NewsUncategorized

Scruples and Drams: A Newsletter For Pharmacy

April 21, 2022 National Prescription Drug Take Back Day April 30, 2022, 10am-2pm SAVE THE DATE!  The next National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is April 30, 2022, from 10am-2pm at locations nationwide. This biannual event, sponsored by the DEA, community pharmacies and local law enforcement, is a safe, convenient, and responsible way to dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs at locations in communities throughout the country. The October 2021 Take Back Day brought in nearly 750,000 lbs. of medication. To assist in the safe removal of excess and unused controlled substance and dangerous prescription medications, community pharmacies also have invested in various types of drug disposal. Ask your pharmacy about them.  Using patent pending processes, EnlivenHealth can assist those pharmacies with notifying patients of the disposal options they offer.  This service is in support of the current recommendations and actions being taken by the DEA, FDA and EPA.  Contact us to learn more using the contact information provided at the bottom of the newsletter. Find a Drug Take Back Collection Site Near You Learn More About Safe Medication Disposal EARTH DAY  4 - 22 - 22 Going Green in the Pharmacy “According to the International Pharmaceutical Federation, pharmacists are responsible for minimizing the effect their practice has on the environment through changes in “prescribing, dispensing, pharmaceutical care and disposal of unused medicines, as well as waste discharge into the environment.” Celebrate this Earth Day by going paperless with the patient medication information you currently print.  In addition to meaningfully participating in your community and corporate sustainability efforts, offering your pharmacy customers a digital delivery of medication information may save annually*, 9.3 million printed pages, 1000 trees (that's >3 trees every DAY!) and 900 print toner cartridges. Contact us to learn more using the contact information provided at the bottom of the newsletter. How are you reducing your pharmacies’ carbon footprint? COVID-19 What Happens When COVID-19 Emergency Declarations End? Over two years have elapsed since the COVID-19 pandemic began.  In response to the crisis and to assist the U.S. health care system better deal with the crisis, the federal government enacted several emergency declarations.  Now that the pandemic is subsiding (based on cases, hospitalizations and related deaths) it is time for the government to raise the question of when to end the public health emergency declarations. There are numerous implications of ending the emergency declarations that would impact pharmacy.  Namely, the authorization of medical countermeasures and the current PREP ACT liability immunity given to those providers who administer services, vaccines, testing and antiviral medications, among other things.  The Kaiser Family Foundation has compiled an excellent brief that provides an overview of the major health-related COVID-19 federal emergency declarations that have been made, summarizes the flexibilities triggered by each, and identifies the implications for their ending.  Full details are available in the link below. Key Flexibilities Triggered by Major COVID-19 Federal Emergency Declarations - from KFF EnlivenHealth News Enliven360, an Integrated Technology Platform EnlivenHealth announced the launch of Enliven360, an integrated technology platform that enables pharmacists to manage patient engagement, financial management and clinical services, all in one unified software.  The new Enliven360 SaaS technology platform enables convenient single-sign-on access to all of EnlivenHealth’s tools and solutions in one integrated software, that should allow pharmacists to focus their valuable time and efforts on providing personalized care that keeps patients healthy and loyal. Enliven360 will reduce the number of steps needed to complete key pharmacy tasks, that should free up pharmacists to practice at the top of their license and deliver the kinds of clinical services that are expected improve patient adherence and health outcomes while driving prescription growth and profitability. It is designed to empower pharmacists to: Drive better patient engagement and increase satisfaction and retentionDeliver high-value clinical services such as vaccinations and point-of-care testingOptimize financial results so pharmacies can grow and thrive over the long runActivate analytics-driven insights, improving patient health outcomes and business results Enliven360 Press Release
Marketouch
April 21, 2022
NewsPress

EnlivenHealth® Launches Enliven360, an Integrated Technology Platform Designed to Transform Patient Engagement, Financial Management and Clinical Services for Retail Pharmacies

