Retail Clinics

NEW YORK Against a backdrop of continued economic uncertainty, employer healthcare costs for active employees are projected to rise 8.2% after plan changes to an average annual cost of $10,730 in 2011, according to a recent survey of 466 large and midsize employers conducted by Towers Watson.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. Big Y Foods and Western New England College School of Pharmacy have teamed up to develop a faculty pharmacist-run, patient-centered consultation and wellness center inside the Big Y World Class Market here.

The facility is the first one to be located in a supermarket. Patients will be able to make an appointment with a pharmacist who will work with the individual and his or her physician to optimize that individual's care. The grand opening event took place on Sept. 10.

WASHINGTON A pair of Food and Drug Administration advisory committees on Tuesday evening recommended that the FDA not place greater sales restrictions on the sale of dextromethorphan by placing the ingredient on the controlled substances schedule. The panel of FDA advisers voted to not schedule DXM by a vote of 15-9.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. A new study released Wednesday by the American Lung Association, and conducted by researchers at Penn State University, found that helping smokers quit not only saves lives but also offers favorable economic benefits to California and the nation.

“Smoking Cessation: The Economic Benefits” provides a nationwide cost-benefit analysis that compares the societal costs of smoking with the economic benefits of states providing cessation coverage.

PLEASANTON, Calif. Safeway on Tuesday announced that all Safeway pharmacies in the United States now have a new high-dose flu vaccine called Fluzone High-Dose, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in people 65 years of age and older.

WASHINGTON The Internal Revenue Service earlier this month issued guidance reflecting statutory changes regarding the use of certain tax-favored arrangements, such as flexible spending arrangements, to pay for over-the-counter medicines and drugs.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart Pharmacy is hosting its semi-annual diabetes education day on Wednesday at Kmart locations nationwide.

As part of its diabetes education day, Kmart is offering blood-glucose meter demonstrations; blood pressure, body mass index and memory screenings; and educational information on raising diabetes awareness to its pharmacy patients. According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 23 million people in the United States have diabetes, which accounts for about 8% of the population.

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. —Take Care Health Systems, which is owned by Walgreens, built its retail-based clinics around a patient-centric model, and the success of that model is evident in the results of recent Gallup research.