Quality Of Compounded Medicines Supported By New Standards

To further protect the safety of patients taking individually prepared medications, the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) has developed new and revised quality guidelines for pharmacists who compound - or individually prepare - these life-saving drugs. As the use of compounded medicines has grown in recent years, the need for clear and rigorous standards to help ensure these preparations are of high quality and purity has become increasingly important. USP has long had such standards, but is now proposing updates and new content for General Chapter Quality Assurance in Pharmaceutical Compounding. USP is seeking comments on these proposed revisions from compounding pharmacists and other interested parties.

Research Roundup: Raising Seniors' Co-Pays Increases Costs; The Stimulus And Safety Net Providers

New England Journal of Medicine: Increased Ambulatory Care Copayments And Hospitalizations Among The Elderly - This study examines the consequences of increasing copayments for outpatient care of Medicare enrollees in managed-care plans. "As compared with matched control plans in which copayments for ambulatory care were unchanged, Medicare plans that increased these copayments by an average of 95% for primary care and 74% for specialty care had a reduction in the number of outpatient visits but an increase in hospital admissions, in the number of days of hospital care, and in the proportion of enrollees who used hospital care, " the authors write.

Healthy Adults May Need Less Sleep As They Age According To Study

A study in the Feb. 1 issue of the journal SLEEP suggests that healthy older adults without sleep disorders can expect to have a reduced "sleep need" and to be less sleepy during the day than healthy young adults. Results show that during a night of eight hours in bed, total sleep time decreased significantly and progressively with age. Older adults slept about 20 minutes less than middle-aged adults, who slept 23 minutes less than young adults. The number of awakenings and the amount of time spent awake after initial sleep onset increased significantly with age, and the amount of time spent in deep, slow-wave sleep decreased across age groups.

Obama Appeals For Health Reform Despite Recent Setbacks

The New York Times reports that "after spending 2009 emphasizing that a health care overhaul was his top domestic priority, Mr. Obama gave it much less prominence in his [State of the Union] address. He did not mention it until more than half an hour in - a sign of how imperiled the bill has become." "'If anyone from either party has a better approach that will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare for seniors and stop insurance company abuses, let me know, ' Mr. Obama said. ... Hearing that invitation, the House Republican leader, Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, raised his left hand high.

Unions, Democratic Leaders And White House Reach Agreement On 'Cadillac' Health Insurance Plans

Los Angeles Times: "The White House and labor leaders agreed Thursday on a formula to tax high-cost insurance plans, removing one of the last obstacles to President Obama's healthcare overhaul, officials said." Organized labor had staunchly opposed the proposed "Cadillac" tax, but as part of the agreement, "reached after an intense round of negotiations this week, union leaders dropped their opposition ... in exchange for concessions to limit its scope." Under the compromise, the threshold for family plans subject to the tax would be increased from $23, 000 to $24, 000. The cost of dental and vision plans would be exempt. Based on the agreement, a 40% excise tax would be applied to "individual healthcare plans valued at $8, 900 or more and family plans worth $24, 000" (Hook and Levey, 1/15).