All Pharmacy Pearls
In this edition of Pharmacy Pearls, you will find a review of the significant changes to the Medicare Part D payment structure for 2025 as a result of the 2022…
In this edition of Pharmacy Pearls, you will find information on drug-induced QTC prolongation, including which medications are commonly associated with prolonging the QTc interval, what kind of increase might…
In this two-page edition of Pharmacy Pearls, you will find updates on continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), including differences between the available devices, insurance coverage information, and patient counseling information. We…
In this edition of Pharmacy Pearls, we briefly review pharmacotherapy options for smoking cessation. You will find information regarding typical dosing, administration instructions, and clinical pearls for each medication. As…
In this two-page edition of Pharmacy Pearls, you will find a brief review of the pharmacologic management of urinary incontinence, including recommended dosing and approximate costs. You will also find…
In this three-page edition of Pharmacy Pearls, we review the updated guidelines for Hepatitis B (HepB) vaccination. An algorithm for screening and testing, as well as how to interpret testing…
In this two-page edition of Pharmacy Pearls, you will find a review of the 2023 updates to the GOLD Guidelines for the treatment of COPD. There are several notable changes…
In this edition of Pharmacy Pearls, you will find an update on weight loss medication. Specifically, this pearl highlights the recently approved medication ZepboundTM, which contains the same active ingredient,…
This multi-page pharmacy pearl provides guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on bivalent COVID-19 vaccine use in adult and…
In this two-page edition of Pharmacy Pearls, we review the network-wide pharmacy savings opportunities identified by the AHP Pharmacy Team for 2023. There continue to be opportunities in several therapeutic…
Starting April 1, 2023, NYS Medicaid-enrolled patients will have a change in who is providing their prescription benefits. Currently, NYS Medicaid-enrolled patients access prescription benefits through a health plan, and the…
In this edition of Pharmacy Pearls, you will find a brief review of the management of gout, including dosing guidance for preferred agents for treating acute gout attacks and for…
In this edition of Pharmacy Pearls, we have compiled some of the key updates from the 2023 American Diabetes Association Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes. One major highlight is…
In an effort to assist providers in navigating shortages of Methylphenidate products, the AHP/URMC Pharmacy team is providing our network’s primary care providers with guidance on available alternatives, dosage recommendations,…
In this edition of Pharmacy Pearls, you will find a review of the indications for the SGLT-2 inhibitors. This class of medications initially marketed for type 2 diabetes, has now…
General Tips for Practices & Patients Navigating Backorders Supplies of backordered medications frequently vary among pharmacies within the same chain. Most pharmacies have the ability to see if the product…
In response to several inquiries regarding the limited availability of liquid amoxicillin, the AHP/URMC Pharmacy team is providing the guidance below to our network’s pediatric and family medicine providers. The Pharmacy…
In this edition of Pharmacy Pearls, you will find information about the new medication approved for treating type 2 diabetes in adults, tirzepatide (Mounjaro®). It has a novel mechanism of…
In this edition of Pharmacy Pearls, you will find updated guidance released by the US Preventive Services Task Force and reviewed by local cardiologists about when to use and when…
In this edition of Pharmacy Pearls, you will find an updated version of our Best Practice Guidance for Reduction of Outpatient Migraine in Adults. Diagnosis, lifestyle management, and first-line treatment…
In this edition of Pharmacy Pearls, we compare the gastrointestinal (GI) and cardiovascular (CV) risks of the most common non-selective and selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). You will also find strategies…
In this two-page edition of Pharmacy Pearls, you will find a summary of the 2022 pharmacy savings opportunities identified by the AHP Pharmacy Team. There are opportunities in several therapeutic areas…
In this edition of Pharmacy Pearls, you will find a few key updates from the 2022 American Diabetes Association Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes. Most notably, metformin (while still…
In this edition of Pharmacy Pearls, we review the two new outpatient COVID-19 antiviral treatment options under EUA, Paxlovid™ and molnupiravir. Place in therapy, indications for use, clinical data, dosing and…
In this edition of Pharmacy Pearls, we review the use of Trelegy Ellipta for COPD, including some of the clinical trial outcomes that demonstrate benefits of triple therapy and which…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls reviews single maintenance and reliever therapy (or SMART) for asthma management in patients >12 years old. Referenced in both GINA 2021 and NHLBI 2020 asthma…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls addresses the alarming rise in outpatient prescribing and dispensing of ivermectin for treatment of COVID-19. There is insufficient evidence at present to support the use…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls reviews some of the evidence supporting the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) for weight loss, including a review of the newest approved…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls provides an overview of continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMs), including: patient populations where the use of CGMs may be beneficial based on recommendations in the…
