Another nail in the “availability” of healthcare from the system?

Today, I had to do my annual “drug test”… you would think that after several years… they wouldn’t waste their money anymore.  This test was done at a local “doctor in a box” office.. This particular facility is part of one of the two hospital systems in the area (~ 1.5 million pop) that controls […]

To me.. the media is an enigma.. and how our news cycle works

One “loose nut” goes on a rampage and it takes up nearly all the media news for hours if not days. I woke up this AM.. to the news that today’s ” nutcase de jour” decided to open fire in a theater of people who came out at MID-NIGHT to watch a new BATMAN movie. […]

When you look at the numbers

Has anyone every notice that when it comes to healthcare gross outlays.. we just tend to look at this year.. last year and state what per-cent they have went up..  Why do we not look at a longer view point to help isolate where these increases are coming from… Whose purpose does this serve? Numbers […]

I just got a phone call !

I just got a automated phone call from EXPRESS SCRIPTS… wanting to let me know that I could have “home delivery” of my prescriptions and that I could “save money” by talking to one of their representatives ….so that they could transfer my prescriptions to them. Has anyone else noticed that all the push for […]

Are we close to hitting a financial wall?

For years we have been able to hold some of the increase in overall medication costs by the 1%-3% annual increase in generic utilization. As overall generic utilization is somewhere in the mid-high 70%… there has got to be a ceiling of generic utilization.. unless all R&D just stops and no new products start coming […]

Are Medical Directors at Insurance Companies/PBM illegally practicing medicine?

It has been reported that ~ 75% of medical directors at insurance companies are only GP/FP/Internists, making medical decisions about what medical treatments will be paid for or not paid for… many of which are way outside of their skill sets. We know that it is ILLEGAL/UNETHICAL for a prescriber to prescribe medication for person […]

Merging toward a monopoly and turning your health into a commodity ?

I got a second letter from Anthem ( Blue Cross/Blue Shield) this week. The first letter was several months ago. IMO.. this letter demonstrates just how Pharmacists, the service that we provide and medication as a whole has become nothing more than a COMMODITY to everyone but the patient… at least those patients that care. […]

Is CMS helping insurers scam those on Medicare.

It started back in 2006, the first year that Part D drug program was available for those on Medicare. Some of the insurers and major chains banded together and the insurers allowed – or charged them for doing so – the chains to put their logo on the insurer’s drug card. Leading some medicare folks […]

Could this be Münchausen syndrome by proxy ?

For those of you who don’t know what this is… here is a wikipedia link to explain it… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCnchausen_syndrome_by_proxy United Health has been running this commercial http://www.youtube.com/user/UnitedHealthcare?v=8O1i0InZ8bM&feature=pyv&ad=15332119071&kw=united%20health According to the commercial.. this “fellow” ran into a pretty serious medical condition… UNITED HEALTH “noticed that the medication that he received from two different prescribers and filled […]

Could this be where Obamacare is taking us?

Canadian Family in Life Support Battle Denied Request for Hospital Transfer http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/02/24/canadian-family-life-support-battle-denied-request-hospital-transfer/#ixzz1F1Ia5uTt http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/02/24/canadian-family-life-support-battle-denied-request-hospital-transfer/?test=latestnews In Canada .. a court … ORDERED parents to remove life support from their sick child… basically ORDERED the parents to KILL THEIR CHILD… apparently all in order to save money.