Vol 12 No. 2 Spring 2015
Spring 2015
Pharmacy Journal of New England
Making Patient Adherence Easy: the Value of MedSynch Gauging your Financial Well-Being:
Financial Forum
“That’s not my state”: Rx and the Law
Inside: a preview of the New England Pharmacists Convention at Gillette Stadium
We have a new home in 2015….and Ed Sheeran is playing there! Join us
September 24th & 25th, 2015 at the 11th annual
New England Pharmacists Convention
Courtesy of Atlantic Records.com
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
Exciting new venue, home of the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots
Ed Sheeran, the Grammy-nominated artist, performs at Gillette Stadium on September 25— and we’re selling tickets!
New all-day certificate program —in Pharmacy-Based Cardiovascular Disease Risk Management
10 CEs to be awarded in topics like ADHD in children, how to deal with a pharmacy robbery, Medicare 5-star ratings, and emerging therapies for Alzheimer’s disease
Visit www.nepharmacists.org for more information and to register Produced by the Connecticut Pharmacists Association, the Massachusetts Pharmacists Association, the New Hampshire Pharmacists Association and the Rhode Island Pharmacists Association
Pharmacy Journal
Vol 12 No. 2 Pharmacy Journal of New England • Spring 2015
of New England
Help Your Patients Stay Safe in the Heat Dear Readers,
Editors
David Johnson Margherita R. Giuliano, R.Ph., CAE
Managing Editor
Whether your customers and patients are jetting off overseas or enjoying the sun, holidays can bring a whole host of unwanted health problems. Use this season as a starting point for conversations about general health and wellness advice.
Ellen Zoppo CPA
Use these marketing-friendly health advisories as a touchpoint within the pharmacy to educate your patients.
Kathy Harvey-Ellis MPhA
Some talking points to share with your patients could include: • Avoid wearing perfume or hairspray while you’re away as bugs love the smell. Make sure your holiday first aid kit includes an insect repellent containing an ingredient called DEET if you’re travelling somewhere hot. • Being wary of what you eat and drink can help reduce the chances of ‘Delhi belly’. Avoid ice in drinks or eating fruit that may have been washed in tap water, and use bottled water when brushing teeth. In addition, always wash hands before eating and dry with a clean cloth. • Certain medical conditions can reduce the efficiency of the body’s cooling mechanisms - diabetes, obesity and chronic heart failure can increase the risk of heat stroke. Remind your patients at risk of heat stroke that it’s important to find time to rest in the shade, particularly after a swim or a games where they can become overexerted, or lose fluids through sweating. •
While in the shade continue to sip cool fluids but avoid alcohol.
•
Medicines are best bought at home before you go on vacation.
Note that June is also National Scleroderma Awareness Month. Sincerely,
Design & Production
The Pharmacy Journal of New England is owned and published by the Massachusetts Pharmacists Association and the Connecticut Pharmacists Association. Opinions expressed by those of the editorial staff and/or contributors do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the publisher. Readers are invited to submit their comments and opinions for publication. Letters should be addressed to the Editor and must be signed with a return address. For rates and deadlines, contact the Journal at (860) 563-4619. Pharmacy Journal of New England 35 Cold Spring Road, Suite 121 Rocky Hill, CT 06067-3167 members@ctpharmacists.org
Submitting Articles to the Pharmacy Journal of New England™ The Pharmacy Journal of New England™ is the product of a partnership between the Connecticut Pharmacists Association and the Massachusetts Pharmacists Association. The Journal is a quarterly publication. All submitted articles are subject to peer review. In order to maintain confidentiality, authors’ names are removed during the review process. Article requirements must conform to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (Ann Intern Med 1982;96 (1part1):766-71). We strongly encourage electronic submissions. PJNE does not assume any responsibility for statements made by authors.
Please submit manuscripts to:
Margherita R. Giuliano, RPh Executive Vice President Connecticut Pharmacists Association
Contents 02
05 11 13 16
David Johnson Executive Vice President Massachusetts Pharmacists Association
PJNE 35 Cold Spring Rd., Suite 121 Rocky Hill, CT 06067 or email to: ezoppo@ctpharmacists.org
US News New England States Feature: Making Patient Adherence Easy: the Value of MedSynch Pharmacy Marketing Group: Rx and the Law, Financial Forum From the Colleges 1
U.S. News CVS Agrees to Buy Target’s Pharmacy Business for $1.9 Billion The voracious CVS Health is already a dominant player in nearly every corner of the health care world — it is the nation’s largest dispenser of prescription drugs, the biggest specialty pharmacy, the biggest operator of health care clinics and the second-largest pharmacy-benefits manager.
Employers in those regions may be more likely to select CVS/ Caremark to manage their drug benefits if employees had a convenient option for picking up their prescriptions, he said.
And with the news on June 15 that it had agreed to buy Target’s pharmacy and clinic businesses in a deal worth about $1.9 billion, it demonstrated that its appetite shows no signs of abating.
CVS and Target, which is based in Minneapolis, also plan to develop five to ten small stores over a two-year period after the deal closes. These would be branded as TargetExpress and include a CVS pharmacy.
“CVS Health is building a business that has a lot of interlocking synergies in many different parts of the health care system,” said Adam J. Fein, president of Pembroke Consulting, a management advisory and business research company based in Philadelphia. “The Target deal is one more step in their goal of becoming the most significant company in the drug distribution and reimbursement system.”
The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval, represents the latest retrenchment for Target, which this year announced plans to close the last of its stores in Canada after a money-losing expansion outside the United States.
Under the terms, CVS, which is based in Woonsocket, R.I., would acquire more than 1,600 pharmacies from Target in 47 states and operate them under the CVS brand name in Target stores. CVS will also operate branded pharmacies in new Target stores that offer pharmacy services. CVS said it planned to rebrand about 80 clinic locations previously operated by Target under the MinuteClinic name, adding that they would be part of its plan to operate 1,500 clinics by 2017. The transaction is expected to significantly increase sales and prescriptions, CVS said. “This strategic relationship with Target supports the highly complementary customer base, brand and culture we share,” said Larry J. Merlo, the president and chief executive of CVS, in a news release. “This relationship with Target will provide consumers with expanded options and access to our unique health care services that lead to better health outcomes and lower overall health care costs.” Mr. Fein said the deal would allow CVS to expand its business into areas of the country, such as the Pacific Northwest, where its presence is weak. That could, in turn, improve the strategic position of some of CVS’s other businesses, especially CVS/ caremark, its pharmacy benefits business. One of the compa2
ny’s signature offerings is its Maintenance Choice plan, which allows customers to choose between having their long-term prescription medications mailed to them or picking them up at a local CVS store.
