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We are excited to launch eHope version 1.5 on Tuesday, April 9th!
In order to implement the improvements,
eHope will be down between Wednesday, April 3rd and Tuesday, April 9th.
What this means for ordering...
- We understand and apologize for any inconvenience the downtime may cause, but we are confident that the updates will improve your interaction with the Dispensary of Hope inventory.
- Feel free to increase your ordering prior to this down time. We will not have the ability to process any orders after Wednesday April 3rd until eHope is back up on Tuesday April 9th at 10am.
- Any orders currently in eHope on Wednesday April 3rd at 2pm central will be processed by our distribution team and shipped via FedEx by Monday April 8th. Please refer to your FedEx tracking email for updated delivery information.
Please contact your Account Manager if you have any questions!
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April is Gastrointestinal Awareness Month
Cailin Harris, PharmD. Candidate 2019
Belmont University College of Pharmacy
- Gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD) develops when the stomach contents are refluxed into the esophagus, and complications arise
- GERD is highly prevalent (10-20% of the population) and presents in many ways
- Symptoms can be caused by food, other diseases states, and can be erosive or nonerosive
FOCUS ON TREATMENT:
Guideline-Directed
The treatment regimen for GERD is typically based upon symptom frequency, as this determines the severity of the disease. With milder, nonerosive instances of GERD, there is a chance that the symptoms can be managed with lifestyle adjustments alone. Examples of these adjustments include avoiding symptom causing foods, weight loss, and eating more frequent, smaller meals. Some patients will need medication, and the first line option is typically an antacid (Tums being a common example) as needed for symptoms occurring less than two times per week. If symptom frequency does increase, physician supervision becomes necessary.
A physician may recommend/prescribe proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), like omeprazole, to replace antacid treatment. It is worth noting that omeprazole interacts with some common medications, including citalopram, carbamazepine, escitalopram, clopidogrel, and some anti-infectives. If PPI treatment is not sufficient, histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H
2RAs), such as ranitidine or famotidine. Either class of medication is initiated in step-up fashion, meaning that patients will start with low doses and then titrate their doses upwards until symptoms are managed. PPIs are often chosen over H
2RAs because PPIs have been proven to provide greater symptom relief as well as prevent symptom relapse.
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Patients with more severe, erosive GERD will use the same drug classes as the nonerosive patients but will typically start with higher doses of a PPI alongside lifestyle changes. This is because PPIs have faster healing rates in patients with erosive GERD than H
2RAs, and larger symptom relief.
3,4 Then, as symptoms subside, H
2RAs or antacids can be used. Unlike before, erosive GERD is handled in a step-down fashion. The typical duration of therapy for these patients is at least eight weeks.
While many of these medications are available over the counter, if symptoms require medications other than antacids, patients should not self-mange and should be managed by a physician to determine dose and duration of therapy, as well as receive regular monitoring.
1,2
Available from Dispensary of Hope:
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Drug Class
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Drug
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strength
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PPIs
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Esomeprazole DR
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20mg, 40mg
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lansoprazole DR
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15mg, 30mg
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Omeprazole DR
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20mg
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pantoprazole DR
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40mg
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H2RA
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famotadine
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20mg
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*There are other gastrointestinal medications available to treat other conditions
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Mark your calendar:
Quarterly Utilization Numbers for Q1-2019 are due April 10th! Remember to enter the three metrics: Patient Encounters, 30-Day Fills and Unique Patients!
- Q1-2019: January, February and March
- Number of Patient Encounters
- These patients may have presented in person or as a mail order fill.
- Number of Prescriptions (30-day fills)
- The number of 30-day fills given during the quarter.
- Number of Unique Patients
- The number of unduplicated individual patients that received Dispensary of Hope medication during the quarter.
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Southeast Symposium: We invite our network members in the Southeastern states to join us on
April 25-26 in Nashville, TN.
The Southeast Symposium is a regional meeting designed exclusively for our network to grow their knowledge. All network members are
free to attend, should you be interested and can travel. This symposium will offer opportunities to network, share best practices and connect directly with the Dispensary of Hope team to learn more about the safety-net community. More information will be coming soon, including an agenda for the event.
Please click
here for an updated list of suggested hotels.
*Due to the NFL Draft hosted in Nashville during the weekend (April 27 - April 28), we recommend booking your hotel soon as prices are set to increase.
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The Dispensary of Hope visits Partners for Healing!
Earlier
this month, Account Manager Barin Tayip and Supply Chain Project Coordinator Justin Holder had the opportunity to visit our partners in Tullahoma, TN.
Partners for Healing was organized in November 2001 by community leaders. With a mission to improve access to healthcare, the clinic provides primary care and prescription assistance to the Coffee, Franklin and Moore counties of Southern Middle Tennessee. During our visit, Michelle Carmack, Executive Director, gave our team a tour of their facility and explained the different aspects of their work. One aspect of their operations that stood out was their incredible partnerships with agencies, schools and hospitals in and outside of Tullahoma. These partnerships range from interns with Sewanee University, work with the small businesses to help their employees receive health and pharmacy access, and partnerships with hospitals in the area such as Tennova Healthcare, Southern Tennessee Regional Health Systems and St. Thomas Health. Through these partnerships, the clinic is able to serve a great number of patients in the area who would have otherwise gone without.
Partners for Healing joined our network in November of 2017 and each quarter they continue to grow. They hope in the next few years to expand their clinic and obtain a bigger space to serve more vulnerable patients in their community.
Pictured left to right:
Daphne May LPN , Faith Legrone FNP-C, Regenia Gray Receptionists, Lisa Lunderstadt LPN, Barin Tayip, Account Manager (Dispensary of Hope) Michelle Carmack, Executive Director, Pat Williams Finance Coordinator, and Linda Ritch Volunteer & Board Secretary.
Not Pictured is Kristen Vance PA, Reba Walters RN, Nancy Wood RN, Clare Bates RN, Brittany Sellers PRN Staff and Jack Walters Volunteer.
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Network Community
group!
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Logan White, Kasey Gregory, Barin Tayip & Josh Hagar l Account Managers
Phone: 615-736-5075
2700 Brick Church Pike
Nashville, Tennessee 37207
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