April 19th, 2022 EnlivenHealth Also Announces Enhancements to its Industry-leading Patient Engagement Solution, Now Powered by Conversational Technology RALEIGH, NC — April 19, 2022 — EnlivenHealth, the retail pharmacy solutions division of Omnicell, Inc., today announced the launch of Enliven360, an integrated technology platform that enables pharmacists to manage patient engagement, financial management and clinical services, all in one unified software. EnlivenHealth also announced enhancements to Personalized Communications, its industry-leading patient engagement solution. This patient communications software now features smart conversational technology that automates a uniquely human-like phone experience that is expected to help improve patient adherence and retention while optimizing pharmacy workflows and revenue growth. The new Enliven360 SaaS technology platform enables convenient single-sign-on access to all of EnlivenHealth’s tools and solutions in one integrated software, that should allow pharmacists to focus their valuable time and efforts on providing personalized care that keeps patients healthy and loyal. Enliven360 will reduce the number of steps needed to complete key pharmacy tasks, that should free up pharmacists to practice at the top of their license and deliver the kinds of clinical services that are expected improve patient adherence and health outcomes while driving prescription growth and profitability. It is designed to empower pharmacists to: Drive better patient engagement and increase satisfaction and retentionDeliver high-value clinical services such as vaccinations and point-of-care testingOptimize financial results so pharmacies can grow and thrive over the long runActivate analytics-driven insights, improving patient health outcomes and business results Harnessing ‘Conversational’ Technology to Power Better Patient Engagement & Health Outcomes In addition to launching its new Enliven360 technology platform, EnlivenHealth unveiled its enhanced and expanded Personalized Communications solution. This industry-leading communications solution now includes advanced conversational technology powered by natural language understanding. With this fully automated patient engagement technology, patients have 24/7 telephone access to the pharmacy via human-like, conversational navigation, which should provide patients with what they need without having to speak to a pharmacy staff member. By minimizing the amount of time that staff spends on the phone, our conversational-powered Personalized Communications solution is intended to allow pharmacists to practice at the top of their license. The smart technology that powers Personalized Communications will help pharmacies to prioritize the most valued tasks for their staffs to work on. Personalized Communications is designed to enable pharmacies and their staffs to: Strengthen operational efficiency and streamline pharmacy workflowsImprove patient health outcomes and increase retentionIncrease pharmacy revenue and profitabilityEnhance pharmacist and staff satisfaction and retention “Our mission is to continually innovate new digital solutions that are designed to transform the practice and business of retail pharmacy,” said Danny Sanchez, senior vice president and general manager of EnlivenHealth. “We believe Enliven360 and our conversational-powered Personalized Communications solution perfectly exemplify this mission. These solutions are not only expected to help pharmacists to keep patients adherent and healthy, they should also reduce the administrative and operational burdens that challenge pharmacies. As a result, pharmacy staffs should be empowered to provide high-value, revenue-generating services that we believe represent the future of retail pharmacy as an increasingly central player in the healthcare system.”  To learn more about these new EnlivenHealth solutions, download the brochures for Enliven360 and Personalized Communications, or contact us for a personalized demo.   About EnlivenHealth® EnlivenHealth builds advanced patient engagement, financial management and population health technology solutions that enable retail pharmacies and health plans to measurably improve the health of their patients and members, while ensuring the long-term health of their business. With the recent acquisitions of FDS Amplicare and MarkeTouch Media, EnlivenHealth now offers one of the industry’s most comprehensive suite of SaaS technology solutions that help retail pharmacies and health plans to transform and thrive in this new era of digital-driven healthcare. Currently, more than 50,000 retail pharmacies nationwide deploy EnlivenHealth/FDS Amplicare/MarkeTouch Media technology solutions. EnlivenHealth is a division of Omnicell, Inc. (Nasdaq: OMCL), a leading provider of medication management solutions and adherence tools for healthcare systems and pharmacies. To learn more, visit EnlivenHealth.co. ENLIVENHEALTH is a registered trademark of Omnicell, Inc. or one of its subsidiaries. Contact: Kellie FankhauserMarketing Manager, EnlivenHealth®kellie.fankhauser@omnicell.com
Marketouch
April 19, 2022
News

