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Health Disruption to Health Care – by Health Funds and Major Investors
Health funds are beginning to look at disruptive or innovative acquisitions that will help in their objective of converting as many health systems as possible to become part of a managed care consortium. While the process promises lower health costs, low health insurance premiums and a five star system for patients to rate their health…
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The PBS $1 Discount – Strategies for Coping
The next 12 months will be a real time of testing as the discount PBS co-payment of $1 begins to bite. You must prepare to combat this process immediately to ensure that your pharmacy will survive. This cynical process adopted by government, has the potential to generate many bankruptcies after the first year of introduction. And…
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Create Infinite Growth Through Appropriate Brand Building
Recently, I came across a paper published on the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) website and it was titled “Eight Lessons to Secure Infinite Growth”. It was a paper that involved simple processes to create strong brand images. As I read into the detail I found that if I changed some of the nomenclature it was…
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Crazy, cruel cancer ‘cures’
Some cancer patients, ignoring medical advice, are choosing ‘natural’ approaches to their disease. Steve Jobs (co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc), Penelope Dingle, Sharyn and her daughter, Jess Ainscough, all used alternative interventions before dying of cancer. Despite phenomenal progress with medical treatments, cancer quackery remains a flourishing and lucrative business throughout the developed…
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Book Launch – “A Prescription for Pharmacy”
Editor’s Note: Mouhamad Zoghbi is a nurse by profession, has two siblings who are pharmacists and is married to a pharmacy assistant. He is also a medical representative for a global drug manufacturer. He has just written and published a book titled “A Prescription for Pharmacy”. As its’ title implies, pharmacy may be a sick…
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How to make a good first impression
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Truer words were never spoken. Oftentimes, first impressions determine whether you will even get to make a second impression. We can all recall first meetings that we wish we would have handled differently. What did we learn from those experiences? “Psychology Today” magazine gives…
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US Increases Naloxone Access to Combat Opioid Overdose Epidemic
In response to the increase in opioid overdose-related deaths, United States Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced the agency’s plan to increase access to naloxone in rural communities and expand access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT). Burwell announced the plan at a conference including representatives from the 50 states and Washington, DC,…
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Health Out of Pocket Costs Will Impact Pharmacy
The following information was recently released by the AIHW which is showing a trend for government spending to remain a constant while private expenditure is trending upwards. “Total expenditure on health was estimated at $154.6 billion in 2013–14, up by 3.1% on 2012–13 in real terms. Growth in expenditure per person was $6,639, which was…
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Screening over-70’s for memory issues – what can it achieve?
An international panel has recommended all people over 70 be tested each year for problems with memory and reasoning. They claim that the goal is to detect treatable disease, to provide lifestyle guidance to slow cognitive impairment, to identify patients who may be struggling to understand their doctor’s instructions, and to allow patients and families…
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Telehealth and Telemedicine – Major Pharmacy Opportunities in Healthspot concept
Telehealth and telemedicine represent a significant opportunity for pharmacists and providers to partner on cutting-edge healthcare models, and pharmacy chains such as Walgreens and CVS are looking to embrace this technology in a big way. This new and quite disruptive technology (particularly for GP’s) has been adapted as a kiosk fitted with a range of…