APhA2012: There s room at the top

Transcription

1 APhA2012: There s room at the top Thomas E. Meigha, BSPharm, MBA, ScD (Ho), Executive Vice Presidet ad CEO PhA2012 is comig up fast, ad oe of my favorite parts of our Aual Meetig is its emphasis o awards. A That s especially true this year, as we have a absolutely pharmacy star studded cast of recipiets who will leave the Crescet City after the March 9 12 meetig with ew medals, trophies, plaques, ad certificates. These pharmacists whose ames are listed o the Awards page of the About APhA sectio of pharmacist. com are very good role models for us all. They worked hard to acquire the kowledge ad skills they eeded to go far o their chose career paths through lifelog educatio, icludig regularly attedig APhA Aual Meetigs ad other cofereces ad takig full advatage of the educatioal ad etworkig opportuities there. They ve put i the time at their practice sites, workig hard to expad the limits of possibilities. Ad they ve persevered, through may challeges ad sometimes failure, util they ve reached their goals. Beyod the hard work ad dedicatio eeded to succeed, our award recipiets show the characteristics of disruptive iovators as outlied by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregerse, ad Clayto M. Christese i The Iovator s DNA: associatig, questioig, observig, etworkig, ad experimetig. To succeed through the kids of associatioal thikig described by the authors of this book, people eed to draw coectios amog challeges ad ideas from urelated fields, ask questios that challege the commo wisdom, ad watch patiets ad colleagues to fid ew ways of doig thigs. Through local, state, ad atioal meetigs, social media, ad i their daily lives, iovators etwork with people who have differet ideas ad perspectives. They use all this iput to experimet ad fid better ways of doig thigs just like the poster preseters ad platform speakers at APhA2012 who will share the results of their experieces ad trials with all i attedace. As we cotemplate the accomplishmets of pharmacists such as Bill Evas, a pharmacist ad CEO of St. Jude Childre s Research Hospital i Memphis, TN (Remigto Hoor Medal), Steve Simeso of Goodrich Pharmacy i Miesota s Twi Cities (Daiel B. Smith Practice Excellece Award), ad David R. Bright, PharmD, BCACP, of Ohio Norther Uiversity (APhA Distiguished New Practitioer Award), it is temptig to cotemplate what separates them from us or to fret that we could ever be that good. But i reality, we all i our ow uique ways do thigs for our patiets each day, for our colleagues i challegig situatios, ad for our commuities i a thousad ways. Whether we idividually ever march across the stage to accept a atioal award, it s good to kow that we are part of a trusted, valued, ad compassioate professio ad that our efforts help our patiets live loger, happier lives. I short, there s plety of room at the top i pharmacy. Because of our commitmet to learig, hard work, ad perseverace, each of us is recogized by our peers, our patiets, ad our fellow citizes as exemplary pharmacists ad people. Keep up the great work, ad see you i New Orleas at APhA2012! Now is the time for 100 pharmacists to step out of their comfort zoe ad look for ways they ca effectively implemet MTM services. The umber of years that the Joural of the America Pharmacists Associatio has bee published. Rady McDoough, PharmD, MS, CGP, BCPS; MTM Pearls Read more o page 40 Source: JAPhA.org 14 Pharmacy Today february

2 Did You Kow? re you lookig for a ew job or just curious to kow Awhat s available? Visit the APhA Career Coectio at APhA2012 o March 9 12 i New Orleas. Whether it s your first job or a career chage, the APhA Career Coectio assists attedees with their employmet search. Visit with compaies to discover pharmacy recruitmet opportuities ad details about advaced educatio programs. Visit for more iformatio. APhA s Olie Career Ceter at is also a resource for job seekers or those lookig for qualified pharmacy professioals. At APhA2012 you ca meet with Career Ceter staff i their booth located i the Mai Street area. They ca assist with olie résumé etry, cadidate profiles, ad job searches. Register ow to atted APhA2012 do t miss this great opportuity to erich your career. Media Vibe PhA s Exteral Commuicatios Depart- A met received 11 media iquiries i the past moth. The media advisors have respoded to iquiries that iclude the followig: Carig.com: Medicatio mistakes that eve smart ad careful caregivers make