Insights

Specialty pharmaceuticals continue to dominate drug approvals and purchasing. And while many hospitals operate a specialty pharmacy, there’s still room for growth. Here’s five questions to ask when considering if a specialty pharmacy is right for your hospital.read more

Mark Twain once said, “the report of my death was an exaggeration.” And throughout history, that statement was misquoted many times by those wanting to embellish a misjudged outcome. Given recent news reports of the closing of some hospital retail pharmacies, that exaggeration sounds familiar, yet the outcome is more like a realignment of how the outpatient pharmacy is meeting the needs of health systems in a post-pandemic, transforming health care environment. While some health systems see advantages in selling to or partnering with retail pharmacy chains, others are identifying opportunities to develop their own outpatient pharmacy.read more

Cyberattacks are at an all-time high, with health care consistently in the top five industries targeted by cyber criminals. Because health system pharmacies rely heavily on networks, software and electronic processes, they have wide exposure to these cyber intrusions. Developing a“downtime plan” for your hospital or health system pharmacy (for use while computers are off-line) can support continuity of care during a cyber security event. Here’s what you need to consider.read more

Cyber intrusions continue to plague health care organizations and the impact has been heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic as resources and personnel are stretched thin and cyber attackers take advantage of increased vulnerabilities. As we move through the pandemic, we expect the rate and severity of cyber intrusions to rise.Here are five steps that pharmacy leaders can now to prepare and protect against cyber intrusions as well as to limit the impact when they occur.read more

The COVID pandemic has produced many new challenges for hospital-based laboratories. One area that laboratory leaders may find immediate cost reduction opportunities is through a review of utilization and pricing for reference laboratory services.read more

In recent years, there has been a significant amount of regulatory focus on compounding pharmacies. Specifically, regulatory agencies want to establish guidance for quality and sterility of products with the goal of providing the highest standard of finished product for patient administration. While new guidelines were created in various USP chapters, there has not been guidance for every aspect of compounding pharmacy practices. One notable exclusion was radiopharmaceutical compounding and...read more

Plasma-derived therapeutics are part of a complex dynamic of global supply chain economics and clinical contributing factors, all of which can affect the ability to obtain the product needed for patient care. Immunoglobulin (Ig), the main driver in current plasma manufacturing, has experienced double-digit growth within North American markets, leading to an increased demand the manufacturing community has been challenged to meet.*read more