The new year brings new opportunities for self-improvement and growth, and Inside Patient Care: Pharmacy & Clinics will continue to provide resources for the entire healthcare team as it relates to improving patient care and your business model.
In its third year, the contributors, the editorial board, and staff of Inside Patient Care: Pharmacy & Clinics will continue to provide practical information for the entire healthcare team. Our goal is to provide the resources that you need to implement the best therapeutic options, navigate the healthcare system, and achieve professional success.
The theme of our January issue is pediatric health, and it includes articles from different stakeholders of the publication. Stacie Lampkin, PharmD, BCAP, AE-C, Assistant Professor, D’Youville College School of Pharmacy, Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, NY, discusses providing care for medically complex children with special healthcare needs (see "Providing Care for Medically Complex Children with Special Healthcare Needs"). Natalie Drummond, MD, and Marc Drummond, PsyD, MBA, discuss considerations when diagnosing, treating, and caring for sleep problems in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (see "Considerations When Diagnosing, Treating, and Caring for Sleep Problems in Children with ADHD"), in addition to a pertussis update with practical tips for pharmacists and providers by Kim Curry, PhD, ARNP-C, Clinical Associate Professor, College of Nursing, University of Florida, Gainesville (see "Pertussis Update: Practical Tips for Pharmacists and Providers").
As part of Inside Patient Care, Deanna Owens, MSN, RN, Director of the Infusion and Clinical Services, Low Country Rheumatology, Charles, SC, and member of the Board of Directors of the Rheumatology Nurses Society, discusses special considerations in the care of pregnant patients with lupus (see "Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Pregnancy: Considerations in the Care of High-Risk Populations"). The section also includes insight from Joe Pyle, MA, President of the Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation in Philadelphia, PA, who talks about how to integrate behavioral health into retail clinics (see "Integrating Behavioral Health into Retail Clinics"), and Joseph Bubalo, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP, who provides a symptom overview of hiccups, including its etiology and treatment options (see "Hiccups").
Inside the Retail Pharmacy, Robert Thompson, Executive Vice President of Pharmacy at Rite Aid, takes the time to discuss his responsibilities, as well as the evolution of pharmacies and innovative services currently available at Rite Aid (see "Questions Answered: Pharmacists Are Key to Achieving Value-Based Care"). In addition, we are pleased to provide the clinical challenge, including a commentary on the appropriate course of action (see "Clinical Challenge: Polypharmacy"). Put your knowledge to the test and determine how you would have cared for the patient.
This issue also includes a free continuing education activity pertaining to the evolution of value-based care of rheumatologic diseases: a prospectus for managed care pharmacists, as well as a letter to the editor (see "Letter to the Editor: Authorized Collector versus Reverse Distributor") regarding an editorial published in a previous issue. We welcome our readers’ feedback and hope you will take the time to send us comments on the articles in this issue.
We thank our editorial board and contributors for their continued efforts in 2015, and wish the readers of Inside Patient Care: Pharmacy & Clinics all the best for the new year.