NBC ivillage: Medicie cabiet makeover NBC ivillage: Vitamis ad supplemets: Fact versus fictio FDA Week: Third class of drugs betwee prescriptio ad OTC Marie Claire: Best use of medicatios to improve sleep Natio s Health: Tred of more pharmacists admiisterig more iflueza vacciatios ad the beefit o overall immuizatio rates A Miute With Kelly Rea Cliical Services Director, Buford Road Pharmacy Richmod, VA APhA member sice 2005 I first became iterested i pharmacy after I job shadowed a local pharmacist durig my sophomore year of high school. He was a active member i local, state, ad atioal orgaizatios. He was, ad still is, a ispiratio to me ad I hope to make a lastig impressio i our professio just as he did. I joied APhA because iitially, I wated to lear more about the professio that I had chose as a career. I have cotiued to stay active with APhA because membership has provided me with may opportuities to expad my career by meetig pharmacists from all over the coutry, participatig i research projects, becomig certified i specific diseases, ad attedig meetigs to lear fresh, ew ideas for my practice. My most memorable APhA experieces were attedig the aual meetigs each year. It s truly a amazig experiece gettig together with thousads of other pharmacists ad educatig ad ecouragig each other to advace our professio. The advice I give to pharmacists who wat to follow my career path is stay ivolved i your local, state, ad atioal orgaizatios. They are ivaluable resources to both you ad the advacemet of your career. Love what you do ad show your patiets the care ad compassio they deserve. 16 Pharmacy Today february

3 Members Oly obert Osterhaus, BSPharm, will R receive a hoorary doctor of sciece degree from the Uiversity of Iowa at the school s commecemet ceremoies i May. Osterhaus ows Osterhaus-Syder Pharmacy i Maquoketa, IA. O the Go PhA leaders ad staff travel throughout the coutry to promote the professio ad be the voice for pharmacy. Fol- A lowig is a sample of leaders ad members work i December. APhA Executive Vice Presidet ad CEO Tom Meigha, BSPharm, MBA, ScD (Ho); Seior Vice Presidet of Professioal Affairs Ae Burs, BSPharm; ad Director of Corporate Alliaces Liz Cardello, BSPharm, visited the ew Walgrees Well Experiece Pharmacy (see full story o page 50). Wheelig, IL Have some ews to share? Did you recetly lad a ew job, get promoted, or wi a award? Sed a brief otig the specifics (who, what, whe, ad where) to pt@aphaet.org for possible iclusio i a future issue. Photos (.tif or.jpeg) are also welcome. Etries may be edited for space. Percetage of persos aged 18 years ad older who were curret cigarette smokers,* by state Burs ad Meigha atteded the Commuity Pharmacy Accreditatio Steerig Committee Meetig at the headquarters of the Natioal Associatio of Boards of Pharmacy. Executive Vice Presidet ad CEO of the Natioal Alliace of State Pharmacy Associatios Rebecca Sead, BSPharm, atteded represetig the Alliace. Chicago Meigha atteded the Critical Issues Related to Regulatio of Follow-o Biologics coferece, hosted by the Uiversity of Marylad School of Pharmacy s Ceter o Drugs ad Public Policy. Washigto, DC APhA Seior Vice Presidet of Govermet Affairs Bria Gallagher, BSPharm, JD, preseted oe of the keyote addresses at the aual meetig of the America Society for Pharmacy Law. He preseted the issues relevat to pharmacy that are i play i Cogress ad i the regulatory agecies i Washigto, DC. St. Petersburg, FL *Persos who reported smokig at least 100 cigarettes durig their lifetime ad who, at the time of the survey, reported smokig cigarettes every day or some days. Source: CDC. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillace System, Uited States, 2010 See APhA policy o sale of tobacco products i pharmacies at Releases2&Template=/CM/CotetDisplay.cfm&CotetID= PHARMACY TODAY FEBRUARY

