Instruction on compounded sterile preparations at U.S. schools of pharmacy.

Purpose: The extent of didactic and laboratory instruction related to compounded sterile preparations (CSPs) provided by U.S. schools of pharmacy was studied.

Mental health and psychiatric pharmacy instruction in US colleges and schools of pharmacy.

Objectives: To describe the extent of psychiatric pharmacy instruction in US pharmacy curricula, including course and faculty characteristics and mental health topics taught in clinical therapeutics-based courses.

Methods: An 11-item survey instrument (54% response) was developed and mailed to 91 colleges and schools of pharmacy.

Results: Over 75% of colleges and schools employed a psychiatric pharmacist; however, less than 50% of faculty teaching psychiatric pharmacy content were psychiatric pharmacy specialists as defined in the study.

Negotiating with third party payers: one community pharmacy's experience.

Objectives: To evaluate financial terms and legal wording in insurance contracts and negotiate their terms with companies to improve an independent pharmacy's financial position and to determine the time required to negotiate a contract and translate that time into a salary cost.

Setting: An independent pharmacy in a small town in Alabama with a population of approximately 6,000.

Practice Description: The prescription department accounts for two-thirds of the pharmacy's sales and dispenses approximately 70,000 prescriptions each year.