yet Congress has so far failed to pass legislation to lower drug prices. Read more here.
NCPA 2022 Annual Convention
Registration goes live June 14th. Pharmacists will receive $100 off registration with promo code BUY100. ← Click on the picture to go to the registration page at NCPA.
Red Flags for Dispensing Controls
With the recent Rochester Drug decision, and multi-million dollar fines being levied on wholesalers for sending CS to pharmacies that use a disproportionate amount of CS, this will only get worse. Wholesalers would rather cut off a questionable pharmacy than…
NCPA FAQs for Over-the-Counter, At-Home COVID-19 Test Coverage and Access
How do patients get a free over-the-counter COVID-19 test? See the answer along with more FAQs provided by NCPA at the link below: ncpa-faqs-covid19-test
FDA Anticipated to Approve Pfizer Vaccine for Children
FDA anticipated to approve Pfizer Vaccine for Children in the next two weeks. Pfizer guidance attached below. Pfizer Peds One Pager REFERENCEPLANNINGONLY_14OCT2021
What does the aspirin news mean for me?
For years, many doctors have recommended that people in their 50s start taking a low-dose aspirin every day to protect heart health and, more recently, to prevent colon cancer. So it was a shock this week when an independent panel…
MEDICARE PART D 2022 GET TO KNOW IT!
Open Enrollment: October 15th – December 7th Understanding Medicare Part D can be a challenge for customers and pharmacists. Keeping up to date with these changes will keep your stress to a minimum. As 2022 is offering new plans to…
Medicare Plan D 2022: Open Enrollment October 15th through December 7th 2021
Click on the link from NCPA on Medicare plan D for 2022. https://ncpa.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/part-d-2022-fact-sheet.pdf
NCPA Annual Convention 2021
Registration is now open! Click here to register: https://ncpa.org/annual-convention
Testing, Vaccinating, and Cross-Selling
Let’s face it, you’ve worked so hard to get the COVID-19 testing and vaccinating supplies into your pharmacy, and your community is incredibly thankful. Now, with summer upon us and traveling tourists needing testing done, the recent adolescent approval for…
Get on Board with Technology
Historically, pharmacies have been slow to get on board with technological advances, but this is changing rapidly. The healthcare industry is in the process of being redefined by some heavy-hitting disruptions. These include increased competition, value-based care, digital health, and…
Front-End Pharmacy Refresh
When it comes to your pharmacy one of the most significant opportunities to increase sales comes from your front-end. Ask yourself, is your pharmacy’s front-end in tip-top shape? Sure, you’ve straightened out and pulled items forward to make a nice,…
Take Your Pharmacy’s Legislator to Work
As an independent pharmacy owner, it is essential to meet with your lawmakers and invite them to visit your pharmacy to discuss issues affecting your practice and patients. Lawmakers are elected by you as their constituents. They must hear from…
Traits Utilized by Successful Independent Pharmacies
It is no secret that successful, independent pharmacies do not just happen – they are the product of dedication, hard work, exceptional customer service, and innovative thinking. But even with all these qualities, sometimes it is hard to narrow down…
Retail Pharmacy Robbery Tips and Prevention
Pharmacy burglaries and robberies are on the rise. According to the DEA, in 2018, the United States saw over 676 retail burglaries and 107 armed retail robberies, with California, Maryland, and Texas being the top states with the most incidents.1…
FAQs for Indy Health Insurance Company Network Pharmacies
Indy Health Insurance Company entered into a voluntary rehabilitation receivership with the Arkansas Insurance Commissioner. Additionally, CMS and Indy Health Insurance Company are working toward terminating their 2021 Medicare Part D contract. The rehabilitation process can be a very lengthy…
Trends to Grow Independent Pharmacy in 2021
Growing your community pharmacy can be tricky work. Faced with a global pandemic, fierce competition, loads of red tape, and declining profit margins, many community pharmacies are taking on those shrinking profits with an end goal of growing their business…
Double Your Impact for Healthy Hearts
Heart disease remains the leading killer of women in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association’s newly released 2021 Heart Disease & Stroke Statistics. Every year it kills one woman approximately every 80 seconds, taking more lives than all…
COVID-19 NEWS AND INFORMATION – NEW ORDER BY ACTING SECRETARY OF HEALTH
Order of the Acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health Directing Vaccine Providers’ Administration of COVID-19 Vaccines Effective today, the Pennsylvania Acting Secretary of Health issued a new Order to increase the administration of vaccine dosages received; ensure ease…
The Hidden Force Shaping Drug Prices – WHYY
Every time you get a prescription drug, you’re dealing with a middleman you’ve probably never heard of — one who has had a hand in how much your drug costs. The same middleman decides which drugs are covered by your…
Help Get Eligible Pharmacy Patients Vaccinated
Immunization rates in the United States remain well under the Healthy People 2020 target, translating to about 56,000 deaths in the U.S. each year that could have been prevented through vaccinations.1 As a go-to destination for care and seasonal illness…
The Cost Of Mail Order Rx
Consumers, employers, and public health officials should consider the potential risks before they allow health insurance companies to steer patients into mail order. See graphic by NCPA here for stats: Mail Order Details
Support Healthy Immunity Habits with Pharmacy Patients
When fully optimized, our immune system helps prevent infections and destroys viruses without us ever giving this process a second thought. We usually only consider our immune system only after we have come down with something. Keeping our immune system…
Improving Medication Adherence with Your Patients
2021 is upon us, and our member pharmacies are continually looking for ways to improve their standings, profits, and pharmacy’s ability to thrive and grow. Our members can increase their chances for success by placing a good portion of time…
NCPA Launches Campaign Exposing “The Truth” About PBMs
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Oct. 20, 2020) — The National Community Pharmacists Association today launched a new campaign, “The Truth,” aimed at countering a big-money propaganda effort by the pharmacy benefit manager lobby to obscure their role in the high cost of drugs and the…
SCOTUS: Victory!