CVS said it would offer the 14,000 in-store Target health care employees comparable positions with CVS. Mr. Fein said the deal made sense for Target and noted that mass-market retailers often struggled with how to incorporate pharmacies into their larger business strategy. “Target operates one of the largest pharmacies in the U.S., but it’s a very small part of their stores,” he said. Nevertheless, Target’s pharmacies earned favorable marks from consumers, performing above the average for mass merchandisers in a 2014 J. D. Power study of customer satisfaction with pharmacies. CVS, by contrast, scored below average for chain drug stores. Target’s decision to retreat from the health care industry contrasts with the strategy of its competitor, Walmart, which has recently moved in the opposite direction, opening primary care clinics in some of its stores as part of a play for the billions of health care dollars being spent in the United States each year. Less than a month earlier, CVS agreed to buy Omnicare, which distributes prescription drugs to nursing homes and assistedliving operations, for about $12.7 billion, including debt. CVS is the largest pharmacy company in America, based on prescription revenue, when sales at its retail stores and mailorder pharmacy are included. In 2014, its retail outlets brought in $47.1 billion in prescription revenue, and its mail pharmacy sales were $25.4 billion, according to a Pembroke Consulting
Pharmacy Journal of New England • Spring 2015
report. The Walgreen Company had the slight edge in terms of prescription sales from retail outlets, bringing in $49.4 billion in 2014, and is the second-largest pharmacy chain in the United States, according to the report. Barclays and the law firms Fried Frank and Dechert advised CVS, while Goldman Sachs and the law firms Faegre Baker Daniels; Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; and Dorsey & Whitney advised Target. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/16/business/dealbook/ cvs-agrees-to-buy-targets-pharmacy-business-for-1-9-billion. html
Track and Trace: is Your Pharmacy in Compliance with the New Law? Is your pharmacy ready for the new track-and-trace law? Under the Drug Supply Chain Security Act, January 1 and July 1 are the key dates in 2015 for new requirements for pharmacies. Per the new law, as of January 1, 2015, pharmacies shall only accept drug products from authorized trading partners. Also, pharmacies are required to have processes in place to identify, quarantine, and investigate suspect products and determine whether products are illegitimate. By July 1, 2015, pharmacies must be able to capture and maintain transaction information (TI), transaction history (TH), and a transaction statement (TS)—sometimes referred to as “the three Ts”—for each drug product received for 6 years from the date of the transaction. APhA is spreading the word to help pharmacies stay in compliance with the new law. Following up on January’s Pharmacy Today article on the 2015 deadlines, this article ahead of the upcoming July issue features additional information as implementation is under way. In the days ahead, a printable compliance checklist for pharmacies will be posted on pharmacist.com. Next deadline: July 1 Beginning July 1, pharmacies may not accept product from trading partners unless it is accompanied by the three Ts, and they must maintain these records for 6 years. Pharmacies could contract with their wholesale distributors to maintain
the records electronically for them so long as the pharmacy can access and retrieve the data. FDA has clarified in draft guidance that “e-mail or Web-based platforms (such as Web portals)” are acceptable means to meeting the requirement of providing the TI, TH, and TS—as long as the information can be accessed by pharmacies and other required entities. If pharmacies are contracting with wholesale distributors and/ or cloud-based traceability vendors to maintain the three Ts, it is necessary that pharmacies have written agreements on record that reflect these new requirements, according to Michael H. Ghobrial, PharmD, JD, APhA Associate Director of Health Policy. APhA member Travis Hale, PharmD, works for two different pharmacies in the small community of Remington, VA. At Remington Drug Co., he is a staff pharmacist in the process of buying the pharmacy along with a partner. He is also the Pharmacist in Charge at Family Care Remington Pharmacy, a long-term care pharmacy. “I had heard about track and trace and the basic idea of what was to be accomplished over the last year or two, but not really any hard information as to how it was going to impact my stores or any specifics on day-today operations,” Hale told Today. Real-world Challenges On June 1, APhA and other national pharmacy associations attended an FDA Drug Supply Chain and Security Act listening session. APhA articulated a number of concerns related to the impending July 1 deadline and the ability of wholesaler distributors to meet the requirement to provide access to the three Ts to pharmacies. APhA also discussed the concern that access to the three Ts may come at a cost in the future or may limit pharmacists’ ability to switch wholesaler distributors. Hale spoke at the FDA meeting as an APhA member. He described his experiences interfacing with the more than 10 primary and secondary wholesale distributors from which both pharmacies order medications fairly consistently. One of the wholesalers, he noted to Today, has always offered satisfactory customer service; but Hale has “not been able to get a lot of details on how things will work” with regard to providing the information so pharmacies can meet the July 1 requirements. The biggest real-world challenge Hale faces with track and 3
U.S. News
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trace, he told Today, “is going to be the management of all of this data as a single-store owner/manager when it is being held by potentially 10-plus wholesalers in different portals or clouds where we have 10-plus usernames and passwords.” He continued, “It has the potential to be a very time-consuming administrative task to add to the long list of administrative tasks that independent store owners are being asked to do as everything goes electronic.” While Hale has no problem with going electronic, and actually welcomes it if efficiency and safety can be improved, he is concerned that “this could result in additional expense for the independent pharmacy owner.” http://www.pharmacist.com/track-and-trace-your-pharmacycompliance-new-law
Medicare Drug Plans Favor Generic Opioids Over Those Designed to Avoid Abuse, Study Finds The abuse of prescription painkillers is a growing problem for seniors, as it is for other age groups. But Medicare drug plans are cutting back on coverage for a specially designated type of painkiller that deters abuse in favor of cheaper generics that don’t have the same deterrent qualities, a new study found. Overall, Medicare coverage for long-acting prescription opioids declined from an average 46 percent of plans in 2012 to 36 percent of plans in 2015, the study by Avalere Health found. But coverage of OxyContin, a brand-name drug that has received “abuse-deterrent labeling” from the Food and Drug Administration, fell off more sharply than other long-acting opioids that didn’t receive the deterrent labeling during that time period. OxyContin, originally introduced in 1995, gained notoriety because people soon realized that the extended release oxycodone hydrochloride tablets could be crushed and then injected or snorted for a euphoric rush. Sometimes called “hillbilly heroin,” the drug was reformulated in 2010 by the manufacturer, Purdue Pharma, to make it harder to manipulate. The abuse-deterrent labeling approval means a drug is formulated to make it tougher for patients to snort, inject or otherwise misuse. OxyContin received the designation in 4
2013; the FDA announcement noted the pills were difficult to crush, break or dissolve, forming a “viscous hydrogel” when tampered with that can’t be easily injected. Three other extended release opioid drugs were approved for abuse-deterrent labeling in 2014, outside the timeframe of the Avalere study. Despite its abuse-deterrent labeling, OxyContin’s coverage rate in the Medicare drug plans, sometimes called Part D plans, dropped from 61 percent in 2012 to 33 percent in 2015, the study found. Although there’s no generic equivalent for OxyContin, the Avalere analysis found that generic oxycodone, which contains the same active ingredient as OxyContin but lacks its special abuse-deterrent labeling, was covered by nearly 100 percent of plans in each of the years studied. The coverage decisions “suggest that the Part D plans are not considering abuse deterrents as any meaningful part of the coverage decision,” says Caroline Pearson, a senior vice president at Avalere and co-author of the study. OxyContin is significantly more expensive than generic hydrocodone. A 120-day supply of generic hydrocodone might cost $28, according to Healthcare bluebook, which estimates prices based on a nationwide database of payment data. [A similar prescription of OxyContin, on the other hand, might cost $632, more than 20 times the generic price.] Pearson notes that as more drugs receive the abuse-deterrent labeling, competition may bring prices down somewhat. “But they’re never going to be the same price as a generic,” she says. “At some point, payers or policymakers need to decide whether they’re willing to pay a premium to avoid abuse.” http://khn.org/news/medicare-drug-plans-favor-generic-opioids-over-those-designed-to-avoid-abuse-study-finds/
New England Connecticut President’s Message Dear CPA Members, As summer approaches, we in Connecticut are still immersed in monitoring the 2015 Legislative Session. The Legislature will be back Karen Hoang CPA President in Hartford sometime over the next two weeks to finish the budget implementation bills. All of the groups are jockeying for position to see if this special session will prove to be a means to get bills that died at midnight on June 3rd back in play. All special interest groups, from the business advocacy groups to the cities and towns, the social service providers, the hospitals and more are hoping that changes will be made which may add to the existing confusion and cacophony. As we have previously reported, the pharmacy profession has taken its share of hits including failure to close the loophole for the dispensaries who are establishing their business base – and providing revenue to the state – as well as the AWP and dispensing fee issue and
Pharmacy Journal of New England • Spring 2015
the audit bill. Our suggestion to the Hartford Leadership is “First, do no harm.” This principle is well-known to health care providers as part of the Hippocratic Oath. No similar oath is taken by politicians, of course. But suppose they did. Suppose that before they pass any new legislation, our political representatives were required to reexamine existing laws and make sure that government is not the cause of the very problems it attempts to solve. What would our health care system specifically, and government in general, then look like? I would also like to take the opportunity to thank all of those who attended the annual Connecticut Pharmacists Foundation wine tasting fundraiser on May 16. This fundraiser provided student scholarships as well as seed money for community outreach programs. Over $7,000 was raised! I look forward to seeing everyone at Gillette Stadium for the New England Pharmacists Convention in September! Sincerely, Karen Hoang President
An enjoyable night was had by all at Cassidy Hill Vineyard in Coventry, Connecticut on May 16.