4 hubopolicyadadvocacy Regulatory scorecard: What is happeig ow! Request for iformatio receivig public commets: PCORI: Commets due by March 15 o the Patiet-Cetered Outcomes Research Istitute (PCORI) draft Natioal Priorities for Research ad iitial Research Ageda to guide fudig for comparative cliical effectiveess research Requests for iformatio ad applicatios for which the commet period has closed: HHS: Guidace documet proposig that essetial health beefits be defied by states withi federal guidelies rather tha havig oe atioal stadard CMS: Applicatios for a idepedece at home demostratio program uder the Affordable Care Act that icludes pharmacists o primary care teams i the home settig FDA: Iterim fial rule requirig maufacturers that are the oly producer of certai critical drugs to report all iterruptios i maufacturig of products FDA: Proposed estimate related to Medicatio Guide (MedGuide) distributio regulatios Etc.: FDA: A meetig o the role of aloxoe i opioid overdose fatality prevetio will be held April 12. For a complete list of all the issues ad regulatios beig moitored ad acted o by APhA, access the Govermet Affairs sectio of pharmacist.com. Also, prit readers of the Hub should kow that hyperliks to pharmacist.com, Federal Register otices, ad other useful websites ca be accessed i the olie versio of the Hub, located at Recogizig pharmacists as providers or may years, pharmacy has sought F provider status uder Medicare Part B, which would allow pharmacists to bill for their services directly. Some eterprisig pharmacists are takig the dream closer to reality. O November 15, a Arizoa pharmacist lauched a olie petitio for provider status that already has garered more tha 15,000 sigatures. O Jauary 9, the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Office of the Chief Pharmacist issued a report advocatig for provider status that the U.S. Surgeo Geeral backed i a letter of support. Pharmacists are a essetial part of the health care team, VADM Regia M. Bejami, MD, MBA, the U.S. Surgeo Geeral, told Pharmacy Today i a iterview o Jauary 10. They are a professio of their ow. They have uique thigs that they brig to the table. Ad I hope that it will be recogized that pharmacy is that essetial part of the health care team. Goal is paymet Provider status is the recogitio of pharmacists as Medicare Part B health care providers uder the Social Security Act. I their preset form, the Part B provisios of the Social Security Act recogize physicias ad certai other health professioals as health care providers, icludig physicia assistats, urse practitioers, cliical urse specialists, certified registered urse aesthetists, certified urse midwives, cliical social workers, cliical psychologists, ad registered dietitias or utritio professioals. Chagig the law to iclude pharmacists would literally take a act of Cogress. While the goal is clear ad uambiguous, accomplishig it is ot. The chief impedimet is the potetial cost to the govermet. Durig the health care reform debate, pharmacy was told that policy makers would t grat provider status because that would cost too much. Other obstacles are that Cogress is movig away from the Part B paradigm of fee for service, that other professios may be cocered about competitio from pharmacy, ad that credetialig of pharmacists may be part of the picture. APhA kows the importace of pharmacists gettig compesated for providig patiet care services, said Bria Gallagher, BSPharm, JD, APhA Seior Vice Presidet of Govermet Affairs. Eve if oe wated to provide these services for free, oe ca t stay i operatio without icome. We recogize the importace of pursuig multiple aveues for paymet, oe of which is Part B provider status. We re goig to pursue paymet o a umber of differet frots ad from a variety of sources. Covicig Cogress Gallagher explaied that pharmacy has to resolve certai issues to the satisfactio of Cogress. Eve though others have [provider status], ad it s ot right that pharmacists do t have it, we still have a very difficult battle. This is a differet day ad time tha whe others received provider status, Gallagher said. We ve got to deal with the preset Cogress ad the preset challegig fiacial situatio that the coutry fids itself i. Cogress, right ow, is ot prepared to grat provider status to pharmacists or ayoe else util some questios ca be aswered, like how much will it cost or how much moey will it save. Pharmacists ca save the system a lot of moey, Gallagher cotiued, but we ve got to make a compellig eough case to covice Cogress that provider status is the right thig to do. 20 Pharmacy Today february

