NEWS
A
lthough great strides have
been made in managing dia-
betes, it continues to be a
growing national health care crisis.
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) estimates that more
than 29 million individuals—9.3% of
the US population—have diagnosed
or undiagnosed diabetes. In addition
to those who have diabetes, the CDC
estimates that 86 million US adults
(more than 1 in 3) have prediabetes,
which can increase the risk of devel-
oping type 2 diabetes, heart disease,
and stroke. If the trends continue, as
many as 1 in 3 US adults could have
diabetes by 2050.
Because it is a chronic condi-
tion that affects many facets of
a patient's health, diabetes is an
important area of focus. Patients
are often on multiple medications
that require weekly pharmacist
counseling and strict adherence.
To help pharmacists on the front
lines of diabetes care, we have
assembled this Diabetes Issue with
articles such as "Childhood Obesity:
Following in Dangerous Footsteps"
"Blood Glucose Meters: Effective
Self-Monitoring," and "Diabetes:
Disease-Modifying Therapies." In
addition, check out our regular
coverage of diabetes at our online
Type 2 Diabetes Resource Center at
www.pharmacytimes.com/resource-
centers/type-2-diabetes.
As American Pharmacists Month,
October is designated for promot-
ing the pharmacist profession
and giving pharmacists the atten-
tion they deserve among their
peers, patients, and community.
Pharmacists are making a real dif-
ference in their communities and
having a significant impact on the
health care team. Let me count the
ways:
1. Through medication manage-
ment, pharmacists help patients
with chronic diseases improve
their medication adherence and
clinical outcomes.
2. Through medication reconcilia-
tion, pharmacists help detect and
reduce medication discrepancies
and help facilitate transition-of-
care programs.
3. Pharmacists provide preventive
care through immunization and
screening services and by identi-
fying vaccine candidates.
4. Through behavioral counseling,
pharmacists improve medication
adherence and therapeutic out-
comes in patients with chronic
conditions.
5. Team-based care that includes
pharmacists improves outcomes
for patients with chronic con-
ditions, alleviates demand for
physician-provided care, and
provides access to primary care
services.
Pharmacy technicians also make
valuable contributions to the
practice of pharmacy every day,
and pharmacists can help recog-
nize them on Tuesday, October
20—National Pharmacy Technician
Day. One way Pharmacy Times rec-
ognized technicians this year was
to launch an e-newsletter just for
them, and their positive response
to it has been appreciated.
This month, Pharmacy Times
hopes that you will join us in cel-
ebrating dedicated pharmacy staff
and their positive contributions
to the health of our nation. Their
work is essential for preventing and
treating diseases such as diabetes
and setting our nation on a course
toward better health. n
Thank you for reading!
Mike Hennessy
Chairman and CEO
PUBLISHING STAFF
FROM THE CHAIRMAN
& VIEWS
The Diabetes Crisis: Can
We Change the Trends?
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Fred M. Eckel, RPh, MS, ScD (Hon)
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Kirk McKay
SENIOR EDITOR
Katie Eder
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Allison Gilchrist
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Meghan Ross
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Ryan Marotta
PRESIDENT OF MANAGED MARKETS, PHARMACY,
AND RARE DISEASE
Brian Haug
PUBLISHER
Ashley Hennessy Talamo
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE SERVICES
Jennifer Lynn
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS
AND CLINICAL AFFAIRS
Jeff Prescott, PharmD, RPh
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS
Maryjo Dixon, RPh, MBA
PROOFREADERS
Maggie Shaw & Griselda Demassey
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
Dawn Colón
SENIOR SALES COORDINATOR
Grace Rhee
ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES
Kristen Ashukian
kashukian@pharmacytimes.com
Carmel Burke-Bonesso
cburke-bonesso@pharmacytimes.com
Anthony Costella
acostella@pharmacytimes.com
Mike Glaicar
mglaicar@pharmacytimes.com
Guillermo Peralta
gperalta@pharmacytimes.com
Kelly Walsh
kwalsh@pharmacytimes.com
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, DIGITAL MEDIA
John Hydrusko
jhydrusko@pharmacytimes.com
MAIN NUMBER: 609-716-7777
VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL AND IT
Jung Kim
OPERATIONS & FINANCE
CONTROLLER: Jonathan Fisher, CPA
ASSISTANT CONTROLLER
Leah Babitz, CPA
ACCOUNTANT: Amy Wheeler
CORPORATE
CHAIRMAN AND CEO
Mike Hennessy
VICE CHAIRMAN & INTERIM PRESIDENT
Jack Lepping
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Neil Glasser, CPA/CFE
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
AND GENERAL MANAGER
John Maglione
PRESIDENT OF PHARMACY TIMES OFFICE OF
CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
David Heckard
DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES
Shari Lundenberg
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER
Jeff Brown
October 2015 www.PharmacyTimes.com 1