October 31, 2025
Clozapine is a highly effective atypical antipsychotic, but it’s not without drawbacks (Table 1). Historically, patients, prescribers and pharmacies were required to enroll in the Clozapine REMS program due to the drug’s potential to cause agranulocytosis. The REMS program was officially eliminated on June 13th, 2025, though the FDA still recommends that prescribers monitor absolute […]
Read MoreAugust 19, 2025
Our hospice partners occasionally ask how to convert patients from one antiseizure medication (ASM) to another. These requests are usually driven by cost or formulary considerations, but other common reasons include lack of efficacy, intolerable adverse effects, and problematic drug-drug interactions. Ideally, formulary / cost shouldn’t be the sole basis for rotating to an alternate […]
Read MoreApril 18, 2025
Originally published on HospiceNews.com Views, read about Hope Hospice’s experience utilizing MyMetRx: For Hope Hospice, prescribing habits were… fine. Not bad. Not great. An affiliate of Chapters Health System, Hope Hospice, based in Fort Myers, Florida, was looking for ways to optimize their ordering habits — particularly for drugs that could be deprescribed or that […]
Read MoreMarch 20, 2025
OnePoint Patient Care’s Vice President of Clinical Services Joe Solien, PharmD, BCPP, BCGP was named a 2024 Frontline Hero by Hospice News. According to Hospice News, a Frontline Honoree is: A dedicated, high-performing frontline worker who delivers exceptional experiences and outcomes A passionate worker who knows how to put their vision into action for the […]
Read MoreFebruary 3, 2025
Generally speaking, the use of vitamins at end of life is not beneficial. Still, hospice patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) might be reluctant to stop taking their eye vitamins out of fear of going blind during their final months of life. AMD is a degenerative disease that damages the macula (the central portion of […]
Read MoreOctober 30, 2024
Phenazopyridine (Pyridium) is a urinary analgesic that’s been around for over 100 years.1-3 In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers it a “grandfathered” drug, so safety and efficacy data from clinical trials is limited and its therapeutic role is based primarily on clinical observations.1,2 It’s solely a urinary analgesic (through an unknown mechanism) […]
Read MoreSeptember 10, 2024
As hospices operate with limited funds, minimizing drug costs is important. Therapeutic substitution, where one drug is replaced with a less expensive drug, is one tool to help with this. One substitution we’re occasionally asked about is using valproic acid (VPA) (Depakene) in place of divalproex sodium (Depakote). VPA costs about half as much as […]
Read MoreAugust 21, 2024
Originally published on HospiceNews.com, OnePoint Vice President – Client Services Kenny Judd sat down with Hospice News to discuss discuss the state of hospice pharmacy service nationally, the challenges local providers face in caring for this unique patient population and the role which OnePoint plays in ensuring providers have a reliable, sustainable community-based and hospice-dedicated […]
Read MoreJuly 8, 2024
The oral route is by far the most popular and convenient means of drug administration, even in the hospice setting. However, for various reasons (e.g., dysphagia, nausea / vomiting, bowel obstruction, obtundation) as many as 70% of hospice patients will need their medications to be administered by non-oral routes.a-c Rectal drug administration is probably done […]
Read MoreMay 20, 2024
ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is an incurable progressive neurodegenerative disorder that leads to weakness, spasticity, and incoordination of the muscles involved in speaking, swallowing, breathing, and ambulation. Background1-4 Its onset most often occurs between the ages of 40 and 70, with a median survival time of 30 months, but […]
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