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1 week ago | 
drugtopics.com | Killian Meara
Social determinants of health (SDoH) significantly impact patient outcomes, well-being, and quality of life. These factors include safe housing, education, access to healthy food, employment opportunities, and physical environments like clean air and water. SDoH contribute to health disparities by creating barriers to healthy living, such as limited access to nutritious food or opportunities for physical activity.
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1 week ago | 
drugtopics.com | Killian Meara |Razanne Oueini
The Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) developed the Persistence to Basal Insulin (PST-INS) measure to track patients who maintain consistent basal insulin use over a year. Endorsed in 2021, it is now used in Medicare Part D performance and safety evaluations. The measure, based on a 2014 validated methodology, is linked to better outcomes like lower A1c, fewer hospitalizations, and reduced ER visits. In 2023, insulin costs were capped at $35 for Medicare enrollees under the Inflation Reduction Act.
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1 week ago | 
drugtopics.com | Killian Meara |Michael Hegener
Pharmacists are playing an increasingly important role in community health care, but training and support are needed to help them expand clinical services. Much like the early days of pharmacy-based immunizations, today’s shift toward broader patient care brings its own set of challenges.
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1 week ago | 
drugtopics.com | Killian Meara |Micah Cost
Pharmacy is evolving rapidly, with pharmacists taking on more patient-centered services beyond dispensing medications. Patients increasingly rely on their local pharmacies for accessible health care, including vaccines, screenings, and chronic disease management. This shift presents both opportunities and challenges—particularly in expanding scope of practice and updating outdated reimbursement models.
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1 week ago | 
drugtopics.com | Killian Meara |Kaitlin A. Bates
As value-based payment models evolve, the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) launched a program to support standardized pharmacy quality measures, focusing on blood pressure and HbA1c control. By leveraging pharmacists’ accessibility in communities, the initiative aims to improve adherence and health outcomes. In 2023, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield joined the national pilot, targeting Medicaid and Medicare patients.
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1 week ago | 
drugtopics.com | Killian Meara |Michael Hegener
During the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacists played a vital role in delivering patient care, particularly through vaccination services. This increased visibility positioned pharmacies as trusted, convenient providers of preventative health care. As the profession evolves, community pharmacies are expected to expand into chronic disease management and test-and-treat services for conditions like flu and strep throat.
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1 week ago | 
drugtopics.com | Killian Meara |Mitchell Barnett
Drug disposal programs are vital public health services that promote safe disposal of controlled substances and patient education. In Iowa, a collaboration between public health, the state pharmacy association, and a pharmacy benefit manager incentivized pharmacies to provide disposal products and medication safety education. Using a manufacturer coupon-style reimbursement model, pharmacists were compensated for these services.
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1 week ago | 
drugtopics.com | Killian Meara |Michael Hegener
Pharmacists are stepping into a more critical role in community health care, but they need support to feel confident and prepared. Just like when pharmacists first started giving immunizations and many were nervous about the new responsibility, today's pharmacists face similar challenges in expanding their professional services.
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1 week ago | 
dermatologytimes.com | Killian Meara
LEO Pharma recently announced positive topline results from a phase 2b trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of temtokibart for the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis in adult patients.1 The company said it is currently collecting and evaluating the full data set from the study and plans to present it at a later date.
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2 weeks ago | 
drugtopics.com | Killian Meara |Razanne Oueini
The Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) developed the Persistence to Basal Insulin (PST-INS) measure through its systematic, consensus-based process, beginning in 2018. Endorsed in 2021, the measure has since been adopted in the Medicare Part D program and included in patient safety reports and the Medicare Part D display page for 2024 and 2025. It assesses the percentage of individuals aged 18 or older who remained persistent with basal insulin therapy over a measurement year.
