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Digital health interventions (DHIs) are fast emerging as vital tools to promote personal health and provide essential services. DHIs can be accessed through mobile phones, tablets and computers, as well as serve as effective support systems to improve personal health.

Research and development (R&D) in liquid biopsy is increasingly being funded by both public and private sectors due to its promising features such as early detection of cancer tumour, new lesion characterisation and identification of cancer drug target.

Before we go into the details, the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) comes under the direct obligation of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), the law that regulates the incentive program across the US.

Healthcare IT makes the use of technology for better outcomes. Such applications will facilitate the reimbursement process and providers in general. P3, as an MIPS consulting service, assimilates with technology to report on behalf of the providers and value-based care will only benefit from these technological marvels.

A recent survey by the Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment outlines the level of work and satisfaction recruitment professionals are reporting in the healthcare industry. This sampling may represent a window into how your physician recruiters see their role in the institution, their value, and the pressures and rewards their work provides...

The findings suggest that the average compensation for physicians across the nation is $313,000, with primary care physicians earning on average $237,000.

QPP MIPS reporting program of 2019 also had to face delays due to this catastrophe with overburdened staff, doctors, and suppliers associated with them any capacity. The closing date for MIPS 2019 went one-month further to facilitate clinicians busy dealing with the surge in COVID-19 patients. It was indeed a rollercoaster ride for them from the very first day

CMS expects eligible clinicians to perform well in MIPS QPP. Sometimes despite the efforts, physicians are unable to meet even the minimum performance threshold. We can't blame them if they happen to suffer from unexpected hardships such as severe weather conditions or other unfavorable situations.

CMS expects eligible clinicians to perform well in MIPS QPP. Sometimes despite the efforts, physicians are unable to meet even the minimum performance threshold. We can't blame them if they happen to suffer from unexpected hardships such as severe weather conditions or other unfavorable situations. CMS offers relaxation for such cases.

Community pharmacies in England will have to go through a clinical audit focusing on valproate, following an agreement reached between the PSNC and NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I). The audit, a part of NHS contractual requirements, aims to reduce the potential harm caused by taking valproate during pregnancy. The 2021/22 audit will be based on the Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS) audit, allowing contractors to close the cycle by re-auditing their practice. NHSE&I recently shared the results of the PQS 2019/20 valproate audit. Around 5.6 per cent of the 12,068 girls or women of childbearing potential who participated in the audit said they were not advised in line with the MHRA Drug Safety Update 2018 relating to the potential impact on an unborn child.

Staff shortage has begun to bite the community pharmacy sector with several high street pharmacies closing doors due to workforce crisis triggered by the NHS poaching. More than 200 pharmacies closed last year and several are reducing their hours, posing a significant risk to patients' access to care, medicines and advice. Many in the industry have raised concerns related to workforce crisis and warned that plans for community pharmacies to help ease pressure on GP surgeries could also take a hit. The NHS plans to recruit a total of 6,000 pharmacists in England by 2024, equivalent to nearly three full years of new pharmacists. Since 2019, 3,000 pharmacists have been recruited into NHS primary care networks, which accounts for around 10 per cent of the community pharmacist workforce.

The Department of Health and Social Care's (DHSC) response to the 2019 consultation on community pharmacy drug reimbursement reform has paved the way for the second phase of consultation with the pharmacy negotiator. The second round of the consultation will focus on eight proposals: Changes to the way Category A prices are set Changes to how medicine margin is distributed in Category M drugs Changes to how Category C prices are set for drugs with multiple suppliers Inclusion of non-medicinal products in the Drug Tariff Changes to the way prices of drugs in non-Part VIIIA are set Changes to arrangements for reimbursement and procurement of 'specials' Changes to reimbursement of generically prescribed drugs and appliances dispensed as 'specials' Changes to the discount deduction scale The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee has been discussing these proposals with the DHSC and the outcome was featured in the final package of the 'Community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond' document.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is mulling over introducing "differentiated fees options to cover the increased regulation needed for online pharmacies." In papers published by the regulator ahead of its meeting on Thursday (December 9), it noted that with increase in number of online and distance-selling pharmacies, the regulation has become "potentially more complex and resource intensive." It highlighted that service provided by online pharmacies pose a high risk "in terms of professional care and professional standards". Only 63 per cent of the 187 inspections of online pharmacies since April 2019, met all standards, against the overall benchmark of 84 per cent, the GPhC said. The independent regulator informed that swift enforcement action has been taken against 48 online pharmacies to address patient safety risks, including 40 conditions notices and 11 improvement notices.

To increase efficiency savings, digital men's health provider Numan has joined forces with Invatech Health to deploy the health tech company's cutting-edge software Titan. Launched in early 2019, Numan provides medication for 175,000 patients via its Cardiff-based fulfilment operation. A team of its clinicians create personalised treatment plans for the most common male health concerns. In a statement, Invatech said its Titan software could deliver 20 per cent efficiency savings for Numan whilst supporting the company's ambitious growth plans with improved safety and scalability in processing medications. The new partnership also comes alongside 100 new contracts with community pharmacies around the UK. Andrew Caple, director of Pharmacy Operations at of Numan, said: "Our findings show that three quarters of men will not visit a doctor when they have a health concern, and we therefore recognise that the online market provides a great opportunity to tackle these problems.

Both head of customer operations Dan Britton and chief executive Michael Brodie at the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) have won the Inspiring Leaders Award, which recognises leaders for their humanity and courage. The coveted award, organised by Inspiring Workplaces, recognised their contribution during the pandemic. Under Brodie's leadership, who joined the organisation as chief executive in September 2019, NHSBSA started over 50 new services to support the wider NHS. He also led Public Health England (PHE) through its transition to the new UK Health Security Agency. Miranda Sykes, head of communications and marketing at NHSBSA said: "Michael is an inspirational leader for many reasons. He cares immensely and he's spent the pandemic thinking about others and using his influence to support the NHS over the last 18 months or so." His decision to take up an additional CEO role while transforming the PHE during the pandemic shows "Michael's style of leadership is authentic, inclusive and empathetic. He is passionate about the NHS and doing everything he can to support it."

