Mobile Technology Helps Clinicians Reduce Medical Errors and Prescription Drug Costs
Mobile Technology Helps Clinicians Reduce Medical Errors and Prescription Drug CostsBCBS of Vermont Drug Benefit Information Now AvailableThrough Handheld PDAs and the InternetBerlin, VT and San Mateo, CA Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont announced today that physicians and other health care professionals throughout Vermont now have convenient access to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont prescription drug benefit information via the latest mobile technology.Providers will have access to Blue Cross and Blue Shields list of covered drugs through the Epocrates hand-held drug reference applications designed for the Palm OS and Pocket PC platforms and through the Epocrates Rx OnlineTM reference available for Internet-connected desktop computers. All Epocrates products are easily downloadable via the Internet and are currently used by over one in four U.S. physicians, over 165,000 in all.While within the Epocrates drug reference applications, providers can easily check formulary status, prior authorization requirements, alternatives, generic substitutes and quantity limits. The drug reference also includes over 3,000 drug monographs along with indications, a built-in dosing calculator, contraindications, drug interactions, adverse reactions, cost information, and the MultiCheck® function capable of checking up to 30 drugs simultaneously for interactions.This service will enable physicians to quickly and easily identify the most appropriate drug for our members, thereby improving the quality of their care, said Dr. John Grossomanides, Director of Pharmacy for Blue Cross and Blue Shield and its HMO affiliate, The Vermont HealthPlan. This tool also will make it easier for physicians to access cost information and incorporate that important factor into their discussions with their patients.In addition to the importance of clinicians and patients discussing clinical aspects of prescribed medication, there is growing recognition of the need to discuss drug costs before writing the prescription. A University of Michigan study funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality showed that drug costs impact whether patients continue their drug regimens. Many chronically ill patients never tell their doctor or nurse theyve had to cut back on prescription drugs because they are too expensive, and many physicians never ask if the drugs are unaffordable according to the report published in the September 13, 2004 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.Additionally, another study by researchers from the University of Michigan Health System and Cleveland Clinic published in the June issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, looked at the impact of higher co-pays on cholesterol lowering drugs and found that nearly half of patients who have a prescription for any of the cholesterol-fighting drugs called statins fail to fill their prescription often enough or stop filling it altogether. Patients whose out-of-pocket costs are more than $20 for each months supply are three times more likely to fall behind on their prescription, and four times more likely to stop taking the drug altogether, than those whose co-pay is under $10.By being able to not only look up drug reference information at the point-of-care, but also approximate retail costs, the availability of lower cost generics and even health plan formularies (list of covered drugs) and co-pay schedules, health care professionals who rely on Epocrates are equipped to communicate about all aspects of medication with patients, said Andrew Burns, vice president of Health Services, Epocrates.About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of VermontBlue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is the states oldest and largest private health insurer, providing health benefits coverage for about 180,000 Vermonters. It employs over 350 Vermonters at its headquarters in Berlin and branch office in Williston, and offers group and individual health plans. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is an independent corporationoperating under a license with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans. For more information, visit www.bcbsvt.com(link is external).About Epocrates, Inc.San Mateo, CA -based Epocrates Inc. is the leader in providing clinical information to physicians and other health care professionals at the point of care, with over 420,000 subscribers, including over 165,000 U.S. physicians. Epocrates product offering is led by the Epocrates® Essentials mobile clinical reference suite featuring all of the key decision support applicationsdrugs, diseases, and diagnostics required for todays health care professional. The Epocrates Rx® and Epocrates Rx Pro” drug reference products are the most widely used in the industry, by individual clinicians and by medical groups, hospitals, universities and medical libraries throughout the U.S. Epocrates also provides formulary information from health plans, hospitals, Medicaid agencies and pharmacy benefit management (PBM) companies that represent over 95 million individuals, and messaging and market research services. For more information, visit www.epocrates.com(link is external).(End)
