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Just a friendly reminder that we need your help in identifying excellent candidates for the various APhA awards that will be presented at the 2012 APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition in New Orleans next March. Information on the specific awards and how to submit a nomination is available at www.pharmacist.com. Most awards have a deadline for submitting nominations of September 15. For questions, please contact Brian Lawson or Meredith Nelson. Don’t delay—nominate today!
It is one thing for me to say that I think staff did an outstanding job of planning and executing the 2011 APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition (see my earlier blog post), with all its many orbits. But I think comments from our attendees carry greater weight. So I’m sharing some feedback I’ve received about APhA2011:
Tom,
The recent APhA Annual Conference exceeded my expectations. Here are three reasons why …
Brian Gallagher/health care reform—Brian Gallagher’s health care reform presentation was outstanding. It was clear, concise, and relevant. We need to expand the audience.
Clayton Christensen—Very thought provoking. Clayton was an excellent selection as a keynote speaker.
FDA and HRSA [Health Resources and Services Administration] attendees—I appreciated the opportunity to meet and hear the FDA and HRSA attendees. Washington, DC, is driving health care change.
Please extend my appreciation to all the APhA employees who made this year’s meeting a success. Thank you.
[An APhA corporate partner]
I’m sitting in my office a couple of days after our 2011 APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition in Seattle. Several staff are already working on APhA2012 in New Orleans so we can capture all our learnings from this year and make 2012 even better. Meanwhile, I’m processing what just happened in the various “orbits” that attract pharmacists and technicians in the first place.
On the front end of the meeting, our Board of Trustees met, as did the APhA Foundation board to conduct the business of the Association. We said thanks to several retiring board members, including Ed Hamilton, Valerie Prince, Kelly Goode, Dan Kennedy, and Steven Zona, and we bestowed Honorary Membership on Roger Browning, my retiring Chief Financial Officer. On Thursday, APhA and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) also conducted a sellout exam prep course for pharmacists interested in sitting for the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) Ambulatory Care exam this fall. It was exciting to see over 250 very smart-looking folks as they finished the day. We’re off to a very good start with this new specialty. The next exam prep courses are at the American College of Clinical Pharmacy meeting in April and at the ASHP meeting in June.
Unfortunately, I only got 1 credit hour for continuing education (CE), so I didn’t capture a lot of firsthand insight into the 80-plus hours of educational programming conducted, but I did hear from hundreds of pharmacists, including my Israeli friends Ilan and Sami, who thought the sessions they attended were the best ever.
In my humble opinion, the General Sessions were awesome! Clayton Christensen, author of The Innovator’s Prescription (a “must read”) did a marvelous job describing opportunities for pharmacists as disruptive innovators in health care. He and his wife were kind enough to visit with a group of us before and after his Opening General Session presentation. From that interaction, I’m sure he “gets” the upside of pharmacists’ inclusion in any medication-use discussion. We’re just beginning our relationship with this well-respected thought leader, but it promises to be a productive one. Likewise, Carolyn Clancy’s presentation at our Second General Session was equally thought provoking, and described a very supportive attitude about roles in primary care for pharmacists. As head of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Clancy is a visible and influential policy maker, so her alignment with our goals is critical. She acknowledged something I’ve been saying for 2 years—that we have a “medication-use crisis” in this country right now as the system throws millions of meds at patients with precious little help to optimize their use. Pharmacists have a role to play in any reformed health care system.
The APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA–ASP) had a major set of orbits going as well. The APhA–ASP General Opening Session, awards presentations, and the student House of Delegates were all highly productive. Our profession is in good hands with the new generation of leaders and practitioners.
In addition to the business and CE orbits at our Annual Meeting, the policy-making machine was working well too. At our final House of Delegates session on Monday, we swore in our new leaders, including Marialice Bennett as President, Jenelle Sobotka as President-elect, Brad Tice as Speaker of the House, Michael Hogue, Academy of Pharmacy Practice & Management President, Sara McElroy as ASP President, and Jonathan Marquess, Trustee. The House voted to support APhA’s leadership in the development of practice standards. We’ve been looking at this prospect for over 3 years, so it was good to see the House so engaged. While the policy passed, there were those who weren’t sure we needed standards. We’ll be sure that as the process unfolds, all voices will be heard and considered carefully.
