Methodist health system has managed to recover from the pain points of revenue cycle management with automation. Medical billing services and the overall healthcare delivery can improve in return if progressed in the same manner.
The Company Chemists Association (CCA)'s 'Prospectus for community pharmacy' has revealed that community pharmacies can release over 42 million appointments
from general practice every year.
In its prospect, the association calculated that community pharmacies could reduce hospital readmissions by 65,000 and administer an additional 10m routine vaccines
annually.
The prospectus sets out bold ideas and proposals regarding the future of community pharmacy. The association said: "Community pharmacies already work collaboratively
with the NHS to ensure that patients can access care easily and safely. Whilst the sector has evolved considerably in recent years, the CCA proposes that pharmacies
could do even more to directly tackle key problems for patients."
CCA is concerned that without immediate action pharmacy closures will become increasingly common. "Fewer pharmacies will considerably diminish access to vital
medicines and services, with the greatest impact on those in deprived communities."
The recruitment of pharmacists in Primary Care Networks (PCNs) has exacerbated a general shortage of pharmacists, revealed an independent review of Integrated
Care Systems (ICSs) published on Tuesday (4 April).
The review, Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt, highlighted the impact that the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) roles for pharmacists are having on the community
pharmacy sector.
"Contracts with national requirements can have unintended consequences when applied to particular circumstances. For instance, the national requirements and funding
of Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) roles for community pharmacists within PCNs, has on occasion exacerbated the problem of a general shortage of
pharmacists, with some now preferring to work within primary care rather than remain in community pharmacies or acute hospitals, compounding the problem of community
pharmacy closures and delayed discharges."
It set out to consider the oversight and governance of ICS in England and the NHS targets and priorities for which Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) are accountable,
including those set out in the Government's mandate to NHS England.
As part of this work, Hewitt and her team engaged with a wide range of stakeholders representing various local health and social care settings, including LPCs.
Chiesi Farmaceutici, the international, research-focused biopharmaceuticals and healthcare group has acquired Amryt Pharma, a global biopharmaceutical company
dedicated to developing novel treatments for rare diseases.
More than 300 million people worldwide are affected by rare diseases, including those who are living with ultra-rare metabolic and dermatologic conditions who still
have no approved treatment.
The acquisition reinforces Chiesi's commitment to deliver innovative treatments to patients with highly unmet medical needs. As a benefit corporation and a B Corp,
Chiesi strives to create a world where it is common to have a therapy for all diseases and acts as a force for good, for society and the planet.
Chiesi's Head of Chiesi Global Rare diseases Giacomo Chiesi commented: "We are excited to add the Amryt family to our company in this acquisition that demonstrates
our commitment to rare diseases and aligns with our growth strategy through partnerships beyond internal research and development."
Chiesi's new CEO Giuseppe Accogli said: "By joining forces and expertise we will be able to grow our capabilities and further strengthen our position to provide a
positive impact on patients living with rare diseases."
With regard to the financing of the deal, cash consideration has been partially financed through a EUR 700m syndicated loan led by BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole
as Global Coordinators and ESG Structuring Banks, acting alongside BPER and Deutsche Bank as Mandated Lead Arrangers. Crédit Agricole is Loan Agent too. Lenders have
been advised by Clifford Chance, while Baker and McKenzie has assisted Chiesi Farmaceutici.
A recent survey conducted by the British Society Attitudes (BSA) and published by the King's Fund and the Nuffield Trust highlighted people's satisfaction
with the National Health Services (NHS) to be a new record low since the survey's inception in 1983.
The latest findings that are based on the public satisfaction and opinion with the NHS and social care, and funding in the context of prominent national debate
about taxation and healthcare spending reveal the satisfaction with the NHS to have dwindled across all services and demographics in 2023.
Public contentment has sharply declined, with only 24 per cent expressing satisfaction in 2023, a significant drop from 2020.
Factors contributing to this dissatisfaction include prolonged waiting times for GP and hospital appointments, staffing shortages, and perceived inadequate
government spending.
The number of people living to be 100 or more increased by 3.7 per cent in England and Wales in 2022, compared to the previous year, according to new
figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
ONS data also revealed that the number of centenarians in the UK has more than doubled in the last two decades.