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They are small towns along the Canadian-American border, marooned by geography, whose residents’ lives have already been upended by the border closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.But with winter approaching, residents of Campobello Island in Canada’s Atlantic province of New Brunswick and the small US town of Point Roberts in Washington state are bracing for continued isolation adding to winter blues, exposing how tightly intertwined are communities that straddle an international border.Campobello Island, located off the coast of the US state of Maine, is accessible only by a private ferry service that runs during the summer or by driving through Maine, which connects to the island via a bridge. “We have five gas stations. We don’t have five gas stations for 1,000 people,” said Christopher Carleton, fire chief for Point Roberts, explaining the reliance on Canadians, who cross the border to buy gas that is roughly a third cheaper.Kids and isolationCarleton has been raising the alarm about an impending mental health crisis among residents in Point Roberts as their isolation looks likely to drag on into the winter. His efforts bring more attention to the plight of Point Roberts residents, though pressure on state and federal politicians hasn’t paid off so far.Washington state Governor Jay Inslee wrote to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in August, asking him to address the “unique hardships” faced by Point Roberts residents.Beth Calder, 48, manages Point to Point Parcel, a package receiving business mainly serving Canadians who drive to Point Roberts to collect parcels, dodging expensive or unavailable international shipping.”Without the Canadians coming down and using our service, it’s crippling our company,” Calder said, citing a 90% drop in business as soon as the border closed.She described life in Point Roberts during the pandemic as “eerie.””If we can’t get back to what was the normal, I don’t see how we can survive,” she said.Sandra Procter, 52, another Point Roberts resident, said she has cried every day since she and her husband made the decision to send their 16-year-old son to live with friends on the Canadian side of the border in late August so he can continue attending school in Vancouver, British Columbia. Point Roberts’ school only goes up to Grade 3, after which age children attend schools in Washington or Canada.Although education was considered an essential reason to cross the border in June, when schools in British Columbia reopened, that’s no longer the case.Public Safety Canada said the policy barring Americans from crossing the border for school will remain in place as long as the border closure continues. The US-Canada border is closed for non-essential travel until Sept. 21.The change in policy “came out of the blue,” Procter said. “For the mental health of a 16-year-old, being as isolated as he is here, it’s not healthy.”We’re not asking for the border to be opened up, we’re just asking that our kids’ education is considered essential.” Topics : The lack of easy access to the rest of Canada has long been an issue, but is compounded by the pandemic, said Justin Tinker, 34, a civil engineer whose family has lived on Campobello Island for 10 generations.Residents of the island have to pass through the United States to go to a hospital on the Canadian mainland, but they now could wind up being turned away from the hospital because they’ve been to the US within the last two weeks, Tinker said.”Campobello’s always come together when it needs to, but there’s anxiety,” said Tinker, who blames the province for dragging its feet on the lack of a solution. “Once that ferry stops running we can’t get to Campobello Island within our own province.”Across the continent, Point Roberts, a town of around 1,300 year-round residents in Washington state, sits on the tip of Canada’s Tsawwassen Peninsula. Its proximity to Canada has made the local economy reliant on Canadian visitors, but also means that locals rely on an open border to access healthcare and other facilities.
Abu Dhabi-based Quality Marine Services (QMS) and Zakher Marine International (ZMI) have taken delivery of the first of three offshore barges being built in a shipyard in China, with the second one slated to be deployed on North Sea offshore wind projects. The unnamed shipyard in China has been building the three barges for the two companies under a contract worth USD 350 million (approx. EUR 312 million).ZMI’s General Manager Musadaq Al Yacoub said that the second barge is expected to be sent to the North Sea, where it will work on the construction of offshore wind farms, as well as in the oil and gas sector, according to WAM – the Emirates News Agency.Following the arrival of the first barge in Abu Dhabi last week, Ali El Ali, Executive Director of ZMI, said that these barges have been designed and built to operate in stringent weather conditions in both the Middle East and Europe, and can undertake large scope of work.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, continues seeking land from willing landowners near the Mississippi River.The Corps is actively seeking land suitable for use as a permanent dredged material placement site.On average, the St. Paul District dredges 1 million cubic yards of material each year. This is roughly enough material to fill up US Bank Stadium or Lambeau Field.In order to ensure the navigation channel remains open for commerce, USACE needs to find permanent placement sites.To keep costs down for the tax payer, the Corps looks for sites that are in close proximity to where they are dredging (to save in transportation costs) and are environmentally suitable, reported USACEThe nearly 600 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, employees working at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states serve the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. Through the St. Paul District Fiscal Year 2016 $78 million budget, nearly 1,250 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $120 million to the national economy.
