BCNP Certification & Recertification 2005 Deadline

Board certification in nuclear pharmacy, recognized by the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties (BPS), provides an objective, independent process by which a nuclear pharmacist can demonstrate specialized education, experience, knowledge and skills.  The deadline for the October 1 certification exam and recertification applications is August 1, 2005.  Applications, forms and more information available at www.bpsweb.org.
 

Higher Dose Limits for Patient Caregivers
The NRC has approved new procedures for permitting visitors to patients receiving nuclear medicine or brachytherapy to receive radiation doses above current regulatory limits if warranted by the patient’s needs. Under NRC regulations, the permissible annual radiation dose to any member of the public, including hospital visitors, is 0.1 rem (100 millirem). Visitors to patients who cannot be discharged under NRC regulations are permitted to receive a dose of up to 0.5 rem (500 millirem) under certain circumstances. For more information.....

 

APhA-APPM Announces 2005 Election Slate

APhA-Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management (APhA-APPM)  announced their slate of candidates for the upcoming 2005 APhA elections. The nominating committee met and selected the following individuals to run for the Nuclear Pharmacy Section:  Chair-Elect: Danny Allen and Richard Nickel; New-Practitioner: Linda Goosen and Dao Le . Ballots will be sent to members in late August and the election results will be certified in late October.  To become a member of the APhA Nuclear Pharmacy Section see the APhA website.

Proposed Rates & Policy Changes for Outpatient Services
Under the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA), CMS must move from its current method of paying for drugs based on a percentage of Average Wholesale Price (AWP) to the Average Selling Price (ASP). CMS states they do not have ASP data for radiopharmaceuticals. Therefore, CMS is proposing a temporary 1-year policy for calendar year 2006 to pay for all radiopharmaceutical agents that are separately payable based on the hospital’s charge for each radiopharmaceutical adjusted to cost. In calendar year 2006 payments would be based using hospital specific cost-to-charge ratios.  For more information...