5 hubopolicyadadvocacy With other pharmacy orgaizatios, ad withi APhA, the discussios are ow about gettig cosesus about how to put together a workable strategy with some chace to be successful. Brigig awareess A petitio o Chage.org ( apha.us/zzlheo) is circulatig to recogize pharmacists as health care providers uder the Social Security Act. Callig provider status a critical safety issue, the petitio amassed 15,000 sigatures o Recogitio of pharmacists as health care providers is appropriate. Jauary 18, firig up battle-scarred pharmacists with its mometum ad hope. The petitio also is receivig sigatures from physicias, urses, ad most importat, patiets. The orgaizer of the petitio is Sadra Leal, PharmD, CDE, Director of Cliical Pharmacy at El Rio Health Ceter i Tucso, AZ. Leal built buzz for her petitio at atioal pharmacy meetigs, passig out buttos ad busiess cards with QR codes. She will cotiue to promote the petitio at the 2012 APhA Aual Meetig & Expositio o March 9 12 i New Orleas. People are surprised that pharmacists are ot health care providers uder the Social Security Act, Leal said. What I have leared from this process is that a basic media campaig to iform ad educate people is key to makig this happe. The petitio addresses Presidet Barack Obama, the U.S. Seate, U.S. House of Represetatives, Secretary of the U.S. Departmet of Health ad Huma Services, CMS Admiistrator, Arizoa goveror, Arizoa State Seate, ad Arizoa State House. After surpassig her origial pla of reachig 10,000 sigatures, Leal ow wats to cotiue to brig awareess. She wats to cotiue gatherig letters of support from admiistrators, patiets, physicias, ad other health professioals. Ad she wats to ecourage sigers of the petitio to meet with their policy makers at the state ad atioal levels to get the discussio goig. I a set Jauary 19 to all the sigers, Leal also suggested that people could supply their represetatives with a copy of the Surgeo Geeral s letter of support for the USPHS report. I ll keep [the petitio] ope util we get eough sigatures to make a differece, Leal told Today. Support from a high place The USPHS report, Improvig Patiet ad Health System Outcomes through Advaced Pharmacy Practice: A Report to the U.S. Surgeo Geeral 2011, couted amog its objectives that of obtaiig advocacy from the Surgeo Geeral to recogize pharmacists as health care providers. Years i developmet, this ew update to a previously submitted report built a 95-page case with evidece-based data that objectively illustrate improved health care delivery through the use of pharmacist-delivered patiet care ad a substatial amout of published literature from peer-reviewed jourals, i the words of the report. I respose, Bejami, the Surgeo Geeral, released a letter supportig the report s discussio of patiet care services that pharmacists are curretly providig through collaborative practice agreemets i 43 states ad i federal health care settigs. Bejami wrote that, based o the report, recogitio of pharmacists as health care providers, cliicias, ad a essetial part of the health care team is appropriate give the level of care they provide i may health care settigs. Compesatio models, reflective of the rage of care provided by pharmacists, are eeded to sustai these patietorieted, quality improvemet services, Bejami s letter cotiued. This may require further evolutio of legislative or policy laguage ad additioal paymet reform cosideratios. The USPHS report ad Surgeo Geeral s letter are available o pharmacist.com at Lead author RADM Scott Giberso, BSPharm, PhC, NCPS-PP, MPH, USPHS, hopes pharmacy will take the thorough report ad the Surgeo Geeral s positive respose to Cogress. He is Chief Professioal Officer, Pharmacy; Director, Commissioed Corps Persoel ad Readiess; ad U.S. Assistat Surgeo Geeral. I believe the pharmacy commuity ca utilize this as the fial cosolidated documet, which demostrates a already existig ad successful health care delivery model, to adjust legislatio o provider status, Giberso told Today. He added that collaborative practice agreemets that remai less detailed allow pharmacists to deliver better patiet care that is eeded. I am cofidet the professio is ready to move forward, Giberso said. Diaa Yap HUB ON POLICY AND ADVOCACY defiig the structure of a reformed America provides readers with practical iformatio health care system. Sed a message to o political issues importat to pharmacy, APhA at pt@aphaet.org to offer suggestios APhA s Govermet Affairs activities that are for future cotet, ask questios, make commets, keepig pharmacists importat role frot or request permissio to use or copy ad ceter with decisio makers, ad simple this issue by the America Pharmacists ways for pharmacists to follow ad ifluece Associatio. All rights reserved. Prited i FEBRUARY 2012 PHARMACY TODAY 21 the federal, state, ad local processes that are U.S.A. NOVEMBER 2011 PHARMACY TODAY 21

