Pennsylvania November/December 2015 z Volume 96 z Issue 6
The official publication of the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association
Annual Conference Highlights
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PPA Board of Directors PPA Officers: President: Donna Hazel, R.Ph President-Elect: Eric Pusey, R.Ph, CDE First Vice President: Nick Leon, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP Immediate Past President: Eric R. Esterbrook, RPh
Our Vision
Pennsylvania pharmacists will be recognized, engaged, and fairly compensated as health-care providers.
Regional Directors: Central: Ellen Nastase, RPh Northeast: Tom Franko, PharmD, BCACP Northwest: Nickolas Kernich, PharmD Southeast: Mark Lawson, PharmD, MBA Southwest: Lauren Simko, PharmD Practice Directors: Academia: Roshni Patel, PharmD Chain Pharmacists: Cory Krebs, R.Ph. Community Independent Pharmacists/LTC: Martin J. Kendra, R.Ph and Chuck Kray, R.Ph Health System Pharmacists: Rick Demers, R.Ph, MS FASHP Manage Care/Industry/Government/Other: Julene Vidic, RPh Associates: Todd Eury Student Pharmacists: East: Hamad Juboori West: Madison Adams PPA Office Staff: CEO: Patricia A. Epple, CAE pepple@papharmacists.com Ext. 3 Program Manager: Sara Powers spowers@papharmacists.com Ext. 2 Government Relations Manager: Donald L. Smith, III Ext. 6 dsmith@papharmacists.com Communications Coordinator: Alison Bowker Ext. 1 abowker@papharmacists.com Membership Coordinator: Danielle Adams dadams@papharmacists.com Ext. 5 PPCN Executive Manager: Brandon Antinopoulos ppcn@papharmacists.com Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association (PPA) 508 North Third Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101 (717) 234-6151 Fax: (717) 236-1618 www.papharmacists.com ppa@papharmacists.com Pennsylvania Pharmacist (ISSN 0031-4633) is the official publication of the Pennsylvania Pharmaceutical Association d/b/a Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association and is published every other month, six times per year. Annual subscription is $100 for nonmembers; for members it is included in the annual dues. Editorial information should be addressed to the PPA address listed above. Peer reviewed articles accepted according to the stated guidelines available from PPA. Editorial Board: Hershey S. Bell, M.D.,M.S.,FAAFP, Chair Kim Coley Stephanie Smith Cooney, PharmD. Bernard Graham, PhD. Brian S. Plager, RPh., MBA Associate Editor: Alison Bowker Editor/Manager: Pat Epple Designed and Published by: Graphtech Sarah DiCello, Publications Manager (717) 238-5751 x118, sarah@thinkgraphtech.com For Advertising Information: Alexis Kierce, Account Manager (717) 238-5751 x119, alexis@thinkgraphtech.com Pharmacist State Board of Pharmacy Members: Gayle A. Cotchen, PharmD., MBA – Institutional Rob Frankil – Independent Community Janet Hart – Chain Community Theresa M. Talbott, R.Ph. – Chain Community Mark J. Zilner, R.Ph. – Independent Community Board of Pharmacy Meeting Dates: November 17, 2015 December 15, 2015 January 12, 2016 February 16, 2016 On the Cover: Scenes from the Annual Conference 2015. Attend the conference this year and join in the fun! DISCLAIMER — The opinions of the authors reflected in this publication do not necessarily reflect PPA’s official position on an issue.
Our Mission
The Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association, as the leading voice of pharmacy, promotes the profession through advocacy, education, and communication to enhance patient care and public health.
Pennsylvania MAGAZINE
Departments
President’s Message................................................................................... 3 Calendar of Events..................................................................................... 5 Campus Checkup.................................................................................... 22 New Members.......................................................................................... 40 Member News.......................................................................................... 44
Features Time to start holiday shopping with AmazonSmile!..................................... 6 Member Profile: Gregory Shaeffer, MBA, RPh, FASHP, FASCP................... 8 Pharmacy Spotlight: It’s a Family Affair at Paoli Pharmacy......................... 10 PPA Legislator Profile: Seth Grove............................................................ 15 Student Profile: Laura Marie Brickett......................................................... 16 Student Profile: Rachael Richter............................................................... 20 PPA Legislator Profile: Sheryl M. Delozier.................................................. 25
Association News Legislative Victory!.................................................................................... 19 Affiliated County News.............................................................................. 19 Pharmacists: Your Best Bet for Patient Care Annual Conference Recap.................................................................... 28 Remembering Ida May Englehart.............................................................. 39 GRASP Program Returns......................................................................... 43
Industry News Pharmacists Should Make Sure Prescription Bag Contents Are Checked at Point of Sale to Prevent Errors........................................... 12 Pharmacists in Allegheny County Take on Life Saving Role....................... 18 Medical Assistance Providers Must Take Action To Revalidate Their Enrollment Information................................................................. 26
ADVERTISERS INDEX American Pharmacy Services Corporation 17 AmerisourceBergen 14 Buy-Sellapharmacy.com 11 Cardinal Health 7 Hayslip & Zost 21 Independent Pharmacy Buying Group 42 The Jefferson School of Pharmacy Back Cover The Keystone Pharmacy Purchasing Alliance 27
Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company 2 PRS Pharmacy Services Inside Front Cover R.J. Hedges & Associates 9 Rochester Drug Company Inside Back Cover S&L Solutions LLC 5 University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy 4 Value Drug Company 13
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Departments
Donna Hazel, R.Ph PPA President 2015–2016
Message from the President
T
hank you all who attended the PPA Annual Conference at the Holiday Inn HarrisburgHershey in Grantville, PA last month. It surely was a JACKPOT win for all that attended. Thank you to the conference committee of “Pharmacists: The Best Bet for Patient Care” for their planning, on-site efforts, and an overall
Care, Interprofessional Health Care Teams and even Digital Health 101, “we will embrace and advocate changes that improve patient care.” This statement is taken from the “Oath of a Pharmacist” and it is clear that our annual conference CEs will help us be advocates in achieving positive change for the care of our patients. I want to again congratulate all It is clear that our annual conference the PPA Award CEs will help us be advocates in winners, you are all extremely achieving positive change for the deserving. As care of our patients. a reminder to everyone, it is job well done on a great theme never too late to start preparing and amazing weekend. Our nominations for next year’s conference numbers just keep winners. I know I already have a increasing, so I encourage all of few of you in mind… you to continue spreading the Looking forward, please word about PPA and our fantastic remember to mark your conferences! calendars for PPA’s 2016 MidWith all the great CEs we had Year Conference, “The Future of in topics such as Patient Care, Pharmacy: Connect, Collaborate, Medication Management in Patient Care”. This will be held January
28 through 31, 2016 at the Best Western Premier the Central Hotel and Conference Center, Harrisburg. I know this is already on my calendar as I would not miss the yearly PPA OTC Student Contest. I wonder which school will win in 2016? Be sure to join us to find out! It is also a great opportunity to see so many student’s posters and different projects they are working on as our students are truly “The Future of Pharmacy.” I continue to be impressed by all of the student excitement and involvement! Please plan on attending as it is always a great time to reconnect with colleagues across the state. With the holidays fast approaching, it is the time of year to reflect on family and friends and be thankful for all that we have. I wish you and your family a happy holiday season!
Donna Hazel, R.Ph PPA President 2015–2016 z
Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015 I 3
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Departments Thank You to Our Corporate Partners These companies support PPA activities throughout the year.
DIAMOND LEVEL
Calendar of Events November
19
PPA Board of Directors Meeting
December 6–10
ASHP Mid-Year Clinical Meeting — New Orleans, LA
January
PLATINUM LEVEL
28–31
PPA Mid-Year Conference, The Future of Pharmacy: Connect, Collaborate, Care — Harrisburg, PA
29
Foundation Board of Directors Meeting
31
PPA Board of Directors Meeting
March
GOLD LEVEL
4–7
5
APhA Annual Meeting — Baltimore, MD PA Reception @APhA Annual Meeting
April
SILVER LEVEL
BRONZE LEVEL
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19–22
AMCP Annual Meeting — San Francisco, CA
May
14–17
19
NABP Annual Meeting — San Diego, CA PPA Board of Directors Meeting
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Features
Time to start holiday shopping with AmazonSmile! Did you know that Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the PPA Educational Foundation? All you need to do is: Step One: Go to Smile.Amazon.com. Step Two: Choose PPA Educational Foundation as your charity. Step Three: Whenever you are shopping, start at Smile.Amazon.com! PPA Educational Foundation will receive donations, with no additional cost to you. Please take advantage of this easy way to do your holiday shopping and support your Foundation! You can do this with your everyday purchases too! You can help PPA’s Educational Foundation just by buying the stuff you need every day, using Smile.Amazon.com. z
Happy Holidays from the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association 6 I Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015
You are
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© 2013 Cardinal Health. All rights reserved. CARDINAL HEALTH, the Cardinal Health LOGO and ESSENTIAL TO CARE are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cardinal Health. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. Lit. No. 1RI12495 (09/2013)
Features
Member Profile Gregory Shaeffer MBA, RPh, FASHP, FASCP By Matthew Veli, PharmD Canidate 2016, Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy Job Title: Vice President at Pharmacy Healthcare Solutions Education: Temple 1974 Member since: 4/17/2003
What made you choose the profession of pharmacy? My pursue of pharmacy originated with my family dentist actually. It was he who suggested looking into pharmacy because it was a blooming profession. I then went and got a job as a pharmacy technician with the independent pharmacy in my area. Originally,
my goals were to own my own independent pharmacy one day, but I ended up taking a different path toward hospital pharmacy. What made you decide to join PPA? Would you recommend other pharmacists join PPA, and if so, why? My goal through PPA is to get a unified voice of all areas of pharmacy. From the beginning I joined in order to connect PSHP with PPA. Then as I started moving up from a member of a committee to eventually the President of PPA I aimed toward getting more hospital pharmacists involved. I wanted to stress that PPA is not just for retail pharmacists, that it is important to have a unified pharmacist voice through all the practice settings. Who taught you the most about pharmacy and what did they teach you? There were so many people that have helped teach me about pharmacy, especially since I have worked as a pharmacist at 12 different places. If I had to pick two of them I would say first was Terry Frye, the owner of then Wyatt Pharmacy. That is where I first really learned about how to help customers and form strong patient relationships.
