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Continuing Education                                      

Release date: September 18, 2008 Expiration date: September 18, 2009

The Promise of Evidence-Based Medicine for Clinical Decision-Making
By Nirav R. Shah, MD, MPH

Although most stakeholders associated with the US healthcare will likely agree that the system is “broken,” disagreements abound..
FULL ARTICLE
Click here to take the CE post-test online.

Stakeholder Perspectives by Michael Cantor, MD;
Scott R. Taylor, RPh, MBA; Nirav R. Shah, MD, MPH

WEB EXCLUSIVE                                                     

Payer Pulse
Use of Comparative Effectiveness Analysis in Managed Care
By Timothy S. Regan, BPharm, RPh, Executive Director,     Xcenda/Managed Care Network; Gene Reeder, RPh, PhD,     Director, Xcenda/Managed Care Network, Distinguished     Professor Emeritus, University of South Carolina.

Rising costs pose a significant challenge to the US healthcare system. Congress, public and private payers, and other stakeholders have a significant interest in using comparative effectiveness research to control healthcare costs and…
FULL ARTICLE

October 2008, Vol 1, No 8

AHDB is included in the following indexing and database services:
Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL)
EBSCOhost research databases (EBSCO)

Editorial                                                                  
Writing Research Articles on Benefit Design and Policy
By William E. Fassett, BSPharm, MBA, PhD;
Charles R. Phillips, PharmD, PhD
Readers of American Health & Drug Benefits are invited to
submit research articles relevant to benefit design.
Successful publication of...
FULL ARTICLE

Business                                                                  
Medication Therapy Management Goes Hi-Tech:
Implementing Automated Software Improves
Pharmacy Efficiency
By Adrienne Giordano, PharmD; Carrie Holden, PharmD;
Cathrine Misquitta, PharmD, BCPS
In 2006, CMS’s ruling went into effect, mandating that all Medicare
Part D prescription benefit sponsors must offer their members…
FULL ARTICLE
Stakeholder Perspective by Scott R. Taylor, RPh, MBA

Cost-Effectiveness of Second-Generation Antihistamines and Montelukast in Relieving Nasal Symptoms of Allergic Rhinitis
By Michael J. Goodman, PhD; Mehul Jhaveri, PharmD;
Kim Saverno, RPh; Kellie Meyer, PharmD;
Brian Nightengale, PhD
The purpose of this study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of prescription agents based on their effectiveness in relieving nasal symptoms...
FULL ARTICLE
Stakeholder Perspective by Michael F. Murphy, MD, PhD

Clinical                                                                    
Evaluation and Management of Diabetes Mellitus
By Quang Nguyen, DO; Loida Nguyen, PharmD;
James Felicetta, MD
Approximately 24 million Americans are currently diagnosed with diabetes, an increase of 3 million over the past 2 years…
FULL ARTICLE
Stakeholder Perspective by Thomas McCarter, MD, FACP

Regulatory                                                           
Cutting Through the Politics: Presidential Candidates’
Healthcare Platforms and Impact on Health Benefits
By Peyton Howell, MHA
Healthcare reform is one of the top issues for the presidential elections this year, and both candidates have proposed a wide range of health policy changes…
FULL ARTICLE
Stakeholder Perspective by Joseph R. Antos, PhD

Generic Drug Trends                                         
Presidential Candidates Strong Supporters of
Greater Access to Generic and Biosimilars
By Dalia Buffery, MA, ABD
At the Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA) recent conference, advisors to Barack Obama and John McCain told GPhA members...
FULL ARTICLE

FDA Watch                                                              
New Reporting System for Potential Safety Concerns
of Drugs on the Market
By Mark Senak, JD
In early September, the FDA sent a press release posting the first quarterly report, “Potential Signals of Serious Risks/New Safety Information Identified by the Adverse Event Reporting System”…
FULL ARTICLE