June 6, 2016 by Jeffrey Woldt and Chain Drug Review
ACA, Affordable Care Act, Department of Health and Human Services, health care expenditures, health care reform, Jeffrey Woldt, prescription medication expenditures, Sylvia Burwell
2016, Issue 06-06-2016, Issues, Opinion
Several recent reports help illuminate the state of the nation’s health care reform efforts by examining progress under major aspects of the Affordable Care Act. President Obama signed the legislation into law in March 2010 with three overarching objectives — establishing new protections for health care consumers, enhancing access to care, and improving quality while
May 16, 2016 by Jeffrey Woldt and Chain Drug Review
AMP-based FULs, drug reimbursement, Jeffrey Woldt, NACDS, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Steve Anderson
2016, Issue 05-16-2016, Issues, Opinion
National Association of Chain Drug Stores president and CEO Steve Anderson recently provided the group’s members with an update about implementation of the new rule governing reimbursement to pharmacy operators for prescriptions filled under the Medicaid program. His remarks are of interest, both for what they say about the issue and for the style of
April 16, 2016 by Jeffrey Woldt and Chain Drug Review
health care research, Jeffrey Woldt, Kathleen Jaeger, NACDS Foundation, National Association of Chain Drug Stores
2016, Issue 04-18-2016, Issues, Opinion
Decisions about health care will increasingly be based on evidence that, when applied to the individual circumstances of a patient, supports the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of one course of treatment over another. In the new world of health care, providers are striving to achieve better outcomes through enhanced quality and improved efficiency. To that end,
April 4, 2016 by Jeffrey Woldt and Chain Drug Review
Alex Gourlay, Jeffrey Woldt, John Standley, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Randy Edeker, RxImpact Day on Capitol Hill, Steve Anderson
2016, Issue 04-04-2016, Leading Headlines, Opinion
WASHINGTON — At a time when the American political system and legislative process are, more often than not, characterized by gridlock, and the ongoing presidential campaign is riddled with examples of what are seemingly new lows in civilized discourse and rational debate, it’s refreshing to see moments when our democracy functions properly. One day last
March 14, 2016 by Jeffrey Woldt and Chain Drug Review
Canadian pharmacy market, Jean Coutu Group, Jeffrey Woldt, Katz Group, Lawtons Drugs, Loblaw, McKesson, Rexall Health, Shoppers Drug Mart, Sobeys
2016, Issue 03-14-2016, Issues, Leading Headlines, Opinion
McKesson Corp.’s agreement to acquire Rexall Health from Katz Group is notable in several respects. The transaction alters the balance of power in the Canadian pharmacy market. In addition, it offers confirmation, if any were needed, of the relentless drive among major players in the sector to increase their scale and, in the process,
February 8, 2016 by Jeffrey Woldt and Chain Drug Review
Affordable Care Act, AMP, average manufacturer prices, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMS, Covered Outpatient Drugs, federal upper limits, FULs, Jeffrey Woldt, Medicaid, NACDS, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, National Community Pharmacists Association, pharmacy reimbursement, Steve Anderson
2016, Issue 02-08-2016, Issues, Leading Headlines, Opinion
After years of political and legal wrangling, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued its final rule on Covered Outpatient Drugs, which governs reimbursement to retail pharmacies for generic medications dispensed under Medicaid. The history of the regulation goes all the way back to the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA), which
January 18, 2016 by Jeffrey Woldt and Chain Drug Review
Affordable Care Act, health insurance, Jeffrey Woldt, Obamacare, Paul Ryan, President Obama, Sylvia Burwell
2016, Issue 01-18-2016, Issues, Leading Headlines, Opinion
Clearly, health care reform will remain a contentious issue during the current presidential election cycle and beyond. The House of Representatives started the new year by voting to gut the Affordable Care Act. Passage of the legislation, by a 240-to-181 margin that closely mirrored the breakdown among parties in the Republican-controlled body, together
