RxMike

Medical Tourism Expands

// February 27th, 2009 // No Comments » // Medical

The number of Americans traveling abroad for healthcare is on the rise. Medical tourism will be a major consumer trend as the recession worsens and more Americans are left without health insurance, facing huge medical bills at U.S. hospitals.

According to the Deloitte Centre for Health Solutions, the number of Americans traveling abroad for care is expected to reach six million in 2010 and 15.75 million by 2017. The $16 billion in cross border revenues is expected to grow by 325 percent to $68 billion within two years.

An innovative medical tourism platform, Fly Free For Health, has taken the lead to revolutionize the way Americans and global travelers can adopt medical tourism. It is the first such program in the world that allows “medical butlers” to facilitate the doctor selection process.

The current model of hospitals as facilitators that assist medical travelers in hospital booking has been completely revolutionized by Fly Free For Health’s iMedical Butler (www.flyfreeforhealth.com).

Fly Free For Health has trained nurses in hospitality and medical tourism to become Medical Butlers to facilitate the doctor selection process. Now, the digital form of Medical Butlers, iMedical Butlers, can help global medical travelers research their medical tourism options and even invite medical travelers to attend webinars by renowned doctors to allow content rich pre-selection interaction.

Thailand, the largest medical tourism hub with more than 1.5 million medical tourists a year, and Singapore, with more than 400,000 medical tourists a year, are the first two medical tourism destinations being addressed by Fly Free For Health. Other medical tourism destinations like India and Korea will be part of the network soon so that medical travelers can enjoy the ultimate range of choices, pressure-free doctor selection, assisted research on their medical tourism destination, hospital and doctors.

SC: The Next Battleground

// February 19th, 2009 // No Comments » // Pharmacy Regulations, Pharmacy Technician

House Bill 3394 has been introduced in the South Carolina State Legislature to enhance the regulations and requirements to practice as a pharmacy technician.

The South Carolina Society of Health-System Pharmacists, which assisted in drafting the legislation, is in full support, whereas the South Carolina Pharmacy Association intends to see the bill overturned.

NPTA has been invited to review the current draft of the legislation and participate in upcoming House Subcomittee Hearings; it appears that South Carolina has become the next battleground for NPTA and pharmacy technicians.

Recipe: RxMike’s Stuffed Eggplant

// February 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // Recipes

RxMike's Stuffed Eggplant

What you need:
1 eggplant
1c cooked rice (I use brown, whole-grain)
1 zucchini (chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
1/2c brown mushrooms (chopped)
2TB tomato paste
1/2t. basil
1/2t. oregano
olive oil
salt
mozzarella/parmasan cheese (optional)

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350. Slice the eggplant in half (lengthways), scoop out the insides and save the “shells.” You can substitute the eggplant insides for the zucchini if you prefer. Sautee the zucchini, onion and mushrooms in a large skillet until the onions are clear. Add the cooked rice, tomato paste, herbs and salt. Sautee the mixture for 5 minutes. Place the eggplant shells into a large baking dish and then fill them with the sauteed vegetable mixture. You can top the eggplants with shredded mozzarella or parmasen cheese if you prefer. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 additional minutes. Makes 2-4 servings.

RxMike to Add Recipes

// February 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // Recipes

I seem to get a lot of feeback on Facebook, Twitter, etc. everytime I post about the meals that I cook….so I’ve decided to start posting select recipes on occassion, along with photos.

As always, I welcome your feedback and suggestions. Keep in mind that since I am a pescetarian (vegetables + fish), none of my recipes will feature beef, chicken or poultry…not to say that you couldn’t experiment on your own with adding meat to these recipes.

Cotton Candy – Helps Grow Human Replacement Tissue

// February 12th, 2009 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Not sure that I will be able to eat this sugary/sticky wonderment again.

Cotton candy may have found a new role: helping scientists grow replacement tissue for people.

The flossy stuff may be just right for creating networks of blood vessels within laboratory-grown bone, skin, muscle, or fat for breast reconstruction, researchers suggest. Dr. Jason Spector of New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York and Leon Bellan of Cornell University present their preliminary research online this week in the journal Soft Matter.

Here’s how their technique would work: First, you pour a thick liquid chemical over a wad of cotton candy. Let the liquid solidify into a chunk, and put that in warm water to dissolve the candy. That leaves tiny channels where the strands of candy used to be. So you have a chunk of material with a network of fine channels within. Next, line these channels with cells to create artificial blood vessels. And seed the solid chunk with immature cells of whatever tissue you’re trying to make. The block is biodegradable, and as it disappears, it will be replaced by growing tissue.

(Boston Globe/AP)

NPTA’s 10th Anniversary

// February 11th, 2009 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Today, the National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA) celebrates their 10th Anniversary! What a wonderful and amazing journey it has been. I’m looking forward to the next ten.

NPTA will be hosting the Official Celebration Gala this fall – to coincide with the 10th anniversary of opening the NPTA Home Office. More details to come…

Valentine Treats That Are Good For You

// February 9th, 2009 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

The sweet delights of Valentine’s Day are thought of as indulgences, but fruit, chocolate, wine and romance can be good for your heart, says a University of Michigan researcher.