A Nottingham-based pharmacist has been struck off the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) register for bringing "the profession into to disrepute" by stealing hundreds of thousands of pounds in a bid to settle his gambling debt. Peter Sameh Saad (33) spun a web of lies and duped a friend out of more than half a million pounds to fund his addiction and pretended he had "serious if not terminal" testicular cancer. "It is difficult to imagine a more heinous fraud than one predicated on feigning a cancer diagnosis", a GPC panel ruled. Saad committed three frauds on a total of £536,689.95 between September 2018 and May 2019. First, he tricked a friend, whom he knew through his local church, into sending him around £288,200 by claiming that his newly-purchased pharmacy in US was "seized" by the authorities over visa issues and that he "had some difficulty making the mortgage payments". Later Saad conned the same friend, named only as 'Person A' in court documents, into sending him a total of £127,150 by lying about a non-existent cancer diagnosis and private treatment. Finally, he extracted a further £121,339.95 from an investments and credit group (named Company A) of which his friend was chief executive after inviting him to set up a 'pharmaceutical warehouse', a plan that "impressed Person A and he agreed to invest in the business."

The government has launched a consultation into radically changing the Statutory Scheme for branded medicines (known as the Statutory Scheme). The consultation comes as delicate negotiations for replacing the alternative Voluntary Scheme are underway, potentially undermining these talks, while also further damaging industry confidence in the UK as a viable place to research, launch and supply medicine. The government proposals seek to hold average revenue clawback rates under the Statutory Scheme at historic highs of between 21-27%, compared to the pre-pandemic averages of 9.4% for the Statutory Scheme (2019-2021), and 6.88% for the Voluntary Scheme (2014-2021). The accompanying cost-benefit analysis ignores any negative impact this may have on medicine supply and wrongly claims it will boost investment. The consultation comes on the heels of government data last week showing UK life sciences foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by 47% between 2021 and 2022, down by £900m year on year. This large fall in investment coincided with a rise in the main UK clawback rate under the Voluntary Scheme from 5% to 15%, and led to the UK falling from 2nd to 9th out of 18 comparator countries for life sciences FDI in 2022. The Voluntary Scheme clawback rate now sits at a record 26.5% in 2023.

Since the introduction of the 2019 NHS Long-Term Plan, several policy commitments have surfaced, presenting a definitive 'blueprint' for community pharmacy in England. The Company Chemists Association has identified four crucial commitments that, when integrated, hold the potential to revolutionise patient care through community pharmacies. "Each commitment is like a crucial piece of a puzzle," CCA said. "For the transformation of patient access through community pharmacy to be successful, all these pieces must come together harmoniously. Otherwise, the picture will remain incomplete." The four major pieces of the puzzle coined by CCA include: * Building on education and training reforms to increase the size and capability of the workforce. * Expanding the number of clinical services commissioned and delivered in community pharmacy. * Introducing digital enablers which underpin service delivery. * Introducing legislative changes to increase capacity and allow the delivery of more patient-facing clinical care.

Wockhardt UK managing director Ravindra Limaye has been chosen for honorary British awards given to foreign nationals. Limaye gets the Order of the British Empire (OBE) honour for his contribution to health, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. The honours were announced on Thursday (13). Limaye has been the chief executive of the UK arm of the Mumbai-based pharma and biotech company Wockhardt since 2019. He previously worked for another Indian pharma company Biocon, overseeing its global commercial operations. He led the company's entry into global biosimilar markets and spearheaded its operations in the US.

RPS Scotland has partnered with charity organisation Marie Curie for an exhibition at the Scottish Parliament this week to highlight Daffodil Standards and the crucial contribution of community pharmacies to palliative and end-of-life care. The exhibition is being sponsored by Jeremy Balfour MSP. Community pharmacies offer vital assistance by providing guidance on medication adjustments and side effects, RPS Scotland said in a statement. They are easily accessible without the need for an appointment, providing essential support and reassurance to families in times of need. The Daffodil Standards, which is jointly developed by RPS and Marie Curie, drive continuous improvement in end-of-life and bereavement support within community pharmacies, benefiting terminally ill patients, their families, and caregivers. These standards align with the RCGP/Marie Curie guidelines for general practice introduced in 2019. Since its May launch, over 450 pharmacies throughout Great Britain, including more than 30 in Scotland, have implemented these principles, the statement said.

All companies must send their accounts to Companies House each year. Recent evidence suggests that UK companies are increasingly struggling to file their accounts on time, with around 213,000 private companies reportedly missing their deadline in 2019-2020, resulting in over £93 million of penalties being issued. Over a fifth of companies that filed their accounts late that year had also filed late in the previous year. Under the Companies Act 2006 ("the Act"), the deadline for private companies to file their annual accounts is nine months from the end of the accounting reference period. There are slightly different rules for filing your first set of annual accounts and if these cover a period of more than 12 months, you must deliver them to Companies House within 21 months of the date of incorporation or 3 months from the accounting reference date, whichever is longer. Not filing your accounts at Companies House in a timely manner is also a criminal offence (under section 451 of the Act) and directors can be personally fined in the criminal courts. It is likely to come as a shock to most company directors who receive a summons to attend the Magistrates' Court in Cardiff for a criminal prosecution, particularly directors in larger pharmacy companies where directors are often detached from the preparation of accounts and senior financial staff and accountants are instructed to take care of such matters.