WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has made suggestions for improving the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including bigger subsidies for private insurance and a Medicare-like public plan in some states. Obama also said drug makers were putting their bottom lines ahead of the common good by opposing any constraints on medication prices. “We worked successfully with
WASHINGTON — A new study by personnel of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) projects that health care spending in the United States will exceed $10,000 per person this year. The report, published in the health policy journal Health Affairs, predicts that health care spending growth is accelerating after several years of unusually
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Health is deploying its expanded assortment of healthier food and beverages to more than 2,900 CVS Pharmacy stores across the nation. The assortment was piloted in an initial 500 locations last year. CVS is now implementing the expanded healthy food offerings in 100 stores each week through the end of the
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA) has changed its name to the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA). HDA president and chief executive officer John Gray announced the change at the opening general session of the association’s 2016 Business and Leadership Conference here in June. Additionally, HDA’s nonprofit charitable research foundation, the Center
BRUSSELS, Belgium, and ZAANDAM, the Netherlands — Delhaize Group and Royal Ahold completed their $29 billion merger transaction over the weekend. The Europe-based food and drug retailers said the deal received regulatory clearance from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, and Delhaize Group chief executive officer Frans Muller and Ahold CEO Dick Boer have signed of
TUKWILA, Wash. — John Figueroa knows a good health care model when he sees one. Having held leadership roles at McKesson Corp., Omnicare Inc., Coram and Apria Healthcare Group (where he remains chairman), Figueroa immediately recognized the potential in Genoa, a QoL Healthcare Company. Genoa came to Figueroa’s attention in early 2014, when Nautic Partners,
CHICAGO — Health Mart, which now has more than 4,700 stores nationwide, has grown by 50% over the past three years because it helps member pharmacies deliver and be recognized for top clinical performance, according to president Steve Courtman. “In addition, our innovative solutions and implementation support help members level the playing field against the
CHICAGO — In the opening general session of McKesson ideaShare 2016 in Chicago, Chris Dimos, McKesson’s senior vice president for corporate strategy and business development, highlighted four major forces impacting the health care provided by independent pharmacies. These forces — generics scale; consolidation and integration; product mix shift; and reimbursement, performance and access— are shaping
STELLARTON, Nova Scotia — Marc Poulin has resigned as president and chief executive officer of Sobeys Inc. and the Canadian grocery chain’s parent company, Empire Co. His departure, announced by Empire’s board, came just days after Empire reported a $2.13 billion (Canadian) net loss for its 2016 financial year. The setback was mainly attributed to
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (WBA) is participating in the USA Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) Cohort Program. WBA said its participation is the result of a $20 million grant awarded to The Scripps Research Institute by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Walgreens will help support patient enrollment and participation in the cohort
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sandra Ryan, vice president of Walmart Care Clinics, has received the Loretta C. Ford Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Nurse Practitioner Symposium. Ford is cofounder of the first nurse practitioner program. Ryan is considered a visionary leader with more than 25 years of health care experience in various clinical, management and
WASHINGTON — Higher co-pays could result in an increase of over $1 billion in federal spending for medical services, warn the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association. In a recent letter to the chairmen and ranking members of the House Armed Services Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee,
POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — Lynne Fruth, president and chairman of Fruth Pharmacy, admits she and her business were among the fortunate ones emerging from the devastation wrought by massive flooding that struck nearby Elkview, W.Va., and several other towns in that state in late June. “There was disaster all around us, but our new store
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Kinney Drugs has partnered with HealtheConnections in a collaboration to enable doctors and other health care providers to access and share patients’ prescription information. According to HealtheConnections, the partnership will link medications prescribed with prescriptions picked up at more than 70 Kinney Drugs stores in New York. Overall, the regional drug chain
