NEWS ARCHIVE
Pharmacists Mutual News & Announcements
Risk Management Alerts
Safe Deposit Boxes
Have you ever made mental note of some paperwork you have at home which deserves special treatment and safety? Maybe it is an old love letter your parents exchanged, or a copy of a special photograph. How about your social security card? If any of these things has come to mind, a safe deposit box…
Ice Dams
The winter of 2014 brought with it a significant number claims related to ice dams. With the next winter approaching, we thought it would be helpful to provide some information on ice dams: how they form, strategies to prevent and/or remove them, and tips on protecting your property from resulting leaks. Ice dams form when…
Dispose of Unneeded Medications to Protect Your Loved Ones
Prescription drug abuse has reached epidemic proportions across the country. In 2011, over 6 million people aged 12 or older abused prescription drugs, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a government agency that conducts a national survey on related topics each year. The same survey showed that over 50% of people…
Proactive Narcotic Abuse Screening
Case: An independent pharmacy filling high-doses of narcotic CNS depressants for a middle-aged man, receives notice of a claim. The patient was found unresponsive by his wife, and pronounced dead at the scene. Toxicology reports indicate supratherapeutic concentrations of hydrocodone, oxycodone, and alprazolam. Additionally, multiple tablets of Oxycontin® are found in the patient’s stomach upon…
Homeowner H”app”iness
To say we have busy lives is an understatement. Most of us could use more time in our day. We have many things to do and keep track of. Caring for our families and homes are responsibilities most of us take pride in. From major home improvement projects to painting a wall, a little help…
Is it an Inside Job?
At Pharmacists Mutual, the Risk Management department regularly reviews pharmacy crimes to evaluate ways to help member companies consider security measures in their pharmacies. A burglar often visits a pharmacy before breaking in. The average burglar visits his or her target five times; allowing them to check out motion sensors and other security measures, learn…
Not Only How, But Why
A recent edition of Pharmacy Today magazine contained an article that talked about pharmacists getting the right drug at the right dose to the right patient at the right time. The article was discussing pharmacogenetics and not dispensing errors. However, the article did remind me how critical it is to deliver the proper medication to…
Actions to Take When There is an Active Shooter
The term Active Shooter is fairly new in the lexicon of crime. It became popular in the past decade as a way of quickly describing situations where a person or persons was in the area, armed and intent on doing harm. Over the years, active shooter incidents have included shootings at post offices, schools, offices,…
Dealing with the Aftermath of a Home Fire
Each year in the United States there are over 360,000 home fires reported to fire departments. The chance of your household becoming part of these statistics in your lifetime is 1 in 4. If you include fires not reported to the fire department, estimates from the National Fire Prevention Association indicate that each household can…
Why Should I Carry Professional Liability Coverage?
We hear this question on a regular basis. We hear many reasons why a pharmacist or pharmacy owner does not feel it is necessary to have a personal policy. Think about the principle of auto insurance. We know we insure our own car, but sometimes the problem is whether the other driver has insurance. The…