Fred Gebhart, Contributing Editor

Hospitals and health systems have taken the lead in expanding the role of pharmacy technicians. "The better educated techs are, the more they can support pharmacists," says Mary Mohr, RPh, MS, of Clarian Health.

The Joint Commission is targeting patient safety failures with a new program that will directly affect pharmacy operations.

Controversy has arisen over the implications of extreme-niche pharmacy in Vancouver, B.C., where a store catering only to women opened in July.

Hospital drug costs will increase by up to 3 percent this year, but spending on anti-infective agents is nearly triple the overall increase. Hospitals with high infection rates should prepare for higher drug budgets.

Want to see fear on the face of a pharmacist? Ask for a quick dosage conversion for a 75-year-old woman with breast cancer who has become too weak to swallow MS Contin tablets and needs an oral liquid morphine. Keep reading to learn more about making conversions easier.

In Illinois, the Jewel-Osco grocery-pharmacy chain has taken on pharmacy consulting and dispensing services for Passages Hospice.

Congress gave the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) jurisdiction over tobacco in June, but don?t look for any quick changes in tobacco policy, products, or marketing. The agency is asking the public for guidance before jumping into regulation.

Alaska's pharmacist shortage is getting worse as older pharmacists retire and younger ones find little incentive to settle in the state. Relief may be as far as a decade away — if the state builds a pharmacy school and offers financial incentives to offset the cost of pharmacist training.

California pharmacists have beaten back legislative attempts to kill funding for the nation's largest poison control system.