6 December 23 commets to IFDA o drug shortages, APhA ecouraged the agecy to help develop better guidace ad safe use resources for health care providers facig shortages. The Associatio also recommeded that FDA cosider ways of icreasig commuicatio amog stakeholders of practical iformatio o shortages (e.g., what is available ad what is ot, the extet of the shortages, whe the drugs will be available agai), ad coordiate its shortage efforts with other FDA iitiatives such as safe use ad supply chai itegrity. These ideas built o actio steps described i a October 31 FDA report, A Review of FDA s Approach to Medical Product Shortages. FDA issued the report the same day that Presidet Barack Obama siged a executive order to address shortages, ad as Cogress cosiders shortages-related legislatio. Associatio members have told APhA of more situatios i hospital ad commuity settigs where pharmacists are workig Shortages Report A Miute With Amy Lugo Cliical Pharmacy Specialist at the Departmet of Defese Pharmacoecoomic Ceter Sa Atoio, TX APhA member sice 1998 with prescribers to idetify alterative medicatio therapies due to drug shortages, accordig to the APhA commets. Health care providers may ot be as familiar with the alterative therapies or may be pressured to ratio available shortage medicatios. APhA also ecouraged FDA to work with stakeholders, CMS, ad other payers to explore ecoomic factors ad other ew ways of curbig drug shortages. I related ews, the U.S. Govermet Accoutability Office released a report i November, FDA s Ability to Respod Should Be Stregtheed, that recommeded that Cogress cosider establishig a requiremet for maufacturers to report to FDA ay chages that could affect the supply of their drugs ad that FDA ehace its ability to respod to drug shortages by developig a iformatio system to maage data about shortages. Also, o December 15, the U.S. Seate Committee o Health, Educatio, Labor, ad Pesios held a hearig, Prescriptio Drug Shortages: Examiig a Public Health Cocer ad Potetial Solutios. APhA supports the cotiued work of FDA ( Drugs/DrugSafety/DrugShortages/default.htm) ad the America Society of Health-System Pharmacists ( to provide iformatio o shortages. I my curret job I work i maaged care ad help determie the TRICARE formulary ad pharmacy beefit. I joied APhA whe I was a first-year studet pharmacist because I really wated to get ivolved i my professio, ot just at my local school but o a atioal level. APhA has allowed me to etwork with colleagues across the coutry, taught me how to advocate for our professio with members of Cogress, ad allowed me to use my skills as a teacher ad educator. My most memorable APhA experiece was attedig my first Remigto Dier where Mary Ae Koda-Kimble was hoored with the Remigto Hoor Medal. I remember beig i awe of Mary Ae ad the icredible impact she has had o so may lives over the course of her career. I remember hopig that I ca have just a piky s worth of impact o my studets, colleagues, ad the professio. Professioally, I wat to ispire, ecourage, ad metor. Leavig a lastig positive impressio o others is very importat. Ispirig others to do somethig they ever thought they could do or helpig them achieve what they thought was uattaiable provides a great sese of accomplishmet. People would be surprised to kow that I ejoy shootig ad have a cocealed weapos permit. I m also a techology geek ad love ew gadgets ad I m a college football jukie. Go Gators! 22 Pharmacy Today february

7 A room for wome of visio CPE Moitor: Your atioal trascript verlookig the Licol Memorial o the Natioal Mall, O the Wome i Pharmacy Coferece Room recogizes the outstadig cotributios of all trailblazers, metors, colleagues, wives, sisters, mothers, ad daughters who paved the way for colleagues i the pharmacy professio. The APhA Foudatio has established the Wome i Pharmacy Coferece Room withi the APhA Headquarters buildig i Washigto, DC. Oe pharmacist who participated i the project was Theresa Tolle, BSPharm, FAPhA, of Sebastia, FL. She said, I support the Wome i Pharmacy Coferece Room because it will celebrate the wome who have made a sigificat impact o the professio of pharmacy. We hoor all those who have goe before us to blaze the trail ad those who are curretly makig a differece for the pharmacy professio! Have you had a particular metor who supported your career? As part of the Wome i Pharmacy project, the APhA Foudatio is gatherig stories of wome who helped other wome get where they are today. I the comig moths, the Foudatio will feature some of these stories o its