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Massachusetts
making these springtime events a success.
After a long, hard winter, this beautiful New England spring is certainly flying by. This spring has featured a successful “Face of Pharmacy,” MPhA’s lobby day at the State House, and an equally successful Spring Conference.
This year, we will hold the NEPC in a new and exciting venue – Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, right in the thick of the season for the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. Produced again by the Connecticut Pharmacists Association, MPhA, and the Rhode Island Pharmacists Association, NEPC welcomes the New Hampshire Pharmacists Association to the organizing group in 2015.
The Face of Pharmacy was hosted by Rep. Paul Heroux of Susan Holden Attleboro. As the son of indepenMPhA President dent pharmacy owners, Rep. Heroux is well-versed in the issues facing independent pharmacies, pharmacists, and small businesses. The Face of Pharmacy brought together pharmacists and pharmacy students from across state and included visits to over 60 legislators and staff. The event focused on several bills, including H.2041, An Act to Recognize Pharmacists as Healthcare Providers. This bill would provide compensation for pharmacists providing medication therapy services to chronic disease patients when acting under a signed Collaborative Practice agreement. For more information about our legislative activities and bills that we are supporting and opposing this session, visit our Advocacy page at www. masspharmacists.org.
The NEPC will award 10 LIVE CEs in its general session, featuring such timely topics as ADHD in children and the pharmacists’ focus, pharmacists’ workload and patient risk, “Pharmacy Robbery: When it Happens to You,” and much more. We also are introducing a brand-new, all-day Thursday certificate pro-
Held at the Four Points by Sheraton in Norwood on April 30, the Spring Conference hit a record attendance this year. The event featured seven hours of CE and included MPhA’s first break-out session for certified technicians on Medication Safety, taught by MPhA member Donna Horn from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. In the future, we plan on offering more CE targeted specifically to technicians.
MPhA Past President Christine Perry and Shaws Osco hosted Michael Jackman from Rep Bill Keating’s
President’s Message
The MPhA Foundation honored four students with $1,000 scholarships at Spring Conference. Nicole Dutton and Nestor Otero from Western New England University, Amit Hirani from MCPHS University-Boston, and Katie Alfond from Northeastern University were the deserving 2015 recipients. Thanks to my fellow board members for all your hard work 6
Now, we’re gearing up for the New England Pharmacists Convention (NEPC) on September 24 and 25.
gram, Pharmacy-based Cardiovascular Disease Management, in addition to the well-received Medication Therapy Management and Diabetes Care Certificate programs. Also, we are thrilled to offer a unique, unofficial capstone to the CEs and networking: the Ed Sheeran concert at Gillette on September 25! MPhA is selling tickets to see this Grammynominated superstar. The opening acts will be Christina Perri and Passenger. Enjoy and kick back at Gillette under the stars. I’ll be there, along with many of your pharmacist friends. -Susan Holden, Pharm.D., MPhA President Shaws Osco Pharmacists Host Keating Aide
office on June 3 to highlight the role of pharmacists in today’s healthcare team and ask for his support of HR592/S.314 to recognize pharmacists with provider status by third party payors.
Pharmacy Journal of New England • Spring 2015
New Hampshire
APhA Annual Meeting: a Student’s Perspective By Jessica Marx
Collaborative Practice Update By Kerri Johnson, PharmD, BCPS Have you heard? H.B. 190: Establishing a statutory commission to study the standards for collaborative pharmacy practice was introduced on January 8, 2015 by Representatives MacKay, White, and Schuett. If passed, this bill will establish a commission to study, “the national standards for best practice of collaborative practice. These standards shall include how to clearly define the appropriate training required for a pharmacist to engage in different scopes of practice, how to expand access to collaborative practice pharmacy services to New Hampshire citizens in order to provide greater access to costeffective care, how to define collaborative pharmacy practice environments to ensure safety, and any other matter the committee deems relevant to its objective.” The hope is that the study commission will develop specific language to amend RSA 318:16-a that will be supported by various stakeholders. A public hearing was held in the House on January 20th and representatives from the NHSHP, NHPA, NACDS, and the Board of Pharmacy submitted written and verbal testimony in support of the bill. The House Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs committee amended the bill from a study committee to a study commission and voted “ought to pass with amendment.” The bill has passed in the House and has now crossed over to the Senate. A public hearing was held in the Senate Health and Human Services committee on March 24th and representatives from the NHSHP, NHPA, NACDS, and the Board of Pharmacy submitted written and verbal testimony in support of the bill. The NH Medical Society took no position at the hearing but requested an amendment to add two additional commission members: a family physician, appointed by the New Hampshire Academy of Family Physicians and an internist, appointed by the New Hampshire Chapter of the American College of Physicians. With no opposition to this amendment we are hopeful the bill will pass the Senate committee and move the full Senate for a vote.
As a second year student pharmacist at MCPHS University in Manchester, NH, I never would have thought I would be given such an opportunity as to represent my delegation, the New Hampshire Pharmacist’s Association, in the House of Delegates at APhA’s Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, CA. I was approached by NHPA’s immediate past president, Lorraine Radick, with this incredible opportunity, and I didn’t think twice about seizing it. At first, the idea of representing the entire delegation of New Hampshire was slightly intimidating given that I had only witnessed a single House of Delegates session previous to this experience. Nonetheless, I was both eager and honored to serve. I carefully reviewed the reference materials not only to review logistics such as Robert’s Rules of Order, but also to familiarize myself with exactly what would be discussed during this year’s House sessions. Frankly, I was amazed at the number and variety of issues which were to be raised and discussed during this year’s sessions. Some of the most controversial topics were “pharmacist participation in executions” and the “role of pharmacists in the care of patients using cannabis.” Other topics discussed included the “interoperability of communications among health care providers to improve quality of patient care” and the “implementation of a nationwide prescription drug monitoring program.” The adopted policy which received the most press immediately following the final House session reads, “The American Pharmacists Association discourages pharmacist participation in executions on the basis that such activities are fundamentally contrary to the role of pharmacists as providers of health care.” This is not the first time that the topic of lethal injection has been introduced to the House. In fact, APhA previously adopted policy statements include, “1. APhA opposes the use of the word ‘drug’ for chemicals when used in lethal injections.(2004) 2. APhA opposes the laws and regulations which mandate or prohibit the participation of pharmacists in the process of execution by lethal injection.(1985)”.