For 2021 we have identified eight opportunities for cost-savings on pharmacy spend across the network in several therapeutic areas. Here are recommendations that you can put into practice today that impact quality…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls gives an overview of the 2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure (BP) in Adults. This pearl includes:…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls is to assist with challenges faced in clinical practice managing migraineurs and with the approval of new agents to help prevent migraine. AHP assembled a…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls reviews guidance for prescribing PrEP for HIV prophylaxis in primary care. Highlights include which patients are eligible for PrEP, available medications, and recommended monitoring- as…
The beginning of the year often brings affordability issues for patients with newly-reset deductibles. It is important to keep value-based prescribing at the forefront of practice to ensure that patients…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls reviews the available long-acting insulins on the market and how to convert between them if insurance coverage or patient preference necessitates switching products. As always,…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls offers a review of therapies for anticoagulation: including how to determine whether warfarin or direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) might be the most appropriate choice for…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls focuses on using low-dose aspirin for ASCVD prevention. We highlight when aspirin is indicated to reduce ASCVD risk, as well as when it might be…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls compares the CV outcome study characteristics and results for both the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) and sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor classes…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls reviews the benefits of utilizing generic statins for treatment of hyperlipidemia, as certain brand-name statins can reach almost $900 per month. Generic statins have an…
In the following edition of Pharmacy Pearls, the AHP Pharmacy Team has reviewed and presents the 2020 GOLD guidelines for COPD management, focusing on medication therapy. There is also information…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls reviews medication management of asthma- in children, adults, and how management is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. You will also find inhaler device technique steps…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls reviews medication management of asthma- in children, adults, and how management is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. You will also find inhaler device technique steps…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls reviews medication management of asthma- in children, adults, and how management is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. You will also find inhaler device technique steps…
Click the link here to download a PDF of COVID-19 Pharmacy Pearls.
In this edition of Pharmacy Pearls, we have updated our inhaler chart to include a new generic ICS/LABA that has come to market. Budesonide/formoterol, an authorized generic of Symbicort, is…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls critically reviews the data of the REDUCE-IT trial for Vascepa, which resulted in its new FDA-labeled indication for cardiovascular risk reduction with mild hypertriglyceridemia. We…
According to the CDC, Influenza B/Victoria viruses are predominant nationally, which is unusual for this time of year. H1N1 viruses are the next most common. H3N2 and B/Yamagata viruses are…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls provides a depression management algorithm for adult and pediatric (age 12+) patients that was developed in collaboration with AHP’s Behavioral Health Integration Team. In these…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls gives an overview of best practices for management of type 2 diabetes. In it you will find AHP endorsed principles for the management of type…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls gives an overview of insulin lispro U-100, the new authorized generic for Humalog U-100, which is now available. Insulin lispro U-100 is considered therapeutically equivalent…
With one in four patients reporting difficulty affording prescription medications, practice staff and clinicians are often engaged with patients faced with mediation access issues related to cost and affordability. The…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls gives an overview of the recent updates made to the ACC/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. This guideline (last updated in 2013)…
This edition of Pharmacy Pearls reviews the available epinephrine injector options for the treatment of anaphylaxis. There are several devices available (both brand and generic), and the cost to patients…
One of the 2019 AHP Pharmacy Team targets is to limit the use of Nasonex for allergic rhinitis given the availability of equally effective and far less expensive OTC products,…
The AHP Pharmacy Task Force works to identify opportunities that will enhance the quality, safety and value of medication treatment for our patients. Recently, we identified a cohort of patients…
As a reminder, November 12-18, 2018 is U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week. The CDC is urging healthcare professionals to prescribe antibiotics only when necessary to help fight antibiotic resistance and protect…
As discussed in the last Pharmacy Pearls “Less Expensive Inhaler Now Available,” switching patients to RespiClick will help AHP realize significant savings as well as help patients with their out-of-pocket…
As discussed in the last Pharmacy Pearls “Less Expensive Inhaler Now Available,” switching patients to RespiClick will help AHP realize significant savings as well as help patients with their out-of-pocket…
By Matt Devine, D.O. With all of the holiday food that we are preparing, this discussion is meant to inform all of us on our PPI therapy use. From review…
Welcome to the first installment of the Pharmacy Pearls newsletter. This edition discusses the evidence behind some recently raised concerns surrounding PPI use along with guidance for tapering to minimize…
