White vs. Brown Bagging in Hospital Pharmacy Practices
White bagging and brown bagging are two distinct ways of delivering specialty medications to patients that have gained prominence in recent years. But how do they stack up to clear bagging and the newest standard of gold bagging? And where does traditional buy and bill fit into the mix? Let’s delve into these practices, define […]
National Pharmacist Month: Celebrating Our Healthcare Heroes
Every October, Americans come together to celebrate National Pharmacist Month. It’s a great time to recognize and appreciate the invaluable contributions that pharmacists, technicians, and pharmacy teams make to patient care. This month offers plenty of opportunities to shed light on the vital role they play in helping people in our communities, hospitals, and beyond […]
Navigating Today’s Drug Shortages: A Guide for Hospital Preparedness
In 2023, the healthcare industry continues to grapple with the persistent challenge of drug shortages. According to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), drug shortages are at the highest they’ve been in nearly a decade, emphasizing the urgent need for proactive planning and preparation. As hospitals strive to ensure the highest quality of care […]
7 Benefits to Outsourcing Your Hospital Pharmacy Services
What is Hospital Pharmacy Outsourcing? Hospital pharmacy outsourcing is the process of a third-party assuming the management of all aspects of the pharmacy, including staffing, regulatory, and drug management. Healthcare organizations usually choose to outsource their pharmacy if they are looking to cut costs, improve quality, and better understand how their operation is performing. Download […]
Chargemaster Maintenance: CDM Management Guidelines
Hospital pharmacies play a crucial role in ensuring that patients receive the appropriate medical care and treatment. One essential component of this is maintaining an accurate charge description master, also known as the chargemaster or CDM. The chargemaster is a comprehensive list of all medical procedures, services, and supplies that a hospital offers, along with their […]
Pharmacy Audit Checklist
A pharmacy audit checklist can serve as a guideline to help you prepare for a DEA audit and avoid costly mistakes. CompleteRx provides all clients with a defined process and checklist, which is reviewed and updated by the CompleteRx operations team. In addition, our compliance department conducts independent onsite audits to ensure adherence. Table of […]
The Promise of Biosimilars: Trends in 2021 and Beyond
Biosimilars offer savings opportunities to help mitigate the growing and costly biologic specialty drug market through competition. While 2020 saw a decrease in biosimilars activity with fewer approvals and product launches, the U.S. saw an increase in biosimilars uptake during that timeframe, suggesting that the market is poised for continued growth. Hospitals and health […]
How COVID-19 Impacted Hospital Disaster Preparedness
The COVID-19 pandemic challenged hospitals in unexpected ways and exposed vulnerabilities in emergency preparedness planning. Across the country, the pandemic stressed supply chains for critical personal protective equipment and essential drugs and caused staffing shortages as hospitals responded to coronavirus surges. According to Ken Maxik, MBA, MBB, FACHE, RPh, Vice President Operations Support, developing pandemic […]
Black History Month: Recognizing Trailblazing Pharmacists
February is Black History Month. In observance, CompleteRx remembers Anna Louise James, who became, in 1908, the first African American woman to graduate from the Brooklyn College of Pharmacy in New York. The daughter of a Virginia plantation slave, James served patients from her pharmacy in Connecticut for more than five decades. Over the years, […]
HHS Opinion on Contract Pharmacies & 340B Programs
A new advisory opinion from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) clarifies that 340B hospitals are entitled to buy covered outpatient drugs at the discounted price, even if they use contract pharmacies to distribute the drugs to patients. In the advisory opinion released on Dec. 30, 2020, HHS states that the requirement to […]