TRC Healthcare | Insights Newsletter January 2024

Practice-Changing Updates

Consider Pros and Cons of Zepbound or Wegovy for Obesity

Pain Point: There’s a lot of buzz about medications for weight loss, and you’ll hear debate about the role of injectable tirzepatide (Zepbound) or semaglutide (Wegovy) for obesity.
Solution: Our Letter articles review tirzepatide, the dual glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonist, and the GLP-1 agonists semaglutide and liraglutide. We discuss benefits of these medications and how they compare to other options for weight loss. We also review side effects, including strategies to minimize GI effects. Our resource, Weight Loss Products, includes a chart with dosing, expected weight loss, and other considerations for use.

Read More: Hospital Pharmacist’s Letter; Hospital Pharmacy Technician’s Letter; Pharmacist’s Letter; Pharmacy Technician’s Letter; Prescriber Insights: APRN; Prescriber Insights: MD; Prescriber Insights: PA.

Community Topic: Prepare for Opill, the First OTC Oral Contraceptive

Pain Point: Patients will have questions about norgestrel 0.075 mg tablets (Opill), the first daily oral contraceptive available over the counter.
Solution: Our Letter articles summarize safety and efficacy of progestin-only pills and how they compare to combination oral contraceptives. We also discuss counseling tips to help patients navigate norgestrel tablets (Opill). Our resource, Choosing a Contraceptive, answers common questions about patient-specific considerations to help choose a contraceptive. It also includes common contraceptive-related patient complaints and management considerations.

Read More: Pharmacist’s Letter; Pharmacy Technician’s Letter; Prescriber Insights: APRN; Prescriber Insights: MD; Prescriber Insights: PA.

Hospital Pharmacy: Treat Acute Pain in Patients on Chronic Opioids

Pain Point: Patients who take chronic opioids may be admitted to the hospital for situations that require treatment of acute pain on top of their chronic pain. These patients often need larger opioid doses, which can exceed the comfort zone of many clinicians.
Solution: Our Letter article identifies best practices for treating acute-on-chronic pain. We summarize practical approaches, such as starting with non-opioid analgesics since they are as effective as opioids in many cases. We present a sample calculation to walk clinicians through the complex steps of determining an approach for adding a prn opioid for the acute pain in a patient who takes scheduled opioids for chronic pain. Our resource, Opioid Stewardship Checklist, provides more guidance about steps hospitals can take to meet their stewardship goals.

Read More: Hospital Pharmacist’s Letter

wine bottle behind dry January sign next to upside-down wine glass

Supplements Promoted for Dry January

Pain Point: As we celebrate the New Year, along with resolutions, there are many that participate in Dry January. Dry January may help patients feel supported in abstaining, its popularity has also resulted in a growing market of supplements touted for liver support and alcohol withdrawal.
Solution: Our NatMed article discusses supplements that are often used by patients that participate in this lifestyle reset. We advise providers that while supplements may make claims to support sobriety or alcohol detox, they are not supported by strong clinical evidence.

Supplements Promoted for Dry January

Pain Point: As we celebrate the New Year, along with resolutions, there are many that participate in Dry January. Dry January may help patients feel supported in abstaining, its popularity has also resulted in a growing market of supplements touted for liver support and alcohol withdrawal.
Solution: Our NatMed article discusses supplements that are often used by patients that participate in this lifestyle reset. We advise providers that while supplements may make claims to support sobriety or alcohol detox, they are not supported by strong clinical evidence.

Onboard and Train Your Technicians Faster

We understand the urgency of getting technicians trained and onboarded quickly to support your pharmacy. Pharmacy Technicians University (PTU) with Knowledge Assessment is the solution to your training and compliance needs.

PTU provides tailored training for technicians preparing for PTCE or ExCPT certification exams. Knowledge Assessment allows you to determine a technician’s competency in key categories that map to the PTU courses.

With PTU and Knowledge Assessment, you can:

Quickly gauge technician competency in key topics in about 2 hours.
Speed up the onboarding process by focusing only on the weak topics instead of full 128 hours.
Easily monitor progress completions with administrative tracking and reporting.
Utilize evidence-based content that's aligned with regulatory requirements.

Don't let training and onboarding delays hinder your pharmacy's operations.

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Highly-Quality, Advanced Pharmacy Technician Training

PTU Elite is the perfect solution for pharmacies that are trying to train their technicians to take on more advanced roles within the pharmacy. PTU Elite offers affordable training programs that cover:

CSPT™ Training
Controlled Substances & Diversion
Hazardous Drugs
Immunizations
Math Mastery
Point-of-Care Testing
Soft Skills

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Get Prepared for the Upcoming 2024 Legislative Changes

Gavel with stethoscope and pills Is your pharmacy prepared for the hundreds of policy changes that will occur as a result of the upcoming 2024 legislative session? The legislative session is a critical period during which the legislature introduces new laws or amends existing ones.

In 2023, Bula’s dedicated team of policy analysts added over 1,700 bills to its platform, diligently tracking them through the entire process. Out of these, 432 bills successfully passed, leading to the addition of updated versions of statutes on our platform. Commonly addressed topics included the expanded scope for pharmacy staff, dispensing of abortifacients, telemedicine, administration of immunizations, and pharmacists dispensing contraception.

Start the new year prepared for legislative changes with a legal intelligence solution in place. Bula empowers you to anticipate and navigate changes in regulations, evaluate and manage risks, maintain compliance, and avoid hefty fines.

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Practice-Changing Updates

NatMed Update

Supplements Promoted for Dry January

Supplements Promoted for Dry January

Product Spotlight

Onboard and Train Your Technicians Faster

Highly-Quality, Advanced Pharmacy Technician Training

Get Prepared for the Upcoming 2024 Legislative Changes

Clinical Resources

Medication Talk, Pharmacy Podcast

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About TRC Healthcare

TRC Healthcare provides unbiased education, training, and support to every healthcare professional to reduce knowledge gaps, encourage evidence-based practice, lower costs, and deliver better patient outcomes.