Walgreen Pharmacist to Receive Training Mental Health First Aid

Walgreens Wants Its Pharmacists Trained For Mental Health Crises by Rina Raphael.  Fast Company.  May 1, 2019.

CVS-Aetna Deal Cleared

CVS-Aetna Deal That Aims To Overhaul Health Care Cleared by David McLaughlin and Robert Langreth.  Bloomberg.  October 10, 2018.

As Health Care Changes, Insurers, Hospitals And Drugstores Team Up

As Health Care Changes, Insurers, Hospitals and Drugstores Team Up by Reed Abelson.  The New York Times.  November 26, 2017. 

Amazon To Jump Into Health Care?

Goldman Sachs Breaks Down How Amazon Can Jump Into Health Care by Christina Farr.  CNBC.  August 11, 2017. 

Supreme Court Declines Case From Pharmacists Who Have Religious Objections To Types Of Contraceptives

Supreme Court Rejects Pharmacists' Religious Rights Appeal by Rachel La Corte.  AP.  June 28, 2016

UGA Pharmacy Grad Finds Way To Provide Indepth Patient Service At Athens Agency

A Pharmacist Finds His Niche At A Service-Oriented Site by Sydney Devine.  Georgia Health News.  February 8, 2016

Oregon Becomes the Only State to Implement Pharmacist Prescriptions Of Birth Control

New Oregon Law Allows Pharmacists To Prescribe Birth Control Pills by Laura Geggel.  Live Science.  January 4, 2016. 

California And Oregon Allow Women To Obtain Certain Types Of Birth Control Directly From Pharmacist

States Lead Effort To Let Pharmacists Prescribe Birth Control by Pam Belluck and Sabrina Tavernise. 

Walgreens Eyes Global Pharmacy Expansion With Acquisition of Alliance Boots

Walgreens Closes Deal, Begins New Era In Global By Bruce Japsen.  Forbes  December 31, 2014.

CVS Institutes A Program To Limit Inappropriate Prescribing Of Painkillers

Abusive Prescribing Of Controlled Substances---A Pharmacy View by Mitch Betses and Troyen Brenan.  New England Journal Of Medicine.  August 21, 2013.

A major pharmacy chain takes steps to "take action against physicians and other prescribers who exhibit extreme patterns of use of 'high-risk drugs."

California Explores Alternatives To Confront Doctor Shortage

An Rx For The Doctor Shortage.  The Times editorial Board.  The Lost Angeles Times.  April 21, 2013.

The editorial board looks at  proposals in Sacramento to expand the authority of optometrists, nurse practitioners and pharmacists to offer more primary medical are independently of doctors.  Why no mention of physician assistants?

Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants Will Staff more Than 300 Walgreen Stores

Walgreens Becomes 1st Retail Chain To Diagnose, Treat Chronic Conditions by Julie Appleby.  Kaiser Health News.  April 4, 2013.

The American Academy of Family Physicians was not pleased though Walgreens insisted that physicians will oversee Walgreens' clinics.

Drugstores Attempt Transition To Health Care Provider

Pharmacy Chains Push Into Health Care by Timothy W. Martin.  The Wall Street Journal.  February 28, 2013.

Key players (Rite Aid, CVS Caremark, Walgreen) are using a variety of means (walk-in clinics, virtual doctor visits, accountable care organizations, assisting in hospital readmission prevention) to recast themselves as health care providers in order to confront a variety of trends (Obamacare, slower drug sales, trend toward  low-cost generics).

Apple Store Design Team Reconfigures Central Florida Walgreens

See Inside:  Remodeling Walgreens Offer Sushi, New Technology by braham Aboraya.  Orlando Business Journal.  December 21, 2012.

40 Central Florida Walgreens are being renovated with new store features such as a kiosk  for order and pick up of prescriptions, a pharmacy station out from behind the counter, and a nurses station.  The market vice president for Walgreens stated that they same people who designed Apple stores designed the Walgreens pharmacy.  An expanded grocery section is viewed as part of the health mission of the store.

Needed: Alternatives to Doctors in Age of Obamacare

When The Doctor Is Not Needed.  Editorial.  The New York Times.  December 16, 2012.

Among the alternatives explored are pharmacists, nurse practitioners, retail clinics, community aides, and self-care at home.  Physician assistant is mentioned briefly.  Also mentioned is the funding provided by the Affordable Care Act for increases in medical residents, nurse practititoners, and physician assistants trained in primary care.

Contaminated Drugs Lead to 7 Meningitis Deaths

Death Toll From Meningitis Outbreak Now Stands at 7 by Steven Reinberg and Margaret Steele.  U.S. News and World Report.  October 7, 2012.

The rare type of meningitis, which is not contagious, seems to be associated with a steroid procedure called lumbar epidural steroid injection.  The steroids used are suspected of contamination with a fungus usually found in a leaf  mold.  The compounding pharmacy in Framingham, Mass. which manufactured the steroid has shut down and ceased distributing the steroid.  75 health care facilities apparently received shipments from the firm.  There may be more victims since it takes a month or more for the symptoms to appear.  Compounding pharmacists  make speciality drugs not made by large drug companies but are not subject to the same rigorous oversight such as the FDA.