The Supreme Court of the United States issued its landmark ruling in Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), determining whether community pharmacies are protected from abusive payment practices. The unanimous (8 to 0) decision ruled in favor of the interests of patients…
COVID-19 Vaccine Plans for Pharmacies
To expand access to COVID-19 services, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has authorized state-licensed pharmacists to order and administer COVID-19 vaccinations, once they are made available, to patients aged three years and older.1 The HHS and CDC…
Diabetes Care: Merchandise, Management, & Medication
Diabetes affects over 34 million people and is the seventh leading cause of deaths here in the United States. In fact, in the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled as the American…
Millennials: Shaping Healthcare in the United States
Healthcare in the United States is evolving. Factors such as politics and policy to generational differences affect how healthcare is approached. As more millennials enter the healthcare market, it’s becoming clear that their wellness approach is much different than those…
3 Keyways to Present Your Pharmacy as a Good Health Destination
Independent pharmacies consistently ask themselves what they need to make their organization more professional, engaging, and, in return, more profitable. Many pharmacies stick to the same worn-out approaches and concepts, resulting in decreased revenue and increased challenges for remaining competitive…
Navigating Open Enrollment for Medicare Part D
From October 15th to December 7th, customers aged 65 and older will be reviewing their medical coverage and health care needs, including Medicare Part D plans. The detailed information needed for 2021 (premiums, copays, formulary tiers, gap coverage, etc.) will…
FDA Awards $5 Million Grant to Universities of Maryland and Michigan to Establish Center for Research on Complex Generics
Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that the Generic Drug User Fee Amendments (GDUFA) Science and Research Program has awarded a grant to the Universities of Maryland and Michigan to establish the Center for Research on Complex…
Fentanyl Overdoses Associated With Counterfeit Pharmaceutical Pills
Drug overdoses remain a public health threat in Philadelphia, where 1,150 people died from unintentional overdoses in 2019. More than three- quarters of these deaths involved fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid that is now commonly found in heroin, cocaine and…
Finding Profits in Vitamins & Supplements
Nutrition and vitamin supplement sales are a big pill to swallow – and a profitable one, say health care market researchers. According to Hamacher Resource Group, supplement market value in the retail sector reached almost $7 billion in the U.S.…
Indy Health 2021 Medicare Part D Annual Enrollment Benefit Webinar
2021 Medicare Part D Annual Enrollment Benefit Training 9/21/2020 to 9/24/2020 Indy Health is excited to announce our webinars to review the Indy Health SaverRx and Indy Health EliteRx Plan information the week of September 21, 2020. The webinar…
Refreshing Your Pharmacy on a Budget
When was the last time you spruced up your pharmacy? I’m sure your answer may come as a surprise. Updates do not have to break the bank. Fortunately, there are quite a few updates you can apply to your pharmacy…
Building A Strong Pharmacist-Customer Relationship
A pharmacist’s relationship with their customers plays a defining role in how their pharmacy is perceived as a valuable resource. Independent pharmacists want their patients to feel comfortable and their pharmacy to be accessed by the community it serves. It…
Have You Googled Your Pharmacy? Tips on Improving Your Rank.
Chances are you may find that your pharmacy doesn’t appear for relevant searches in your area. If you can’t find your pharmacy, then it’s time to improve your info. Providing and updating information can help your pharmacy’s local ranking on…
Volunteers Needed for Clinical Trials of Vaccine for COVID-19
As the world anxiously awaits a vaccine for COVID-19, Operation Warp Speed has identified several possible candidates, all of which are in phases of testing for safety, dosing and response. Now, volunteers are needed for the clinical trials. Pharmacies can…
Doctor Detailing for Independent Pharmacies
When putting a marketing plan together, independent pharmacy owners often forget about an important segment to reach out to – your local prescribers. This can be due to a variety of reasons, including not knowing what to say, feeling like…
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