- Massachusetts: Seventeen health care organizations have agreed to participate in the restructuring of the state's Medicaid program, MassHealth, into ACOs. Beginning March 1, 2018, ACOs will manage the state's program and "will be financially accountable for cost, quality, and member experience for over 850,000 MassHealth members," according to a state Health and Human Services press release (Haefner, Becker's Hospital Review, 8/18; Massachusetts Health and Human Services release, 8/17).
- Missouri: Pemiscot Memorial Health Systems has selected Jim Marshall to serve as CEO and administrator. Marshall, who previously served as the CEO and administrator for Pickens County Medical Center in Alabama, began his new role on Aug. 1 (Gooch, Becker's Hospital Review, 8/18).
- New Jersey: Inmates at the Atlantic County Justice Facility are the first in the state to access methadone treatment for substance misuse disorder from a mobile service while incarcerated, Nicole Leonard writes for the Press of Atlantic City. The mobile clinic, operated by the John Brooks Center, teamed up with the prison in a pilot program aimed at curbing post-incarceration overdoses. As part of the pilot program, the mobile clinic provides methadone treatment to pregnant women who misuse opioids, any inmates who already have received methadone treatment, and people who misused substances who have a high risk of recidivism (Leonard, Press of Atlantic City/Sacramento Bee, 8/19).
4 questions to ask about your retail pharmacy strategy
As of 2016, 47% of hospitals operate a retail pharmacy. Common goals include increasing patient access to medications, improving care continuity, and generating revenues.
Regardless of whether your health system's retail pharmacy is well established or in start-up mode, the four questions in our infographic will help you evaluate and advance your strategy.