Pharmacy Technology

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Most consumers have "no" or "a little bit" of knowledge about the health insurance marketplaces set to open on Tuesday, according to a new survey.

MISSION, Kan. — ScriptPro's Central Pharmacy Management System Point of Sale can now interface with a real-time system for tracking and controlling OTC products that can be used to manufacture methamphetamine.

ScriptPro said its system now interfaces with the Appriss National Precursor Log Exchange system, currently used by pharmacies and law enforcement agencies in 22 states to track products like pseudoephedrine-based cold and allergy remedies. ScriptPro said the interface eliminates the need to keep a manual log to document sales of the products.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Health kiosk maker PharmaSmart International and a drug chain that operates stores in Minnesota and Iowa have integrated PharmaSmart's technology into the chain's software system.

PharmaSmart and Astrup Drug said Friday that the integration of PharmaSmart's interoperable biometric screening technology with Astrup's Rx30 system allows timely patient interventions, counseling sessions and increases medication therapy management case recruitment for patients with hypertension, ultimately improving outcomes.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A decision by the Department of Health and Human Services to resolve conflicts that arose when it issued regulations under a law that establishes privacy rules for health information technology has drawn applause from a specialty pharmacy organization.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration will not enforce regulatory requirements for most mobile medical apps because they "post minimal risk to consumers," the agency said Monday.

The FDA announced the issuance of guidance on the apps, saying it would adopt a "tailored policy" toward regulation, focusing its regulatory oversight on those apps that present greater risk if they do not work as intended.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – A company that makes vending machine-like systems has a new business: medical and recreational marijuana.

Medbox said Thursday that it had been contracted to file dispensary license applications and build-out facilities in Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Oregon, Illinois and Nevada, as well as recreational licenses in Washington and Colorado. Residents of the latter two states voted to legalize recreational use of marijuana last year.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Healthcare research firm KLAS has given Emdeon an 89.4-point score in its Enterprise Patient Access report for this year, the healthcare technology company said Wednesday.

Emdeon said it scored highly among vendors offering software systems for preauthorization, verification, electronic orders management and other services when KLAS polled healthcare providers in connection with the report.