NEWS ARCHIVE

Pharmacists Mutual News & Announcements

Pharmacists Mutual Provides Premium Deferral through November 15

Pharmacists Mutual Provides Premium Deferral through November 15, 2017 for those in Specified Areas Impacted by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Pharmacists Mutual is always with you – especially during your time of need. That’s why we are providing the added peace of mind of premium deferral through November 15, 2017 to all of our members affected Read More »

Ward’s Top 50 2017

Algona, Iowa – July 27, 2017 – Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company, with its century-long legacy in the insurance and risk management market, is pleased to announce that it has been named to the prestigious Ward’s 50 list of top insurance companies for 2017. This marks the second consecutive year Pharmacists Mutual has earned this esteemed Read More »

Pharmacists Mutual Unveils New Logo, Tag Line, and Vision for the Future

Algona, Iowa – July 20, 2017 – Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company, a nationally recognized leader with a century-long legacy in the insurance and risk management market, today announced its new vision and tag line: “Tomorrow. Imagine That.” With this comes a planned refresh of the company’s corporate logo. Members and employees will begin to see Read More »

ALERT: Members in Illinois

The Illinois Department of Insurance issued Bulletin 2017-03 on July 17, 2017, regarding the flooding that has affected Cook, Kane, Lake, and McHenry counties in Illinois. This bulletin was issued to all companies licensed to transact business in Illinois.  Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company and The Pharmacists Life Insurance Company are aware of this bulletin, and Read More »

Dental Fraud: A $12.5 Billion Dollar Problem

People often see dentists as professional, caring, ethical and honest individuals. However, there are employees and some dentists out there that can tarnish this image. An emerging issue that is growing is fraud in the dental practice.  According to the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association, of the $250 billion spent on dental care procedures annually, Read More »

Foundation Cracks – Unseen Danger

Do you have cracks in your home’s foundation walls or floor?  Cracks in your foundation can allow water to seep in, causing damage to the interior of your home.  These cracks can also let in something you can’t even see-.  You may have a guest in your house and not even know it.  The name Read More »

Drug Security in the Independent Pharmacy

Since the CDC declared an epidemic of prescription drug abuse in the United States in 2010, numerous programs and initiatives have been implemented to control access to narcotics. These have included prescription drug monitoring, increased DEA activity, addiction treatment funding, changes in prescription guidelines, drug take back programs, crackdowns on pill mills, and rescheduling of Read More »

Sewer Backup Prevention and Coverage

To prevent a back up of your sewer and drain system, it is helpful for property owners to be aware of what might cause a back up, and what preventative measures can be taken. Whether you are purchasing a new home, or have owned your property for several years, it can provide great benefit to Read More »

Veterinary Prescriptions … Are You Prepared?

Community pharmacists face a growing challenge: They are being asked to fill an increasing number of veterinary prescriptions. This trend is here to stay, and the challenges pharmacists face in filling pet prescriptions will be compounded if the Fairness to Pet Owners Act of 2015 is enacted as law. This Act would require veterinarians to Read More »

Smartphone Apps for the Pharmacist

Looking for smart phone apps for Pharmacists? Type “smart phone apps for the pharmacist” in a Google search and you’ll get about 92,000,000 hits. We found it pretty easy to search through and find something for just about every aspect of pharmacy. Everything from drug guides to symptom checkers, apps about vacinations and even popular Read More »

Honesty About Dishonesty – Employee Theft

No businessowner wants to think about an employee stealing from them.  Nor does a businessowner want to think about their vendors stealing from them.  Even if we don’t want to think about these things happening, the reality is, it most likely has or will happen.  Do you really know what your business insurance covers or Read More »

The Impact of Insurance Fraud

Insurance fraud − in the most simple of terms − is a lie told to steal the financial protections and benefits of insurance. Insurance fraud is a felony crime that imposes significant financial and personal costs on individuals, businesses and society as a whole. It’s a crime that is not only widespread, but also growing, Read More »

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 Read More »

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 Read More »

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 Read More »

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 Read More »

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 Read More »

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 Read More »

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 Read More »

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, Read More »

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 Read More »

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 Read More »

NCPA Annual Convention

Pharmacists Mutual Companies will be exhibiting and participating in presentations during the NCPA Annual Convention held October 13 – 19, 2016, in New Orleans, LA. PMC is always happy to meet members and prospective members. Stop by and see us at any of these following events: High Performance Strategies for Long Term Care Pharmacies Pharmacy Read More »

Healthiest State Walk 2016

Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company participates in the Healthiest State Walk 2016 On October 5,thousands of Iowans will again support Iowa’s efforts to become a healthier state with the goal of having at least one organized walk in all 99 counties.I’m pleased to announce that this statewide effort will include Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company. This walk Read More »

Hurricane Matthew

Hurricane Matthew, a large category three hurricane heading towards the southeast United States, is expected to bring strong winds, heavy surf, and torrential rain beginning late Thursday or early Friday. Current forecasts are uncertain if a landfall will occur. We are concerned about you and your family’s well-being. Being prepared may be the one thing you can Read More »

The Pharmacists Mutual Community Pharmacy Scholarship – 2016 Recipients

Ward’s Top 50 2016

We are pleased to share that Pharmacists Mutual has been named as a 2016 Ward’s 50 top performing company. What does that mean? We are being recognized for being one of the top 50 Property and Casualty insurers in the United States. The Ward Group reviewed nearly 3000 insurers using multiple metrics for safety, consistency, Read More »

Pharmacy Crime Report

Pharmacies across the country continue to be the targets of burglars and robbers seeking drugs. Pharmacists Mutual provides an in-depth look at the problem and measures pharmacists need to take to protect themselves in this examination of pharmacy crime. VIEW CRIME REPORT

Scan Verification Software

“It’s Self-Evident – Equip all technicians with scan verification software” Michael Stotz, Senior Marketing Manager, Kirby Lester Pharmacy today operates in the midst of a litigious society. Coupled with a steady increase in the number and types of drugs the probability of a error continues to increase. Technology provides an opportunity to reduce the chances Read More »

Healthcare Data Breaches

Healthcare Data Breaches – 2015 was a record year Michael Warren, Risk Manager, ARM, OHST 2015 was a year of records. For you golf fans, it marked the debut of the world’s largest useable golf club. At 14 feet five inches, it drove a ball a distance of 524 feet. Unfortunately, the record set with Read More »

Crime Statistics

Who are they and what are they thinking? Offenders and pharmacy robbery and burglary. Tara O’Connor Shelley, Ph.D., Center for the Study of Crime and Justice (CSCJ), Department of Sociology, Colorado State University Pharmacists Mutual has been tracking pharmacy crime statistics for over 5 years in order to develop effective measures to address a problem that Read More »

Naloxone – Cautions for the Pharmacist

Kristen Jones, PharmD, Risk Management Consultant In 2013 alone, legal and illegal opioid drugs killed 24,492 people nationwide, including 16,235 who used synthetic opioid drugs such as oxycodone or hydrocodone, and 8,257 others dying from heroin, the CDC reports. Overdose is the number one cause of accidental death surpassing automobile accidents. In the mid-1990s, community Read More »