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Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lazarus_Long who wrote (548)	2/21/2005 10:25:39 AM
From: 10K a day	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 42652

What is the big deal? Big Pharma created the problem. Why dont they just voluntarily take the junk off the market that give u strokes and heart attacks. But they won't. it's all a big smoke screen. Talk about creative pyramids. why not just stand out on a street corner with boxes of high quality cheap drugs and get rid of the middle man. just let people sell them like they would roses or wolf painted blankets.... you got the fox patrolling the hen house. the FDA is not going to protect u. it's all about money. where is the mystery here? you pay your big money to the domestic drug companies for what? so they can wine and dine doctors with a free lunch and some light up pens by the box??? what the hell is that??? and then when something gives u a stroke and heart attack they just look the other way.....oh my gosh. what a joke of a system.

To: Lazarus_Long who wrote (548)	2/21/2005 10:57:15 AM
From: fresc	Respond to of 42652

It is a website! Like always you have to use common sense. (How much mail B.S do you get in a week?) Another great lobbyist scare! How about addressing the real issues. It is sad that seniors have to use the internet. Then again, You only worry about yourself! It's not difficult to find a scam! Nice try! What is the Canadian VIPPS program? The Canadian Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites™ (VIPPS™) program and its accompanying VIPPS Seal of approval identify Canadian pharmacies that are licensed by a Canadian provincial or territorial regulatory body, are legitimately operating, and have successfully completed a rigorous criteria review and inspection. How does NAPRA verify the sites? Canadian pharmacies wishing to become VIPPS-certified in Canada first submit a detailed application to the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA). This application will include the pharmacy’s documented policies and procedures and in-depth information about the business. The information in the application (such as employee credentials, pharmacist in charge, and ownership) is verified with the provincial or territorial regulatory body. Specially trained VIPPS inspectors review the application, required policies and procedures, and the pharmacy’s website, and then conduct an actual physical inspection of the pharmacy. Once everything appears to meet the VIPPS criteria, the pharmacy is granted permission to display the Canadian VIPPS Seal and verified information about the pharmacy is posted on NAPRA’s VIPPS website. Clicking on the VIPPS Seal links consumers to NAPRA’s VIPPS website which verifies that the Seal is indeed posted on a VIPPS-certified site. Are there any advantages to ordering medications online? Convenience is a major advantage that some pharmacy websites provide. Consumers’ ability to order and receive medications without leaving their home is a tremendous time-saver. Often, drug information and price information may be accessed via the pharmacy’s Web site, or this information may be requested via e-mail so the consumer does not have to wait on the phone for an answer or travel to the pharmacy to ask for this information in person. What if I believe my pharmacy has dispensed the wrong medication or labelled my prescription incorrectly? Report these incidents to the provincial or territorial pharmacy regulatory body where you live and if different, where the pharmacy is located. You should also contact the pharmacy that mistakenly dispensed the medication. VIPPS certified pharmacies are required to document, track, and analyze these types of incidents to determine what went wrong and to prevent recurrences. What are the signs of a suspiciously operating “pharmacy”? First, you should suspect a pharmacy if it agrees to dispense prescription medications without a valid prescription. That is, if it does not ask you to mail in your prescription or does not contact your doctor to obtain a valid prescription by telephone or fax. Further, online pharmacies may be suspect if they dispense prescription medications solely based upon the consumer completing an online questionnaire without having a pre-existing relationship with a physician and the benefit of an in-person physical examination. Pharmacies looking to do business on-line should have a phone number as well as a street address posted on their website. If the pharmacy merely has an e-mail feature, so that the sole means of communication between the consumer and the pharmacy is via e-mail, this is a suspect site. Third, legitimate pharmacy websites allow consumers to contact licensed pharmacists if they have questions about their medications. If a site does not advertise the availability of licensed pharmacists for medication consultation, it should be avoided. Also, avoid pharmacy websites that ask customers to agree to “waive” their rights before conducting business. Many suspiciously operating pharmacy businesses have limited numbers of medications for sale, particularly “lifestyle” medications that treat such conditions and diseases as impotence, obesity, herpes, pain, and acne. Although pharmacies may not stock every medication available on the market in Canada, on-line operations that offer for sale only a very limited number of drugs, may not be operating legitimately. What if I believe that an “online pharmacy” may be operating illegally? Please report suspicious Canadian websites by using the “Report-a-Site” feature in the VIPPS section of the NAPRA website. You may do so anonymously. Information will be then forwarded to the appropriate federal government agency or pharmacy regulatory body. What organization covers the security of patient information for online pharmacies? Security, confidentiality, and privacy are among the chief concerns of patients and health care professionals regarding online pharmacy services. Pharmacists must adhere to provincial and federal regulations and policies pertaining to the protection of confidential patient information. Can I fax my prescription to a pharmacy, or does the pharmacy need the original prescription? Most prescriptions can be faxed to pharmacies, however they must be received directly from the prescriber (not the patient) to be valid.