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NEWS H undreds of thousands of Americans are affected by heart disease each year. According to recent statistics from the American Heart Association (AHA; www.heart.org), heart dis- ease is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing more than 375,000 Americans each year; that's 1 in 7 deaths. In fact, cardio- vascular diseases claim more lives than all forms of cancer combined. The direct and indirect costs of car- diovascular diseases and stroke total more than $320.1 billion, which includes health expenditures and lost productivity. I could go on with daunting statistics, but the message is already clear: Americans need to do more to improve their cardiovas- cular health. Early preventive action is key for patients in terms of heart health. Plus, it allows pharmacists to play an important role in disease manage- ment. A recent study by Walgreens Health Services and Outcomes Research and IMS Health shows the impact pharmacy interventions can have on patient health. Over a 6-month period, patients start- ing new medications were evalu- ated across 16 drug classes, and the difference in outcomes between patients who received pharmacy interventions at Walgreens and a control group of matched non- Walgreens control patients was analyzed. The interventions included pharmacist consultations (face-to- face and by phone) and reminders for prescription refills and pickup by automated calls, text messages, and e-mail. Benefits for the group that received pharmacy interventions included 3% greater medication adherence, nearly 2% lower hospital admissions, nearly 3% fewer emer- gency room visits, and cost savings of 3% per patient. To help maximize the impact of pharmacists, this Heart Health issue provides articles such as "Supplements for Cardiovascular Health: Navigating Crowded Shelves," "The Dangers of Sitting: Stand Up for Health," and "Acute Coronary Syndrome." In addition, check out our regular online cover- age at our Cardiovascular Health Resource Center. Ultimately, however, the responsi- bility for improving heart health lies with the individual. AHA research shows that individuals who meet the criteria for 3 or 4 of its Life's Simple 7 measures cut their risk of heart- related death by more than half. Here are Life's Simple 7: • Get active • Control cholesterol • Eat better • Manage blood pressure • Lose weight • Reduce blood sugar • Stop smoking These measures may be easier said than done, but making the effort and encouraging others are necessary for improving the health and produc- tivity of individuals and our nation. With c ardiovascular disease being the top health issue in the United States, o ur collective effort toward improv- ing heart health can have a huge positive impact. We should all resolve to make heart health one of our top priorities for 2016. In this final issue of the year, we would like to take the opportunity to wish you and your families a very happy and healthy New Year! Please know that Pharmacy Times is here to help you excel in all your endeavors as we celebrate 119 years of publica- tion and begin the New Year. n Thank you for reading! Mike Hennessy Chairman and CEO PUBLISHING STAFF FROM THE CHAIRMAN & VIEWS Improving Heart Health Should Be Simple, Right? EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Fred M. Eckel, RPh, MS, ScD (Hon) EXECUTIVE EDITOR Kirk McKay SENIOR EDITOR Katie Eder SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR Meghan Ross ASSOCIATE EDITOR Allison Gilchrist ASSOCIATE EDITOR Antranig Dereyan 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 DIRECTOR OF SALES Mike Glaicar mglaicar@pharmacytimes.com ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF SALES AND DIGITAL MEDIA STRATEGY John Hydrusko jhydrusko@pharmacytimes.com Kristen Ashukian kashukian@pharmacytimes.com Carmel Burke-Bonesso cburke-bonesso@pharmacytimes.com Anthony Costella acostella@pharmacytimes.com Guillermo Peralta gperalta@pharmacytimes.com Kelly Walsh kwalsh@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 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 December 2015 PharmacyTimes.com 1