PPO Reprints

First-Hand Report On Aftermath Of Joplin Tornados From Members

After a Category EF5 tornado ravaged St. John’s Mercy Regional Medical Center and the residents of Joplin, Missouri on May 22, we contacted the NPPA members who work in facilities close to Joplin, to reach out in sympathy as well as to see if they had any firsthand experience from it that we could interview them on and they could report on, in hopes their fellow Pharmacy Buyers across the country could learn and be better prepared in the event of such a disaster in their area.

Senate Bill To Address Drug Shortages – Jan-Feb 2011
On February 5, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Bob Casey (D-PA) introducedlegislation that would provide the FDA with key tools to help address and prevent shortages of prescription drug medications. For instance, ASHP (the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists), currently lists 150 “medically necessary” drugs that are in short supply, which is double the number of such necessary medications in short-supply as compared to 5 years ago.

Promoting The Pharmacy Buyer – October 2010
Do you ever talk to the Executives or upper management about what you do as a Buyer? Do you talk to the Pharmacy staff about what you do? Do people know what you really do as the Pharmacy Buyer? Buyers in today’s environment need to be interacting with all levels of management, Doctor’s, Clinical Staff, Nursing Staff, Pharmacy Staff, and Materials Management personnel.

Does Your Disaster Plan Really Work? – March 2010
Everyone’s disaster plan is designed for an external situation and your response would be very straightforward. If a chemical were released, you would have the neutralizing agent and supportive drugs requested from your wholesaler. If a natural disaster, you may have pain meds and antibiotics sent. But if your own entire drug inventory were suddenly in question compromised, what would you restock it with…everything?

Facts & Myths About Generics – December 2009

Today, 7 in 10 prescriptions filled in the U.S. are for generic drugs. This fact sheet, releasedby the FDA on October 13, 2009, explains how generic drugs are made and approved, anddebunks some common myths about these products.

Subscribers Affected by Disasters – September 2008

Many of our Subscribers face the possibility of being victims of hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters that literally put them out of work for extended periods of time.  The September issue of PPO describes the issues two of our Subscribers faced in the wake of three major hurricanese back-to-back.

Specialty Wholesalers Clean Up – June 2008

A follow up to “Those Secondary Vendors,”  this article follows the steps the Specialty Distributors have taken to erase the stigma of the Secondary Wholesalers of the Eighties and the efforts, both internally and externally to make their businesses more accountable.

How to Lose a Customer in Ten Ways – April 2003
Some buyers have requested this ‘bible’ on the do’s and don’ts of good vendor relations. Every one of your vendors should get a copy of this article.

Those Secondary Vendors – December 2002

As with all opinions, there are differing perspectives.  This article attempts to look at the Secondary Vendor Market through the eyes of the vendor.