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The newly adopted policy actually makes a definitive stance on the issue which has become more pressing given the recent calling of pharmacist involvement in the compounding of lethal injections. As for the role of pharmacists in the care of patients using cannabis, much debate was had in regards to the current legality of the matter. This was especially true for one of the eventually adopted statements which reads, “APhA supports pharmacist participation in furnishing cannabis and its various components when scientific data support the legitimate medical use of the products and delivery mechanisms and federal, state, or territory laws or regulations permit pharmacists to furnish them”. After much debate, this statement initially did not receive the necessary majority in order to be adopted. Later during the House session, past APhA-ASP President, Nicholas Capote, a student pharmacist from The University of Tennessee, reintroduced the failed policy and after additional debate and reconsideration, the policy was then adopted. Capote made a bold move which inevitably changed the ruling of the House. As a fellow student pharmacist, I commend his audacity to stand up to the House to reintroduce this policy. If someone had asked me how I felt about the topic of policy prior to this experience, my first, honest thought would have probably been “boring.” Thanks to this experience, that is definitely no longer the case. My interest for pharmacy policy has certainly been peaked given the multitude of topics discussed and the newly realized impact that we have the potential of having within our profession. I am so very grateful to have been granted this opportunity and to have been a part of the governing body of the largest pharmacy organization in the United States. I was able to witness and partake in policy adoption firsthand, giving me better insight of the progressive and controversial topics that matter in the world of pharmacy today, something not so widely discussed in the classroom. I would sincerely like to thank Lorraine Radick and the NHPA for allowing me to be our representation at this year’s House of Delegates. I can only hope I will be honored to have the same opportunity in the years to come.
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Above, from left to right: Jacqueline Laboe, Michael Sayward and Jessica Marx at the APhA convention
Upcoming 2015 Continuing Education Conferences Save the date for an upcoming CE program in 2015 which is as follows: December 6, 2015 SERESC, Bedford, NH Details and directions can be found on our new website at www.nhpharmacists.net. Also, please join our Facebook page by searching “NHPA”.
Pharmacy Journal of New England • Spring 2015
Maine MPA Receives Favorable Ruling in Drug Importation Case On February 23, 2015, Judge Nancy Torresen ruled in favor of MPA’s case against the State of Maine (Ouellette, et al vs. Mills) regarding the importation of medications from specific foreign countries. Judge Torresen ruled definitively in our favor that the Maine law passed in 2012 (LD 171, Public Law chapter 373) violates federal laws which were established to protect the public from unsafe medications. From the beginning, we raised significant concerns about threats to public safety by the illegal importation of prescription drugs into Maine through foreign-based brokers and other entities. The federal government strictly limits importation of pharmaceuticals for personal use, yet the Maine law looked to circumvent this secure drug-supply system. “Maine pharmacists are relieved that Judge Torresen’s ruling ensures the safety of prescription drugs for Mainers by upholding federal laws that are designed to prevent unapproved and substandard drugs from coming into the United States,” stated Kenneth McCall of the Maine Pharmacy Association, one of the plaintiffs in the case. “We believe the Court ruled correctly. All along, we warned that the law violated federal laws and this ruling proves that. Maine people can be assured that the prescriptions that are filled by Maine pharmacists are approved medications,” stated Curtis Picard of the Retail Association of Maine, a plaintiff in the case. “We expect foreign companies to abide by this ruling and federal law and to cease illegally importing drugs into Maine.”
MPA Fall Convention, Trade Show, and Award Banquet The Maine Pharmacy Association Fall Convention and Trade Show has lined up outstanding speakers to educate our pharmacy community on topics relevant to the profession. Also included as a continuing education option is CPR recertification. The convention is scheduled to run from September 11-13, 2015 at the Hollywood Casino, Bangor, Maine with our
annual awards ceremony being held on Saturday, September 12, 2015. For more information please visitMPARX.com.
Maine Pharmacy Association Spring 2015 Convention The Maine Pharmacy Association held its annual Spring Convention in March at the Hilton Garden Inn, Freeport, Maine. Over 150 pharmacist, technicians, and students attended a variety of ACPE approved continuing education topics, including immunization and CPR recertification. There were 15 vendors at the trade show exchanging information with the attendees. A highlight of the weekend was at the MPA Pharmacy Reception where over $1600 was raised for the MPA Scholarship fund. Special thanks to the University of New England and Husson University for sponsoring our education sessions.
Kenneth “Mac” McCall is the APhA Immunization Champion Award Recipient The Maine Pharmacy Association is proud to have one of its members and Immediate Past President, Kenneth “Mac” McCall, selected for the national American Pharmacists Association’s Immunization Champion - Individual Practioner Award 2015. The APhA established the awards in 2008 to recognize the value and extraordinary contributions pharmacists provide to improving vaccination rates in their communities. Over the last several years, Mac has led legislative efforts to expand the scope of practice of pharmacists as immunizers to include all CDC recommended adult vaccines and the scope of practice for interns to administer immunizations under the supervision of pharmacists. Through his volunteer work as a student preceptor at the Maine VA Healthsystems, he supervised the administration of over 2,000 vaccines to veterans by the students. For the MPA, Mac has provided training to many pharmacist at our semi-annual conventions. Mac was recognized for this achievement at the APhA Convention held in San Diego, CA. 9
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Rhode Island
the value of our members and expresses appreciation for your continued support.
Hello fellow Rhode Island Pharmacists Association Members!
We enjoyed our 17th Annual Rhode Island Pharmacy Foundation Golf Outing at beautiful Laurel Lanes Country Club on June 8th. At the golf outing we will draw the lucky winners of our annual RIPA Raffle, your chance to win cash prizes- including the big $5,000 winner- and support your Association in our yearly fundraiser. Proceeds from the golf outing support scholarships for student pharmacists, your attendance and support helps advance our profession for
Our Council of Administration has been hard at work this 2014-15 term to provide you, our valuable members, with outstanding member benefits, legislative leadership, and educational opportunities. What a successful year we have had, and we are looking forward to serving you in the upcoming year with our newly elected slate of Officers and Council of Administration.
This March in San Diego RIPA leadership actively participated in the American Pharmacists Association House of Delegates by voting on your behalf on important topics affecting health care. Voting occurred on the adoption of the following statements: interoperability of communications among health care providers to improve quality of patient care, an integrated nationwide prescription drug monitoring program, and the role of the pharmacist in the care of patients using cannabis.
Our annual Face of Pharmacy event at the RI State House on April 1st was a success with over 13 pharmacist-led exhibitor tables on display -- from body fat analysis, to hypertension screening, to opioid overdose education, to provider status information -- just to name a few! Legislators met with pharmacist leaders from across the state to discuss innovations in pharmacy practice and Representative Patricia Serpa from RI District 27 presented a compelling personal story of how pharmacist interventions can prevent, detect, and correct medication errors.
The Rhode Island Pharmacy Foundation Kimberly McDonough Spring Seminar continuing education program on May 6th at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick was attended by over 70 pharmacists/pharmacy technicians/student pharmacists and 19 valued exhibitors. Interactive presentation topics and panel discussions focused on Pharmacist-Led Interventions to Improve Quality of Care. This was our first year offering Spring Seminar attendance as an included benefit for our active RIPA members. Just another way that our Association recognizes 10
years to come.
Be sure to “Save the Date” during the New England Pharmacists Convention in Foxborough MA for our 141st RIPA President’s Dinner and Awards Ceremony honoring Anita Jackson on Thursday September 24th, 2015. Event details, including venue information and special extras, will be announced on the RIPA website and Facebook page soon!
As always, we welcome you to attend any and all Council of Administration meetings. This is a great year to get involved in RIPA through active committee participation and event attendance. If you are not yet a member of RIPA please consider joining today! (ripharmacists.org) Your support allows us to advocate for the future of pharmacy on your behalf and to plan the educational and networking opportunities that keep us connected as professionals!