Scruples and Drams: Pharmacy Newsletter for March 24, 2022

OP ED: The Issues with ‘Test to Treat’ Pharmacy and health organizations are asking FDA to rethink key components that would expand access. In order to be effective, the two approved oral antiviral medications (Paxlovid and Molnupiravir), must be started within 5 days of being symptomatic for COVID-19.  The current logistical process from diagnosis to starting therapy has been too complex and too timely for most patients to participate. This logjam has caused millions of doses of these treatments to be sitting, unused, on shelves.  For example, 86% of the ordered doses of Merck's antiviral pill,  Molnupiravir, are waiting to be dispensed. The bottom line, access to these life saving oral medications needs to improve. To address this gap in care, during his State of the Union address, President Biden laid out plans to launch a pharmacy-centered “Test to Treat” initiative.  "Test to Treat" is intended to improve access to oral antiviral medications and speed up the time to starting therapy.  "Test to Treat" is falling short of its intended results. Currently only physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants can prescribe COVID-19 antiviral pills for those people who test positive for the virus. This prescriber restriction limits the number of pharmacy locations that can service COVID positive patients and adds an unnecessary step in the dispensing process.  The FDA has prohibited pharmacists themselves from being able to prescribe these life-saving COVID-19 antiviral medications, ironically even after the pharmacy has performed the COVID-19 diagnostic test. Who better than pharmacists? Community pharmacists have been a vital part of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Most community pharmacies are trusted members of their communities and have excellent relationships with their patients.  9 in 10 Americans live within 5 miles of a community pharmacy. Pharmacists are the most qualified healthcare professionals to review any potential drug-drug interactions, make necessary dose adjustments and navigate a patient’s medication and medical history. Let's utilize all the tools and willing healthcare team members we have to end the pandemic. It’s time to #LetUsPrescribe. Americans Support Federal Action to Prevent Rollback of Access to Their Pharmacies #LetUsPrescribe MarkeTouch Blog FDA to Consider Future of COVID Booster Doses, Adding 4th Dose The FDA announced its vaccines advisory committee will meet April 6 to discuss the future of COVID-19 booster doses and how to tell if a specific strain of the coronavirus needs its own vaccine. The April 6 VRBPAC meeting is intended to assist the agency in developing a general framework that will inform its regulatory decision-making on: - What might warrant updating the composition of COVID-19 vaccines to address specific variants. - Timing and populations for COVID-19 vaccine booster doses in the coming months.   No vote is planned at this meeting and there will not be any discussion of any product-specific applications.  Moderna and Pfizer last week requested FDA approval for second COVID-19 booster shots. Moderna's request was for all adults, and Pfizer's was for those 65 and older. FDA News Release Livestream FDA 6 APR 22 VRBPAC Meeting Making the Switch to Permanent Standard Time On Wednesday, March 9, the United States Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on daylight saving time. The committee experts debated the impact of changing the clocks twice a year and debated whether it is necessary. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine emphasizes that these seasonal time changes should be halted they support the adoption of year-round standard time.  Click the link below to read from AASM. AASM Position on Time Changes MarkeTouch Media Attending AMCP Annual Conference in Chicago AMCP 2022 is expected to attract thousands of managed care decision-makers from 3/29-4/1. Will you be there?  MarkeTouch was founded with the goal of being a premier provider for pharmacy patient engagement services.  Today, MarkeTouch has added cutting-edge member and prescriber engagement technologies which create value and differentiation that will drive your PBM or health plan growth goals.  Join MarkeTouch, while you are in Chicago, to learn about  transforming your formulary performance, member health outcomes and member experience.  If you are looking to: - redefine your member experience- achieve high formulary compliance- enhance member engagement- support your clinical initiatives and programming- grow your brand awareness- implement cost saving operational efficiencies Please call or email using the links below to set a convenient meeting time at AMCP2022.
Marketouch
March 24, 2022
News

Let Us Prescribe:

Pharmacists Should Be Allowed to Prescribe COVID Therapeutics On Tuesday, March 1, 2022, President Biden delivered his State of the Union address. During his speech, he laid out plans to launch a pharmacy-centered "Test to Treat" initiative. As the nation prepares to enter a new phase of the now two-year-long COVID-19 pandemic, this message couldn't come at a more critical time. Convenient access to community pharmacy-driven testing and treatment is necessary to combat the ongoing battle with COVID-19. And since 9 out of 10 people in the US live within five miles of a pharmacy, many will be able to get the care they desperately need because of the Administration's new plan — even those in rural and traditionally medically underserved areas. But there's a problem with Biden's announcement. The FDA recently prohibited pharmacists from being able to administer the life-saving antiviral medications that represent the "treat" portion of the President's historic "Test to Treat" program. Because of this action, medications like Paxlovid and Molnupiravir can only be prescribed by physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. The FDA's explicit blocking of community pharmacists from administering these critical anti-viral medications was a 180-degree turnaround from the Department of Health and Human Services' announcement just last September that authorized pharmacies to "order and administer" select COVID-19 therapeutics. Despite President Biden's goal to improve access by activating this critical pathway to care, community pharmacy is effectively banished from the Test to Treat plan. Urgent action needs to be taken to amend the EUA and/or provide overriding authority to pharmacists so they can help the nation heal from the lingering devastation brought on by COVID-19. The government should be making access to COVID-19 treatment easier, not harder. Here's what you can do: Sign the Petition A petition was started on advocacy platform Change.org asking the FDA to let pharmacists prescribe COVID-19 treatment medications. Sign the petition and let your voice be heard! And if you're active on social media, do your part to make #letusprescribe a trending topic. Contact Your Elected Officials The best way to affect government is through your elected officials. Call, email, write a letter — do whatever you have to do to ensure that your local officials know that pharmacists should be allowed to prescribe COVID-19 therapeutics. You're mad. They should be, too. Community pharmacists like you have been a vital part of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic — a fight we are so close to winning. This isn't the time to be limiting the weapons we use in that fight. Let's tell this administration that, as pharmacists, it's time to #LetUsPrescribe.
Marketouch
March 4, 2022
NewsPress

MarkeTouch COVID-19 Clinical and Operations Pharmacy Newsletter (January 26)

Pharmacists of the Future: Transforming Patient Care Trust, Technology, Training All Key to The Pharmacy of the Future New research released in early January (link below), shows that amid growing physician shortages, pharmacists in the U.S. are not only highly trusted by patients, but they are forecast to play an increasingly integral role in care management.  Key takeaways: From Provider Respondents:​63.4% agree or strongly agree that pharmacists will play a greater role in preventive care activities 51.1% agree or strongly agree pharmacists will have greater specialization in specific diseases​From Patient Respondents:77.3% agree or strongly agree that the pharmacist is an integral member of the care teamFrom Pharmacist Respondents:70.8% agree or strongly agree that automation will lead to reductions in human error 86.1% agree or strongly agree that technology Columbia University Study on Pharmacy Practice Transformation If you are a pharmacy and are looking to improve your clinical outcomes and operational efficiency through automated patient notifications, mobile apps, MedSync or hosted IVR solutions, please contact MarkeTouch.  1-800-840-8111 Vaccine Tracker According to the CDC, as of 1/25/2021: 659 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been delivered and 535 million doses of vaccine have been administered This accounts for the following percentages of fully vaccinated people in the U.S.: Total pop = 63.4%  5+ years =67.4%12+ years = 72.2%18+ years = 73.9%65+ years = 88.2% ​Boosters: 40.1% of fully vaccinated people have received a booster dose. CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Potential Drug Interactions with Paxlovid Before prescribing, clinicians should carefully review concomitant medications, including over-the-counter medicines and herbal supplements, to evaluate the potential for drug-drug interactions. Paxlovid has been given an Emergency Use Authorization for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are within 5 days of symptom onset and at high risk of progression to severe disease. The dose for patients with normal renal function is Nirmatrelvir 300mg with ritonavir 100mg, administered together, twice daily for 5 days.  Before prescribing ritonavir-boosted nirmatrelvir (Paxlovid), clinicians should carefully review all concomitant medications, including over-the-counter medicines and herbal supplements, to evaluate the potential for drug-drug interactions. Ritonavir is an FDA-approved drug that has been used for more than two decades as a pharmacologic boosting agent for certain anti-HIV medications.  There is a large body of literature describing its use with other drugs and its potential for serious and sometimes life-threatening drug-drug interactions. Paxlovid EUA Fact Sheet COVID Drug Interaction Checker FDA Revises Monoclonal Antibodies EUA Due to the Omicron Variant In light of the most recent information and data available, today, the FDA revised the authorizations for two monoclonal antibody treatments – bamlanivimab and etesevimab (administered together) and REGEN-COV (casirivimab and imdevimab) – to limit their use to only when the patient is likely to have been infected with or exposed to a variant that is susceptible to these treatments. Because data show these treatments are highly unlikely to be active against the omicron variant, which is circulating at a very high frequency throughout the United States, these treatments are not authorized for use in any U.S. states, territories, and jurisdictions at this time. In the future, if patients in certain geographic regions are likely to be infected or exposed to a variant that is susceptible to these treatments, then use of these treatments may be authorized in these regions. FDA Statement 24 JAN 2022 Pharmacies to Offer N95 Masks to Customers Across the U.S. The government announced last week that 400 million N95 masks will be distributed to pharmacies and community health centers, with the program expected to be fully up and running by early February.  The masks are arriving at the pharmacies with accompanying flyers and signage from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  HHS provided funding for the masks and which are coming from the Strategic National Stockpile.  Every person is allowed up to 3 free masks, pending availability. How to Properly Put on and Take off a Disposable Respirator MarkeTouch Media is now part of EnlivenHealth™ On January 4, 2022 Omnicell, Inc. acquired MarkeTouch Media.  The acquisition is expected to expand the footprint of Omnicell’s EnlivenHealth division across the retail pharmacy sector, while enhancing potential growth opportunities in new market segments like specialty pharmacy and pharmacy benefits management. The addition of MarkeTouch Media’s mobile and web-based technology and patient engagement solutions to EnlivenHealth’s suite of industry-leading SaaS-based solutions is expected to create a comprehensive offering that will help pharmacies and health plans to thrive while improving the lifelong health of their patients and members.   “We are thrilled to be joining with one of the most respected and innovative medication management technology leaders in the industry,” said Charles Russo, chief executive officer of MarkeTouch Media. “The combination of our mobile and web-based capabilities and patient engagement solutions with EnlivenHealth’s broad portfolio of digital technology solutions will create a robust offering that will help pharmacies and health plans continue to achieve better patient health outcomes and business results.” For more information, please click here.
Marketouch
January 26, 2022
NewsPress