The second person would be Peter Doukas, the current Dean of Pharmacy at Temple University. I first met Peter when he was my professor at Temple University, and now he has been the Dean for 20 years. Peter has such a humanistic personality that has taught me how to care so strongly for the patient. His entire mindset is to do what is in the best interest of mankind on a global scale, and that is something I think we can all benefit from learning. When you are not working, where can you be found? 3 places. Golf, trout fishing, or spending time at the pool with my grandkids. During your career, what do you believe to be the single most significant advancement in pharmacy? And where would you like to see the profession go in 10 years? The direction that pharmacy is heading from a product focus to a patient focus is the overall achievement that is most significant during my lifetime. Two of these advancements that really helped this happen were the implementation of pharmacists giving immunizations and the MTM opportunities that Medicare Continued on page 41
8 I Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015
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Features
Pharmacy Spotlight It’s a Family Affair at Paoli Pharmacy By Katrina Lynn, Wilkes University PharmD Candidate, 2015 Paoli Pharmacy is home to your “good neighbor pharmacists.” Paoli Pharmacy, as well as Gateway Pharmacy and Custom Prescriptions in Phoenixville, are co-owned by two families; the Katra’s and Szilagyi’s. Paoli Pharmacy can be traced back to the 1960’s in Paoli, Pennsylvania. The Katra’s bought the store, a little over thirty years ago, with the Szilagyi family in 1984. While the name has not been changed, three years ago, the location changed from a storefront in a shopping center to a separate building. The pharmacy is located on East Lancaster Avenue, near Route 30, where it is surrounded by other
businesses in the area. Paoli Pharmacy is run by three pharmacists, numerous technicians and associates, and a marketing manager. Nick Katra began working as a pharmacist at Paoli Pharmacy upon graduation from pharmacy school in 2004, but he has been helping out at his family’s business ever since he could do anything productive for them. For the Katra’s Paoli Pharmacy is truly a family affair. Both Nick’s parents are pharmacists and so is his sister. Furthermore, all of the employees are part of the family also; one pharmacist has been working for them for 40 years, before Nick was born! Paoli pharmacy serves a large patient population, filling about 250 to 300 prescriptions a day. The pharmacy offers numerous
10 I Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015
services, including vaccinations, servicing assisted living homes, delivery services, medication synchronization programs, and compliance packaging. There are two options offered for compliance packaging, first, individual blister packs for each medication, or the medications broken up by morning, noon, dinner, night each day, so the patient or caregiver can simply pop out the medications to take at certain times. The customers who choose to take advantage of the compliance packaging offered lots of positive feedback on the service. One of the most unique aspects of this independent pharmacy is on the second floor. This entire floor is dedicated to medical equipment. The equipment is for sale, or it can also be rented. Along with selling and renting, the pharmacy also includes home installation and repairs on damaged equipment. In addition to the traditional pharmacy merchandising, Paoli Pharmacy offers jewelry, candies, scarves, handbags, gloves, cards, and flowers during seasonal times, such as Easter and Mother’s Day. The pharmacy also sells gourmet
Features popcorn which is locally made. Customers say the popcorn is the best they have ever had! The pharmacy is very involved in the community, having billboards at the local football stadiums, participating in charity events at hospitals, and donating to organizations via sponsored advertisements or monetary donations during the Christmas season. Jen, the marketing and business development coordinator schedules other events, such as brown bag events at senior centers, health fairs at the YMCA, Women’s Day fairs, and is active with the local state representatives.
Katra says that the benefits of owning a pharmacy are plentiful. He states that it is nice to be able to follow in the direction you picture for yourself. Katra says it is also rewarding to be able to provide jobs to community members. Since many have worked for them for so long, the continuity is a wonderful benefit. Lastly, getting to know the patients on a personal level is something very special. At a chain pharmacy where a pharmacist works in one store one day and another the next, the pharmacist does not have the opportunity to provide the greatest care possible to
patients. At Paoli Pharmacy, pharmacists truly become patients’ “pharmacist” as well as their friend. They know what is going on in their patients’ lives, where they are going on vacation, their grandchildren’s names. In fact, Katra says he talked frequently with one Phillies fan patient who had never been to Citizens Bank Park. She had been a Phillies fan all her life, so Katra had an extra ticket to a game and asked if she wanted to go. Katra says he does not know if those types of activities go on in other pharmacies. z
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Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015 I 11
Industry News
Pharmacists Should Make Sure Prescription Bag Contents Are Checked at Point of Sale to Prevent Errors ISMP Recommendations for Preventing Wrong Patient Errors in Community Pharmacists Horsham, Pa—Giving a correctly dispensed prescription to the wrong patient is one of the most common mistakes reported to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP)—the Institute believes that it is important for pharmacists to work directly with patients to catch errors. The July issue of the ISMP Medication Safety Alert! Community/Ambulatory Edition describes how mix-ups can happen and provides practical recommendations for reducing the risk. The wrong patient receiving a dispensed prescription can happen for several reasons. In many instances, a patient’s medication is accidentally placed in a bag intended for another patient. Most people pick up their medication and leave the pharmacy without ever opening the bag, missing a key opportunity to catch any mistakes. And many pharmacies do not require staff to open the bag prior to ringing up the sale, so they do not view the prescription with the patient to be sure the intended person is receiving it. Another way a correctly filled prescription can be given to the wrong patient is when pharmacy staff selects the wrong patient’s bag from the will call area. This error can occur if the pharmacist does not ask for a full name and date of birth from the individual picking up the prescription, and there are medications waiting for patients with a similar or the same last name. Using an address to identify patients is not ideal, as people with the same last name often live together and addresses may not be up-to-date in
12 I Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015
computer systems. As one might expect, the consequences of receiving a prescription medication meant for someone else can be serious. Patients could accidentally take a drug contraindicated for their medical condition, misuse the medication received in error, or receive confidential health information about another individual. There are three relatively simple steps that community pharmacies and pharmacists can take to reduce the risk of a patient taking home another patient’s medication by mistake: • Have patients review labels and contents of each prescription container to check that the medication is correct—even if this requires opening the bag. This step alone can cut the risk in half of patients taking home a prescription intended for another patient. If someone else picks up the prescription, the patient should be notified via telephone to open the package at home and check the contents before taking any of the medication. • The pharmacist should always ask the patient to provide their full name and date of birth when picking up prescriptions. This should happen even if the pharmacist is familiar with the patient, and the information should be compared to what is in the pharmacy’s computer system or on the prescription receipt. • The pharmacist should talk to the patient about their medications. The discussion should cover the medication’s purpose, to ensure that the correct medication is being dispensed to the correct patient. z
contact: Tom Stallsmith at 800-252-3786 ext. 270 or tstallsmith@valuedrugco.com for more information
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a full line wholesaler that works for you! Natalie Ryan, PharmD, CSP Pharmacist in Charge
Value Drug Company, a full line wholesaler carrying pharmaceuticals, health-related products and retail shelving items, has been committed to community pharmacy for 80 years. Now servicing both stockholders and non-stockholders. Introducing….Value Specialty Pharmacy. Value Specialty Pharmacy (VSP) is an option for filling patients’ specialty prescriptions without utilizing traditional mail order. As an Authorized VSP Care Site, your patients’ prescription will be adjudicated, filled by VSP and shipped to your pharmacy for convenient patient pick up. Additional programs for our partner members keep them competitive -They are as follows: • Competitive Generic Source Program • Suspicious Order Monitoring (SOM) • Long Term Care eMAR Program • Immunization Program • Authorized 340B Distributor Program
Empowering the Pharmacy of the Future When You Talk, We Listen Your success is our top priority. Which is why when you talk, we listen. We listen to your challenges, so we may stay in constant alignment to your success. We are committed to ensuring independent pharmacies continue to remain a vital source of quality care in your communities. “I want fair reimbursement and to keep people coming into my pharmacy.”
“It’s valuable when someone can analyze data and communicate it in a way that a pharmacy owner like me can appreciate.” “I’m always looking for new ideas, new products and services to help me grow my business.”
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For more information on Good Neighbor Pharmacy, contact your AmerisourceBergen sales associate or email solutions@amerisourcebergen.com.
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Features
PPA Legislator Profile Seth Grove State Representative, R-York Representative Grove is the House Republican Chair of the Pennsylvania Community Pharmacy Caucus. What are the key issues you would like to see addressed this session? First and foremost I would like to see a sensible budget passed that does not saddle the residents of Pennsylvania with enormous tax increases; while appropriately funding core functions of government. I have been a long standing proponent of increasing efficiency and reducing costs in government. Gov. Wolf and I have developed HB 11 which will provide lean government practices in order to build a systematic change in the bureaucracy of state government to ensure we provide better services at lower costs. I have also been a long proponent of alleviating homeowners’ burden of school property taxes. This is a multifaceted problem which must be dealt with cost containment, fixing our antiquated funding formula, and shifting the burden of funding education from property taxes to other taxes, dollar for dollar.
