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Pepin’s Pharmaceutical Prattle for 04-17-2006
Quote of the day: Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955), (attributed)
Ears or toes? People have certain rituals related to chocolate bunnies. Some start nibbling the ears. Others start at the toes. Whichever type you are you likely do it the same year after year. One section in the book SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE has an arm-crossing test. Cross your arms!...... Now cross them with the opposite arm on top. One way feels natural and the other feels forced. The object of the exercise is to have the reader, you, become aware of habits. These habits are the intersection of skill, knowledge and desire. We can hone our skills, increase our knowledge but what about desire? As the old coach points out, “Everyone desires to win but few have the desire to PREPARE to win. “
Consumers of healthcare have fallen into habits as well. The pay as you go way of financing drug therapy for the uninsured had to change with the increases in drug costs. Many shifted to cheaper brand name drugs from Canada (generics are actually more expensive from Canada) even though the practice is illegal. With the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit groups such as AARP are finding that this new plan is even less expensive than going the Canadian route.
This is all well an d good for those who have enrolled but what happens to those who do not sign up by May 15th? They will not be able to sign up again until November and will have a penalty assessed to their premiums of 1% for each month that they delay signing up. http://questions.medicare.gov-May 15
So encourage those who are elligle to sign up ASAP. If they pick the ‘wrong” plan they are likely to still be ahead and retain the right to change plans. Changing habits, like selecting whether the eat the ears or toes first may be hard but maybe not quite as hard as having to pay through the nose by not selecting a part D plan.
(for you PEEPS fans... http://www.lordofthepeeps.com/ or http://www.peepresearch.org/ ) [Lord of the Rings fans and how PEEPs respond to extreme conditions]
=================================================== ps. Best answer this week to the question "How are you?" was "SUPEREFANTASTIC!" (a grocery clerk to whom I said it about 3 months ago and had't seen since... glad to see one seed I planted continues to grow).
pps. Occasionally, some of the links require FREE registration.... I'm sure you can handle THAT slight inconvenience. ------------
1) Congratulations you made 80…good luck! A new prior authorization criteria for statins? The benefits from the use of statins to lower cholestertol is questioned in octagenerians (and above). Dr JoAnna Micale Foody of Yale made the statement but her present age was not disclosed. http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=11832172&src=eDialog/GetContent
2) Niacin may be an alternative… CMS just sent out a letter saying that niacin may be ok to add to a Part-D formulary for lidid lowering. Previously restricted as a vitamin…. the fed now has changed its mind. It is heartening to see this mid-course correction. (pun intended) http://www.amcp.org/data/nav_content/CMS%20Clarifies%20Part%20D%20Niacin%20Coverage.pdf
3) Do not renew your ReNu….Contact lens solutions recalled. Originally physicians were suggesting that contact wearers using the NoRub formula begin to rub the lenses. With lawyers already licking their chops a recall was the logical choice. Call you eye doctors for a suitable alternative that will be compatible with your lenses. (You DO want to continue to read the Prattle… don’t you?)
4) AARP looks at “drugflation” Appears that their shopping basket increased by about 6% during 2005. This includes premiums as well as cost of the drugs themselves. Generic held pretty steady while some brand name drugs jumped more. Compare that to college tuition, gas, etc and it doesn’t look all that bad (but then again …I don’t take any prescription drugs). http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyid=2006-04-10T141052Z_01_N07290830_RTRUKOC_0_US-DRUGS-PRICES.xml
5) Insane results! The Post looked at publications related to antipsychotic drugs. Drug studies done by drug companies tend to favor the sponsored drug. This may be publication bias or design bias… or just chance. The best journals have many systems in place to prevent tainted studies from publication. An unbiased board of reviewers with knowledge in the area studied is probably the best safeguard. These outstanding journals (and their editors) are more concerned with maintaining their stellar reputations than anything else. (JMCP is a fantastic example). The Post’s article gives us food for thought. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/11/AR2006041101478.html
6) What can generics do to brand name drugs? In this case, generic tamoxifen knocked brand name Nolvadex off of the market!. http://money.cnn.com/services/tickerheadlines/for5/200604111219DOWJONESDJONLINE000650_FORTUNE5.htm
7) Kaiser Family Foundation on Part D Compares and contrasts 1,222 plans. Sounds like one of my past nightmare English Literature assignments. Looks a\t formularies, cost sharing, plan designes….. good for other plans but may not be the most scintillating reading for a beneficiary. http://www.kff.org/medicare/med041106nr.cfm
Have a SUPER-FANTASTIC week. Steve Disclaimer: "Pepin's Pharmaceutical Prattle" (AKA "The Prattle") is the property of PHARMWORKS, LLC and Steven M. Pepin, Pharm. D, BCPS. The opinions expressed are those of the bald-headed author. To start or stop any drug without the advice and supervision of your physician would be stupid. So don't do anything based upon what you read here without professional advice. To be added to or removed from the distribution list please e-mail your request to spepin@pharmworks.com . All insightful comments from readers are thoughtfully considered (the rest are callously discarded). Copyright 1998-2006 PHARMWORKS, LLC all rights reserved. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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