MarkeTouch Media Announces That its RxPatient Engagement App is Now Available in the Epic App Orchard

RxPatient Engagement App Automates Pharmacy Workflows, Designed to Strengthen Patient Engagement and Increase Pharmacist Productivity Houston, Texas — March 7, 2022 — MarkeTouch Media, a leading healthcare technology company, which recently was combined with pharmacy technology provider EnlivenHealth®, today announced that RxPatient Engagement, its suite of patient engagement solutions, is now available in the Epic App Orchard marketplace. With integration of the RxPatient Engagement app, pharmacies can now access the entire suite of communication and clinical solutions from MarkeTouch Media, without ever having to leave their Epic pharmacy workflow. RxPatient Engagement from MarkeTouch Media is a HIPAA-, ADA-, and TCPA-compliant solution that automates time-consuming pharmacy tasks and is intended to free up pharmacists to practice at the top of their license and focus on patient care. Supporting outbound SMS/text and voice notifications, inbound Interactive Voice Response (IVR), web, mobile, and clinical solutions, RxPatient Engagement leverages MarkeTouch Media’s patented processes1 to integrate with Epic. The result is that patients can choose how the pharmacy communicates with them. All RxPatient Engagement solutions are hosted, so there is no hardware or software required on-site. "We are truly excited to be launching RxPatient Engagement in the Epic App Orchard,” said Lyle Green, vice president of sales for MarkeTouch Media. “The RxPatient Engagement app enables pharmacies to access and utilize the latest IVR, automated notifications, web and mobile technologies that are providing results for our 9,000+ partner pharmacies. Now that we are part of EnlivenHealth, we are looking to bring the RxPatient Engagement app capabilities to a growing network of pharmacy partners.” For more information, visit RxPatient Engagement in the App Orchard. Epic and App Orchard are trademarks of Epic Systems Corporation. About MarkeTouch Media MarkeTouch Media (now a part of EnlivenHealth®) is a healthcare technology company committed to excellence in patient engagement. As a pioneer in automated outbound notifications in the healthcare space, MarkeTouch proudly celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2022. MarkeTouch manages over 1 million patient interactions every single day. The MarkeTouch difference is our unique combination of healthcare experience, tenured associates, communication expertise, innovative solutions, proven scalability, and time-tested reliability. To learn more, visit Marketouchmedia.com. About EnlivenHealth® EnlivenHealth builds advanced patient engagement, financial management and population health technology solutions that enable retail pharmacies and health plans to measurably improve the health of their patients and members, while ensuring the long-term health of their business. With the recent acquisitions of FDS Amplicare and MarkeTouch Media, EnlivenHealth now offers one of the industry’s most comprehensive suite of SaaS technology solutions that help retail pharmacies and health plans to transform and thrive in this new era of digital-driven healthcare. Currently, more than 50,000 retail pharmacies nationwide deploy EnlivenHealth/FDS Amplicare/MarkeTouch Media technology solutions. EnlivenHealth is a division of Omnicell, Inc. (Nasdaq: OMCL), a leading provider of medication management solutions and adherence tools for healthcare systems and pharmacies. To learn more, visit EnlivenHealth.co. ENLIVENHEALTH is a registered trademark of Omnicell, Inc. or one of its subsidiaries. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release relate to the expected benefits and objectives regarding MarkeTouch Media’s products and services, including the RxPatient Engagement App (and any implied financial impact). These statements are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results and other events may differ significantly from those contemplated by forward-looking statements due to numerous factors that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties some of which are beyond our control. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, (i) risks related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (including new variants of the virus), (ii) Omnicell’s ability to take advantage of growth opportunities and develop and commercialize new solutions and enhance existing solutions, (iii) unfavorable general economic and market conditions or reduction in demand for our solutions, (iv) any disruption in Omnicell’s information technology systems and breaches of data security or cyber-attacks on its systems or solutions, and (v) other risks and uncertainties further described in the “Risk Factors” section of Omnicell’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, as well as in Omnicell’s other reports filed with or furnished to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, available at www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements should be considered in light of these risks and uncertainties. Investors and others are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. Omnicell assumes no obligation to update any such statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of changed circumstances, new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.
Marketouch
March 7, 2022
NewsUncategorized

