Briefly...

• By Laurie Watanabe
• May 11, 2023

Physician: Funding Also Needs to Cover Energy Costs

A recent commentary written by Peter Kahn, M.D., a pulmonary and critical care physician at Yale, and published by The Hill pointed out that families using durable medical equipment can face staggering power bills to operate that equipment. Especially hard hit are families who depend on Medicaid programs.

Kahn included the prices of electricity in his October 2021 study, “Characterization of Prescription Patterns and Estimated Costs for Use of Oxygen Concentrators for Home Oxygen Therapy in the U.S.” 

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NHIA: The Benefits of Home Infusion

In a May 3 interview with the American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC), Connie Sullivan, President/CEO of the National Home Infusion Association (NHIA), described the many benefits of home infusion programs vs. medications administered in a more traditional clinical setting. Sullivan talked about greater patient adherence to recommended treatment programs, as well as patients reporting fewer infections, less anxiety, and greater control over their diseases.

Listen to the interview on the AJMC Web site. 

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NCPA Announces 2024 Fly-In Dates

It’s not too early to mark your calendars for the 2024 National Community Pharmacists Association Congressional Pharmacy Fly-In. The event is scheduled for April 17-18 in Alexandria, Va. “Join pharmacy owner peers for meetings with lawmakers and their staff to affect change in community pharmacy legislation,” the NCPA Web site says.

The 2023 Pharmacy Fly-In — the first in-person fly-in since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic — drew hundreds of independent community pharmacists last month.