Pro Pharma Talks

Pro Pharma Talks

By Pro PharmaHealth & Fitness
Download on the App Store

Pro Pharma Talks episodes

  • How We Pay for COVID-19?

    QUESTIONS

    1. What do you do if you are insured?
    2. How do you afford copays and deductibles?
    3. What do you do if you are uninsured?
    4. Will Medicaid pay?
    5. Will Medicare pay?
    6. What if you are poor?
    7. What if you are an illegal immigrant?

      8. OUTLINE

      1. Public health experts predict that tens of thousands and possibly millions of people across the United States will likely need to be hospitalized for COVID-19 in the foreseeable future. And Congress has yet to address the problem. On March 18, it passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which covers testing costs going forward, but it doesn’t do anything to address the cost of treatment.
      2. While most people infected with COVID-19 will not need to be hospitalized and can recover at home, according to the World Health Organization, those who do need to go to the ICU can likely expect big bills, regardless of what insurance they have. As the U.S. government works on another stimulus package, future relief is likely to help ease some economic problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but gaps remain.
      3. A new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that the average cost of COVID-19 treatment for someone with employer insurance—and without complications—would be about $9,763. Someone whose treatment has complications may see bills about double that: $20,292. (The researchers came up with those numbers by examining average costs of hospital admissions for people with pneumonia.)
      4. Most private health insurance plans are likely to cover most services needed to treat coronavirus complications, but that doesn’t include your deductible—the cost you pay out-of-pocket before your insurance kicks in. More than 80% of people with employer health insurance      have deductibles, and last year, the average annual deductible for a single person in that category was $1,655. For individual plans, the costs are often higher. The average deductible for an individual bronze plan in 2019 was $5,861, according to Health Pocket.
      5. 97% of Health Plans waive the copay/deductible for Covid-19 testing
      6. In both complicated and uncomplicated cases, patients with employer-based insurance can expect out-of-pocket costs of more than $1,300, the Kaiser researchers found. The costs were similar regardless of complications because many people who are hospitalized reach their deductible and out-of-pocket maximum.

        7. _____

        Make sure to subscribe to get the latest episode.


        Contact Us:

        Pharmacy Benefit News: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/pbn.html

        Website: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/

        Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/propharmainc

        Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProPharma/

        Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/propharmainc/

        LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pro-pharma-pharmaceutical-consultants-inc/

        Podcast: https://anchor.fm/pro-pharma-talks

        39 min
      7. How Do Experts Know When a Pandemic Is About to Peak?

        Questions:

        1. What does it mean to map the progress of an epidemic?
        2. Is testing crucial?
        3. What is an algorithm that is used for predicting the progress of an epidemic?
        4. What is the difference between out-brakes and modeling?
        5. What happens after modeling?

          6. Outline – Notes:

          1. Data support
            1. Testing data to map a population
            2. # hospitalizations
            3. Deaths
            4. Past infectious disease progress
            5. Expert surveys
            6. Did lock down occur?
            7. Out-brakes vs. Modeling
              1. How many are going to get the disease?
              2. Out-brakes  -- % of current deaths
              3. Modeling  -- % of expected deaths based on looking backward
              4. Complicating Factors
                1. Social factors
                2. Geography
                3. Cultures

                  4. _____

                  Make sure to subscribe to get the latest episode.

                  Contact Us:

                  Pharmacy Benefit News: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/pbn.html

                  Website: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/

                  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/propharmainc

                  Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProPharma/

                  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/propharmainc/

                  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pro-pharma-pharmaceutical-consultants-inc/

                  Podcast: https://anchor.fm/pro-pharma-talks

                  30 min
                4. Vaccine Development vs. Treatment

                  Vaccines vs. Treatment

                  -Treatment vs. Prevention

                     -Treatment is not curative – examples are HTN, anti-diabetic medications, anti-asthma medications

                     -New options are antibody serum, gene PCR techniques

                     -Prevention – examples are vaccines, gene transformations

                  -Vaccine manufacturing process

                     -Production technologies – using flu vaccine as an example

                        -Egg-based

                        -Cell based

                        -Recombinant

                      -https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/how-fluvaccine-made.htm

                  -Coronavirus vaccine

                     -Exploratory stage (2-4yrs)

                     -Pre-clinical stage – animal tests 1-2 yrs.