Wales has more centenarians (27 people per 100,000 aged 100 or over) than England (25 people per 100,000).
It's good news that more people are living into their second century, but it also means that we may need to rethink our health plans for a longer future, a leading
testing expert has suggested.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on Monday (29 January 2024) approved the medicine Rezzayo (rezafungin) to treat invasive
candidiasis, an infection caused by a yeast called Candida.
Invasive candidiasis can pose a serious health risk as it can affect the blood, heart, brain, eyes, bones and other parts of the body.
Napp Pharmaceuticals Ltd was granted the marketing authorisation for the medicine based on phase 3 clinical trial data.
In the randomised, double-blind, controlled study, more than half of the invasive candidiasis patients who were given a weekly dose of rezafungin were cured at
day 14.
Among 94 patients who were given a daily dose of caspofungin (another antifungal treatment), 57 of them were cured during the same time.
Insect bites and stings typically increase in the summer in England. This year, however, there's been an earlier-than-usual spike in the number of people
seeking NHS advice on the condition.
According to the NHS England, visits to its insect bites and stings web page have nearly tripled in the last three weeks compared to the same period last year,
peaking at an average of one visit every 22 seconds in the past week.
Over the span of 21 days, a total of 68,986 visited the page, marking a significant 162 per cent increase compared to the 26,368 visits recorded in the first three
weeks of May 2023.
Although insect bites or stings are usually not serious and people tend to get better after a few days, the health service has cautioned that they can lead to
infection or severe allergic reactions.
People are encouraged to refer to the NHS website for advice or visit their local pharmacy to get advice and treatment for common health conditions, including
infected insect bites.
The Government has been forced to intervene formally 50 times in the past two years to authorise the use of alternative drugs because of serious medicine
shortages hitting patients, new analysis by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has found today.
78 per cent of all Serious Shortage Protocols, produced by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) due to medicine shortages, were issued in
2022/24 - more than three times the rate in the previous two years.
The NPA, which represents independent community pharmacies in the UK, is warning that shortages are leading to pharmacists having to increasingly turn
patients needing vital medication away.
Analysis by the NPA of the NHS's Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) issued to pharmacies and other providers over the last five years has found that:
The number of SSPs issued in the last two years is 3.5 times higher than in the previous two years.
Online pharmacy delivery partner Gophr has released new data showing a further drop in pharmacy numbers in England, resulting in a phenomenon they
call 'Pharmacy Deserts'.
Gophr highlighted that a significant portion of the population now lives in 'pharmacy deserts,' referring to the situation where an increasing number of urban
residents struggle to access a shrinking number of pharmacies.
For the second consecutive year, Gophr has analysed the data for its 'Prescription For Pressure' initiative.
The analysis showed that in 2023, pharmacists dispensed 1.18 billion prescriptions across England, marking an increase of 137 million compared to 2022.
The average number of prescriptions per pharmacy stands at 103,380, which equates to 283 a day.
As calculated by Gophr's data experts, pharmacy numbers decreased from 11,522 in 2022 to 11,414 in 2023, reflecting a decline of 108 compared to the previous
year's 'Prescription For Pressure'.
Gophr's data also showed that pharmacy deserts are most prominent in the South East (6,024 people per pharmacy), the East of England (5,327), the South West
(5,284), and the Midlands (4,975).
London, which ranked high last year, fell out of the top four, with 4,759 people per pharmacy.
The latest NHS data showed that 487,432 individuals in England were diagnosed with dementia in June, the highest since the start of the pandemic.
Although dementia diagnosis rates have reached 65 per cent, the NHS still aims to meet its target of diagnosing 66.7 per cent of the estimated total number of
people living with a form of the disease.
NHS stated that their staff across the country are actively assessing care home residents to identify more individuals who may have dementia.
Dr. Jeremy Isaacs, National Clinical Director for Dementia at NHS England, praised the efforts of NHS staff in increasing diagnosis rates but acknowledged that
more work is needed.
"Getting a diagnosis of dementia is the first step in supporting people, with a wide range of NHS services able to help.