Lastly, making Pennsylvania more business friendly through reducing taxes, improving our business climate through free market principles, and reforming our justice system so Pennsylvania can compete nationally and globally. We have the best and hardest working employees in the world; and we just need to drive business back to Pennsylvania. Tell our members a little about your background and why you are a legislator? I was a legislative staffer, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I got tired of hearing the same problems not get addressed year after year, so when my State Representative decided not to run again, I threw my name in the ring and the rest is history. I have dedicated my career to solving problems, whether they were popular solutions or not. But it is imperative public policy makes moves forward on issues and not accept “this is the way it’s been done” or “it’s too hard of an issue to tackle”. Those ways of thinking have led our state and country to stagnation. There is ALWAYS a solution to every problem, you just need to roll up your sleeves and
work toward finding it. How do you see pharmacy and its role in health care evolving in the in the future? Pharmacists are usually the most accessible profession in health care and interact with the general public the most. This leaves pharmacists in an important position to address many health care concerns. I see the role of the pharmacists expanding in the future as they are the front line of the health care system. Advice for pharmacists about the political process? Stay active and involved. Get to know your local legislators. Keep up to date Continued on page 21
Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015 I 15
Features
Student Profile Laura Marie Brickett By Matthew Veli, PharmD Candidate 2016, Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy
Education & Expected Graduation Year: Duquesne University, PharmD. Candidate 2016 Internships: Wal-Mart Pharmacy Member since: 1/19/2014 Rotations: UPMC Shadyside, Pittsburgh Why did you choose to become involved in PPA? I chose to become involved in PPA after attending legislative day in Harrisburg. I had a great experience, and learned that speaking with your legislators is easier than I thought – not to mention fun! Making connections face-to-face with legislators is one of the most meaningful ways to have an impact on the profession,
because taking time out of your day to educate legislators shows them how much you care about patients and the profession. PPA makes it simple to advocate for the profession and our patients. Would you recommend joining PPA to other students and why? I highly recommend PPA to all student pharmacists, because it unites our voices to advocate for pharmacy practice in Pennsylvania. No matter where your passions lie (community, hospital, etc.), you have a voice with PPA to tell your stories and advocate for your patients. Not only will you make connections with your local legislators, but you will also make connections with fellow pharmacists. I have made so many friends with fellow student pharmacists from other pharmacy schools through PPA, and I look forward to seeing them at various conferences throughout the year. Where do you see yourself in five years? In the next five years I hope to be working at a clinical practice site and teaching at an academic institution after completing a PGY1 and PGY2 residency. I also would love to precept students at my site. I truly appreciate all of the encouragement, wisdom, and
16 I Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015
mentorship that my professors and preceptors have imparted to me over the years. I aspire to be a great mentor and inspirational leader to students so that they too will dream big and believe in their talents and abilities. Furthermore, I will be able to keep my interdisciplinary role on the healthcare team at my site, as well as interact with patients and their families. Additionally, having research projects available will not only aid students in refining their research skills but also contribute to the scientific knowledge base. For these reasons, I feel starting on this career path embodies many of my ideals and beliefs so that I may give back to both the community and the profession. What advice would you give first year pharmacy students? My best advice would be to get involved! Some experiences just simply cannot be learned in the classroom. Joining an organization is a fantastic way to meet other people, gain invaluable practical experience, and contribute your talents to the profession. Firstly, do not feel as if you must join everything to sharpen your CV/ resume. Join the organizations you are passionate about and use your talents to improve the organization, making it better
Features for its members and fostering excellent patient care. Secondly, while I believe involvement in professional pharmacy organizations is paramount, you do not need to limit yourself to just that. The most influential club for me was a service organization, Circle K, which is the collegiate branch of Kiwanis. I had the most personal growth here as I vastly developed my leadership skills, spent countless hours serving the community, helped raise more than $25,000 for charities, and made some of my best friends! Whatever it is that you love to do, just be sure you get out there to do it! Trust me; studying cannot
be your whole life. When you aren’t working where can you be found? When I’m not working, you can probably find me in the kitchen, attempting to stir up something delicious… and healthy. Like most people, food is one of my favorite parts of the day, and I love to cook! However, after taking cardiology in my PY2 year, I found adhering to something like the TLC diet is incredibly difficult. Who can physically eat that much fiber anyhow, besides a rabbit? My golden rule of leadership is never to ask of someone what you wouldn’t first do yourself. Yet, each day we hope that our patients will make these dramatic dietary changes
after a bit of education. How can I ask that of someone when I do not even eat well myself? For these reasons, my cooking revolves around trying to sneak more fruits and vegetables into my diet, experimenting for efficient methods of cooking, and finding healthier alternatives to flavor besides high fat, sugar, or salt contents. By practicing this habits, I am able to pass along my tips and tricks from first-hand experience in order to empower patients to integrate these small, yummy changes too! The best part to eating healthy is getting to treat myself, guilt-free, and having no shame in asking for more sauce with my McNuggets. z
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Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015 I 17
Industry News
Pharmacists in Allegheny County Take on Life Saving Role As many pharmacists know well, opioid overdoses have risen to epidemic proportions across the country and our Commonwealth. In Allegheny County alone, we had over 300 deaths from overdoses last year and the majority involved heroin. For over a year now, the Allegheny County Health Department has worked with the County’s Department of Human Services, Medical Examiner, and Police to prevent overdoses from prescription and illegal opioids, as well as to connect affected individuals to treatment. This spring, the Health Department launched a pharmacist-centered program to decrease the number of fatal overdoses here in our county by making naloxone more widely available. Last year, statewide Good Samaritan Law Act 139 (of 2014) made it possible for more people to administer naloxone without fear of legal consequences. Under the law, anyone who is likely to witness an overdose may administer this drug. That includes first responders like police officers
and fire fighters as well as family members, friends and opioid users themselves. Because the drug requires a prescription, however, doctors and pharmacists have played a critical role in expanding Naloxone use. In May of this year, Health Department Director Dr. Karen Hacker issued a standing order for naloxone, making it available to any Allegheny County pharmacy wishing to participate and dispense this medication. The standing order applies to intranasal and auto-injector forms of the drug. The standing order allows participating pharmacies to provide naloxone to anyone likely to witness an overdose, regardless of their residence or relationship to an opioid user. No proof of eligibility is required. Any pharmacy in Allegheny County can contact the health department and participate. There is no requirement that recipients be County residents. In addition to having a signed copy of the order on site, pharmacists are required to provide an informational pamphlet
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to individuals presenting at the pharmacy and to inform them that their first priority in the event of an overdose is to call 911. Nineteen pharmacies in the County have chosen to participate since the program was launched on May 21st. A number of questions have arisen in program implementation, and the Health Department has tried to make answers to those available via FAQ documents and other outreach materials. In the county, most insurers will cover the naloxone, and all insurers that cover naloxone accept third party billing for the drug. In other words, pharmacists do not need the insurance information of the individual who will be receiving the naloxone, but rather the individual purchasing it. Please visit the Allegheny County Health Department’s web page for more information about the naloxone program, downloadable brochures, and FAQ’s at: http://www.achd.net/ overdoseprevention/ or call the Health Department pharmacy directly at 412 578 8164. z
Association News
Legislative Victory! House Bill 75 passed both the House and Senate and was signed into law by Governor Wolf on October 7, 2015. The bill will require that pharmacies located outside of Pennsylvania who ship, mail or deliver medications and devices to patients into Pennsylvania pursuant to a prescription order register with the Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy biennially. House Bill 75 takes effect as Act 43 of 2015 on December 6, 2015. Please note that regulations may need to be drafted and finalized before House Bill 75 goes into full effect. z
Affiliated County News ACPA Picnic
BMPA Logo
Contributed By Brandon Antinopoulos, PharmD The rain clouds were hovering over Pittsburgh all afternoon, but that didn’t stop the forty five individuals from showing up at Schenley Park for the Annual ACPA Picnic. Everyone came out with smiles on their faces hoping the rain would hold off. ACPA welcomed two guest speakers from the Allegheny County Health Department, Abby Wilson and pharmacist Nancy Caracciolo, to talk to members about the standing order in Allegheny County for naloxone. In May 2015, Dr. Karen Hacker, director of the ACHD, issued a countywide standing order so that any Allegheny County resident could receive naloxone from a participating pharmacy without a prescription. Although the annual Pitt vs. Duquesne kickball game was rained out, winners for the evening were immediate past-president, Karen Pater, and Pitt and Duquesne students, Ashley Mittereder and Carley Malivuk, who all took home a pair of Pittsburgh Pirates tickets for the September 29th game against the St. Louis Cardinals. z
Contributed By Jan Kitzen The BucksMont Pharmacists Association updated their logo this summer. The association had that logo then put on a banner to be displayed at their meetings and other events. They also made business cards for some of their officers. z
B M PA BucksMont PharmacistsAssociation
Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015 I 19
Features
Student Profile Rachael Richter By Lindsey Wenger, PharmD Candidate 2016, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy
Education and Expected Graduation Year: Duquesne University Pharm.D. Candidate, 2017 Internships: Medicine Shoppe (New Castle, PA); Indian Health Services (Pinon, AZ) Member since: January 2014 Why did you choose to study pharmacy? In high school I did not know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I knew I liked science and I was always thinking about getting a medical or nursing degree. One day my physics teacher mentioned pharmacy and I started to explore the option. It seemed like a good
