Walgreens shares on the rise with a record 222 million first-quarter prescriptions filled

http://www.drugstorenews.com/article/walgreens-shares-rise-record-222-million-first-quarter-prescriptions-filled?utm_source=MagnetMail&utm_medium=email&

Pharmacy sales, which accounted for 66.8% of sales in the quarter, increased 9% compared with the year-ago quarter, while pharmacy sales in comparable stores increased 8.1%. The company filled a record 222 million prescriptions in the quarter, an increase of 4.3% over last year’s first quarter. Prescriptions filled in comparable stores increased 4.1% in the quarter. As of Nov. 30, Walgreens retail prescription market share on a 30-day adjusted basis reached 19%, as reported by IMS Health.

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http://www.romans322.com/daily-death-rate-statistics.php

United States of America

CURRENT DEATH TOLL
from Jan 1, 2014 – Dec 22, 2014 (11:52:45 PM)

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Someone just died by:

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Abortion:	1065068
Heart Disease:	581859
Cancer:	562463
Tobacco:	341365
Obesity:	299426
Medical Errors:	204819
Stroke:	125751
Lower Respiratory Disease:	139416
Accident (unintentional):	123319
Hospital Associated Infection:	96558
Alcohol:	97533
Diabetes:	72009
Alzheimer’s Disease:	82878
Influenza/Pneumonia:	52498
Kidney Failure:	41707
Blood Infection:	32638
Suicide:	38543
Drunk Driving:	32974
Unintentional Poisoning:	30974
All Drug Abuse:	24388
Homicide:	16385
Prescription Drug Overdose:	14630
Murder by gun:	11209
Texting while Driving:	5841
Pedestrian:	4877
Drowning:	3818
Fire Related:	3414
Malnutrition:	2704
Domestic Violence:	1424
Smoking in Bed:	761
Falling out of Bed:	584
Killed by Falling Tree:	146
Struck by Lightning:	80
Mass Shooting:	12
Spontaneous Combustion:	0

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Click to enlarge…

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United States Files Suit Against Omnicare Inc. for Accepting Kickbacks from Drug Manufacturer to Promote an Anti-Epileptic Drug in Nursing Homes

http://www.enewspf.com/latest-news/law-and-order/federal-and-international/57895-united-states-files-suit-against-omnicare-inc-for-accepting-kickbacks-from-drug-manufacturer-to-promote-an-anti-epileptic-drug-in-nursing-homes.html

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 22, 2014.  The United States has filed a civil False Claims Act complaint against Omnicare Inc. alleging that it solicited and received millions of dollars in kickbacks from pharmaceutical manufacturer Abbott Laboratories, the Justice Department announced today.  Omnicare is the nation’s largest provider of pharmaceuticals and pharmacy consulting services to nursing homes.  Federal regulations designed to protect nursing home residents from unnecessary drugs require nursing homes to retain consulting pharmacists such as those provided by Omnicare to ensure that residents’ drug prescriptions are appropriate.

In its complaint, the United States alleges that Omnicare solicited and received kickbacks from Abbott in exchange for purchasing and recommending the prescription drug Depakote for controlling behavioral disturbances exhibited by dementia patients residing in nursing homes serviced by Omnicare.  According to the complaint, Omnicare’s pharmacists reviewed nursing home patients’ charts at least monthly and made recommendations to physicians on what drugs should be prescribed for those patients.  The government alleges that Omnicare touted its influence over physicians in nursing homes in order to secure kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies such as Abbott.

It is my understanding that accepting kickbacks involving Medicare/Medicaid.. that each claim is worth 25 K fine and 5 yrs in jail.. Who do you think is going to JAIL ? Of course, this is at least 4th or 5th time that Omnicare has been caught and found guilty of Medicare/Medicaid fraud and abuse over the last 8 yrs +/-.  Fines galore … but.. not aware of anyone going to jail..

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Group Sues Aetna, Claiming Discrimination Against H.I.V.Patients

A consumer group has sued the health insurer Aetna, claiming that it discriminated against patients with H.I.V. when it required them to obtain medications exclusively through its own mail-order pharmacy.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in San Diego by the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, argues that Aetna’s policy violates the new federal health care law, which prohibits insurers from discriminating against people based on medical condition.

The company’s new policy, which takes effect Jan. 1 and applies to people who have purchased individual coverage, also raises the out-of-pocket amount that patients must pay for their treatments, potentially doubling it in some cases, according to the suit.

“We are in an era where presumably we guarantee access to health insurance to anyone, regardless of their health history or disability,” said Jerry Flanagan, the lead staff lawyer for Consumer Watchdog. But “insurance companies are still in the business of insuring people for the highest premium they can, and keeping their medical expenses down.”

In a statement, a spokeswoman for Aetna said the policy change was “part of our ongoing strategy to do all we can to keep our health plans affordable and help with medication adherence.” She said the move was consistent with industry standards.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCnchausen_syndrome_by_proxy

In Münchausen syndrome by proxy, an adult caregiver (typically the mother), makes a child appear sick by either fabricating symptoms or actually causing harm to the child, in order to gain the attention of medical providers and others. In order to perpetuate the medical relationship, the caregiver systematically misrepresents symptoms, fabricates signs, manipulates laboratory tests, or even purposely harms the child (e.g. by poisoning, suffocation, infection, physical injury).^[5] Studies have shown a mortality rate of between 6% and 10% of MSbP victims, making it perhaps the most lethal form of abuse.^[6][7]

Also unique to this form of abuse is the role that health care providers play by actively, albeit unintentionally, enabling the abuse. By reacting to the concerns and demands of perpetrators, medical professionals are manipulated into a partnership of child maltreatment.^[5] Challenging cases that defy simple medical explanations may prompt health care providers to pursue unusual or rare diagnoses, thus allocating even more time to the child and the abuser. Even without prompting, medical professionals may be easily seduced into prescribing diagnostic tests and therapies that are at best uncomfortable and costly, and at worst potentially injurious to the child.^[3] If the health practitioner instead resists ordering further tests, drugs, procedures, surgeries, or specialists, the MSbP abuser makes the medical system appear negligent for refusing to help a poor sick child and their selfless parent.^[5] Like those with Münchausen Syndrome, MSbP perpetrators are known to switch medical providers frequently, until they find one that is willing to meet their level of need; this practice is known as “doctor shopping” or “hospital hopping”.