The social and recognition (awards) orbits were in full swing. We attended dozens of receptions where I was able to reconnect with hundreds of old friends. The Remington Medal Honoree was Paul Lofholm from California, a pharmacist leader for decades who broke important ground on several fronts, including CE for pharmacists and compounding. Our Honorary President this year is Hazel Pipkin from Texas, who blazed her own trail for women in pharmacy as a pharmacy owner who became a professor so she could preach what she practiced in a way that inspired many to assume leadership roles not only in Texas but throughout the United States. You can read about all the honorees by going to www.pharmacist.com/awards.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the political action orbit was outstanding! Each of the advocacy presentations the Government Affairs staff and policy makers conducted throughout the program was well attended by enthusiastic crowds. And the Political Leadership Breakfast was sold out with more than 400 attendees. We honored stellar leaders of our advocacy efforts—all exemplary pharmacists who not only make their own voices heard, but inspire others to get involved as well.
You might gather from this blog post that I thought we had a good meeting, and you would be right. Even after the multiple late-night receptions each night, the weeklong succession of “three-breakfast mornings” was invigorating! I’m so pleased with our staff and leadership, who all worked flawlessly as a team to execute a year’s worth of planning. We came back with dozens, if not hundreds, of follow-up action items and a better sense of where our profession is going. Judging by the way thousands have embraced the provision of pharmacists’ services as the practice model of the future, I think we’re on the right trajectory. If you weren’t there this year, you missed a good one!
Today, I’m really proud of our House of Delegates and our members, who on Monday strategically passed a policy that our profession should lead to development of standards for pharmacies. With profession-developed standards, we can further demonstrate and document for the public and payers the high quality of the work we do. If we work together as a profession, pharmacy can play a major, relevant role in medical homes, accountable care organizations, and all the other structures under the banner of integrated and personalized care.
The APhA House of Delegates took a bold leadership step, and there will undoubtedly be detractors. I truly hope the House vote does not silence the detractors, but instead encourages a “yes, if” attitude rather than a “no, but…” approach. Those of you who do not agree with the House action must participate in shaping our future work. Tactically speaking, I understand it may be hard to justify changes (and the resultant expense) to one’s individual practice to meet standards as yet undefined. Yet, our House looked strategically at the long term benefits of such a move.
When we can say (and document) that our pharmacies are patient centered and meeting the highest standards for safety and quality it will be hard for anyone to deny the benefit. This strategic move is needed if we are to participate fully as respected and recognized members of an integrated care team.
APhA’s leadership will examine the approved policy carefully in the coming months, and will develop a fair and open process for gathering input from chain and independent pharmacists and owners. We’ll work with payers and consumers to understand their needs. We’ll examine previous work in this arena and will use that work to inform and guide us. You will have ample opportunities to be heard along the way.
As I wrote in my March editorial in Pharmacy Today, standards can provide those using and paying for our services with predictable and meaningful outcomes. While regulations such as licensure maintain a minimum or “floor” on quality, standards create ways to achieve and document quality. Today, most areas of pharmacy practice meet standards beyond regulatory requirements. I’ve observed the development of those created by our profession, and I’ve participated in accreditation as an owner of a practice that meets Joint Commission standards. Informed by these experiences and study of others, I’m convinced that a profession that structures its own standards fares well, and our patients will ultimately benefit.
There’s no doubt that standards can be burdensome and accreditation can be expensive. To be beneficial, the process must be constructed and implemented in a manner that clearly documents quality and is neither unreasonably burdensome nor expensive to maintain. To be sure the parties planning community pharmacy accreditation or other programs stay realistic and affordable, the profession must not only be engaged, but we must lead. The vote in our House of Delegates ensures that APhA has the policy backing we need to assume that leadership role in current and future pharmacy accreditation initiatives. Let’s begin!
You can waste a lot of good golfing weather waiting for it to rain. Instead, carry a rain suit and umbrella.
What does this sports analogy have to do with pharmacy?
Today, we are pursuing projects to build recognition of and support for pharmacists’ services within Medicare, Medicaid, and evolving team-based integrated care and transitions of care models driven by implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As you have likely seen, however, there is a lot of media attention around congressional and court activity to potentially defund or repeal ACA.
Yes, we know that ACA’s Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the 2009 stimulus package). We know that the CMS Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, which already has funds, may be in jeopardy of being defunded (it might rain). But doing nothing because it might rain is not an option.
Be assured that we are assessing the full picture. We do not have all our advocacy efforts focused on Medicare and the role that pharmacists can play in implementing ACA’s provisions and the continued improvements to Medicare Part D medication therapy management (MTM). Rather, we are also doing everything possible to stimulate the growth of MTM within Medicaid programs, private and commercial insurers, managed care, entrepreneurs, community practice, and other entities looking to improve patients’ medication use, address drug-related problems, and reduce overall health care costs. As evidence, check out the new MTM Digest soon to be published and released at the 2011 APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition in Seattle.