fit for me, so I decided to pursue a doctorate in pharmacy. How did you hear about PPA? I took interest in PPA due to some upperclassmen involving me in organization meetings and pushing me to participate in GRASP weekend and Legislative Day. These events showed me the importance of the organization and since then I have been highly involved. Why did you choose to become involved in PPA? The best advocates for pharmacy are the pharmacists and pharmacy students. We know the level of education that we have and how to utilize it best. By passing this knowledge to our patients, peers, and legislators, we can better our career paths for both our patients and ourselves. Would you recommend joining PPA to other students and why? Absolutely! I believe that it is important to take a leadership role in advocating for our profession. By taking part in pharmacy legislation, we can expand our role to overall benefit our patients. What is your favorite experience you have had since studying pharmacy? My favorite experiences since studying pharmacy have occurred
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at my internships. Working at an internship both test my knowledge as well as reassures me that I do remember things from past semesters! Where do you see yourself in five years? This is a hard one because it seems like every day I learn about a new career path for pharmacists and they all interest me. My new strategy is deciding what I don’t want to be doing in five years instead of limiting myself to one idea. Wherever I end up in five years, I hope to have a positive effect on my patients and play a leading role in managing their disease states. What advice would you give first year pharmacy students? Keep up the hard work! The transition from undergrad to pharmacy school is a tough one, but you will adjust. Don’t be afraid to talk to upperclassmen, they have all been through it (proof that you can make it too!), and they can give you some great advice. Also, join clubs and be an active member. This is a great way to learn about future career paths, network with professionals, and make some great friends. When you aren’t working where can you be found? During the academic year, you can probably find me at my desk
The Future of Pharmacy: The Future of Pharmacy: Connect, Collaborate, Care Connect, Collaborate, Care Join us in Harrisburg for our 2016 Mid-Year Join us in Harrisburg for our 2016 Mid-Year Conference Conference January 28—31 January 28—31 Best Western Premiere The Central Hotel & Best WesternCenter Premiere The Central Hotel & Conference Conference Center
For more information visit www.papharmacists.com/ For more information visit www.papharmacists.com/ page=2016midyear page=2016midyear studying. During the summer I like to spend time with family and friends plus do a little traveling. And if I am missing from those two settings, I am probably in bed catching up on Netflix or sleep! z
The Future of Pharmacy: The Future of Pharmacy: Connect, Collaborate, Care Connect, Collaborate, Care
PPA Legislator Profile
Continued from page 15
with current events. Every health care profession is directly affected by decisions made by legislative bodies in every state and in Washington. Staying active and engaged allows legislators to know more about your profession, which in turn helps Tony Hayslip, ABR/AREP Join better us indecisions Harrisburg for our Mid-Year us make which affect your2016713-829-7570 Join us in Harrisburg for our 2016 Mid-Year profession. Tony@RxBrokerage.com Conference What do you do for relaxation or Conference enjoyment? A full time legislator, if done January 28—31 correctly, leaves little time for hobbies or JanuaryI thoroughly 28—31 love football, all relaxation. Best Western Premiere The Central Hotel & college sports, shooting, and most imporBest Western Premiere The Central Hotel & tantly spending timeCenter with my family. Public Conference service is a sacrifice and usually time with Conference Center the For families is the biggest sacrifice. z more information visit www.papharmacists.com/
For more information visit www.papharmacists.com/ page=2016midyear page=2016midyear
Ernie Zost, RPH 727-415-3659 Ernie@RxBrokerage.com
Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015 I 21
Departments
Campus Checkup Duquesne University Contributed by: Michaela Palermo Duquesne University PPA Chapter had an active September. The exec board started off the semester by attending the ACPA Picnic held at Schenley Park. Unfortunately, the weather was not in our favor and the kickball game between the Pitt and Duquesne students had to be postponed. It was great to hear about the upcoming events in ACPA. Next, we planned a Membership Drive which took place at the end of September. Members of the exec board are making announcements in classes promoting PPA. So far, we have had about 17 new members join, and we are still recruiting members. On September 17th, we had our first general meeting with a great turnout of 50 students. This is a
drastic increase in attendance from last semester. At the first meeting, we discussed the general overview of PPA and promoted membership once again. During the meeting, we elected a new PPA alternative Delegate, Olivia Erickson. Additionally, we discussed some upcoming events during the meeting. On September 24th we created Naloxone kits. The next upcoming event is American Pharmacists Month Awareness in Market Square where we will be sharing a table with an organization whose focus is substance abuse education and awareness. We also decided to have an educational poster about the new Naloxone law. The poster will include information about the law, as well as resources. z
Jefferson College Contributed by: Matthew McGuire The PPA chapter at Jefferson College of Pharmacy is focused on long term goals including creating policy for a better tomorrow and increasing membership to foster diversity and embracing alternative perspectives while providing opportunities to mold our future professionals. In order to increase PPA membership as a whole, we are encouraging our Student Pharmacists to participate in the PPA Member-GetA-Member Contest because a stronger PPA will help us make a difference as Student Pharmacists today and future Pharmacists tomorrow. We are looking forward to holding the OTC on campus competition
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in the coming months and making an impact in our community by participating in events with APhA such as Healthy Palooza in October. Healthy Palooza is an event that allows us to collaborate with other healthcare professionals in a central location. We will increase awareness by providing important health information and educational activities that communicate details in a manner that will help the general public retain the information. Throughout the next few months we will continue to plan and host events so our Student Pharmacist members are able to gain experience that will help them develop their professional character. z
LECOM Contributed by: Victoria Matteson LECOM PPA has been hard at work recruiting new members to join PPA in conjunction with APhA. Students were told about PPA and the benefits of joining during their orientation days. Students were encouraged to join soon in order to attend the Annual Conference in October. A new first year pharmacy student co-chair, Sally Habusta, was chosen to assist the director of PPA at LECOM. Congrats Sally! APhA and PPA have already started participating in events on and off campus. Such events included selling flowers to pharmacy and medical students at the White Coat Ceremonies, an officer retreat offcampus, and participating in the local Heart Walk. At the end of August, LECOM medical, dental, and
pharmacy students volunteered at Celebrate Erie to work with children and to give safety demonstrations at learning stations for Safe Kids Erie. Over 1,000 participants visited the stations in the three days of Celebrate Erie. APhA and PPA intend to plan various events coming up in October to celebrate Pharmacists’ Month. We look forward to continuing to recruit new members as well as give back to our community in Erie! z
Philadelphia College of Pharmacy Contributed by: Ada Wu, Communications Ambassador At the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, the school year has started and members are excited to be back. After the PCP-PPA E-Board convened for their first semester meeting, they decided to form a Facebook Group, “The Philadelphia College of Pharmacy
Chapter of PPA,” where they will showcase their events, provide PCP students with PPA’s organizational activity, and create posts with pharmacy facts and data. Our local chapter of PPA also conducted their membership drive and received numerous volunteers for their next Katy’s Kids event in October. z
University of Pittsburgh Contributed by Laura Yost, Communications Ambassador The first two weeks of the semester were exciting for the University of Pittsburgh PPA chapter. We kicked off the year with a back-to-school barbeque picnic. It was a perfect opportunity for us to get students excited about the mission of PPA and join the organization. Our membership ambassador, Marissa Badzik, has done a great job recruiting new
members and we are eager to see how our chapter will grow this year! The first general body meeting of the year was a success, welcoming over 100 students including returning members as well as potential new members. The Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association was described in detail, as well as all the fun events Pitt PPA participates in every year. We were thankful for the chance to personally engage with so many new pharmacy students during the very first week of
Continued on page 24
Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015 I 23
Departments school. We look forward to hosting our next chapter meeting in October. The student chapters from the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University were invited to attend the Allegheny County Pharmacists Association annual picnic in Schenley Park. We had an educational session on new naloxone dispensing laws followed by dinner and dessert. It was an excellent opportunity for us to network with pharmacists in the Pittsburgh area, as well as students from the Duquesne chapter. Unfortunately the weather did not allow us to challenge the reigning kickball champions and Duquesne University will hold the title for another year. The ACPA picnic is always one of Pitt’s favorite events and we would like to thank Maria Osborne, Brandon Antinopoulos, and all the members of ACPA for including us in the festivities! Coming soon is the highly anticipated fall leadership retreat hosted by the Pitt APhA-ASP and Phi Lambda Sigma chapters. Every organization within the school of pharmacy attends this event to build leadership experience and plan Dean’s Theme Projects. Each year our APhA-ASP chapter selects a
“Dean’s Theme” that each of our organizations are encouraged to promote. This year the Dean’s Theme is Operation Immunization and our PPA chapter is excited to participate in events that will increase public awareness and education on immunizations. Also this semester, we are planning Katy’s Kids events with local elementary schools as well as activities for American Pharmacists Month. We look forward to a busy, exciting semester and wish everyone a successful year! z
Temple University Contributed by: Jennifer Thi Nguyen To start off the new school year PPA among other organizations such as PSHP, APhA, and ASCP held a Welcome Back BBQ to welcome new students, provide information about PPA, and encourage membership. We held our first general body meeting deemed, “Pizza and Policy” last week in conjunction with SPAN of APhA. At the meeting we had the chance to introduce PPA and opened the floor to students and their ideas of what potential policies we may present at the APhA Mid-year regional meeting. We touched up on the PPA conference and APhA’s MRM highly encouraging students to take advantage of the great opportunity that both conferences provide. z