We look forward to seeing you at an event soon, RIPA Council of Administration, 2014-15
Feature Making Patient Adherence Easy: the Value of MedSynch
Pharmacy Journal of New England • Spring 2015
The leading pharmacist associations are also catching on to MedSynch. The APhA Foundation has urged patients to tell pharmacists to “Align my Refills” (APhA Foundation.org).
by Kathy Harvey-Ellis If you are a patient with multiple chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure, you could be on four, six, or ten medications. That’s a lot of prescriptions to track, manage, and pick up at the drugstore. A complex regimen of medications could be a major stumbling block toward your medication adherence. In recent years, medication synchronization or MedSynch, also called the “Appointment-based model” (ABM) has emerged as a tool to combat patient non-adherence and misinformation. This program can benefit anyone taking prescription medication, but is especially helpful for those patients who suffer from chronic diseases, like diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart conditions, with those ages 65+ the target market. How does the MedSynch model work? What are the pros, the downsides? And, most importantly, is this model beneficial for both patients and pharmacists? A patient taking part in the MedSynch program has a scheduled day each month to pick up all of his/her medications, typically receiving a reminder call from the pharmacist a few days ahead of time. On the scheduled day, the pharmacist can review the medication list and discuss drug interactions or compliance issues with the patient. According to the APhA Foundation, this program changes the process from “passively filling prescription orders” to initiating an appointment and interaction with the patient (Pharmacy’s AppointmentBased Model: A prescription synchronization program that improves adherence, APhA Foundation).
An Increasing Acceptance of MedSynch The retail chains are getting on the MedSynch bandwagon. CVS markets a medication synchronization program on their website, and Rite Aid advertises the program in its stores.
In 2011, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) developed a program entitled Simplify my Meds to aid pharmacists in implementing a medication synchronization program, and MedSynch continues to make inroads among community pharmacies. A 2014 NCPA Digest survey found that 67% of independent community pharmacies offered some kind of medication adherence program. (ncpa. org). In Massachusetts, there are 23 independent pharmacies that have implemented the appointment-based model or MedSynch.
How MedSynch Gets Implemented Among these pharmacies is Sullivan’s Pharmacy in Roslindale. Delilah Barnes, a pharmacist and department manager of assisted living facilities in Sullivan’s Long-Term Care Division, focuses on specialty medicine packaging to elderly who are in assisted living or homebound. Barnes synchronizes and organizes the multiple medications in “pop-out” compartments (for morning and night), pill boxes and baggies. For the past five years, pharmacists in Sullivan’s retail division have executed MedSynch by analyzing the patient’s medication profile and issuing partial refills if necessary, so that all medicines are ready on the same day, Barnes explained. The pharmacists then counsel the patient about any medication interactions and adherence. By reviewing the patients’ profile, the patients’ pharmacists get a sense of the full picture. “You need to look at the patient as a whole...not at an individual prescription,” explained Barnes. “MedSynch is made to see the patient as a whole.” 11
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Similarly, Brian Ambrefe, a pharmacist and owner at Village Pharmacy in Lynnfield, has performed medication synchronization for the past eight years. Ambrefe says patients who take four or more medications or who meet Medicare guidelines for Medication Therapy Management (MTM) comprise the majority of MedSynch patients, though Village Pharmacy offers this option to anyone who could benefit from it. To sync, Ambrefe starts with the most expensive drug (known as the “anchor drug”) as the basis for the refill schedule, then works the other refills around this one, resulting in partial refills until the “synch” is complete.
A Case for MedSynch Moving to a MedSynch or appointment-based model offers several advantages for the patient, the pharmacy, and the healthcare system. Patients enrolled in the ABM were “three to six times more likely to adhere to their medication regimes than consumers who were not enrolled,” at least in part because they felt a greater connection with the pharmacy, according a study from Thrifty White Pharmacy referenced by the APhA Foundation. Patients were also more likely to be content with the care they received from their particular pharmacy, with fewer trips to the pharmacy being one reason for their satisfaction. Similarly, MedSynch provides benefits to the pharmacies that implement it. Ambrefe says MedSynch makes operational planning easier; he can make fewer deliveries to assisted living facility customers, and can arrange staffing levels more accurately. MedSynch also allows for inventory management. Ambrefe can order medications from wholesalers very shortly before his patients are due to pick them up, so expensive drugs never remain on the shelf for very long. From a more global perspective, patient non-adherence is one of the largest drivers of healthcare costs, so a program like MedSynch that positively impacts adherence has the potential to bring healthcare costs down, as well as impact specific improvement metrics. “The measures of improvement will be useful to align the impact of pharmacists utilizing the ABM with the quality measures (e.g. CMS Five Star Quality Ratings) and cost savings many doctors, hospitals, and payers are striving to achieve.” (APhA Foundation). The CMS Five Star Quality ratings evaluate a drug plan according to member satisfaction, patient safety, and more. 12
Though the benefits of MedSynch are plentiful, there are still downsides. Most of these center around cost, both to the patient and the pharmacist. It may be a financial hardship for patients to pick up and pay for all of their monthly medications at one time, especially if their insurance will not cover the partial refills. Slowly, this may be changing. While insurance coverage of partial refills varies from plan to plan, insurers have been covering these refills more frequently in recent months. Medicare Part D drug coverage of partial refills has changed. “As of January 1, 2014, changes under Medicare Part D required plan sponsors to offer prorated copayments, accomplished through new submission clarification codes, to Medicare beneficiaries for medication synchronization” (pharmacist.com). Brian Ambrefe has noticed just this year that insurance plans have gotten better at covering the prorated refills. For plans that initially don’t cover partial refills, a pharmacist’s persistence can go a long way, says Barnes. She often will contact the insurance company to get these refills approved and the patient synched. Pharmacists also experience a disadvantage because insurance does not cover the work involved in MedSynch, including organizing refills and patient counseling. While pharmacists can get paid for some Medication Therapy Management (MTM) encounters, these patients often get “cherry picked” by the Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), according to Ambrefe. Synching prescriptions may also result in an overabundance of medication for the patient. Sometimes, a doctor will tell a patient to stop taking a certain medication, but no one communicates this to the pharmacist. With MedSynch, the particular prescription keeps getting filled. Similarly, if a patient picks up their prescriptions, then becomes injured and goes to a rehabilitation facility, he or she won’t need their medicine at home, and it piles up, says Barnes. With pharmacists on the cusp of potentially earning provider status, they will have an opportunity to influence patient adherence more than ever before. MedSynch can be a valuable tool in their kit. Like any tool, though, it has its limits. While MedSynch improves adherence significantly, it is not a magic bullet. “Adherence is better, not absolute,” states Ambrefe.
Pharmacy Marketing Group
Pharmacy Journal of New England • Spring 2015
Rx and the Law
prescribing physician. That rule came from a case previously decided by the Indiana Court of Appeals.
By: Don R. McGuire Jr., R.Ph, JD
Since the federal judge in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana was deciding on an issue in which Indiana state law governed, he was forced to apply the rule, thus favoring the defendant Walgreens. As a result, that claim was dismissed from court on a motion for summary judgment. The Bobays could not recover from Walgreens on that claim because the facts were similar enough to a case that had previously been decided within their jurisdiction. The court was bound by mandatory authority.
This series, Pharmacy and the Law, is presented by Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company and your State Pharmacy Association through Pharmacy Marketing Group, Inc., a company dedicated to providing quality products and services to the pharmacy community.