                     -Clinical development – ca. 30% make it

                     -Regulatory review and approval – sign off by FDA and CDC

                     -Manufacturing – FDA inspects factory and drug labels

                     -Quality control – quality control review for safet

                  -Vaccine manufacture

                     -Vaccines are an antigen or foreign body that causes a reaction when introduced into the body.  Foreign antigens illicit antibodies that fight the antigen.

                     -Live virus

                     -Inactivated virus

                     -Vaccine composed of a part of the virus

                     -Bacterial vaccines

                  _____

                  Make sure to subscribe to get the latest episode.

                  Contact Us:

                  Pharmacy Benefit News: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/pbn.html

                  Website: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/

                  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/propharmainc

                  Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProPharma/

                  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/propharmainc/

                  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pro-pharma-pharmaceutical-consultants-inc/

                  Podcast: https://anchor.fm/pro-pharma-talks

                  41 min
                5. Managing a Chronic Condition During a Pandemic

                  -Restrictions

                        oLimited doctor visits

                        oTelehealth for showing doctor your current medical signs and symptoms

                        oLimited medical access (lab)

                  -Management

                        oCardiac Disease

                               -CHF: take weight daily – call MD if any increase in weight, then get an Rx for Lasix (Furosemide)

                               -High blood pressure – keep BP < 140/90 with home monitoring

                               -ASCVD/high cholesterol – keep diet low in fat

                               -Lose weight

                               -Comply with medication regimen

                               - Continue ACE inhibitors and ARB medications

                        oDiabetes

                               -Taking daily blood sugar, keeping it in normal range, is sufficient to delay the A1c measurement.

                               -Follow a low sugar diet

                               -Lose weight

                               -Check daily – feet, hands – for dry and blue appearance – if blue, then call MD and show on Skype

                               -Moisturize skin to prevent dryness

                        oAsthma/COPD

                               -Stop smoking or use alternatives like Nicorette or generics

                               -Use rescue medications only when necessary and use ICS as prescribed on a regular basis

                               -Use breathing machine to maintain good volume capacity

                               -Buy an oxygen monitor to measure your oxygenation.  Keep O2 at > 90%.

                        oThyroid

                        oPain (non-cancer)

                        oPain (cancer)

                  _____

                  Make sure to subscribe to get the latest episode.

                  Contact Us:

                  Pharmacy Benefit News: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/pbn.html

                  Website: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/

                  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/propharmainc

                  Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProPharma/

                  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/propharmainc/

                  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pro-pharma-pharmaceutical-consultants-inc/

                  Podcast: https://anchor.fm/pro-pharma-talks

                  42 min
                6. What We Learned From Previous Epidemics and Pandemics

                  What We Learned From Previous Epidemics / Pandemics

                  Statistics

                  1. 1918: 50M people killed
                  2. HIV/Aids: 39M people since 1981
                  3. Poverty to risk
                    1. Inadequate sanitation
                    2. Poor nutrition
                    3. Crowded living conditions
                    4. Lack of healthcare services
                    5. Poor infection control
                    6. Lack of public infrastructure
                    7. Poor governance

                      8. Epidemics History (very frequent until recent times after 1950s)

                      1. Cholera —1852-1860
                      2. Asian Flu – 1957
                      3. Typhus Fever – 1945
                      4. Cocolitzli epidemic – 1575
                      5. Plague of Justinian – 541
                      6. Antonine Plague – 165-180AD
                      7. Third Plague Pandemic – 1855
                      8. Black Death – 1334
                      9. Great Flu Epidemic – 1918
                      10. HIV/Aids – 1960’s to present

                        11. Pearls

                        • Management – calm, factual, frequent
                        • Immediate response!!!
                        • Early detection and monitoring – data, data, data!
                        • Factual communications from professionals
                        • Care isolation – Contact Quarantine
                        • Antisepsis / hand washing
                        • Social distancing
                        • Protective gear (masks, gloves, clothing)
                        • Pharmaceutical intervention
                        • Prohibit travel
                        • Prohibit / downplay racism

                          • _____

                          Make sure to subscribe to get the latest episode.

