HEALTH

INDIANAPOLIS Allergy sufferers can save money and receive quality, convenient care by skipping the emergency room and instead visiting a retail-based or urgent-care clinic, according to a recent study.

The study conducted by HealthCore, WellPoint’s outcomes research subsidiary, found that patients can save anywhere from $50 to $400 in out-of-pocket costs per visit by skipping the ER and heading to a retail health- or urgent-care clinic when they are unable to see their primary care physician.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT It was only a matter of time.

(THE NEWS: Walgreens taps clinician for new medical post. For the full story, click here)

ALEXANDRIA, Va. Reps. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Mike Rogers, R-Mich, have introduced the Medicare Access to Diabetes Supplies Act, a bill that exempts small pharmacies from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ final competitive bidding program for Medicare Part B durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Of all the cells in the big organism known as health care, pharmacy is the right one to own the issue of medication adherence, as National Association of Chain Drug Stores president and CEO Steve Anderson pledged it would when commenting on a study published in the journal Health Affairs.

(THE NEWS: NACDS hails journal article's emphasis on pharmacy's role in medication adherence. For the full story, click here)

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT The news that pharmacists believe that most consumers buy over-the-counter products that were recommended by them further demonstrates the significant role that pharmacists play in the U.S. healthcare system.

(THE NEWS: APhA survey: Pharmacists recommend over-the-counter products to consumers. For the full story, click here)