That’s Not my State Often you find yourself flipping through pharmacy news and see recent court decisions that affect the practice of pharmacy in a different state. You might think, “Well it’s not in my state, so who cares?” Even though that decision may not pertain to your practice now, it could later. The extent to which it does stems from its persuasive authority. Persuasive authority is the characteristic of a judicial opinion that courts in other jurisdictions can rely on in deciding a case. But, this authority is neither absolute nor guaranteed. Of course there are the judicial opinions issued in your state that directly affect your practice of pharmacy. These are said to have mandatory authority. Once an opinion is rendered based on a particular set of facts, it becomes the rule of law that all lower courts in that jurisdiction (including the court it came out of) must follow from then on. There is no discretion over whether to follow this rule.
But what about judicial opinions from courts that have no jurisdiction where you practice pharmacy? They’re not your laws, right? Right. Your courts aren’t bound by them, right? Right. So we can totally disregard them, right? I wouldn’t. If the issue has yet to be decided in your courts, that outside opinion could play a big part in shaping your professional landscape. Persuasive authority comes into play when a court is looking at an issue for the first time. It has no previous decisions in their own jurisdiction, so they aren’t bound by any rule of law. It has to make the rule of law and apply it to the case at hand. This process is not to be taken lightly, so persuasive authority is used for guidance in creating mandatory authority.
The process of following decisions with mandatory authority is called stare decisis, meaning “let the decision stand.” Mandatory authority derived from stare decisis serves the purpose of continuity (so people know what the law is and how to act), as well as efficiency in not having to consider policy arguments every time the same issue is raised.
Exactly how persuasive a decision is, though, relies on a host of considerations. The more similar the facts are, the more persuasive it is. Reasoning behind an opinion, the person that wrote it, and the court from which the decision came all matter, too. Whether a court shares a specific doctrine on the matter is also important. Even demographic and geographic comparisons are made. It’s difficult to tell with any certainty how persuasive an “outside” decision may be.
Let’s look at Bobay v. Walgreens. In 2007, Pansey and Dennis Bobay filed a complaint against Walgreens alleging that the pharmacy owed Ms. Bobay a duty to warn her about potential adverse injuries that could result from taking cyclosporine, gemfibrozil, and Vytorin. The Bobays were trying to prove negligence and in order to do that needed to show Walgreens had a duty to warn Ms. Bobay about drug interactions. However, the rule of law was already established that pharmacists had no such duty unless directed by the
So here we go again. Let’s get back to a pharmacist’s duty to warn a patient about adverse effects. The State of Washington looked at this issue for the very first time in McKee v. American Home Products Corporation. Here, Elaine McKee alleged that the defendant pharmacists were negligent and should have warned her about the addictive effects of Plegeline for appetite suppression, that its therapeutic effect diminishes after a few weeks, and that it is not a drug to be used for long-term duration. Since this was an issue of first impression the court looked 13
Pharmacy Marketing Group continued outside the State of Washington for help. The court was persuaded particularly by factually similar cases that arose out of the Florida District Court of Appeals and Michigan Court of Appeals. There, they held that pharmacists had no such duty to warn of potential adverse effects, but only a duty to properly fill a prescription. Also, since Washington followed the “learned intermediary” doctrine they looked at decisions from other states that followed the same doctrine. Those states found no duty to warn on the part of the pharmacistbecause they did not know the nuances of a patient’s health. Even though the court wasn’t bound by those prior decisions, it chose to follow their rulings anyway. Maybe you might want to skim through that article after all. You can anticipate what the argument for or against an issue will be when it’s raised. Making yourself aware of what’s going on in other states helps to keep you aware of your own professional responsibilities and their evolution.
Financial Forum Gauging your Financial Well-Being Six Signs that you are in good shape How well off do you think you are financially? If your career or life takes an unexpected turn, would your finances hold up? What do you think will become of the money you’ve made and saved when you are gone? These are major questions, and most people can’t answer them as quickly as they would like. It might help to think about six factors in your financial life. Here is a six-point test you can take to gauge your financial well-being. Are you saving about 15% of your salary for retirement? That’s a nice target. If you’re earning good money, that will probably amount to $10-20,000 per year. You are probably already saving that much annually without any strain to your lifestyle. Annual IRA contributions and incremental salary deferrals into a workplace retirement plan will likely put you in that ballpark. As those dollars are being invested as well as saved, they have the potential to grow with tax deferral – and if your employer is making matching contributions to your retirement account along the way, you have another reason 14
to smile. Do you have an emergency fund? Sadly, most Americans don’t. In June, Bankrate polled U.S. households and found that 26% of them were living paycheck-to-paycheck, with no emergency fund at all.1 A strong emergency fund contains enough money to cover six months of expenses for the individual who maintains it. (Just 23% of respondents in the Bankrate survey reported having a fund that sizable.) If you head up a family, the fund should ideally be larger – large enough to address a year of expenses. At first thought, building a cash reserve that big may seem daunting, or even impossible – but households have done it, especially households that have jettisoned or whittled down debt. If you have done it, give yourself a hand with the knowledge that you have prepared well for uncertainty.1 Are you insured? As U.S. News & World Report mentioned this summer, about 30% of U.S. households don’t have life insurance. Why? They can’t afford it. That’s the perception.2 In reality, life insurance is much less expensive now than it was decades ago. As the CEO of insurance industry group LIMRA commented to USN&WR, most people think it is about three times as expensive as it really is. How much do you need? A quick rule of thumb is ten times your income. Hopefully, you have decent or better insurance coverage in place.2 Do you have a will or an estate plan? Dying intestate (without a will) can leave your heirs with financial headaches at an already depressing time. Having a will is basic, yet many Americans don’t create one. In its annual survey this spring, the budget legal service website RocketLawyer found that only 51% of Americans aged 55-64 have drawn up a will. Just 38% of Americans aged 45-54 have drafted one.3 Why don’t more of us have wills? A lack of will, apparently. RocketLawyer asked respondents without wills to check off why they hadn’t created one, and the top reason (57%) was “just haven’t gotten around to making one.” A living will, a healthcare power of attorney and a double-check on the beneficiary designations on your investment accounts is also wise.3 Not everyone needs an estate plan, but if you’re reading this
Pharmacy Journal of New England • Spring 2015
article, chances are you might. If you have significant wealth, a complex financial life, or some long-range financial directives you would like your heirs to carry out or abide by, it is a good idea. Congratulate yourself if you have a will, as many people don’t; if you have taken further estate planning steps, bravo. Is your credit score 700 or better? Today, 685 is considered an average FICO score. If you go below 650, life can get more expensive for you. Hopefully you pay your bills consistently and unfailingly and your score is in the 700s. You can request your FICO score while signing up for a trial period with a service such as TransUnion or GoFreeCredit.4 Are you worth much more than you owe? This is the #1 objective. You want your major debts gone, and you want enough money for a lifetime. You will probably always carry some debt, and you can’t rule out risks to your net worth to-
morrow – but if you are getting further and further ahead financially and your bottom line shows it, you are making progress in your pursuit of financial independence. Citations. 1 - dailyfinance.com/2014/09/03/why-american-wages-arentrising/ [9/3/14] 2 - money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/ articles/2014/07/16/do-you-have-enough-life-insurance [7/16/14] 3 - forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2014/04/09/americansostrich-approach-to-estate-planning/ [4/9/14] 4 - nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-score/credit-score-range-badto-excellent/ [9/4/14] Pat Reding and Bo Schnurr may be reached at 800-288-6669 or pbh@berthelrep.com.
MPhA seeks annual award nominations Each year at the New England Pharmacists Convention's Installation and Awards Banquet, MPhA honors several pharmacists who have made exceptional contributions to the profession of pharmacy. To nominate a colleague, download the nomination packet and form at www.masspharmacists.org/ about us/awards. The packet will also describe the history and criteria for each award. Please return your nomination form to David Johnson, MPhA Executive Vice President, at djohnson@masspharmacists.org by June 30, 2015.