January 4, 2016 by Jeffrey Woldt and Chain Drug Review
Affordable Care Act, chain drug store business, community pharmacy, CVS Health, Jeffrey Woldt, Omnicare, Rite Aid, Target Corp., Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Walgreens Boots Alliance
2016, Issue 01-04-2016, Issues, Opinion
In many significant ways, the chain drug store business looks very different at the start of 2016 than it did a year ago. Walgreens Boots Alliance, which emerged from a two-step merger process at the close of 2014, spent the past 12 months rationalizing operations in the United States and developing synergies with its retail
December 7, 2015 by Jeffrey Woldt and Chain Drug Review
chain drug stores, drug chains, Jeffrey Woldt, mass retailing, retail industry
2015, Issue 12-07-2015, Issues, Opinion
The retailing business in the United States may have reached an inflection point during the period around Black Friday, traditionally seen as the start of the holiday selling season. While reports from different sources about retailers’ performance during the last week of November don’t neatly align, the consensus is that e-commerce continues to gain ground
October 26, 2015 by Jeffrey Woldt and Chain Drug Review
Affordable Care Act, CVS Health, Jeffrey Woldt, medication adherence, MinuteClinic, Pharmacy Advisor, Predictive Adherence Index, retail pharmacy, ScriptSync, Vulnerable Patient Index, William Shrank
2015, Issue 10-26-2015, Issues, Leading Headlines, Opinion
The move toward closer cooperation among providers is one of the more intriguing developments in health care, one that promises to improve patient outcomes and limit expenditures in a sector that accounts for almost 20% of the nation’s gross domestic product. The rationale behind the partnerships, and the role of community pharmacies within them, is
October 12, 2015 by Jeffrey Woldt and Chain Drug Review
2016 presidential race, Affordable Care Act, Bernie Sanders, cost of prescription drugs, Daraprim, Harvoni, Hillary Clinton, Jeffrey Woldt, pharmaceutical prices, Sovaldi, Viekira Pak
2015, Issue 10-12-2015, Issues, Opinion
The 2016 presidential race is already well under way. Despite thousands of speeches, interviews and, on the Republican side, two debates, there is a lot about the candidates’ thinking that needs to be clarified. One thing, however, is certain — health care will be a prominent issue as the process of choosing Barack Obama’s successor
September 28, 2015 by Jeffrey Woldt and Chain Drug Review
Affordable Care Act, health care costs, health care reform, health care spending, J. Samantha Dougherty, Jeffrey Woldt, Laura Miller, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, retail pharmacies
2015, Issue 09-28-2015, Issues, Opinion
The major provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act have been in effect for almost two years now, enough time to undertake an interim analysis of the controversial law’s impact on the health care system. President Obama and other advocates of the ACA, which since its enactment in March 2010 has withstood two
September 14, 2015 by Jeffrey Woldt and Chain Drug Review
Anne Marie Stephen, Deborah Weinswig, digital health, digital technology, Fung Business Intelligence Centre, Jeffrey Woldt, KWOLIA, NACDS Total Store Expo
2015, Issue 09-14-2015, Issues, Opinion, Technology
The power of digital technology to shake up existing business models in health care and mass market retailing was a focal point for many of the executives in attendance at last month’s NACDS Total Store Expo in Denver. The changes that have occurred during the first few decades of the information age have been, in
August 22, 2015 by Jeffrey Woldt and Chain Drug Review
Amazon, chain drug stores, e-commerce, Greg Greeley, Jeffrey Woldt, Millward Brown Digital, Prime Day, Walmart.com
2015, Issue 08-24-2015, Issues, Opinion
Results from Amazon’s Prime Day promotion last month raise some interesting questions for all retailers that compete with the e-commerce giant, a group that has come to include chain drug stores, other mass marketers and practically any seller of consumer goods. Held in conjunction with Amazon’s 20th anniversary, the event was designed to reward shoppers