Email steve@steveariens.com 502-938-2414
Pay Attention
Pain Doesn’t Belong on a Scale of Zero to 10 https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/110926 The real answer is long, complicated, and not measurable in this one-dimensional way Over the past 2 years, a simple but baffling request has preceded most of my encounters with medical professionals: “Rate your pain on a scale of zero to 10.” I trained […]
Filed under: General Problems | 2 Comments »
Optum to pay $20M to settle improper prescription allegations https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/legal-regulatory-issues/optum-to-pay-20m-to-settle-improper-prescription-allegations.html OptumRx will pay $20 million to settle allegations it improperly dispensed some opioid medications, the Justice Department said June 27. The settlement resolves an investigation into if OptumRx improperly filled certain opioid prescriptions between 2013 and 2015. The Justice Department alleged the pharmaceutical benefit manager […]
Filed under: General Problems | 1 Comment »
It is easy to see from this graphic why independent pharmacies are going out of business and why the insurance/pbm industry wants to get all pts to move their Rxs over to their mail-order pharmacy. According to the graphic the mail-order pharmacy got paid as much as $4,000+ more than the community pharmacy got paid […]
Filed under: General Problems | Leave a Comment »
I have been waiting for this to happen! This is the last part of various entities that have “touched” opioids in some manner that have not been sued for “contributing” to our fabricated opioid crisis. By suing Express Scripts, they are indirectly suing Cigna – the insurance company that owns Express Scripts. In suing Optum, […]
Filed under: General Problems | 1 Comment »
Top Law Firms in US Opioid Lawsuits to Get Hundreds of Millions in Fees https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2024-06-07/top-law-firms-in-us-opioid-lawsuits-to-get-hundreds-of-millions-in-fees A court-appointed panel on Friday recommended how to divvy up a pool of $2.13 billion in legal fees from nationwide drug industry settlements over the U.S. opioid crisis, with top firms set to receive hundreds of millions of dollars. The […]
Filed under: General Problems | Leave a Comment »
WHO and Eli Lilly caution patients against falling for fake versions of popular weight-loss drugs https://apnews.com/article/wegovy-zepbound-ozempic-mounjaro-counterfeit-8302657de25a0c9c343abe20802d35a7 The World Health Organization and drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co. are warning people to be wary of fake versions of popular weight-loss and diabetes medicines. WHO said Thursday that it has fielded several reports of fake semaglutide — the […]
Filed under: General Problems | Leave a Comment »
US Drug Shortage Reaches a Decade High: US Pharmacopeia Reports There were 125 drug shortages by the end of 2023 https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/us-drug-shortage-reaches-a-decade-high-us-pharmacopeia-reports-5665830 Drug shortages are the highest in a decade, with 2023 topping the charts, according to United States Pharmacopeia’s first annual Drug Shortage Report (USP). “The number of drug shortages has increased over a decade, […]
Filed under: General Problems | Leave a Comment »
you must click on the RED HYPERLINK BELOW to get the map up and displaying. It shows all the pharmacies that have closed over the last DECADE. Clearly demonstrates the PHARMACY DESERTS that the insurance/PBM is causing. Mapping U.S. Pharmacy Closures January 2014 to March 2024 Community pharmacies are accessible locations for health […]
Filed under: General Problems | 1 Comment »
Could this study be used to rationalize/justify less prescribing of opioids to folks on Medicare? There are 65 million people on Medicare of which 9 million are on Medicare Disability. So about 14% of Medicare folks are disabled. The 137,000 sample was ~ 0.2% of the Medicare population. The article states that ~ 30% of […]
Filed under: General Problems | 4 Comments »
drug products containing acetaminophen may cause severe skin reactions https://dps.fda.gov/omuf/ordersearch/order_otc000035 Summary FDA is issuing this proposed administrative order to amend the requirements for internal analgesic, antipyretic, and antirheumatic drug products for over-the-counter (OTC) human use, as currently described in Over-the-Counter Monograph M013: Internal Analgesic, Antipyretic, and Antirheumatic Drug Products for Over-the-Counter Human Use (OTC Monograph […]
Filed under: General Problems | 1 Comment »