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From the Colleges University of St. Joseph School of Pharmacy Message from the Dean Dear Colleagues: At USJ School of Pharmacy we are excited to graduate our second Pharm.D. class. We have no doubt that their merits will land them their desired residencies and careers. In saying that, my gratitude to many of you is immense, and my wish is that we move forward together in the coming academic year. – Dean Joseph R. Ofosu
New Appointment: Angela D. Skyers, Ed.D, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Dr. Skyers began her tenure as Assistant Dean for Student Affairs in the School of Pharmacy in April. She brings many years of administrative experience to the USJ Community. Dr. Skyers earned a B.A. from Roberts Wesleyan College before pursuing her MBA and PhD in Education Administration from the University of Bridgeport. Dr. Skyers remains actively involved in professional organizations including the American Association of University Women and Women’s ACE Network.
News On January 23, 2015, USJ School of Pharmacy hosted the New England Regional Pharmacy Deans’ Meeting. The meeting was well attended by pharmacy deans in the Northeast and pertinent issues were reviewed and discussed. On March 7, the School of Pharmacy at USJ hosted a free program for high school and college students interested in careers in Pharmacy entitled “Exploring Diversity in Pharmacy”. The program included a panel discussion led by professional pharmacists and faculty, a Compounding Experiment in the Pharmacy Lab where participants made lip balm, and an interactive lecture and group activity that explored cultural remedies from around the world. Also on March 7, the USJ School of Pharmacy welcomed the Zeta Iota chapter of Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity, Inc. to the University. The Zeta Iota chapter was chartered after an eight month-long pledging process. It was a special 16
Zeta Iota chapter of the Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity
occasion that saw Brothers travel from as far as Maine and the District of Columbia. We were incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity to join a fraternity that is rich in history. On March 24, Pharmacy Day was held at the Capitol. Approximately 45 USJ School of Pharmacy students were in attendance. The students appreciated time spent with the legislators discussing issues in the pharmacy profession. To date, several USJ School of Pharmacy PY-3 students have matched residencies in New York, Connecticut and Minnesota, and most recently an alumna has secured a PGY-2 residency in Indiana. Academic scholarship was celebrated at the annual Symposium Day on April 8. Students and faculty presented their research on campus throughout the day, including poster sessions and a student art display.
Posters and Presentations Hattoy S, Eisenhower C. New Drug Update. Schwarting Senior Symposium, March 17, Aqua Turf Club, Plantsville, CT. Luciano J, Laskey D. “Prolonged Psychosis in an Individual with No Psychiatric History Following Magic Mushroom Ingestion”. Presentation at the 18th Annual Meeting of the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists April 19 – 22 in Tampa, FL. Khalil A, Shalaby R, Kent CN, Godstein SW and Ghoneim
Pharmacy Journal of New England • Spring 2015
OM. “Microwave Assisted Synthesis of N-Aryl and Heteroarylpiperazine Derivatives as a Potential Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorders”. Poster presentation, International Conference on Pharmaceutical Sciences, January 21-22, Dubai, UAE. Dhuguru J, Goldstein SW, Khalil A, Ghoneim OM, abstract: “Robust and Efficient Amination Route towards the Development of N-substituted Piperazines as Serotonergic Ligands for Autism Spectrum Disorder” presented at the American Chemical Society 249th National Meeting from March 22-26th in Denver, CO. Graham S, Rogers RP, and Alper RH, abstract: “Use of Daniovision™ to Measure Activity in 3rd Instar Drosophila melanogaster Larvae”. Poster presentation, Experimental Biology 2015 Meeting, March 28-April 1, 2015. Cusano, M, Ezenduka, C, and Sweezy MA, abstract: “The In Vitro Characterization of the Role of Rad57 in Rad51 Catalyzed Homologous Recombination Repair”. Poster presentation, Experimental Biology 2015 Meeting, March 28-April 1, 2015. Drummond S, Manzoor, Cramer MA, Edafiogho I and Soldato D. “Specification of Novel Compound E121’s Mechanism of Action”. Poster presentation, Experimental Biology 2015 Meeting, March 30, 2015. Gregory Jaszczur, “The Safety and Efficacy of Dabigatran versus Warfarin in Atrial Fibrillation”. Podium presentation, University of Saint Joseph Symposium Day, April 8, 2015. Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Dalia Giedrimiene (Biology and Pharmacy) Tea Llakmani, “The Role of the RAD57 Mediator Protein in Homologous Recombination Repair”. Podium presentation, USJ Symposium Day, April 8, .Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Mark Sweezy (Pharmacy) Shelika Drummond, “Specification of Novel Compound Enaminone E121’s Mechanism of Action”. Podium presentation, USJ Symposium Day, April 8. Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Diane Dean (Biochemistry) and Dr. Doreen Soldato (Pharmacy) Ewelina Szydlik, “Solubility Enhancement of Poorly Water Soluble Drug Using Solid Dispersion”. Podium presentation, University of Saint Joseph Symposium Day, April 8, 2015. Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Sanjaykumar Gayakward (Pharmacy)
Bethany Puniello, “ ‘Nearly Neat’ Reaction to Synthesize Epibatidine Analogs”. Podium presentation, USJ Symposium Day, April 8. Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Stephen Slauson (Pharmacy) Stephanie Graham, “A Semi-Automated Method for Early Screening of Anticonvulsant Drugs in Drosophila melanogaster Larvae”. Podium presentation, University of Saint Joseph Symposium Day, April 8, 2015. Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Richard Alper (Pharmacy) Mohammed Manzoor, “Investigation into Novel Compound Enaminone E121’s Mechanism of Action”. Poster presentation, University of Saint Joseph Symposium Day, April 8, 2015. Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Doreen Soldato (Pharmacy) Peter Okwesili, “Synthesis and anticonvulsant activity of 2,4-dibromophenyl enaminones”. Poster presentation, University of Saint Joseph Symposium Day, April 8, 2015. Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Ivan Edafiogho (Pharmacy) Jyothi Dhuguru, “Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of a Novel Series of Piperazino Enaminones”. Poster presentation, University of Saint Joseph Symposium Day, April 8, 2015. Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Ola Ghoneim (Pharmacy) Nicole Studniarski, “Rapid and sensitive HPLC method development and validation for the determination of stability of high dose insulin in 0.9% sodium chloride solution”. Poster presentation, University of Saint Joseph Symposium Day, April 8, 2015.Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Rajesh Vadlapatla (Pharmacy)
Publications Book Chapter: Wiskirchen DE, Keel RA, Nicolau DP. Chapter 3, Continuous and Intermittent Infusion Beta-lactams. In: Cohen, H, ed. Casebook in Clinical Pharmacokinetics and Drug Dosing. 1st ed. New York:McGraw-Hill; January 16, 2015 Hattoy SL, Childress BC, Jett A, Montney J. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning Enhancing Experiential Education: Implementing and Improving the Journal Club Experience” Volume 7 Issue 3 published online January 5.