Continued on page 26
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Features
PPA Legislator Profile Rep. Sheryl M. Delozier 88th Legislative District What are the key issues you would like to see addressed this session? Right now, our key focus is passing a balanced and responsible budget that funds the core functions of state government without burdening taxpayers with higher taxes. We are also in dire need of reforms to our public pension systems, which are currently unfunded to the tune of $53 billion. Additionally, I was a member of the task force in charge of finding a compromise on medical cannabis legislation and I look forward to the introduction of that bill. I would also like to see movement on two bills I introduced—one to improve the restitution process in Pennsylvania and another that helps victims of domestic violence by dealing with Protection From Abuse orders and gun ownership. Tell our members a little about your background and why you are a legislator? I was elected to the House of Representatives in 2008, but have been involved in different facets of state government for many years. I worked under the administrations of Gov. Tom Ridge and Gov. Mark
Schweiker, where my focus was on cost-cutting practices, and eliminating duplication in the agencies overseen by the governor. Just prior to my election, I served as an advisor to a commissioner of the Public Utility Commission where I addressed public policy on water, transportation and consumer issues. I have always enjoyed public policy. Now, as a legislator, I get to stay involved in policy while learning something new every day. I enjoy meeting people and hearing their stories, and using those experiences to create laws that make positive change. How do you see pharmacy and its role in health care evolving in the in the future? People trust their neighborhood pharmacist. Of all health professionals, pharmacists have the most comprehensive education and training in the use of medicines for the prevention and treatment of disease. With an evolving health care industry, I think we will begin to see health care providers and pharmacists work together more closely to help patients make better use of their medications and achieve
optimal results. Health care consumers will also benefit from pharmacists being authorized to administer more medications and vaccinations. We were able to take a step in that direction with the enactment of a new state law allowing pharmacists to offer flu vaccines to children ages 9 and older, with parental permission. I was proud to work with Rep. Seth Grove to get that bill through the legislative process. Advice for pharmacists about the political process? I encourage all citizens to stay engaged and informed about Continued on page 41
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Industry News
Medical Assistance Providers Must Take Action To Revalidate Their Enrollment Information In accordance with the federal Affordable Care Act, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) must re-validate all providers at least every five years; therefore, DHS is requesting providers that enrolled on or before March 25,
2011, to submit their enrollment applications now. Providers will need to revalidate their enrollment information, for every service location, by completing a new enrollment application to meet the March 24, 2016, deadline. DHS is anticipating a high
volume of applications and in order to ensure that your application is processed timely, please submit your revalidation application as soon as possible. This will prevent any interruption in your participation with DHS or our partnered managed care plans. Continued on page 43
Campus Checkup Continued from page 24
Wilkes University Contributed by Kristen Lopatofsky The semester has been off to a great start for the Wilkes University chapter! We kicked off the year with our fall membership drive. Chapter officers, Jennifer Smith, Anthony Fanucci, and Christian Giovannini, recruited new members during a club fair at our P1 Orientation. Ali Bowker traveled to Wilkes for our university’s Club Day to help us recruit new members. Thanks, Ali!
We also hosted a Mocktail Party with the Wilkes APhA-ASP chapter for over 50 students. We have a busy and exciting semester ahead! We are planning a t-shirt sale to benefit PharmPAC again this year. We were in the audience of the Today Show in New York City on October 1st wearing our white coats and advocating for pharmacy with the Wilkes APhA-ASP chapter to promote American Pharmacists
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Month. We are also in the process of planning Katy’s Kids activities at local daycare centers. Finally, we volunteered at the first annual Volunteers in Medicine walk in Wilkes-Barre on October 31st. The Volunteers in Medicine clinic is a free clinic in Wilkes-Barre that we have partnered with in the past. We will also be presenting information on proper medication disposal and vaccinations at this event. z
Association News
Pharmacists: Your Best Bet for Patient Care Holiday Inn Harrisburg-Hershey, Grantville, PA Thank you to everyone who joined us in Grantville from October 1 – 4 for Pharmacists: Your Best Bet for Patient Care. Patients aren’t ones to gamble when it comes to their health and wellbeing so being able to bet on pharmacists is very important to them. More than 450 people attended some part of the four day conference. For additional photos from the conference, please visit PPA’s website and Facebook page. z
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Residency Showcase: PPA held their Annual Residency Showcase on Saturday afternoon with an overwhelming number of residency programs looking for potential residents! This year’s showcase featured 50 programs from Pennsylvania and the surrounding states. We would like to thank the following programs for attending this year’s showcase: • • • • • • • •
Abington Memorial Hospital Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center Duquesne University Geisinger Medical Center Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center Hartzell’s Pharmacy/Wilkes University Hunterdon Medical Center Johns Hopkins Home Care Group-Outpatient Pharmacy • Johns Hopkins Hospital • Lancaster General Health • Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC • Meritus Medical Center PGY-1 Residency, Hagerstown, MD
• Moses Taylor Hospital • OptionCare Infusion Services • Penn Presbyterian Medical Center PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency • Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center • Pharmaceutical Industry and Education Fellowship • Program at Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at Usciences • Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, University of the Sciences with Cooper University Health System (PGY1) • Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital • Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program • Saint Joseph’s Medical Center PGY1 • Summit Health - PGY1 • UMES/ Apple Discount Drugs Community Residency • University of Pittsburgh Community Pharmacy Residency Program • UPMC Presbyterian PGY1 Pharmacy Residency • UPMC Shadyside (PGY1) z
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For more information on how you can make a difference, http://www.papharmacists.com/?page=FoundationInfo
Sarah Krahe Dombrowski, PharmD, BCACP Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice LECOM School of Pharmacy PPA Educational Foundation Board member and contributor
Association News
Achieving Independence Competition
Through the Foundation, I am supporting grants, student programs, and fostering the future of our profession. This is MY way of making a difference - join us and support your profession and your philanthropy - the “PPA Educational Foundation.”
This year, five schools of pharmacy participated in Achieving Independence Competition. The teams that participated were, University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University, LECOM, Wilkes and Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. Thank you to all the schools who participated and congratulations to the 2015 winning team, University of Pittsburgh!! z
“We are in exciting times as pharmacists as we embark on a future as recognized healthcare providers. It is therefore our responsibility to educate ourselves and our students on best practices and cultivate innovation. The PPA Education Foundation has played a key role in nurturing my own professional growth as a student, resident and now practitioner. As I begin my career as a pharmacist and educator, I choose to support the Foundation to pave the way for future pharmacists and advance pharmacy practice in Pennsylvania.”
My Profession...My Practice...My Philanthropy Advancing Patient Care
Educational Foundation Educational Foundation Advancing Patient Care
My Profession...My Practice...My Philanthropy “We are in exciting times as pharmacists as we embark on a future as recognized healthcare providers. It is therefore our responsibility to educate ourselves and our students on best practices and cultivate innovation. The PPA Education Foundation has played a key role in nurturing my own professional growth as a student, resident and now practitioner. As I begin my career as a pharmacist and educator, I choose to support the Foundation to pave the way for future pharmacists and advance pharmacy practice in Pennsylvania.” Through the Foundation, I am supporting grants, student programs, and fostering the future of our profession. This is MY way of making a difference - join us and support your profession and your philanthropy - the “PPA Educational Foundation.” Sarah Krahe Dombrowski, PharmD, BCACP Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice LECOM School of Pharmacy PPA Educational Foundation Board member and contributor For more information on how you can make a difference, http://www.papharmacists.com/?page=FoundationInfo
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Exhibit Hall: Thank you to the companies who exhibited with us this year! Allegheny County Pharmacists Association Alpine Health American Regent AmerisourceBergen Ateb, Inc. Biocodex-USA BucksMont Pharmacists Association (BMPA) Cardinal Health Chattem - A Sanofi Company Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy Fresenuis Kabi USA, LLC H.L. Coshatt Company, Inc. HD Smith Health Business Systems Independent Pharmacy Buying Group
Johnson & Johnson, Lifescan Keystone Purchasing Buying Group Kinray Mass Mutual Financial Group McKesson Merck Merck (Primary Care) Miami-Luken, Inc. Nipro Diagnostics, Inc. Novo Nordisk Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association Educational Foundation Pfizer Vaccines Pharmacists Mutual Companies Pharmacy Franchisees and Owners Association PharmPAC PioneerRx Pharmacy Software
PPCN Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA) PRS Pharmacy Services QS1 R.J. Hedges & Associates Rite Aid Rochester Drug Cooperative S&L Solutions Sanofi US SGGServices LLC (RxRedi) Silvergate Pharmaceuticals Temple University School of Pharmacy Teva Respiratory Tri-State Distribution University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy Value Drug Company Walgreens Wilkes University z
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Association News Special Thanks to our Conference Sponsors Diamond Level Conference Sponsors: Keystone Pharmacy Purchasing Alliance, Inc. Kinray Rite Aid Pharmacy Soda Break Sponsor: NACDS
Saturday Breakfast: Rite Aid Pharmacy Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Solutions Companies, LifeScan Sunday Breakfast: Teva Respiratory
Thank you also to…. RDC’s coordination of the golftee sponsorships and golf gift, Rx Systems for providing the themed note pads for the conference, and S & L Solutions, LLC for sponsoring the lanyards. z
Rite of Roses: We extend our deepest sympathy to the families, friends, and business associates of these members. Their contributions to the profession of pharmacy and the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association will be forever etched on our memory to not be forgotten.
