Recent blog posts

Patient-centric care is what our healthcare system has moved towards, but when is that too far? What happens when patients start to tell doctors how they want their treatment plan to look? As patients gain more and more access to information, they may become a more informed “customer”; this can be both good and bad. Patients can have a better understanding of what their issue is, but, their informal knowledge does not replace a medical/osteopathic degree. One of the ways patients are starting…

Patient-centric care is what our healthcare system has moved towards, but when is that too far? What happens when patients start to tell physicians how their treatment plan should look? As patients gain more and more access to information, they may become a more informed “customer”; this can be both good and bad. Patients can have a better understanding of what their issue is, but as the saying goes ‘your Google search does not replace a medical/osteopathic degree’. Patients often use Google before they…

Patient-centric care is what our healthcare system has moved towards, but when is that too far? What happens when patients start to tell physicians how they want their treatment plan to look? As patients gain more and more access to information, they will be a more informed “customer”; this can be both good and bad. Patients can have a better understanding of what their issue is, but, as the common saying goes, your Google search does not replace a medical/osteopathic degree. One way a…

Authors and physicians Drs. Adam Cifu and Vinayak Prasad wrote a blockbuster book in 2015 that is making news lately. The abrupt change in medical gospel, sometimes being rewritten every week, is a true disaster for patients who try to keep up with the ‘latest and greatest’ in medicine. The authors use the term ‘medical reversal’ to describe sudden flip-flops in standards of care. Medical reversals cause angst among not just the patients, but the doctors that now must face the fact that…

Depending on where a physician works, there could be great relationships with nurses, or it could be very difficult. Although there is no blame or fault, some places have physicians and nurses working hand-in-hand and some experience stressful relationships between the providers. No matter, the vast majority of physicians and nurses want to have a strong working relationship with each other. In order to facilitate those relationships, there are some do’s and don’ts: Communication is the first thing on which every provider…

In January of 2020, Illinois became the latest state to legalize recreational cannabis. The question for physicians is now ‘may I use cannabis without fear of being fired from my job?’ The quick answer is, of course, it depends. The longer answer is: it depends on where you work and when you’re using it. First, employers can stop you from possessing and using cannabis at work. They still have the ability to discipline you for the possession of cannabis on company property…

On March 20, 2020 Governor Pritzker issued Executive Order 2020-10 (“Order”) which required all residents of Illinois to shelter in place. The Order was extended through April 30, 2020. The Order exempted all healthcare workers for the obvious reason that healthcare is a critical concern in the current global pandemic. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (“IDFPR”) has recently posted on its website bulletins related to the healthcare industry, a number of which are entitled “Guidance.” The bulletins concern…

As of March 30, 2020, the DEA will allow oral prescriptions of schedule II controlled substances when: they are needed for the proper treatment of a patient; there are no appropriate treatment options; and, when submitting an electronic or paper prescription to the pharmacy prior to dispensing the substance is not possible. Physicians and other prescribers can make the determination to phone in the emergency schedule II script after reviewing the circumstances for each patient, and that review must include the above criteria. Clearly, not every controlled…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients in rural areas face difficulties already present in obtaining care, including poverty, inconsistent virus information, and lack of transportation. Pharmacies serving these populations are working extra-hard to ensure the best care in their communities. One way community pharmacies can help is with mobile clinic options. A mobile clinic can provide clinical and education services to those with transportation challenges. In addition to offering a telephone service to patients who cannot come to the pharmacy, mobile clinics can be at…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have been included in legislation creating a tax holiday for health professionals and first responders who continue to serve. The “Helping Emergency Responders Overcome Emergency Situations” (HEROES) Act of 2020 did not originally include pharmacists as beneficiaries, but they have since been added. The original bill only applied to physicians, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, hospital and medical facility support staff, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, firefighters, corrections officers, and law enforcement officers. The hope is that…