-
Pharmacy as a Diabetes Information Resource – Really?
AccentHealth collected data in the US through an online survey conducted over a single week, to give a snapshot of where, and from whom, information on diabetes and advice was obtained Participants responded via AccentHealth’s national, online panel of network viewers, and the survey yielded 520 respondents who were at least 18 years of age,…
-
Half of All Children Will Be Autistic by 2025, Warns Senior Research Scientist at MIT
Editor’s Note: In our last edition we ran information pertaining to Homeopaths and the NHMRC committee investigating the effectiveness of this modality. A number of inconsistencies and procedures were highlighted as the NHMRC appeared to be manufacturing a report to conform to certain extreme views of some medical groups, rather than a true evidence-based approach…
-
Are Your Consumers Customers or Patients?
It seems that as pharmacies become more corporate in nature and larger in total business transacted, the concepts of pharmacy are tested, with the view of providing more financial benefit to the owners, either in the format of paying lowest possible wages to employed pharmacists, illegal removal or manipulation of award requirements (such as meal…
-
The Gap Report & Its Opportunities
Self Care has been a platform of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia for as long as I can remember. It is good that it is at last receiving government recognition, particularly as it so easily fits a platform of patients taking responsibility for their own care and that the education required for patients is a…
-
Supermarket Comparisons – are they individually different?
i2P began reporting on Aldi well before they opened their first store in Australia and it has always been favourable. They are renowned for their constant attention to detail in designing their internal systems and their continual auditing of costs. They also tend to put cost savings back into their retail prices. And by putting…
-
Zinc and kidney stones
New research on kidney stone formation reveals that zinc levels might contribute to an increased risk. Research from the University of California, published in PLOS ONE opens a new perspective into the cause of urinary stones and related diseases. We all have patients who are prone to kidney stones. Once you’ve developed a first stone,…
-
Pharmacy Nemesis Roger Corbett – Back to the Future
Influential shareholders of Woolworths are seeking to invite Roger Corbett, the nemesis of Australian pharmacy, back into the fold as chairman. They say: “Woolworths needs a circuit breaker. Given the way Woolworths has lost direction and given the loss of shareholder value, there needs to be accountability – what’s needed is a circuit breaker to sort out the…
-
PBS Co-Pays…Come out Swinging!
When something does not make sense and defies commonsense and logic- then it is political. The decision to enable pharmacists to discount the PBS co-pay by up to $1.00 is one such decision. The logic is that it will create more competition, but the reality is that it will cause erosion to the profit base…
-
MinuteClinic hits 25 million patient visit milestone
CVS Health’s MinuteClinic has surpassed 25 million patient visits since opening the nation’s first retail clinic in 2000, the company announced on Tuesday. This is the future of Australian pharmacy as well, if pharmacy leaders can get their act into gear. But why wait for that to happen? Surely progressive Australian pharmacy owners can venture…
-
Replacing the PBS market for a sustainable Income – home health technology, self care and primary health care
PBS is almost a lost cause. The amount of time that is invested in this product compared to the return on invested capital, is now not viable. This will not improve as health minister, Sussan Ley, has stated she is “not interested in pharmacists’ pay packets, only lower costs for consumers”. A directional change is…