As much as £1 worth of every £20 spent on prescription drugs is never used by patients, according to the NHS.
A Scottish GP has called for a recycling scheme to stop hundreds of millions of pounds worth of unused drugs going to waste.
Some unused drugs are returned to pharmacists and incinerated, others are just binned by patients.
Dr James Douglas wants unopened medicines to be offered to patients who need them for free.
Drugs are often Read the rest of this entry »
WASHINGTON (AP) — Taxpayers have shelled out at least $200 million since 2004 for medications that have never been reviewed by the government for safety and effectiveness but are still covered under Medicaid, an Associated Press analysis of federal data has found. Millions of private patients are taking such drugs, as well.
The availability of unapproved prescription drugs to the public may create a dangerous false sense of security. Dozens Read the rest of this entry »
The medications are mainly for common conditions such as colds and pain. They date back before the FDA tightened its review of drugs in the early 1960s. The FDA says it is trying to squeeze them from the market, but conflicting federal laws allow the Medicaid health program for low-income people to pay for them.
Medicaid officials acknowledge the problem but say they need help from Congress to fix it. The FDA and Medicaid are part of the Health Read the rest of this entry »
THE NSW Health Department has ignored the worsening problem of
consistently late payments for hospital supplies for the past four
years, says the medical industry’s association.
understands that tens of millions of dollars
are owed to medical suppliers by four area health services -
Northern Sydney Central Coast, Greater Southern, South Eastern
Sydney Illawarra and Greater Western.
The Health Minister, John Della Bosca, announced yesterday he
would Read the rest of this entry »
WASHINGTON (AP) — Taxpayers have shelled out at least $200 million since 2004 for medications that have never been reviewed by the government for safety and effectiveness but are still covered under Medicaid, an Associated Press analysis of federal data has found. Millions of private patients are taking such drugs, as well.
The availability of unapproved prescription drugs to the public may create a dangerous false sense of security. Dozens Read the rest of this entry »
Starting Wednesday, millions of American children can have the health care they need, thanks a the bill signed into law by President Barack Obama. This fulfills one of the promises he made on the campaign trail.
It’s called the S-CHIP program, designed to provide health insurance to low-income families. Even better news: The bill continues coverage for seven million children already receiving care under the legislation and adds coverage for an additional Read the rest of this entry »
Increased vigilance against Medicaid fraud by state agencies has prevented more than $100 million in Medicaid overpayments during the past three years, according to a joint report released Monday by the Florida Attorney General’s office and the state Agency for Health Care Administration.
The report said the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit recovered over $56.7 million during fiscal year 2007-2008, which includes court Read the rest of this entry »
WASHINGTON — Taxpayers have shelled out at least $200 million since 2004 for medications that have never been reviewed by the government for safety and effectiveness but are still covered under Medicaid, an Associated Press analysis of federal data has found. Millions of private patients are taking such drugs, as well.
The availability of unapproved prescription drugs to the public may create a dangerous false sense of security. Dozens of Read the rest of this entry »
Angioplasty overused among millions of patients, evidence shows
Every day, thousands of people enter hospitals for a procedure that will cost about $12,000, take a week of recuperation and require a year or more of drug therapy.
And, in many cases, it’s probably unnecessary.
Angioplasties have grown into a $10 billion industry in the United States. Hospitals in the Kansas City area and across the country have added gleaming new wings Read the rest of this entry »