Food & DiningLifestyle Crunchy Coconut Shrimp with Maui Mustard Sauce. by: – April 26, 2011 Photo: Howard L. PuckettMake more than you think you’ll need of this fabulous-tasting dish. Coconut milk, cilantro, and lime juice give these shrimp an explosion of island flavor. Spice up this traditional dish with a sweet-and-spicy sauce and your friends will be asking for seconds.Ingredients18 unpeeled, large fresh shrimp1 cup coconut milk2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro2 tablespoons fresh lime juice1 cup all-purpose flour3/4 cup beer1 (7-ounce) package sweetened flaked coconut1/2 cup fine, dry breadcrumbsPeanut oilSaltMaui Mustard SauceMaui Mustard Sauce Ingredients and Preparation1/3 cup pineapple preserves1/3 cup apricot preserves1/4 cup stone-ground mustardStir together all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill.Coconut Shrimp PreparationPeel shrimp, leaving tails on. Butterfly shrimp by making a deep slit down the back of each from the large end to the tail, cutting to, but not through, inside curve of shrimp.Stir together coconut milk, cilantro, and lime juice in a large bowl. Add shrimp, tossing gently to coat. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Drain shrimp from mixture (do not pat dry).Whisk together flour and beer in a small bowl. Combine coconut and breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Dip shrimp into beer batter; dredge in coconut mixture, pressing onto shrimp. Place shrimp on baking sheet; freeze 20 minutes.Pour oil to depth of 2 inches into a Dutch oven, and heat to 350°. Cook shrimp, in batches, 2 to 3 minutes or until golden. Drain on paper towels, and sprinkle lightly with salt. Serve immediately with Maui Mustard Sauce.by Coastal LivingSource: Yahoo Shine Share Share 40 Views no discussions
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Share 9 Views no discussions Hundreds of people armed with knives and machetes have clashed with pro-democracy activists in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, Egyptian state TV says. Footage showed stones being thrown by both sides in the square. At least two people were reportedly injured. The people who entered Tahrir wanted to force the activists continuing a sit-in out of the square, reports say. Tahrir Square was the epicentre of protests that forced President Hosni Mubarak to step down last month.‘Return to normality’ “Hundreds of men carrying knives and swords entered Tahrir,” the AFP news agency quoted a report on Egypt’s state TV as saying. The TV channel showed footage of hundreds of people involved in a stand-off and throwing stones at each other. “A group of gangsters attacked us with stones, they seemed to be wanting us to leave the square,” Gamal Hussein, one of the pro-democracy protesters, later told Reuters. Later on Wednesday, army officers were seen removing demonstrators’ tents and asking them to leave the square.Groups of activists have continued to gather in Tahrir Square even after Mr Mubarak’s departure. They are demanding a complete break with the Mubarak regime. But critics say it is time for life to return to normal in the Egyptian capital. Insecurity has been rife across Egypt after police disappeared from the streets of major cities during the mass protests. On Tuesday, at least 13 people died and 140 were injured in clashes between Muslims and Coptic Christians in Cairo. Egypt’s military, currently governing the country, has struggled to keep control of the situation. Tweet News Egypt: Cairo’s Tahrir Square sees rival groups clash by: – March 9, 2011
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When a Yankee pitcher was recently caught with pine tar on his neck, it really was a chuckle! Evidently, he is a slow learner because that is the second time he has been caught with pine tar. At least in the old days pitchers would try to hide all their illegal pitching aids. Joe Niekro always hid sandpaper somewhere in his uniform, and who knows all the locations his older brother, Phil, used to use. Phil even used tobacco juice to make the ball dip.It is now legal for a pitcher to wet his fingers to get a better grip on the baseball. Rosin has always been legal. Evidently, some pitchers feel that they can’t made the ball “dance” to the plate unless they use something illegal. Sandpaper causes the ball to rotate differently because of the roughened surface. I was never totally sure what some of these liquids and gels were supposed to do to the ball’s flight. Obviously, it would allow the release from the pitcher’s hand to go differently than dry fingers. What it did after that has always been debatable.Too bad a pitcher today has to have a perfect baseball to throw. If you want to scuff it, throw it in the dirt and then use that ball again. As you know, the umpire always throws out a new ball when one hits the dirt.
By David Smith Jr.ARDMORE, Okla. – Sprint Series of Oklahoma drivers and officials are gearing up for a double-header weekend at Southern Oklahoma Speedway in Ardmore this Friday and Saturday, March 9 and 10.IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car drivers from across Oklahoma and north Texas have expressed their intentions on competing in one or both events that kick off the 2018 race season for the SSO. Friday’s feature will pay $700 to win while Saturday’s main event pays $750 to win. Both events are complete shows with no automatic transfers from Friday to Saturday; both nights pay a minimum of $250 to start the feature.Friday night grandstand admission prices are $15 for adults and $10 for kids ages 6-12. All pit passes are $30. Saturday spectator admission is $20 for adults and $15 for kids while pit passes are $35.Gates open both nights at 5:00 p.m. with race action slated for 7:30 p.m.Two-time and defending series champion Andy Shouse will be back and looking for a three-peat championship in 2018Touring regulars Joe Wood Jr., Cody Whitworth, Loyd Clevenger, Chris Kelly, Josh Toho, Mike Scott, Blake Scott, Eric Matthews, Jerry Jumper, Dillon Laden, Justin Mowery, 2018 rookie of the year Tristan Oakes and Tanner Conn are all expected to be on hand.Several drivers from the North Texas area have indicated their intentions on making the trip to Ardmore including Sterling Hoff, Chad Koch, Kevin Ramey, Taylor Courtney, Chip Graham, Michael Day and Robert Vetter.Rain and saturated track conditions forced cancelation of the March 3 scheduled opener at Red Dirt Raceway in Meeker.Seventeen dates are on this year’s schedule for the Sprint Series of Oklahoma, presented by Smiley’s Racing Products/Hoosier Racing Tires Southwest