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The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced 30 pence increase in prescription charges from £9.35 to £9.65 for each medicine or appliance dispensed. Board Chair for England at RPS, Thorrun Govind commented: "This is a kick in the teeth for people in England who are already struggling with rising bills and food prices. "Patients groups have warned that people are not collecting prescription medicines due to cost and pharmacists are seeing this worrying trend first-hand. "A Government impact assessment noted the risk of adverse effects of people not taking their medicines, resulting in future health problems for the individual, potential hospital admissions, and a subsequent cost to the NHS. "This decision seems to prioritise revenue generation over ill-health prevention and undermines the principle of an NHS free at the point of use.

Superdrug, one of the leading health and beauty retailers, is all set to invest in 25 new stores this year, expanding its bricks-and-mortar retail footprint. It confirmed with Pharmacy Business that amongst its 25 new stores there "will be a mix of pharmacy and retail stores". The venture is expected to create over 570 jobs nationwide, creating a seamless customer experience and providing vital support for high streets and local communities. The investment, part of the brand's O+O (Online + Offline) platform strategy to deliver its omnichannel ambitions, is driven by continued strong performance figures. In Q4 2022 Superdrug reported increased volume and value sales and footfall across both sides of the beauty and health business. Whilst in 2021 revenue rose 5.1% to £1,168million with a profit before tax increase of 141.3%. The investment strategy has already seen Superdrug open new stores in Washington Gallery and Falkirk Retail Parks in February 2023 and in Braehead, the largest Superdrug in Scotland, just last month.

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has expressed dissatisfaction with the spring budget as it brings "no specific relief" for the community pharmacy sector, which is grappling with "soaring costs and severe medicine supply and pricing issues." UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced his Spring Budget on Wednesday, confirming an extra £2.5 billion in day-to-day revenue funding for the NHS in England in 2024-25 and a new NHS productivity plan worth £3.4bn to modernise IT systems. The Chancellor said that day-to-day spending would grow by 1 per cent per year on average in real terms, and the productivity plan is estimated to "unlock £35 billion worth of savings" from 2025-26 to 2029-30. However, CPE chief executive, Janet Morrison commented that the budget has "no obvious good news" for community pharmacies who need "urgent relief from the ongoing unsustainable funding and operational pressures" they are facing. Morrison described the investment in Pharmacy First as "the most significant investment in pharmacies in a decade", but emphasised the need for further support to stabilise the sector and its core contractual arrangements.

Medipharmacy has been bought out by PI-Gen Pharma Limited, an arm of the independent pharmacy group Enimed, for a total of £7.1 million, after the business entered into administration. In a report published on Companies House on January 30, administrators at FRP confirmed that the transaction was completed on 18 January, with PI-Gen beating five other bidders to acquire the insolvent NHS pharmacy chain. The report added that PI-Gen submitted a cash offer of non-refundable £500k for Medipharmacy's goodwill, £2.1m for its freehold properties, and a further amount for its fixtures and fittings, motor vehicles and stock. An FRP spokesperson told The Standard that Medipharmacy, which operated a chain of 25 NHS community pharmacies across London, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, had faced increasing cashflow challenges in recent months. According to the administrators' report, Medipharmacy's revenues had grown exponentially from £27.9m in 2022 to £69m in 2023 but didn't deliver corresponding improvements in profitability.

Consumer healthcare group Haleon on Thursday announced that it has entered into a binding agreement for the sale of the ChapStick brand to Suave Brands Company, a company owned by American private equity firm Yellow Wood Partners. The British consumer healthcare company has agreed to sell its lip balm brand to Suave for about $430 million in cash and a minority interest in the buyer, valued at around $80 million. Haleon, which was spun off from the GSK Group in July 2022, said that cash proceeds from the sale would be used to pay down debt. ChapStick generated £112 million ($142.5 million) in revenue in 2023, said Haleon, adding that the sale is likely to close in the second quarter of 2024. Brian McNamara, Chief Executive Officer, Haleon, said: "Today's announcement is consistent with Haleon being proactive in managing our portfolio, and being rigorous and disciplined where there are opportunities for divestment. "While ChapStick is a great brand, much loved by consumers around the world, it is not a core focus for Haleon.

There is a long list of medical billing companies, but we will keep it short by focusing on their reasons for success in the medical billing industry. What makes a company stand out from the rest? This question needs to be answered categorically with real examples to prove their worth and reliability.

The founders envisioned the name, P3Care, after many brainstorming sessions and practically evaluating the stakeholders in the healthcare industry. After a critical analysis, they concluded that three entities are under the direct influence of the healthcare sector - Patients, Providers, and Payers. You cannot exclude any one of them if you look at the process, starting with the patients visiting the doctors and ending up with the doctors getting paid for their services.

Medical billing services are more of a conundrum in present times because the process has gotten complicated with time. The government has set value-based criteria for the providers to follow, for ensuring a productive health system while cutting costs.

P3 Healthcare Solutions is been offering professional medical billing services for quite some time now. The process starts from the consultation session where providers are informed about every detail from coding, billing to the latest strategies for smoothly running the revenue cycle. We aim to empower physicians with transparent and accurate billing practices.

Ambulatory surgical billing could be a bit tricky. Medical billing and coding services have to be well-versed in coding for ASCs and add to the revenue of surgeons.

CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) launched an alternative payment model - Primary Car. In this program, eligible clinicians can submit quality measures including for Advance Care Plan at the end of the performance year.

The billing side enhancements have the potential to increase transparency and quality in healthcare. The purpose is to improve the quality of care but also to elaborate on the financial experience for physicians. Here are some suggestions to enhance the medical billing performance.

The billing side enhancements have the potential to increase transparency and quality in healthcare. The purpose is to improve the quality of care but also to elaborate on the financial experience for physicians. Here are some suggestions to enhance the medical billing performance.

The command over medical billing services cannot come without experience and the right expertise in the industry. It is a tip for medical practices to outsource the billing process to professionals for higher optimization and performance.

Medical coding has a great share in ensuring the quality of medical claims. The more accurately claims are compiled, the easier it is to timely send them to the payers and get reimbursements.

Medical billing audits are a way to look for potential errors in a billing and coding process for a streamlined workflow & high reimbursement rate. Learn why such audits are important for any medical practice.

Medical billing audits are a way to look for potential errors in a billing and coding process for a streamlined workflow & high reimbursement rate. Learn why such audits are important for any medical practice.

Quality payment program has significantly influence medical billing services in the USA. They have achieved milestones in this field. This field is quite tough as it requires great focus and attention for creating and submitting accurate medical claims so that, healthcare providers are rightfully reimbursed for their rendered services.

It is important to adapt changes to grow and compete with the world. Healthcare organizations should also move forward with technology and expertise to be part of a progressive healthcare system. Read more about why change is important and how physicians should upgrade their revenue cycle.

Given below is a brief analysis of some alternative payment programs to FFS (Fee-for-Service), the trends, and the outcomes. Learn more here to succeed in the 2020 revenue battle.

Perhaps the most dramatically impacted area of healthcare as a result of the coronavirus pandemic is telehealth. Previously, the conditions were not in favor of virtual clinics because face-to-face visits were the norm. Now, however, the situation has changed.

Most providers perform a thorough evaluation of various factors when hiring a medical billing company to handle their revenue cycle. Once the company is selected, less effort goes into re-evaluating the company.