In Loving Memory Of… Armond Angelucci, a 1961 graduate of PCP and owned Vincks Pharmacy for 40 years with his wife in Norristown, PA. Bill Fisher, a former board member. Hoaward Garett, a long-time active PPA member, Foundation Board Member, and a recruiter for CVS. Jay M. Godshall, a 1959 graduate of the Temple University School of Pharmacy, who owned and operated the former Godshall Pharmacy in Perkasie from 1968 until retiring in 1999. Paul Hiller, a Temple grad, active in Luzerne County Pharmacists and in establishing Kappa Psi’s Pocono Graduate chapter and became Kappa Psi’s highest national officer – grand regent. Dorathy “Dot” McAlanis, was the owner with her husband George of two Dauphin County pharmacies. Dot managed Dal-Hern Pharmacy. Frequently seen at PPA Conferences, Dot had been active in several PPA Committees and particularly in the Capital Area Pharmacists Association. Tom Mattei, September 2015, graduate of and former Associate Dean and later faculty at Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy and involved in many community programs. Tony Mortelliti, a 1951 graduate of PCP and Past President of the USciences Alumni Association serving from 1981-1983 and on USciences Board of Trustees. Tony was also very involved with the Delaware County Pharmacists Association. Robin Wilmont, a long-time employee with RDC and loyal pharmacy supporter. z
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Golf Outing The PPA Annual Golf Outing benefiting PharmPAC and the Educational Foundation took place at the Colonial Golf & Tennis part of The Clubs at Colonial Ridge in Harrisburg on Friday October 2, 2015. Thank you to all of the golfers who participated and to all of our Golf Tee Sponsors! Special thanks to RDC for their coordination of the golf tee sponsorships!
First Place L to R: Scott Miskovsky, Larry Doud, Keven Tazazewski, and Al Emmans
Congratulations to the three foursomes who received prizes for placing first, second, and last in this year’s gold outing. First place with a score of 64 went to Larry Doud, Al Emmans, Kevin Tazazewski, and Scott Miskovsky! Shooting a 65 and coming in second place, Chuck Kray, Rob Frankil, Steve Connell, and Rick Demers! Last place with a score of 78, Pat Epple, Dave Epple, Bob Kayden, and Coleen Kayden. Congratulations to Mike Dovidio our winner of the $190 50/50 drawing! Congratulations Scott Miskovsky for hitting a hole in one at #17! Congratulations to the following golfers for winning the individual prizes:
Second Place L to R: Rob Frankil, Chuck Kray, Rick Demers, and Steve Connell
Closest to pin #7 and winner of Pharmacists Mutual Putter: Darren Silbaugh
Closest to the pin #17: Scott Miskovsky
Men’s longest drive #18 and straightest drive #2: Bob Veach
Longest putt #3: Paul Granger
Women’s longest drive #11: Michelle Musheno
Longest putt #13: Scott Himler
Thank you to our sponsor golfers for sponsoring our three student golfers Zack Hicks, Mike Dovidio, and Anthony Possanza. z
Individual Winners L to R: Bob Veach, Darrin Silbaugh, Paul Granger, Scott Himler, Michelle Musheno, and Scott Miskovsky
Last Place L to R: Dave Epple, Pat Epple, Colleen Kayden, and Bob Kayden
Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015 I 33
Association News
Leadership and Awards Reception & Dinner The 2015 Award Winners are: Tom Mattei: Bowl of Hygeia Award Sponsored by the APhA Foundation, NASPA and Boehringer Ingelheim Tom Mattei was a 1970 graduate of Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy. Tom began his career as a clinical pharmacist at Mercy Hospital and moved his way up to other management position at The Mercy Hospital before going back to his alma mater where he was appointed as Associate Dean of Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy. He was primarily responsible for the development of the School of Pharmacy Center for Pharmacy Services, a university sponsored community pharmacy which has received a $225,000 grant from McKesson. He was involved in community-based programs and helping the underserved communities of Pittsburgh. In 2012, he received the Community Appreciation Integrity Award for his support to the Bethlehem Haven, a homeless shelter for women. He also volunteered as a coach for the Rosslyn Farms Soccer team and on the advisory board of multiple organizations and churches throughout the Pittsburgh area.
Jamie McConaha: Excellence in Innovation Award Sponsored by Upsher-Smith Laboratories A 2007 graduate of Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy, Jamie McConaha has implemented many services such as, Day 1 Therapy Counseling, Pediatric Callbacks, Aisle Talks, Immunization clinics, and other services for 24 board-certified physicians across 16 practice locations. She has also developed a transition-of-care service while assisting many practice sites in fulfilling their accreditation requirements. She maintains and delivers certifications to pharmacists so that they can provide better patient outcomes. This includes programs for diabetes, immunization, and medication therapy management. Jamie is a Tobacco Treatment Specialist and has started a tobacco cessation groups counseling program, “Courage to Quit.”
Edward Christafano: PPA Pharmacist of the Year Award Ed graduated from The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy. He began his pharmacy career as a manager for a retail chain pharmacy and then moved into regional management roles with corporate pharmacies. After working in management for years Ed decided he wanted to open his own pharmacy which now has three locations in Youngwood, Greensburg, and Mount Pleasant. His pharmacy offers many amenities to residents of the community such as flu clinics, health fairs, blood pressure and other health screenings, and free education sessions for community members. After Westmoreland County was awarded $625 million dollars by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Council of Substance Abuse and Youth, he began holding educational sessions for parents and grandparents on drug and alcohol abuses facing their families. He plans to continue these sessions while also providing narcotic drug lock boxes to prevent “pill parties” and other instances of abuse.
Karleen Melody: Pharmacists Mutual Companies Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award Karleen is a 2010 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. She is an active member in several pharmacy associations. On the national level she is the APhA-ASP faculty co-advisor at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and a New Practitioner Network Mentors. She has given presentations at the APhA Annual Meeting and the PPA Annual Conference. She currently practices at SunRay Drugs community pharmacy where she specializes in creating clinical service programs for residents of West Philadelphia, serving a minority Medicaid population. She has developed many programs for medication therapy management, immunizations, and wellness screenings. She has also developed a transitions-of-care program between SunRay Drugs and Mercy Philadelphia Hospital.
34 I Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015
John DeJames: PPA Preceptor of the Year Award John graduated from Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy in 1988. For years he has been the preceptor that students turn to for advice and knowledge, advising over thirty students a year since 2006. His dedication to patients and the community has been inspiring to many of his students on rotation. He currently works in retail pharmacy, where he is the Clinical Programs and Special Projects Manager. He manages the payroll budget, overlooks immunizations, and performs medication therapy management. Through these, he has been able to expose students on rotation to management. He also serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council for three pharmacy schools: Duquesne University, Neomed, and the University of Toledo. He has worked on expanding student recruitment to many other universities throughout Pennsylvania and its surrounding states. Finally, he serves as a great role model for advocacy of the pharmacy profession.
Stephanie Smith Cooney: Pauline Montgomery Leadership Award Sponsored by Value Drug Stephanie graduated from Wilkes University in 2004 and since then she has exemplified the qualities of a leader. She currently owns a Pharmacy in Indiana, PA where she has implemented immunization services and travel immunizations, medication therapy management services, and an auto-synchronization prescription program. In addition she has helped develop a community practice residency program with the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, where she serves as a preceptor to residents. In the past year, she has also been a co-researcher on a project that was presented at the APhA Annual Conference in San Diego, CA. She is also an active member in many organizations, including PPA where she is a member of the Editorial Review Board and the Public Relations committee and serves on the PPA Educational Foundation Board. Her dedication to community service can be seen in her customer following. She has had dedicated customers for years, specifically due to medication management programs, diabetes programs, maternal health and care, and full immunization services.
Honorable Tom McGarrigle: PPA Legislator of the Year Award Senator Tom McGarrigle was elected to represent the 26th District in November 2014, where he had been a resident of Delaware County for more than 30 years. Located in Springfield Township, Senator McGarrigle’s automotive business supports jobs and sponsors a range of community activities and events. He played a major role in our most recent legislative victory that expands pharmacist provided immunization opportunities. He has worked side by side with us to advance this issue through the General Assembly and to the Governor’s desk for his signature. He has demonstrated a determination to do what is right for the citizens of the Commonwealth by opening up access points and availability for the flu vaccine. He also is a co-chair of a newly formed Pennsylvania Community Pharmacy Caucus where he works to advocate for the important role of pharmacy in supporting the health and wellness of all patients throughout the Commonwealth.
Terri Wilkinson: PPA Pharmacy Technician of the Year Award As a member of the Gatti Pharmacy family, Terri has always had one clear goal: to help others. She has been a pharmacy technician at Gatti Pharmacy for six years and held management roles as a pharmacy technician in Washington State before she moved to Pennsylvania. She is a great leader amongst the staff at Gatti Pharmacy and is a team player that is always willing to lend a helping hand. More importantly, she understands community pharmacy and what that means to the public. She has shown great dedication to the community of Indiana, PA. She has shown initiative in helping those who can’t afford certain fees in order to keep the patient coming back to the pharmacy that they love. It is clear that she has the desire to help anyone that walks into Gatti Pharmacy.