Clinical And Operations Pharmacy Newsletter For February 17, 2022

CDC Weighing New Opioid Guidance Updated Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids is Available for Public Comment. The updated, proposed, 229-page guidance document reiterates that “opioids should not be considered first-line or routine therapy for subacute or chronic pain”. It also provides guidance and recommendations for alternative therapies and non-drug interventions for pain. What's not in the updated guidance is significant. There is no language that states prescribers should “avoid increasing dosage” to 90 morphine milligram equivalents or more per day or, to “carefully justify” a higher dose. Additionally, the updated guidelines have removed any time limits for opioid prescriptions for acute pain. The 2016 version stated “three days or less will often be sufficient; more than seven days will rarely be needed.” States, payers and pharmacies adopted the 2016 guidelines as "limits". Opioid prescription prescribing has been falling since 2012. Additional declines increased after the CDC's publication of the 2016 guidelines. Commenting on the new guidance, Christopher Jones, acting director of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control stated, "We've built in flexibility so that there's not a one-size-fits-all approach." The CDC is accepting comments on the draft through April 11. A finalized update is expected this year. Proposed 2022 CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids If you are a pharmacy and are looking for ways to engage your patients in the proper disposal of opioid and other medications, please contact MarkeTouch at 800-840-8111. Vaccine Tracker According to the CDC, as of 2/15/2022: 677 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been delivered and 547 million doses of vaccine have been administered This accounts for the following percentages of fully vaccinated people in the U.S.: Total pop = 64.5%  5+ years = 68.6%12+ years = 73.0%18+ years = 74.6%65+ years = 88.6% ​Boosters: 43.0% of fully vaccinated people have received a booster dose. CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Daily Doses Administered Since Jan 1 CMS Proposes Rule That May End DIR Fees, Comment Period Open On January 12, 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued a proposed new rule which may fundamentally change Direct and Indirect Remuneration (“DIR”) fees. The new Rule will redefine “negotiated prices” removing the exception for contingent fees. The rule appears to be an improvement for beneficiaries that pay a coinsurance based on the negotiated price.  However, CMS made it clear that the new Rule does not eliminate all contingent fees. Plans and PBMs may continue to have DIR Programs and charge fees to pharmacies retroactively.  The one caveat is that they will not be able to profit from DIR fees as they do today.   But CMS was silent when it came to preventing a PBM from setting reimbursement below the drug cost and it does not comment on price transparency. The comment period for the new rule ends March 7, 2022.  See the link below to comment. CMS Proposed Rule Changes Submit comments to Regulations.gov Senate Confirms Dr. Robert Califf as FDA Commissioner The Senate has confirmed Dr. Robert Califf as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner. Dr Califf is a cardiologist by profession. He previously served as FDA commissioner under President Obama. Dr. Califf's Bio on FDA.gov MarkeTouch Media Heading to HIMSS22 in Orlando MarkeTouch Media is excited to be a part of the HIMSS22 changemaker community. MarkeTouch was founded with the goal of being a premier provider for pharmacy patient engagement services. MarkeTouch started with outbound notifications and while that is still the core of our service suite, over the past 20 years MarkeTouch has added multiple communication technologies, numerous patient engagement campaigns and services for retail pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, health system pharmacy, and managed care pharmacy. All services are focused on improving clinical outcomes, generating incremental revenue, streamlining operations and creating a world class patient experience. If you are looking to implement any of the following services, call 1-800-235-7244 to set a convenient meeting time during HIMSS22. Outbound and inbound notificationsHealth and wellness scheduling solutionsMobile/web applicationsMultifunctional webformsHosted IVRMedSyncClinical solutions MarkeTouch Media is proud to now be a part of
Marketouch
February 17, 2022
News