Yes, we know it could rain. But let’s play through.
Every year, the APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA–ASP) reaches new heights. We’re seeing a growing number of new practitioners maintain their enthusiasm after graduation. Our profession is on an awesome trajectory!
As evidence, I invite you to watch this YouTube video.
I hope you enjoyed the video as much as I did. We all hope you join us at the 2011 APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition in Seattle this March.
I just bought a bunch of tickets to give student pharmacists the opportunity to attend our Political Leadership Breakfast at the 2011 APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition in Seattle. It felt really good, and will feel even better when I see them there, on the front end of a politically active career.
Are you politically active? Are you looking for a way to support pharmacy’s initiatives or to mentor a student? I’m trying to set a good example, and I hope others will join in. On the morning of Monday, March 28, at the Washington State Convention Center in Ballroom 6B, we will host a Political Leadership Breakfast where attendees can network with other politically active pharmacists and hear from important policy strategists.
This year, our Government Affairs team has made it easy. You can now purchase tickets for the breakfast at www.pharmacist.com/ga/PLB.
If you have questions, ping Allison Wiley on the Government Affairs team at awiley@aphanet.org or at 202-429-7521. We look forward to seeing you in Seattle!
Recently, I received an e-mail from a new practitioner whose family I’ve known a long time. This young pharmacist was frank enough to share the following observation with me:
About ways to improve my chain pharmacy, I think one of the main components that is missing is professional connection. I think a lot of pharmacists like me feel isolated out in the field, with no one to bounce ideas off of except your partner. Maybe my chain could hold continuing education programs or meetings within the market to discuss pharmacy issues so that the pharmacist has the opportunity to build relationships with other pharmacists who do the same job. I think that hospital pharmacists get this already because they are in daily contact with health care staff, whereas the community pharmacist usually works solo.
Here’s what I shared with this new practitioner:
I hear your comments about feeling isolated as aspirational—you aren’t complaining, but rather aspiring to find a better way, and you’ve got some ideas about how that could happen. Your view is your own, and you are entitled to it. As you consider how you might lead change within your organization, acknowledge other perspectives too. It makes your own opinions more influential. But you don’t need a title to lead. With the right approach, and if others feel the same way, you can make a difference.
Also, when I was in chain practice, and for that matter when I practiced by myself in my Medicine Shoppe, I found my connection to my peers when I was in practice first through my local (Huntington) association, the Southern West Virginia Pharmacists Association, through the West Virginia Pharmacists Association, and through volunteer groups. From there, I got involved in APhA and have really enjoyed all aspects of our profession through those venues.
As I’ve thought more about my response to this new practitioner, I might have also shared that I recognize how busy folks are just living—raising a family, having a life outside of work, paying new bills or a mortgage, or helping aging parents. I hear from many that their employer doesn’t give them time off or pay their way to meetings. Clearly, in my role today, I’m a fan of employer-supported professional activities. However, there is room for another way of thinking. I submit that not having employer support is not a reason to drop out of or not participate in the profession. Every networking opportunity can teach things that may help in a career or may help in the care of patients. Local association meetings, state association meetings, and our own APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition are tremendous ways to learn (or teach) how others’ experiences can help you grow as a professional. There are also tremendous networking opportunities on the Internet. You can find many of them at Pharmacist.com.
I’ve also seen major growth in the professional opportunities available to pharmacists, often through their employers, for certificate programs or other ways to differentiate oneself in an increasingly competitive job market. We at APhA try to do our part to create those opportunities. While it’s not always possible or available, we get industry support for these programs when we can to help pharmacists lower their costs of participation.
On Tuesday of this week, I had the privilege of participating in the Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy White Coat Ceremony in Pittsburgh. I gave a speech to 2010 first professional year pharmacy students and their families. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to feed off their energy, and hopefully I helped Dean [Dr. J. Douglas] Bricker and his team at Duquesne launch a new generation of professionals in the right way. During a faculty and leadership dinner, I also gained some insights into programs that the school is engaged in. I invited some folks to write to me about their experiences so I could share them. I hope they took me seriously.
Finally, I also looked this week at the lineup of educational sessions being planned for the 2011 APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition in Seattle this coming March. Thanks to the many volunteers who have worked with our staff to develop what I can only describe as a phenomenal array of opportunities. I truly hope you will join us as you continue on your own professional path. You won’t be sorry.