June 7 Practice & Trends Pharmacy Techs Advancing pharmacy techs pays off during COVID-19 vaccine rollout PT June 2021 Pharmacy technicians like Sara Dreyer have taken on more responsibility since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and now that vaccines are available in communities across the United States, the role of the pharmacy technician is even more pronounced. Loren Bonner
June 7 Practice & Trends Reimbursement Oregon pays pharmacists for all services under scope of practice PT June 2021 Alis Volat Propriis—“She flies with her own wings”—is Oregon’s state motto. The government first adopted the slogan in 1854 as a hat tip to the independent spirit of the pioneers who formed Oregon’s first government. Sonya Collins
June 7 Practice & Trends Pediatrics AAP acknowledges unique barriers for American Indian, Alaska Native youth PT June 2021 A new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on the care of American Indian and Alaska Native children and adolescents highlights the inequitable disease burden observed in this patient population. Maria G. Tanzi, PharmD
June 7 Practice & Trends Mental Health A proactive, team-based, psychological solution to burnout PT June 2021 Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, a tertiary teaching hospital in Toronto, Canada, might have a thing or two to share about preventing mental health distress and burnout. Members of the hospital’s psychosocial oncology division developed and implemented CREATE—Compassion, REsilience And TEam-building—to help support the mental health of health care staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clarissa Chan, PharmD
June 7 Practice & Trends On The Cover Conversations about structural racism are uncomfortable. That’s the point. PT June 2021 “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago,” a Chinese proverb says. “The second-best time is now.” Rachel Balick
June 7 Practice & Trends Immunization Champions 2021 Immunization Champion Awards recognize extraordinary contributions to COVID-19 vaccination, public health PT June 2021 Pharmacists’ vital role as vaccinators and health educators has even greater significance this year as the nation continues the massive effort to vaccinate the population against COVID-19.
June 7 Today's Perspective Today's Perspective The power of accessibility PT June 2021 As pharmacists, we are the nation’s most accessible health care professionals. Kristin Wiisanen, PharmD, FAPhA, FCCP, Pharmacy Today editor in chief
June 7 Association Perspective Association Perspective Pharmacy on the offensive PT June 2021 If you know me, you know my top pharmacy priorities: payment reform, payment reform, and payment reform. Scott J. Knoer, MS, PharmD, FASHP, APhA EVP and CEO
June 7 Bulletin Today Bulletin Today CDC recommends pregnant women get COVID-19 vaccine PT June 2021 Pregnant women should get the COVID-19 vaccine, said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, noting that vaccination surveillance systems found “no safety concerns” for more than 35,000 women in their third trimester or for their babies.
June 7 Drugs & Diseases Long Haul COVID ‘Long COVID’ needs to be addressed by multiple specialties PT June 2021 More and more cases of “long COVID” are surfacing—but what does it mean, and how can clinicians respond? Loren Bonner
June 7 Drugs & Diseases COVID-19 Variants What you need to know about SARS-CoV-2 variants PT June 2021 Why were SARS-CoV-2 variants expected? “Ultimately, all viruses mutate all the time,” said Scott Roberts, MD, from Yale New Haven Health. Loren Bonner
June 7 Drugs & Diseases Melatonin Is melatonin safe for children? PT June 2021 Since melatonin is naturally produced in the body and adults commonly use melatonin to fall asleep, what’s the harm in giving children melatonin to sleep? Clarissa Chan, PharmD
June 7 Drugs & Diseases Cannabis Update Cannabis could help manage symptoms of some neurological conditions PT June 2021 The data on cannabis and its components for treatment of neurological disorders are plentiful, according to Michele Faulkner, PharmD, FASHP. “Cannabis and neurological disorders is a huge topic,” said Faulkner during an APhA2021 Virtual session on cannabis products to treat neurological disorders. Loren Bonner
June 7 Drugs & Diseases OTCs Today Warts: A benign but contagious condition PT June 2021 Warts, a common skin disorder caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), are considered a benign condition that often resolves without treatment. Warts may affect skin and mucous membranes anywhere on the body. Common warts are typically found on the hands, while plantar warts are usually on the feet. Daniel L. Krinsky, RPh, MS
June 7 Drugs & Diseases On the Shelf Ashwagandha for reduced stress and anxiety PT June 2021 Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), a small perennial shrub with yellow flowers, is a key component of Ayurveda, the traditional practice of medicine developed more than 3,000 years ago in India. Mickie Cathers
June 22 Drugs & Diseases New Drug Dual-action ADHD drug provides both early- and late-onset symptom relief PT June 2021 FDA has approved Azstarys (KemPharm), the first ADHD medication to combine two medications, 70% serdexmethylphenidate (SDX) and 30% immediate-release dexmethylphenidate (d-MPH), in a oncedaily capsule for treatment of ADHD in patients ages 6 years and older. Cara Aldridge Young
June 7 Health Systems DIR Fees APhA, others file federal lawsuit against HHS to close DIR loophole PT June 2021 APhA, its pharmacy partners, and community pharmacies have long argued that PBMs working with Medicare Part D plan sponsors’ use of retroactive direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fees cheats beneficiaries, forces pharmacies to close their doors, and endangers access to pharmacist-provided care. Rachel Balick
June 7 Health Systems On The Docket Pharmacist sues employer for sexual harassment by customers PT June 2021 Federal and state laws create a mechanism for employees to sue their employers for failing to provide protection from sexual harassment. David B. Brushwood, BSPharm, JD
June 7 Health Systems MRSA Research attempts to fill knowledge gap for vancomycin loading dose practice PT June 2021 It may surprise some pharmacists that the practice of using vancomycin loading doses is not currently supported by robust clinical evidence. Corey Diamond, PharmD
June 7 Health Systems Opioids Improving outcomes in opioid-associated cardiac arrest PT June 2021 As opioid misuse has risen across the United States, so has opioid-associated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, which has unique clinical features and management implications, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA). Maria G. Tanzi, PharmD
June 7 Health Systems 340B Pharmacists play critical roles in 340B viability PT June 2021 In the early months of 2021, when COVID-19 vaccines were finally available in the United States, creative community outreach programs such as mobile health units were gaining a foothold in underserved communities where COVID-19 vaccination access was low. Loren Bonner
June 7 Health Systems Antibiotic Stewardship Panel finds widespread inappropriate use of antibiotics in U.S. hospitals PT June 2021 In the United States, 77% of all UTIs and 47% of all communityacquired pneumonias (CAP) are treated inappropriately in the hospital setting, according to an expert panel convened by the Pew Charitable Trust in 2018 to evaluate antibiotic use in hospitals. Joey Sweeney, PharmD, BCPS
June 7 Health Systems Trending Topics in Health-System Pharmacy Inpatient Insights PT June 2021 Trending Topics in Health-System Pharmacy
June 7 Crossword Challenge Crossword Challenge Crossword Challenge: Test Your Knowledge! PT June 2021 Take the Crossword Challenge