Leveraging Technology to Support the Pharmacists’ Expanding Role and Streamline Pharmacy Workflows

By Danny Sanchez, Senior Vice President and General Manager, EnlivenHealth™ On National Pharmacist Day, we want to recognize the increasingly important role that pharmacists play in their communities as their role expands beyond the traditional tasks of dispensing medications to being true healthcare providers who help keep patients healthy.  We all know that pharmacists are the most accessible, and among the most trusted, healthcare professionals. That is good news for the critical goal of improving patient health and wellbeing, which is the mission that we’re all working towards.  However, with the pharmacists’ expanding role there are challenges as well.  With the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, fueled by new variants, pharmacies are experiencing high patient demand and operational challenges.  Even pre-COVID, pharmacies were hard-pressed to keep up with the time-consuming work-flow and administrative challenges, like dispensing medications and adjudicating insurance claims. At EnlivenHealth™ we understand.  That’s why we work hard every day to empower pharmacies to grow and thrive by building powerful digital technologies that automate everything from patient engagement and clinical operations to financial management and population health programs. Our mission is to orchestrate these proven, digital technologies to enable pharmacists to practice at the top of their license. EnlivenHealth’s recent acquisition of pharmacy technology leaders MarkeTouch Media and FDS Amplicare further strengthen our efforts to achieve that critical mission. As we survey the healthcare landscape in the year ahead, here are some of the other challenges and opportunities that we believe will be critical for pharmacists in 2022:    Expanding Provider Status for Pharmacists – This is a major, ongoing initiative that we believe is vital to fully realizing the tremendous value that a pharmacist can bring to community health and the healthcare system overall. There has been good progress on this front in recent months, but there are still many roadblocks to overcome to ensure that pharmacists gain the ability to provide a growing range of clinical services and get reimbursed for them. Another key goal of this important advocacy program is allowing pharmacists to prescribe certain therapeutics, such as some of the new drugs that have proven in clinical trials to reduce COVID hospitalizations. A clause in the FDA’s emergency authorization means that these promising new COVID therapeutics can only be issued by physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistant. We believe that by giving pharmacists the ability to prescribe these new COVID therapeutics, many more patients will be able to access these life-saving medications.Streamlining Pharmacy Workflows – Pharmacies can only meet today’s growing healthcare challenges if they have the right technology. An example of that technology is EnlivenHealth’s new Personalized IVR (Interactive Voice Response) solution. Personalized IVR is a cloud-based voice technology that authenticates callers and delivers them to the correct pharmacy workflow. By minimizing the time staff spends on the phone answering questions about medication refills, pharmacy directions and hours of operation, Personalized IVR enables pharmacists to spend more time providing the personal touch that patients appreciate, and that expand the pharmacy’s business results. Pharmacies now have an unprecedented opportunity to move to the Main Street of healthcare. Today’s new era pharmacy will be an essential player in advancing the necessary transformation of healthcare access, quality outcomes, and affordability.  The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitization of nearly every aspect of healthcare service delivery, with providers, plans and patients increasingly relying on digital-first technologies to stay healthy and safe. EnlivenHealth™ is providing the industry-leading digital technologies that are helping to fuel this historic transformation for pharmacies and pharmacists, and for healthcare overall. Happy National Pharmacist Day!  We look forward to continuing the journey with you during this exciting time of pharmacy transformation.
Marketouch
January 12, 2022

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