                          Contact Us:

                          Pharmacy Benefit News: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/pbn.html

                          Website: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/

                          Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/propharmainc

                          Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProPharma/

                          Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/propharmainc/

                          LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pro-pharma-pharmaceutical-consultants-inc/

                          Podcast: https://anchor.fm/pro-pharma-talks

                          38 min
                        • Inhalant Medications & Devices

                          What do we need to know about inhalant medications?

                          1. Examples of inhalants = Respiratory for Asthma and COPD, Flonase for allergy, Afrin, Insulin, etc.
                          2. What should we know about inhalants?  Particle size and why?
                          3. Why are some drugs administered as inhalants, and some not?
                          4. How to use them? Good compliance rules
                          5. What are the general complications?
                          6. What are the tests required to accompany medication management?
                          7. What does success look like?

                            8. _____

                            Make sure to subscribe to get the latest episode.

                            Contact Us:

                            Pharmacy Benefit News: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/pbn.html

                            Website: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/

                            Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/propharmainc

                            Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProPharma/

                            Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/propharmainc/

                            LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pro-pharma-pharmaceutical-consultants-inc/

                            Podcast: https://anchor.fm/pro-pharma-talks

                            31 min
                          8. Let's Talk Vaccines: Influenza, Coronavirus (COVID-19), & More (w/ Dr. Mark Walberg)

                            _____

                            Make sure to subscribe to get the latest episode.

                            Contact Us:

                            Pharmacy Benefit News: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/pbn.html

                            Website: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/

                            Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/propharmainc

                            Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProPharma/

                            Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/propharmainc/

                            LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pro-pharma-pharmaceutical-consultants-inc/

                            Podcast: https://anchor.fm/pro-pharma-tal

                            40 min
                          9. Coronavirus

                             Corona Virus (2019-nCoV)

                            1. What it 2019-nCoV is?

                            2. How it spreads?

                            3. Vaccines

                            4. Prevention


                            CDC Information

                            2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a virus (more specifically, a coronavirus) identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. Early on, many of the patients in the outbreak in Wuhan, China reportedly had some link to a large seafood and animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. However, a growing number of patients reportedly have not had exposure to animal markets, indicating person-to-person spread is occurring. At this time, it’s unclear how easily or sustainably this virus is spreading between people.  The latest situation summary updates are available on CDC’s web page 2019 Novel Coronavirus, Wuhan, China.


                            _____

                            Make sure to subscribe to get the latest episode.

                            Contact Us:

                            Pharmacy Benefit News: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/pbn.html

                            Website: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/

                            Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/propharmainc

                            Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProPharma/

                            Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/propharmainc/

                            LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pro-pharma-pharmaceutical-consultants-inc/

                            Podcast: https://anchor.fm/pro-pharma-talks

                            33 min
                          10. Blood Shortages

                            Blood Shortage 

                            1. Usage = 32K pints of blood used every day in US

                            2. Type of blood in short supply = Type “O”

                            3. Impact – 4.5M

                                 a. 220mg-250mg of Iron lost for every donation – 24-30 weeks to replace iron

                                 b. Normal Iron levels = 10-30 mmol/L (also ferritin < 10mcg/L)

                            4. Donor requirements (Red Cross) – Good health, weight >= 110 pounds, >= 17 years old

                                 a. Eat iron rich foods (spinach, red meat, fish, poultry, beans, iron fortified cereals and raisins)

                                 b. Drink an extra 16 oz fluids

                                 c. Avoid fatty foods (hamburgers, fries, or ice cream)

                                 d. No upper age limit

                            5. OTC and homeopathics, herbals, nutritional supplements are acceptable

                            6. Anti-depressants, Xanax, ADHD drugs -- OK

                            7. Restrictions (Red Cross) – anyone who has used self-injected non-prescription drugs, anyone who lived in UK for >= 3 months (and other parts of Europe) since 1980-1996 due to mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), heavy periods