Continued on page 36 Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015 I 35
Association News Michael Zemaitis: Cardinal Health Generation Rx Champions Award Michael has been a huge advocate for research, policy, and education surrounding prescription drug abuse. He has been funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Health to develop a plan for a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program in Pennsylvania. He has worked with the Governor’s Office and other staff from around the country to discuss Prescription Drug Monitoring and worked with the administration and legislators to pass the bill which will bring a real PMP program to Pennsylvania soon. He has developed Project Lifeline in Alleghany County to reduce opioid overdose in the county. He has developed a model collaborative care agreement with pain physicians. He also serves on the PPA Medical Marijuana Taskforce to work with legislators in passing of appropriate medical cannabis legislation in Pennsylvania. Through his work, he has received a grant from the National Institute of Health for a Center of Excellence in Pain Education.
Rosemarie Halt: George H. Searight Community Service Award Rosemarie has been a devoted member of both the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association and the Delaware County Pharmacists Association since she was in pharmacy school. In 1989 she received the Student Service Award from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and the Young Alumnus Award in 2000. She has been active in the Delaware County Pharmacists Association, serving as the chair of the Board and the president, vice president, and secretary of the association. She also serves on many committees within DCPA. Through her work with DCPA, she has helped to expand their legislative advocacy, examine future opportunities, and provide continuing education programs. Not only has she been active in the DCPA, but she has been involved with the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association in both committees and the former House of Delegates including as Speaker of the House. She continues to be involved in the University of the Sciences (PCP) through their Alumni Board of Directors and is currently the chairperson for the by-laws committee.
Robert Frankil: George S. Maggio Memorial Award Rob graduated from Temple University and has owned three pharmacies during his career. He has been an active member of the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association where he served as a Board member and President of the Association, in addition to the legislative committee, where he has been an active and vocal participant. He has faithfully attended Legislative Day, responded to Calls to Action, and regularly interacted with his legislators. He has also been a staple in his home community where he is a member and previous Vice President of the BucksMont Pharmacists Association and champions their legislative activity supporting PPA. He also serves on the Board of Directors at the Philadelphia Association of Retail Druggists and assists with their advocacy efforts which all tie in with PPA. In 2014, he was appointed to the Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy, where he serves as the representative for more than 1,200 independent pharmacies and thousands of pharmacists. Given his strong ties to his community and his many years of pharmacy practice, he is well positioned to voice both the concerns of independent pharmacists and of the public to board members for consideration and deliberation.
Julie Gerhart: J. Allen Duffield Pharmaceutical Industry Award Julie is a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and has been involved in the pharmacy community in many ways. She began her career as a clinical consultant and medical editor at the Springhouse Corporation where she served as both a clinical pharmacist and a community pharmacist. She has been an active member of PPA since 2005. She is a PPA-APhA Delegate each year, where she leads the delegation by hosting and preparing conference calls for her fellow delegates to discuss the issues. She is a BucksMont Pharmacists Association member and part of the Industry Associates Forum. She is also a Board Member for the PPA Educational Foundation. Through the foundation, she chairs the fundraising committee and has been instrumental in establishing the grant program, including developing the application and the process for reviewing candidates to receive the grant. To assist with those candidates considering applying, she holds webinars to disseminate information to interested applicants. She has also been a vocal recruiter for PPA believing in the importance of membership. At the national level she is an active member of APhA, ASCP, ASHP, and NCPA. z
36 I Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015
Student Organization Awards Membership Award: Wilkes University The Membership Award is presented to a school that has made outstanding efforts in membership, participation, and recruitment of students in order to strengthen PPA and Pharmacy in Pennsylvania. Points were awarded for overall membership numbers, conference attendance, membership activities, and also special credit was given for creative and innovative efforts. This school spoke to P1 students encouraging them to join and handed out applications, participated in Club Day and held a Mocktail Party.
Public Awareness and Relations Award: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine This award recognizes the school that really worked at developing and participating in public awareness and community activities promoting the role of the pharmacist and participation in generation Rx and Katy’s Kids. Credit was also provided based on communications activities with PPA through the Student Voice, articles in the journal, and media outreach and of course imagination and creativity were rewarded. This school had multiple Katy’s Kid and Generation Rx presentations, numerous community health fairs, and their YouTube video to promote PPA and its events. We loved their PSA that they played in their local movie theatre in January and February that promoted the importance of medication adherence.
Government Relations Award: University of Pittsburgh This award appropriately salutes the school which has gone above and beyond in the area of advocacy work. Points were awarded for participation in legislative day, meetings with legislators, PAC awareness, and other innovative advocacy efforts. This school paid for their own buses to bring 132 attendees at Legislative Day with 89 appointments, sold t-shirts to raise money for PharmPAC, conducted a letter writing campaign, created a unique advocacy video to share experiences in providing patient care and had numerous meetings at their school on legislative and policy matters. z
Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015 I 37
Association News
PPA Leadership
PPA Board of Directors From left to right - Front row: Eric Esterbrook (Immediate Past President), Eric Pusey (President Elect), Donna Hazel (President), and Nicholas Leon (Vice President)
PPA Foundation Board of Directors
Back row: Rick Demers, Lauren Simko, Marty Kendra, Ellen Nastase, Hammad Juboori, Chuck Kray, Madison Adams, Tom Franko, Roshni Patel, and Pat Epple (CEO)
From left to right - Front row: Stephanie Smith Cooney, Jennifer Smith, Melissa McGivney, and Bill Ferri
SPPA Student Advisory Board
PPCN Board of Directors
From left to right - Front row: Felicia Snyder, Trina Patel, Jennifer Smith, and Madison Adams.
From left to right - front row: Pat Epple (CEO), Melissa McGivney, and Nicholas Leon
Back row: Swana Thomas, Rachael Richter, Marissa Badzik, Jennifer Feverm, Emily Petrak, Zack Hicks, Hamad Juboori, and Neena Oommen
Back row: Rick Demers, Brandon Antinopoulos, and Greg Drew
38 I Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015
Back row: Ed Bechtel, Larry Doud, Pat Epple (CEO), Nish Kasbekar, Kyle McCormick, Megan Weigand, and Sarah Dombrowski
Association News
Remembering Ida May Englehart PPA Past President, Ida May Englehart passed away on October 10. Ida May was only the second woman to serve PPA as President and did so in 1992-1993. She was a 1943 graduate of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and during her pharmacy career worked in community, hospital, and in her favorite area – long term care consulting. She held her pharmacy license for 65 years and was the oldest person to receive the CGP – Certified Geriatric Pharmacists certification. She also served as Executive Secretary for the State Board of Pharmacy, as President for the Capital Area Pharmacists Association, and was a member of APhA and ASCP. Her husband, Dick – also a pharmacist and PPA President, passed away her in 2004 and of her surviving children, one, Diane Fusco of Bellefonte, is also a pharmacist. z
A few recollections from other woman Past Presidents of PPA: She truly was a pioneer in the field of pharmacy. She and Dick both took me under wing as a student and fostered my involvement. When I graduated, she told me I had 5 years to start my leadership role in PPA. I was happy to have her swear me in as PPA’s third female president. She will be missed! Terry Talbott, R.Ph. PPA Past President 1998-1999 She was a true pioneer and every female pharmacist owes her a debt of gratitude...even if they never had the pleasure of knowing her. She was bright, articulate, and firm in her conviction that women could and should be leaders in pharmacy. I think all of us who followed in her footsteps knew her to be a kind and compassionate mentor; always encouraging us to advance ourselves and our profession. There is no doubt she left her mark on the profession and all who had the privilege of calling her friend. She will be missed. Coleen Kayden, RPh. PPA Past President 2002-2003 She has been on my mind since the recent PPA conference. God Bless her – she was a wonderful woman and excellent pharmacist. She was actually the person who first approached me to be PPA President one day – long before I really did - I told her Jerry would probably be President not me.
Ida May really got me involved in association work in PA. I met her not long after we moved from Delaware, where I had been President. Although I had joined PPA, I wasn’t planning to be that involved. She invited me to CAPA, just to “stay connected.” That meeting turned into membership and led me to move up the ranks and become CAPA President. Then she invited me along to a PPA winter meeting, to “get some CE and report state issues back to CAPA.” Next thing I knew, I was Vice Speaker of the House. She didn’t rest on her laurels and motivated me to do the same. I was very honored when she agreed to perform my PPA inauguration. Ida May was an excellent mentor and role model. She was thoughtful in her approach to issues and always looking for ways to promote women in pharmacy. We all owe a debt of gratitude to those pioneers who led the way and encouraged us to follow. Sharon Abayasekara, RPh, PMP PPA Past President 2007-2008
Michele Catalano-Musheno MS, R.Ph. PPA Past President 2006-2007 Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015 I 39
Departments
Welcome! New Members PPA Welcomes the following New Members who joined the association–July 24, 2015- September 23, 2015. Please make these new members feel welcome and part of Pennsylvania pharmacy! PHARMACIST Hallie Huson Pittsburgh Duquesne University Mayonta Jefferson Farrell Lauren Wolfe St. Marys Duquesne University Ronald McDermott Slippery Rock Hometown Pharmacy Solutions Chiara Gessler Venetia Giant Eagle Pharmacy Vicky Shah Wilkes Barre Wilkes University Damika Walker Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy Jamie Babiak Erie LECOM Senior Living Center Brandon Levesque Douglassville George Grumet Edison Landmark Supply
Roseann Johnson Springfield
Aubrey Goertel Souderton
Richard Seipp Mechanicsburg Weis Markets, Inc.