website. Share your story ad lear more about gettig ivolved at www. aphafoudatio.org. 99,628 The umber of aual emergecy hospitalizatios attributable to drug adverse effects i 5,077 patiets aged 65 years ad older. Source: Buditz DL, et al. Emergecy hospitalizatios for adverse drug evets i older Americas. N Egl J Med. 2011;365: ould t it be great to keep track of all your cotiuig W pharmacy educatio (CPE) credits i oe place ad ot have documets stashed i three differet corers of your home or office? CPE Moitor will ow do that for you. This ew system is a collaborative effort by the Natioal Associatio of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) ad the Accreditatio Coucil for Pharmacy Educatio (ACPE) ad provides secure electroic maiteace ad trackig of all ACPE-accredited CPE iformatio. CPE Moitor elimiates the eed to keep paper files of credit or CPE activities. It also offers state boards of pharmacy the opportuity to autheticate the CPE uits completed by their licesees electroically, rather tha requirig pharmacists ad pharmacy techicias to submit proof of completio statemets upo request or for radom audits. Pharmacists ad pharmacy techicias will receive a uique NABP ID umber after creatig their NABP e-profile. They will eed to give this ID umber to all CPE providers. If pharmacists ad techicias do ot create a profile, this iformatio will ot be collected o their behalf to report to the licesig board. Soud complicated? APhA is here to help, startig with step-by-step istructios ad scree shots to help pharmacists ad techicias i settig up their NABP e-profile ad obtaiig their NABP ID umber. The Associatio is set up to accept NABP ID umbers ad to trasfer all CPE data automatically to the CPE Moitor o the 15th of every moth. At some poit i 2012, participatio i the CPE Moitor will become madatory, although o deadlie has yet bee set. To fid out all about CPE Moitor ad how to take ext steps toward your NABP ID, go to TM 24 Pharmacy Today february

8 The Udruggist: Book Oe: A Tale of Moder Apothecary ad Welless the book The Udruggist, author ad pharmacist Larry Frieders, BSPharm, discusses his view of the evolutio of pharmacy I ad icreased use of medicatios as treatmet for most ailmets. Frieders premise is that the public relies too heavily o pharmaceutical solutios for may problems whe other treatmet optios may be available. He gives examples of specific problems, such as uriary icotiece ad sore throats, ad discusses alterative therapies to treat these issues. The book is cocise, easy to read, ad brigs up valid poits about health care that should be a part of public discourse. Throughout the book, Frieders tackles specific problems ad discusses alteratives that he shares with his patiets; for example, chapter oe of sectio two focuses o uriary cotrol ad the urge to uriate with beig prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). The author offers four steps for patiets to take to gai greater cotrol through proper hydratio, saw palmetto supplemetatio, applicatio of progesteroe cream, ad Kegel exercises. He claims that except i extremely rare situatios, ay ma ca do these four, simple thigs to regai cotrol. This statemet implies that most me should be able to hadle their BPH symptoms o their ow ad avoid takig medicatios. Whe he discusses the use of progesteroe cream, he icludes a lik to his website ad compoudig busiess. This tactic trasforms the book from a isightful discussio about alterative therapies to a advertisemet comparable to late-ight ifomercials. The followig chapters follow a similar patter, with the author makig valid poits that are itriguig but the losig credibility as he tries to sell a product or self-promote his busiess. All health professioals should research ad cosider alteratives therapies for patiets that may be safer or more effective tha the pharmaceutical therapy. However, it is extremely importat ot to throw out our kowledge of the scietific method ad start recommedig therapies without proper research supportig their use. Our patiets trust that pharmacists are medicatio therapy experts ad uderstad a evidece-based approach to treatmet. It is troublig to read a book writte by by oe of our ow that is full of widespread self-promotio ad claims ot based o research. Joey Mattigly, PharmD, MBA Pharmacy Maager, Kroger Prospect, KY Pharmacists afield i Afghaista COL Laurel Fields, PharmD, USA, Pharmacy Cosultat ad Executive Officer, 44th Medical Brigade, Bagram; Maj Derrick Uderhill, PharmD, USAF, Kadahar Regioal Military Hospital, Kadahar; LT Michael Terrezi, PharmD, USN, ad LT Joatha Shea, PharmD, USN, ; Multi-Natioal Medical Uit Role-3 Hospital, Kadahar; ad CAPT Sea O Brie, PharmD, USA, 10th Moutai Divisio Pharmacist, Kadahar. 50% Percetage of adults who will die from smokig-related causes if they cotiue to smoke. Source: CDC Vital Sigs, September Not a APhA member? Joi today at 26 Pharmacy Today february

