Interviews

Bill Sullivan of the Specialty Pharmacy Association of America describes the growth of the specialty pharmacy industry and the factors that prompted the formation of SPAARx.

Michael Einodshofer of Walgreens identifies the various charges that can be included in the total cost of an infusion in a hospital setting.

This video discusses the effect of thiazide diuretics on serum sodium concentration.

This animation illustrates the effect of severe over-hydration on the central nervous system.

Clinical and exam preparation instructor Roger Seheult, MD, provides the first part of a 4-part course explaining hyponatremia.

Carrie Hurwitz, MBA, director, corporate strategy and business development at McKesson, explains why pharmacists may be the health care providers best positioned to recruit patients into clinical trials.

Einodshofer of Walgreens explains that it can be difficult to convince oncologists with hospital-owned oncology practices to send patients to alternative treatment sites.

Some pharmaceutical manufacturers choose a limited distribution model for their specialty product so that they can ensure all standards of care and reporting associated with that therapy are upheld, noted Duane Barnes, senior vice president, consumer delivery, Prime Therapeutics, at the 2013 Armada Specialty Pharmacy Summit.

Prime Therapeutics projects that by 2017, the cost of specialty pharmaceuticals will be half the cost of all pharmacy claims. Therefore, noted Duane Barnes, senior vice president, consumer delivery at Prime Therapeutics, it is important for a PBM to align its medical and pharmacy policies.

Specialty pharmacies can minimize "cost to treat" by identifying which specialty drugs have dose optimization opportunities, noted Michael Einodshofer, RPh, MBA, director of utilization management, Walgreens, at the 2013 PBMI Drug Benefit Conference.

Bill Sullivan, executive director of SPAARx, describes how his organization's definition of "specialty pharmacy" compares with other entities' definitions.

Philip R. Schauer, MD, discusses the need for accountable care organizations to recognize obesity as a disease and offer treatment for it.

Jennifer Athay-Adams, PharmD, discusses how the payment model of accountable care organizations (ACOs) differs from that of traditional HMOs.

Debbie Stern of Rxperts discusses the findings from the EMD Serono Specialty Digest, 9th Edition, and the use of specialty drug tiers by payers.

Pharmacy accreditation is starting to gain some recognition, noted Quintin Jessee, RPh, DPh, D2 Pharma Consulting in this video shot at the 2013 Armada Specialty Pharmacy Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Adam J. Fein of Drug Channels explains the reasons drug manufacturers choose limited distribution channels.

Michael Einodshofer, director, utilization management, Walgreens, describes how contractual methodologies and cost differences across various sites of service can influence how a specialty drug is reimbursed under the medical benefit.

Debbie Stern, RPh, president of Rxperts, explains why a high entry cost for a specialty drug may dissuade a patient from filling and staying adherent to his or her prescription.

Adam Fein describes the way in which the sequester will affect physician reimbursement for specialty drugs.

Michael Einodshofer of Walgreens discusses the challenges associated with moving specialty into retail in this video shot at PBMI's Drug Benefit Conference 2013.

Rebecca P. Snead, RPh, of the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations, discusses the movement for pharmacist provider status.

A pharmacy in Lake City, Tennessee, has been operating for 80 years under the management of several generations of a single family.

Adam J. Fein describes how the 340B program is being exploited by many hospital systems due to a lack of oversight by government agencies.

Einodshofer explains how the costs associated with one specialty patient's treatment can have the same financial footprint as an entire population of patients. Video from PBMI's Drug Benefit Conference 2013.

In this video from the 2013 Armada Specialty Pharmacy Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada, Adam J. Fein of Pembroke Consulting Inc and Drug Channels discusses the boom in new specialty pharmacy trade associations and describes the impact that competition amongst specialty pharmacy providers could have on the industry.

Troy Trygstad, PharmD, PhD, MBA, co-editor of the Directions in Pharmacy supplements, discusses the evolving health care landscape and how pharmacists can navigate it.

Colin Cooke, MD, discusses the role of the Affordable Care Act in expanding insurance coverage and in the formation of accountable care organizations.

Troy Trygstad, PharmD, PhD, MBA, discusses a flexible patient-centric approach to health care.