Pharmacists were left with no alternative but to sign-up to the new community pharmacy agreement and the Minister of Health is kidding himself if he thinks most did so happily. Labour's Health spokesperson, Maryan Street says pharmacists had no real choice but to cave in despite their concerns, because they would not have received payment for June if they did not. "Tony Ryall continues to ignore the pharmacists' concerns over gaps in the contract, such as how much they will get paid after 1 February next year, as well as their anxiety over patient safety and the viability of pharmacies in rural areas. "He has consistently treated the pharmacists with disdain even though many of them have taken their concerns directly to him. The Pharmacy Guild continues to tell the Minister that all is well when its own members are clear that the opposite is true," she says. "The change that this contract involves, and the haste with which it has been rushed through, threatens the livelihoods of many pharmacists and the care they can deliver as health professionals. If their pharmacies are not viable, that delivery of health care is threatened. "Mr Ryall should recognise when there is a … Continue reading →

FLINT, Mich., July 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy, the nation's largest privately held specialty pharmacy, revealed the results of its annual Physician Satisfaction Survey today. The survey, conducted by Gartner & Associates LLC in July 2012, reaffirms Diplomat's industry leading physician satisfaction rates. Key survey findings reflect: Further, there was a 10% increase over 2011 in the number of healthcare workers who responded "very satisfied" when asked to rank their satisfaction based on the knowledge and helpfulness of Diplomat's care staff, pharmacists and nurses. Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy CEO, Phil Hagerman, says the overwhelmingly positive 2012 survey results affirm the daily efforts of the company's Education & Training center known as Diplomat University. "This type of physician-provided data reinforces the importance and value of our approach to employee training and education," notes Hagerman. "Our increases in service levels are compelling and demonstrate that we are not putting growth in front of patient services and overall care. We believe that our industry-leading Diplomat University is helping to create a more knowledgeable, helpful and compassionate team of support staff." About Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy Michigan-based Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy, founded in 1975, serves patients nationwide as the country's largest privately held Specialty Pharmacy and … Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., July 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --LearnSomething, distributor of the SpecialtyRxAdvisor program, has announced an exclusive partnership with PANTHERx Specialty Pharmacy. SpecialtyRxAdvisor delivers online mini-courses on specialty pharmacy drugs and services to retail pharmacy professionals. Under the agreement, PANTHERx will advise LearnSomething on the content for SpecialtyRxAdvisor programs and introduce the education programs to manufacturers who dispense specialty drugs. "SpecialtyRxAdvisor couldn't be timelier for retail pharmacies," says Dr. Gordon J. Vanscoy, associate dean and professor of pharmacy and therapeutics at the University of Pittsburgh, and chairman and CEO of PANTHERx Specialty Pharmacy. "Growth of specialty drugs is outpacing traditional medications and within a few years will account for 40 percent or more of pharmaceutical manufacturer sales. These are complex medications needing extensive management to support patient safety and adherence. It was easy for us to see how important a partnership with SpecialtyRxAdvisor can be in this growing market." Pharmacy professionals access SpecialtyRxAdvisor mini-courses using the same networks they currently use for compliance education, so integrating the program is seamless. "We have become experts at building the infrastructure and platform to provide online education to pharmacy professionals, with 85 percent penetration in retail pharmacies," says Steve Roden, president and CEO of … Continue reading →

23 July 2012 Last updated at 21:03 ET Plans for a pharmacy in Dumfries which had been rejected by councillors have been allowed after an appeal to the Scottish government. The local authority turned down the bid for the site on the corner of Lockerbie Road and the Laurels earlier this year. It had received a number of objections to the scheme and refused it due to road safety concerns. However, a Scottish government reporter has now ruled it can proceed with a number of conditions. The proposed scheme attracted a large number of objections - mostly concerned about traffic issues and the impact on the amenity of the area. A reporter took the view that the development of a pharmacy and its design would be in keeping with the existing character of the Lockerbie Road. He also found that evidence of any road safety issues was "neither substantive nor compelling". He said that his own site inspection had found free traffic flows were possible "most of the time" although that would rely on compliance and enforcement of double yellow lines in the area. His report concluded that the development could proceed but with a string of conditions about landscaping, … Continue reading →