9 PSSC promotig the Safety Net at APhA2012 he Health Resources ad Services Admiistratio (HRSA) T Pharmacy Services Support Ceter (PSSC) is sposorig the Safety Net track to educate attedees ad broade awareess of the 340B Drug Pricig Program. The Safety Net track features sessios for pharmacists iterested i helpig uderserved ad uderisured patiets, maagig high-cost patiets, ad fidig resources available to 340B stakeholders. Itroductio to the 340B Drug Pricig Program (Friday, March 9) This sessio is desiged for 340B stakeholders icludig represetatives of providers ad programs, pharmaceutical maufacturers, wholesalers, state Medicaid agecies, ad others who are ew or eed a refresher to the 340B program. These two sessios iclude a overview of the program, coverig such topics as 340B eligibility ad erollmet procedures; cotract pharmacy guidelies; geeral 340B compliace issues, especially with respect to diversio ad Medicaid billig; techical assistace tools, resources ad services; ad the Prime Vedor Program (PVP). Improvig Patiet Safety ad Health Outcomes i the Patiet-Cetered Medical Home (Saturday, March 10) The primary care medical home, also referred to as the patiet-cetered medical home (PCMH), is a promisig model for trasformig the orgaizatio ad delivery of primary care. This sessio will review the vast opportuities that pharmacists have i the PCMH model to improve patiet safety ad improve health outcomes to alig with atioal quality measures. The role of quality improvemet orgaizatios will be explaied to strategize how pharmacists ca work with these etity types to better positio themselves as vital members of the health care team. Peer-to-Peer Pearls of 340B: Operatioal Success Stories (Saturday, March 10) The 340B Peer-to-Peer Program coects high-performig sites with those that desire to improve ad gives tagible examples of exemplary pharmacy practices. This two-part sessio describes the opportuity for recogitio of leadig practice sites i the safety et. Lear ways to improve pharmacy operatios ad how becomig a 340B Peer-to-Peer Leadig Practice site ca beefit your practice. The secod hour of the sessio allows attedees to idetify the most pressig 340B issues affectig their practice ad to seek iput from experts ad colleagues. Wiig Strategies for 340B Cotract Pharmacy ad Medicaid Parterships (Suday, March 11) The 340B program cotiues to add eligible etities, accelerated by the Affordable Care Act. These etities are lookig for ways to parter with pharmacies ad state Medicaid programs to improve fiacial performace i a challegig reimbursemet eviromet ad to improve patiet care. A pael of 340B parters will share kowledge ad expertise, empowerig attedees to egage i partership developmet for their practice sites. Patiet-Cetered Care: Maagig High- Risk, High-Cost Patiets (Suday, March 11) Lear how commuity-based teams across the atio are maagig high-risk patiets with the implemetatio of cliical pharmacy services. Hear about HRSA s Patiet Safety ad Cliical Pharmacy Services Collaborative (PSPC) ad lear how curretly erolled PSPC teams maage these patiets ad get real results. Curret teams will participate i this sessio to discuss their cliical itervetios ad demostrate their results. Project CHANCE The APhA Academy of Studet Pharmacists (APhA ASP)/ PSSC award, reamed Project CHANCE (Chapters Helpig Advocate for Needy Commuities Everywhere) will be preseted at the APhA ASP Geeral Sessio durig APhA2012. Up to five APhA ASP chapters will be awarded $10,000 for outstadig proposals for a project that promotes delivery of comprehesive pharmacy services withi a 340B-eligible etity. Wiers from the previous years will preset posters of their projects at the studet pharmacist poster sessio. PSSC i the exhibitio Stop by booth 111 i the exhibit hall to talk to PSSC staff ad represetatives from the 340B PVP. For more iformatio o ay of the activities listed above, cotact PSSC at or PSSC@aphaet.org. Crystal Garer Crystal Garer is Educatio Maager for PSSC. Cotributig writer 28 Pharmacy Today february