The FDA has scheduled a Nov. 27 public hearing in Washington, D.C., to discuss possible solutions to drug shortages affecting patients and hospitals nationwide.  By Alia Paavola - 10/16/18

Several Minnesota hospitals are struggling to maintain adequate supplies of critical care drugs, including the pain medications needed for surgery and recovery, according to the StarTribune.  By Alia Paavola - 10/15/18

Here are five drugs or medical devices that have been approved by the FDA since Oct. 5:  By Alia Paavola - 10/12/18

Three Democratic senators are requesting additional information about the FDA's Pre-Cert for Software Pilot Program, a streamlined regulatory pathway for digital health technologies that the agency unveiled in July 2017.  By Jessica Kim Cohen - 10/12/18

LifeSouth Community Blood Center, a major blood supplier to hospitals in Florida, Alabama and Georgia, is urging the public to donate blood after Hurricane Michael slammed the region, the company tweeted Oct. 11.  By Alia Paavola - 10/11/18

Hospital executives should promote and support the professional development of their pharmacy staffs, especially as PharmD program enrollment drops, C-suite positions for pharmacy leaders emerge and pharmacists begin to lead more strategic initiatives, said Matthew Wolf, group vice president of pharmacy healthcare solutions at AmerisourceBergen.  By Alia Paavola - 10/11/18

National Healthcare Supply Chain Week, sponsored by the Association for Healthcare Resource and Materials Management, recognizes the crucial role supply chain professionals play in delivering high-quality patient care while reducing costs for their organization. This year, the celebration takes place Oct. 7-13.  By Alia Paavola - 10/8/18

MiMedx Group, a Marietta, Ga.-based biopharmaceutical company that is a major supplier to government-run hospitals, allegedly left cheaper products out of its offerings to Veterans Affairs hospitals across the nation, according to The Wall Street Journal.  By Alia Paavola - 10/5/18

Here are four drugs or medical devices that have been approved by the FDA since Sept. 28:  By Alia Paavola - 10/5/18

U.S. hospitals spend more on prescription drugs than their peers in European countries, and the same is true for medical devices, a new study published in Health Affairs suggests. In some cases, hospitals in the U.S. paid six times more for a medical device than their European counterparts.  By Alia Paavola - 10/5/18

A new pharma advocacy group is defending high prescription drug list prices and speaking out against insurers and pharmacy benefit managers, STAT reports.  By Kelly Gooch - 10/4/18

Seven major health systems joined forces to form a nonprofit generic drug company, named Civica Rx, to address drug shortages and combat the rising price of medications.  By Alia Paavola - 10/4/18

Specialty pharmaceutical growth poses unique challenges for hospital pharmacies. Effectively managing these high-cost therapies that often have unpredictable volume requires a different inventory management model than traditional pharmaceuticals.  By Shayna Korol - 10/4/18

Hospital pharmacies are uniquely positioned to help health systems achieve greater operational efficiency and improve patient care.  By Alia Paavola - 10/4/18

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, unveiled four steps the agency is taking to strengthen its cybersecurity program for medical devices Oct. 1.  By Jessica Kim Cohen - 10/2/18

In a new environment stacked with seemingly competing goals, hospital leaders are facing more pressure to simultaneously cut costs, expand services and lead new clinical initiatives.  By Alia Paavola - 10/2/18

Here are four drugs or medical devices that have been approved by the FDA since Sept. 21:  By Alia Paavola - 9/28/18

The FDA is considering imposing financial penalties on researchers who submit false data to the government's clinical trials database, according to a draft guidance posted to the Federal Register Sept. 21.  By Jessica Kim Cohen - 9/25/18

Hospitals and health systems cannot effectively quantify and control costs without first targeting key expense areas. However, administrators inundated with cost responsibilities regularly overlook major savings opportunities.  By Angie Stewart - 9/21/18