Of course moderation is key when enjoying food and wine, but there are components in tart cherries, grapes and wine that can lower blood pressure and protect heart muscle. And a glass wine and massage can do wonders for lowering stress and anxiety.

“There are many fruits associated with Valentine’s Day, most commonly cherries, of course,” says Steven F. Bolling, M.D., professor of cardiac surgery at the U-M medical school. “In cherries there are compounds called anthocyanins, which also can be very good for your heart. Perhaps we could even take the cherries and dip them in chocolate to make a very good, heart-healthy Valentine’s snack.”

Not any chocolate will do. Dark chocolate is the kind that contains flavonoids credited with being good for the heart.

As for tart cherries, both animal studies and new clinical studies have examined their benefits. “A ‘tart, heart-smart diet’ has shown to be very beneficial in terms of heart health, heart function and also really reducing belly fat and changing your metabolic obesity syndrome, all very helpful,” Bolling says.

Animals that received powdered tart cherries in their diet had lower total cholesterol, lower blood sugar, less fat storage in the liver, lower oxidative stress and increased production of a molecule that helps the body handle fat and sugar. Cherries were found to alter these factors that can lead to heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

There are other activities associated with Valentine’s Day that are heart-healthy, including massage. In the hospital setting, massage therapy is used to help patients and their families relax and reduce anxiety. Reducing stress and anxiety has long been linked with benefiting the heart.

It’s possible to set the mood for a romantic and heart-healthy Valentine’s Day.

“All of these indulgences really do not have to be limited to Valentine’s Day itself and certainly will lead to a much better heart-health status if we practice them everyday,” Bolling says.

CVS Announces New Distribution Center

// February 6th, 2009 // No Comments » // Pharmacy General

CVS/pharmacy announced today that it is finalizing plans to build a 750,000 square foot distribution center in Chemung County, New York.

CVS/pharmacy’s proposed distribution center, which is subject to final negotiations and approvals from state and local agencies, would support the inventory and fulfillment needs of approximately 350 CVS/pharmacy stores in the northeast.

CVS/pharmacy expects to close on the 311-acre property before the end of the first quarter of 2009 and to break ground in the spring.

Iowa Reconsiders Tech Certification Requirements

// February 5th, 2009 // No Comments » // Legislative, Pharmacy Regulations, Pharmacy Technician

Looks as if the chains are trying to make a loophole in Iowa pharmacy technician regulations.
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As the deadline looms for pharmacy technicians to obtain certification, the Iowa Board of Pharmacy is attempting to clearly define workers who are pharmacy technicians and those classified as pharmacy support persons.

The law requiring pharmacy technicians to be certified, passed in 2006, was backed by the Iowa Board of Pharmacy and requires pharmacy technicians to be certified before working in any Iowa pharmacy. Currently, registered pharmacy technicians must be certified no later than July 1, 2010. The controversy began after the adoption of the rules established after the bill’s passage, said Terry Witkowski, executive officer with the Iowa Board of Pharmacy.

Now a separate piece of legislation, House Study Bill 51 is expected to redefine who must be certified as a pharmacy technician. “There has been a request that the [Iowa pharmacy] board move to recognize individuals who are not involved in the more complex practices relating to pharmacy technicians,” Witkowski said. “People who may be working at a pharmacy and assisting a pharmacist, but not really directly handling the drugs, would be defined as a pharmacy support person.”

The new legislation would still require pharmacy support staff to be certified, but there would be no establishment of competency and no minimum age requirement as there are for pharmacy technicians.
(Drug Topics)

25 Random Things About RxMike

// February 3rd, 2009 // No Comments » // Commentary

Thought I would share a recent post I made on Facebook.

1. I do not drink anything with caffeine.
2. I have a weird fear of birds, dentists, grocery stores and dairy products.
3. I am a pescetarian (a vegetarian + fish)
4. I speak three languages (although not fluently)
5. My older sister broke my wrist once.
6. I finished high school a semester early.
7. I worked for Gallup (phone surveys) for 3 days.
8. I have gotten lost diving…more than twice.
9. I collect PEZ dispensers and coins.
10. The only time I ever had school detention was for a poorly planned practical joke.
11. I taught my niece to refer to Reba McEntire as “Aunt Reba” as a child.
12. I’ve traveled to approx. 30 countries across 5 continents.
13. I don’t have a favorite color – I’m partially color blind.
14. I’ve electricuted myself…more than once.
15. Three different people who don’t know one another have each told me that I remind them of Joel McHale from TalkSoup…and I don’t see any resemblance.
16. I am the author of 9 published books.
17. NYC feels like a 2nd home to me.
18. I have jumped off the tallest mountain peak in Europe, using only a zipline.
19. I am obsessed with sharks.
20. I learned how to drink scotch on an airplane (thanks wendy)
21. I started going bald in my early to mid twenties.
22. I can’t tolerate centralized heating.
23. I once had a pet lobster.
24. I think 24 is one of the best TV shows ever created.
25. I hate doing lists about random personal things.