Regis Bender Bethel Park
Amy Robacheski Nanticoke Geisinger Wyoming Valley
ASSOCIATE Nicholas Kaczka Pittsburgh MassMutual Pittsburgh
TECHNICIANS Rebecca Trussel Schnecksville CAPS-BBraun
Danielle Taciuch Chicora LECOM School of Pharmacy David Marchewka Monongahela Rakesh Patel Erie Kalya Harvey Erie Mary Anwar Erie Timothy Heiss Erie
Elizabeth Churchill Wynnewood
Alyssa Helster Charleroi
Lynette Muller Harford Lenox Pharmacy
Sally Habusta Erie
STUDENT Duquesne University – Mylan School of Pharmacy Raymond Snyder Mount Joy Alyssa Gosnell Hadley
Patricia Railling Erie Ariel Korlinchak Coalport USciences/Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at USP Hien Nguyen New Holland
Betsy Daniel Chadds Ford
Kaysee Gruss New Florence
Kevin Pak Mechanicsburg
Ngoc Bui Scranton Moses Taylor Hospital
Nora Shafer Fenfield
Ivan Puskovic Lancaster
Kelsey Wirth Cranberry Township
Hayley Conner Kennett Square
Charles Buchanan Port Allegany
Asla Ehtesham Philadelphia
Taylor Ioriatti Victor
Sarah Goldsborough West Chester
Jayne Clarke Willow Grove Brandon Caro Johnstown Giant Eagle Pharmacy Jennifer Welch Havertown Sav-on
Jamie Celento Canonsburg
40 I Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015
Wilkes University – Nesbitt College of Pharmacy Geoffrey Arentz Stevens Tyler Young Chambersburg Rachel Constant Bethlehem Alexandra Grudeski Moscow Tyler Bartol Auburn Olivia Schlottman Poughkeepsie Sierra Smith Milroy Jefferson College of Pharmacy Monica Coulson York
University of Findlay Brittany Topolnak West Mifflin University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy Serena Lamping Lowellville Meghan Cahalane Pittsburgh
Sophie Le Philadelphia
Mikhaila Rice Avon Lake
Abigail Elmes Landisburg
Jesse Valentino Ellwood City
Kathryn Muzzio Branchburg
Olivia Berger Irwin
Robyn Konicki Carlisle
Rui Zhang Macungie
Samuel Bott Saint Albans
Emily Skonecki Mount Carmel
Brendan Homanick Allentown
Lauren Shirley Harrisburg
Rachel Gribbin Greensburg
Jackie Wong Pittsburgh
Emily Steltenpohl Louisville
Ashley Blazewick Cranberry Twp.
Meredith Sparks Penfield
Sarah Carrante Aberdeen
Temple University School of Pharmacy Bolanle Obafemi Philadelphia
Kristel Chatellier Pittsburgh
Amanda Schwenk Auburn Sarah Hunt Pittsburgh Kaitlyn Burkett Pittsburgh
Andrea Groves Bethel Park
David Nesmith Mechanicsburg
Philipp Kappes Pittsburgh Eric LeCato Pittsburgh
Member Profile
PPA Legislator Profile
Continued from page 8
Continued from page 25
Part D is offering. In the future I really want to see pharmacy continue on this path, toward gaining provider status and recognition that our knowledge and services are important to the patients’ health. If you were stranded alone on an island, what three medications would you take with you and why? Aspirin because it is a great drug with many different uses, an antihistamine such as Benadryl for allergies and to help with sleep, and obviously an antibiotic for any infection I may get. z
the legislative process and current issues impacting Pennsylvania. If there is legislation being considered that impacts you or your profession, call your state or federal legislator to set up a face-to-face meeting, write a letter or an email and tell them how it impacts you. You can track all state legislation at www.legis.pa.us. What do you do for relaxation and enjoyment? There is nothing better than a good book on a beach when life allows. I also enjoy watching my kids do what they love — play baseball and lacrosse. And I spend a lot of time watching the Nationals baseball team try and win a game! z
Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015 I 41
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Special pricing from AmerisourceBergen exclusive to IPBG members Members averaged $12,000+ a year in “first to shelf” generics. Up to $1,200 for attending AmerisourceBergen’s Expo PPA, NCPA, PAAS, and DEALookUp 100% paid dues for compliant members. Members kept informed on all important issues from HIPAA, EQuIPP, CMS, OIG, ACO, NHIC, etc. Member of Federation of Pharmacy Networks— 100% of rebates from FPN paid to you. $100 Lifetime processing fee—no other charges. Call IPBG to sign up at no cost for the "Trading Post " where you can buy and sell unwanted inventory at discounted prices . Looking for a group who cares about your botton line? Call us! Visit our website www.IPBGRx.com Independent Pharmacy Buying Group The Lafayette Building, Suite 205 103 Chesley Dr., Media, PA 19063 Toll Free 866.910.IPBG (4724)
Association News
GRASP Program Returns Attention Student Pharmacists! PPA is excited to announce that the Government Relations Advocacy for Student Pharmacists (GRASP) program is back and better than ever! Students who participate in this program will gain a better understanding of federal and state government and its impact on pharmacy. They will also learn tips on sharpening communication skills – something which can be applied in many life situations. This program also is intended to help students’ marketability as a pharmacy professional. We start with the basics so no high level of knowledge is needed – just an interest to learn and explore. We encourage any student who wants to become a powerful advocate for their profession to complete the GRASP program. The program is open to any student, regardless of the school of pharmacy, residency, or year in pharmacy school. Students who are PPA members may access and participate in this program free of charge! However, students who are not currently PPA members must pay a $25.00 fee to access and participate in the program.
Students who participate in this program are asked to complete a series of modules on various topics related to advocacy and the advancement of pharmacy. Modules will consist of short webinars for the student to watch; and include additional resources/information for the student to review and expand his or her knowledge of the subject matter. To receive credit for completing a module, students will need to complete a short questionnaire, exercise or other activity. The program will culminate with the student attending Legislative Day and meeting with his or her state Representative and Senator; or meeting with his or her state Representative or Senator in his or her district office. Students who successfully complete the program will receive a certificate of completion, a lapel pin and have his or her name listed as a graduate on the GRASP program graduate list located on the PPA website. Visit https://papharmacists.site-ym.com/?GRASP to enroll and get started today! Any questions on this program can be directed to Don Smith at dsmith@ papharmacists.com or (717) 234-6151, ext. 102. z
Medical Assistance Providers Must Take Action To Revalidate Their Enrollment Information Continued from page 26
The following links on the DHS website provide helpful information: 1. DHS Provider Enrollment and Screening Requirements of the Affordable Care Act 2. DHS enrollment/revalidation applications and instructions Please don’t hesitate to reach
out to your DHS Program Office with any questions or concerns. You may have already revalidated and DHS encourages providers to check the MA Enrolled Provider Portal Lookup Function to determine your revalidation date. All provider letters and portal login screens
contain your next revalidation due date. Look for changes on the provider portal for each 13-digit logon to check your service location (s). Please circulate this information with your provider membership to ensure continued enrollment in the Medical Assistance program. z
Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015 I 43
Departments
Member News
Reprinted courtesy of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.
Congratulations Michael Podurski! At the 111th NABP Annual Meeting Awards Dinner, PPA member Michael A. Podurski, RPh, received the 2015 NABP Honorary President Award in recognition of his ongoing commitment to protecting the public health and his significant involvement with NABP. Congratulations Michael!
2015 Government Agency–Nonprofit Organization–Association Award Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy – Pharmacy Service Centers and Academic Partners Program The mission of the Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy is to improve health outcomes by educating and mentoring students who advance the profession of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences research. Through its Pharmacy Service Centers and Academic Partners Program, the School accomplishes this mission by providing patient care services and educational outreach to members of the underserved community in the greater Pittsburgh area. Established by the School in 2002, the Center for Pharmacy Care is a pharmacist-coordinated provider of disease prevention, health screenings, immunizations, and medication therapy management services for the University campus and adjacent communities. The Duquesne University Pharmacy, second of the Pharmacy Service Centers, opened in 2010 as the first university-operated, full-service community pharmacy in the nation located in the 44 I Pennsylvania Pharmacist I November/December 2015
heart of an economically depressed neighborhood. The goal of the pharmacy is to improve access to medications and patient adherence while enhancing medication safety and reducing overall healthcare expenditures. The Academic Partners Program, which was designed to establish formal relationships between the School and its community healthcare partners, is dedicated to the improvement of health outcomes through patient care services, student education, the advancement of health outcomes research, and a commitment to social responsibility. Since 2010, faculty and student engagement through the Pharmacy Service Centers and Academic Partners Program has resulted in over 19,000 patient encounters with documented improvements in health outcomes. Passages PPA was saddened to learn of the passing of Tony Mortelliti, Dorathy “Dot” McAlanis and Tom Mattei three long-time PPA members who passed away at the end of the summer. Tony was a 1951. He served as the President of the Alumni Association from 1981-1983 and served as a member of the USciences Board of Trustees. In 1994 he was the recipient of the Ivor Griffith Service Award for his continuous service to the University and the Alumni Association. Tony was also very involved with the Delaware County Pharmacists Association and had served as a Delegate to PPA for the County. Dorathy “Dot” McAlanis, was the owner with her husband George of two Dauphin County pharmacies. Dot managed Dal-Hern Pharmacy. Frequently seen at PPA Conferences, Dorathy McAlanis Dot had been active in several PPA Committees and particularly in the Capital Area Pharmacists Association. Tom Mattei – September 2015, graduate of and former Associate Dean and later faculty at Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy and involved in many community programs. z Tom Mattei
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