The perpetrator will continue the abuse because maintaining the child in the role of the patient satisfies the abuser’s needs. The cure for the victim is to separate the child completely from the abuser. When parental visits are allowed, sometimes there is a disastrous outcome for the child. Even when the child is removed, the perpetrator may turn their attention to another child: a sibling or other child in the family.^[10]

Is it just me.. or does this sound familiar ? A parental figure/caregiver causing harm to someone in their care and then acts to “correct” what they have caused?

Here is an recent example of throwing good money after bad..

Jack Conway pushes bill to attack state’s heroin epidemic

Consider the Harrison Narcotic Act.. it made opiate products from being OTC to being illegal and addiction to opiates a crime.. then Uncle Sam had to create a bureaucracy (BNDD/DEA) to try and eliminate the black market for these drugs .. that they created. After 40+ yrs of failing … they made further restrictions on these control meds and they have seemingly created a dramatic increase in Heroin use/abuse/OD’s…  and like KY AG Conway.. is ready to commit more money to “fight” this “Heroin epidemic” .. which they admit their previous actions created.

Münchausen syndrome by proxy ??? or just how our paternalistic bureaucracy (Uncle Sam) creates “mission creep”  or is this “nanny state” a political illness ” ?

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http://fox43.com/2014/12/22/detective-charged-with-stealing-prescription-pills-from-evidence-locker/
Ex-Detective charged for stealing 300 pills from evidence room

Derry Township Police Detective Brian Romberger is accused of going into the evidence room and stealing more than 300 prescription pills. “I believe he had an opiate addiction and was using the pills for personal use,” said Derry Township Police Chief Patrick M. O’Rourke.

A former Derry Township Police Detective is accused of stealing more than 300 pills from the evidence storage room.

Brian Romberger is facing several charges including six counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and six counts of possession.

O’Rourke said during Monday’s news conference that Romberger was also facing a heroin possession charge in North Londonderry Township and he hopes his former detective will get the help that he needs.

Romberger resigned in September while the investigation was ongoing. He was was arraigned Monday and released.

Another person with a DISEASE – ADDICTION – is now a criminal

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Fair Lawn Police seek shoplifter who struck CVS employee

http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2014/12/fair_lawn_police_seek_shoplifter_who_struck_cvs_employee.html

The Fair Lawn Volunteer Ambulance Corps evaluated the CVS employee for an injury to her nose, police said. She refused to go to the hospital. Police are looking for the man they say struck a CVS employee in the face while trying to shoplift Vicks cold medication.

Isn’t it suppose to be “deck the hall” NOT “deck the employees” ?

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First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

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Some readers don’t seem to understand what I have been talking about..

The people that are interest in obtaining legal drugs can be general put into four categories:

1. Legit pain pt

2. Pseudo Addict.. The under dosed or token doses legit pt.. that seeks early refills or ends up seeing multiple prescribers and multiple pharmacies trying to optimize their quality of life. Being a good spouse, parent, worker. The system is “abusing” them by not adequately treating their medical issues.. so they end up “abusing” the system.. the former is questionably legal.. the latter is considered illegal.

3. The substance abuser/addict… all or nearly all of these people have some sort of undiagnosed/untreated/under treated mental health issues. In 1914 our bureaucracy passed the Harrison Narcotic Act, during our prohibitionist period, and that law was influenced by racism and bigotry and the court system determined that opiate addiction was a CRIME and took opiates from the OTC market place… and created a “black market” similar to the “black market” they created a few years later when our country tried prohibition of alcohol with the 18th Amendment.. which lasted a dozen years but did little to decrease alcohol consumption… and was later repealed with the 21st Amendment. So the bureaucrats started the BNDD/DEA to combat the black market that they created. The same system made it illegal for a prescriber to treat/maintain a opium addict and if a addict is caught with what use to be OTC medication in their possession… they disease state makes them a CRIMINAL.. These people need some sort of treatment/support when they need/want it.

4. Diverter.. They have a business plan.. obtaining and selling control meds to those that like to abuse opiates and other substances. Because of the “black market” that the bureaucrats have created… what a pharmacy sells for PENNIES.. they sell on the street for DOLLARS. They are entrepreneurs that need a change in their business plan. Maybe even a new place of residence !

IMO.. the first three categories of people have a recognized disease and should be treated like any other pts with a chronic disease. However, our bureaucracy and jurisprudence system has puts obstacles in place that hinder healthcare professionals from determining who is a legit pt and who is a diverter. We legalize all drugs and the black market will go away.. and the diverter will have to find something else to peddle.

Corresponding Responsibility has been in the regulations since day one… now .. all of sudden .. the DEA deems it is very important ? Chiefs of Police, Sheriffs , Governors and members of Congress are starting to understand that addiction is a disease… and needs to be treated as such. There is even a group of former members of our judicial system that has come out against prohibition www.leap.cc (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition).

Corresponding responsibility does not mean to find a reason to decline a control med.. but.. when you are looking for a reason to say no.. most likely you will find one. I was taught to treat every pt as if they were a member of your family.. maybe that is just “old school philosophy”.

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