Boles named to healthcare task force

Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan named GPhA past president (and owner of Hartwell Drugs) Lance Boles to a new task force on healthcare access and cost.

Rather than focus on Medicaid expansion, the new task force “will focus on ‘price transparency and other free market solutions,’ technology and employer innovation,” according to the AJC.

Congratulations, Lance — we know you’ll serve Georgians well!

Shout-out to Ben Ross!

The owner of Forest Heights
Pharmacy in Statesboro donated 10 Narcan kits to the Georgia Police K9 Foundation. The cops will have it on hand not just for humans who overdose, but in case any of their dogs is exposed to opioids, especially fentanyl.

DCH changes to provider enrollments

The Department of Community Health is making changes to the way provider enrollments are submitted — so you might need to know this stuff!

Effective immediately, all provider enrollment updates (individual practitioners
and facilities) must be submitted through the Georgia Medicaid Management
Information System (GAMMIS). The Care Management Organizations
(Amerigroup, CareSource, Peach State Health Plan, and WellCare) will no longer
accept provider enrollment updates that are not processed through GAMMIS.

Click here for a PDF from the DCH that gives the details.

DEA continues dragging feet on marijuana research

For at least three years, the DEA has been refusing to grant any permits for suppliers of marijuana for scientific
research. The agency has said since 2016 that it will, but then … nothing. At least 33 applications are awaiting review.

Now, under pressure from Congress and scientists, the agency has said it will … work on new guidelines.

Despite marijuana being legalized or decriminalized in one form or another in more than half of U.S. states, the DEA still considers it a Schedule I substance, as dangerous as heroin.

What’s in a name?

Purdue University continues to shout from its rooftops, “We aren’t related to Purdue Pharma!”

[University spokesman Tim Doty] said Purdue University was monitoring social media, standing by with a statement that hasn’t changed since 2017.

Meanwhile, we presume, Perdue Farms (the chicken people) is patting itself on the back for that letter “e”.

Measles no longer eliminated

Albania, the Czech Republic, Greece, and the U.K. have lost their ‘measles eliminated’ status as the preventable disease makes a resurgence thanks to anti-vaxxer misinformation.

The United States is expected to lose its status later this year; we were officially declared measles-free in 2000, but that has since changed, and the current outbreak will probably break the one-year mark.

Gosh, I can’t imagine why

“Pharmacy closures may have negative effect on medication adherence”

Dried-toad secretions: Once is enough

A single inhalation of dried-toad secretions could give you “sustained enhancement of satisfaction with life, mindfulness-related capacities, and a decrement of psychopathological symptoms” — but only if it was the right kind of dried toad. Obviously.

The long read: Hacking for medical data

“China’s hackers are ransacking databases for your health data”

State-sponsored Chinese hackers are breaking into U.S. healthcare companies, looking for research data and intellectual property.