                                 a. Coronary artery disease

                                 b. Beta blockers

                                 c. HIV

                                 d. Hepatitis

                                 e. Active infection – wait 10 days after last antibiotic

                                 f. Autoimmune disease

                                 g. Receive a transfusion – wait 12 months

                            8. What categories of medications prevent people from giving blood?

                                 a. Acne meds – Isotretinoin (d/t birth defects)

                                 b. Finasteride and dutasteride (d/t birth defects)

                                 c. Psoriasis meds – Soriatane (acitretin) – wait 3 years d/t severe congenital birth defects

                                 d. Antiplatelet meds – wait 7-14 days for platelet donations

                                 e. Blood thinners – blood doesn’t clot

                                 f. Growth hormone injections

                                 g. Multiple sclerosis medications – Aubagio – wait 2 years d/t birth defects

                            9. Medications that can’t be used to give blood (must wait one month until you can give blood)

                                 a. Accutane, Amnesteem, Absorica, Claravis, Myorisan, Sotret, Zenatane (isotretinoin)

                                 b. Proscar (finasteride)

                                 c. Propecia (finasteride)

                            10. Recovery

                                 a. Blood replenished within 24 hours

                                 b. Red cells take 4-6 weeks

                                 c. Must wait 8 weeks between giving blood

                            ______

                            Make sure to subscribe to get the latest episode.

                            Contact Us:

                            Pharmacy Benefit News: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/pbn.html

                            Website: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/

                            Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/propharmainc

                            Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProPharma/

                            Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/propharmainc/

                            LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pro-pharma-pharmaceutical-consultants-inc/

                            Podcast: https://anchor.fm/pro-pharma-talks

                            31 min
                          11. Patient Privacy (HIPPA) and Data Security

                            Topics for Security Talk

                            1. PHI = personal health information

                            2. Security

                                 a. Passwords – 8 characters can be hacked in less than 1 minute

                                 b. Two Factor Authentication

                                 c. Confidentiality refers to protection of information shared with an attorney, therapist, physician (or other) from being shared with third parties without express consent. ... Privacy, on the other hand, refers to the legal protection of personal medical information from being shared on a public platform.Mar 4, 2019

                            3. Privacy

                                 a. Professional Code of Ethics

                                      1. A pharmacist respects the autonomy and dignity of each patient. A pharmacist promotes the right of self-determination and recognizes individual self-worth by encouraging patients to participate in decisions about their health. A pharmacist communicates with patients in terms that are understandable.

                                 b. HIPAA

                                      i. The HIPAA Privacy Rule for the first time creates national standards to protect individuals' medical records and other personal health information. It gives patients more control over their health information. It sets boundaries on the use and release of health records.

                                           1. www.hhs.gov › hipaa › for-individuals › faq › what-does-the-hipaa-priv...

                                      ii. Treatment

                                      iii. Administration/Utilization

                                      iv. Payment

                                 c. HealthIT.gov

                                      i. The privacy and security of patient health information is a top priority for patients and their families, health care providers and professionals, and the government. ... The Security Rule sets rules for how your health information must be kept secure with administrative, technical, and physical safeguards. Dec 17, 2018 HealhtIT.gov

                            4. HIPAA

                                 a. Treatment

                                 b. Administration/Utilization

                                 c. Payment

                            5. Controversy over Security

                                 a. Pro:  Data needed for treatment

                                 b. Con:  How data is used?

                                 c. Long, detailed responses to data security before it can be used

                            ______

                            Make sure to subscribe to get the latest episode.

                            Contact Us:

                            Pharmacy Benefit News: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/pbn.html

                            Website: http://www.propharmaconsultants.com/

                            Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/propharmainc

                            Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProPharma/

                            Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/propharmainc/

                            LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pro-pharma-pharmaceutical-consultants-inc/

                            Podcast: https://anchor.fm/pro-pharma-talks

                            33 min

                          About Pro Pharma Talks

                          From the publisher's feed

                          Welcome to Pro Pharma Talks, where we bring clarity to a variety of healthcare topics -- from pharmacy to medical insurance, and more!