The power of the follow-up

Pretty simple: When pharmacists follow up with a simple phone call, hospital readmission rates drop.

NY analysis: PBMs add to costs

New York, too, is finding that PBMs are adding a lot to the cost of medication.

“For years, small pharmacy owners have been complaining that PBMs have been shortchanging them,” so our friends at the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York paid for an analysis. Read on to see what they found (not that you’ll be surprised).

Do we finally know the cause of Alzheimer’s?

This time the answer could very well be “Yes.” And the culprit is P. gingivalis.

Multiple research teams have been investigating P. gingivalis, and have so far found that it invades and inflames brain regions affected by Alzheimer’s; that gum infections can worsen symptoms in mice genetically engineered to have Alzheimer’s; and that it can cause Alzheimer’s-like brain inflammation, neural damage, and amyloid plaques in healthy mice.

Reality check

CVS is putting warning labels on products where the packaging features unrealistic Photoshopped images.

One-day workshop: Mastering Pharmacy Ownership

Waypoint Pharmacist Advisors is offering a full-day workshop for pharmacy owners and potential owners. Sessions include topics from marketing and contracts to inventory management and PBM changes.

Saturday, March 23, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Atlanta.

The $99 fee includes all eight sessions and meals. Click here for info and registration.

Elsewhere: Literature edition

A British poet is opening a “Poetry pharmacy.”

Alma is reluctant to hand out general poetry prescriptions on demand, as she says each “patient” needs a proper consultation before being given a poem.

If CRISPR babies are outlawed, only outlaws will have CRISPR babies

Two big U.S. science organizations are planning to create a commission to set limits on used gene-editing technology on human embryos.