Honors and Accomplishments Dr. Prashant Mandela, Assistant Professor Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, appointed Visiting Assistant Professor of Medicine, Yale University, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep. 17
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University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy UConn Alumnus Named Master Preceptor by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Guidance, compassion, motivation, and interest are words Chris Federico uses to describe UConn alumnus Jim Sarigianis. He is, says Federico, “the quintessential preceptor.” The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) agreed, as Sarigianis was named in the second class of the organization’s Master Preceptor Recognition Program. Preceptors supervise student pharmacists in a clinical setting, and play a critical role in shaping a student’s future career through teaching and mentoring. “The AACP Master Preceptor Recognition Program recognizes the exemplary preceptors in the academy who support our institutional members and future practitioners,” said Lucinda L. Maine, executive vice president and CEO of AACP. “AACP introduced the Master Preceptor Program to offer our members another tool for recognizing and rewarding our best preceptors who contribute so much to our students’ learning.” In 2006, the UConn School of Pharmacy named Sarigianis “Preceptor of the Year” after he was nominated by students that had just graduated from the program. “Jim places a high value on experiential teaching at his practice site and involves his students in every aspect of his practice. Students actually experience the concepts taught in the classroom and make the transition into practice,” says Philip Hritcko, assistant dean of experiential education at UConn. Former students and colleagues describe Sarigianis as “exceedingly intelligent, wise, well spoken, and genuine.” Nominator Tom Kalista said, “When he spoke, everybody – attending physicians to wide-eyed pharmacy students alike – listened.” Eric Tichy, a former student turned colleague, explained, “He has developed a world class clinical practice and he is consistently held in the highest regard by physicians, nurses, patients, and colleagues. However, his greatest achievement is that he always has time to mentor students and without fail, his students develop a passion for clinical pharmacy.” Sarigianis, a clinical pharmacist at Yale-New Haven Hospital, 18
credits much of his success to paying close, personal attention to the students and making himself easily accessible to them throughout the day. “I make it very clear to them that they are a very high priority and that I am available to them no matter how busy I may seem,” he says. “In essence, I treat all of my students as I would expect a preceptor to treat my own children.” AACP estimates that 82 percent of schools use faculty who are jointly-funded by practice sites, and up to 60 percent of total Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience rotations are provided by adjunct or volunteer faculty. The MPRP seeks to recognize preceptors who are not full-time employees of a pharmacy school, but who are critical in creating practiceready pharmacists. “Experiential learning is more than 25 percent of the curriculum and requires the dedication of so many excellent practitioners,” says Maine. Sarigianis is the first preceptor from Connecticut to be recognized by AACP.
Pharmacy Journal of New England • Spring 2015
Northeastern University Message from the Dean Greetings from Boston! As spring turns to summer, our thoughts turn to green lawns, Green Monsters (especially the kind seen at Fenway Park!), and all of the great things happening in the School of Pharmacy. We congratulate the Class of 2015 and send them on their way towards residencies, fellowships and great opportunities in pharmacy practice. We also welcome our newest students into the Doctor of Pharmacy program, who are already out on their first co-op experiences. Spring is a time of transitions at most universities, and Northeastern is no exception. Terry Fulmer, Dean of the Bouvé College of Health Sciences, is leaving to become president of the John A. Hartford Foundation, a leader in supporting research and education in geriatric medicine. While we will miss Terry and wish her well, it gives us the opportunity to welcome back Jack Reynolds who, after having spent the past year as Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, returns to Bouvé as our Interim Dean. It will be great having Jack back, not only to lead our efforts in pharmacy, but across all of health education and research at Northeastern. Best wishes for a safe and relaxing summer! David P. Zgarrick, PhD, FAPhA Acting Dean and Professor
Faculty News Alexandros Makriyannis, PhD, was honored as a University Distinguished Professor by Northeastern University. Michael Gonyeau, PharmD, received the Distinguished Undergraduate Educator Award for the Bouvé College of Health Sciences. Barbara Waszczak, PhD, was recognized as the School of Pharmacy’s Teacher of the Year at the Convocation ceremony in May. Also honored at Convocation were Judith Barr, PhD, with the Distinguished Service Award; Tali Konry, PhD, with
the Schumacher Faculty Award; and Joseph Bruno, RPh (Class of 1978) with the Distinguished Alumni Award. Ganesh Thakur, PhD, was featured in an interview with Dr. Mallika Marshall on WBZ-TV News regarding his research on medical marijuana. Dr. Thakur’s research focuses on the development of compounds that replicate pain relief from marijuana without the high. The segment aired on May 12th. http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/05/12/local-researchers-work-to-eliminate-the-highfrom-medical-marijuana/
Tania Konry, PhD received the Schumacher Award, awarded to a junior pharmacy faculty member who demonstrates the most significant academic achievement during the previous academic year. Additionally, Dr. Konry was featured on the Northeastern News website for her creation called ‘Scandrop’, a cost-effective device that scans biological materials for important biomarkers that signal diseases. http://www.northeastern.edu/news/?s=scandrop
Recent Hires and Promotions Adam Woolley, PharmD, was promoted to Associate Clinical Professor. Jason Guo, PhD, was promoted to Associate Research Professor.
Student News: Karen Khalil receives Student Excellence Award from MSHP Karen Karen Khalil Khalil, a PharmD student, received a 2015 Student Excellence Awards from the Massachusetts Society of Health System Pharmacists (MSHP). This award honors four students who are enrolled at a college of pharmacy in Massachusetts and have demonstrated outstanding achievement and commitment to pharmacy in an organized health care setting. Each student must have a minimum of one year 19
From the Colleges
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pharmacy internship experience at an organized health care setting in Massachusetts. One student from each college of pharmacy in MA (Western New England, MCPHS Worcester, MCPHS Boston, Northeastern) was honored on April 27, 2015.
Northeastern APhA-ASP Chapter Makes History at Annual Meeting The Northeastern University Chapter of the American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) had much to celebrate at this year’s annual meeting in San Diego as it was presented with the APhA-ASP National Award for “Most Improved Chapter”, and as one of its own, Lucianne West, a P3 PharmD student, was inaugurated as the National President. It was the first time in the school’s history that a Northeastern student has held this prestigious position. Prior to holding national office, Lucy served the APhA-ASP, NU Chapter President at Northeastern.
School News and Upcoming Events
Northeastern: APhA-ASP’s Most Improved Chapter
Continuing Pharmacy Education: For more information on our ongoing programs, please visit our web-site: http://www.rxce.neu.edu.
The 31st Annual John W. Webb Lecture on excellence in health-system pharmacy management will be held at Northeastern University on Monday, October 26, 2015 at 5:00 pm. This year’s lecture award winner and speaker is Linda Tyler, PharmD, FASHP, from the University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics in Salt Lake City. Please email schoolofpharmacy@ neu.edu if you are interested in attending.
Did You Know? That the Connecticut Pharmacists Association offers a 2-Week Online Course for CT Law? www.ctpharmacists.org
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Pharmacy Journal of New England • Spring 2015
Husson University Spring Honors
Hilary Devine, VA Boston Health Care System
External Grants
Alyssa Duron, Baylor All Saints Medical Center
Tao Zhang, Assistant Professor, received an AACP New Investigator Award.
Michela Fiori, Penobscot Community Health Center
Sarah Martin, Assistant Professor, analyst for “Rural Health Care Outreach Program”: HRSA Grant
Latiana Hitoaliaj, VA Connecticut Health Care System
Evan Williams, Assistant Professor, 20th Annual NACDS Foundation Pharmacy Partners Program Award
Carrie Leichtweis, Eastern Maine Medical Center
Husson University Research and Scholarship Day 2015 26 Pharmacy Students, five Husson Students/ Alumnus, seven Basic Scientists, and five Practice Faculty, in collaboration with 24 students, faculty, and colleagues from 15 other institutions and organizations provided eight oral presentations and sixteen posters. 2015 Scholarship Convocation and Rho Chi Dean Larson hosted the Sixth Annual Scholarship Convocation with special guests of Carl Boucher, Hannaford, Lou Giannotti, Rite Aid and Tim Keller, Walgreens. Scholarships were awarded to 38 students presented from CVS, Hannaford, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Class of 2014 and numerous internal funds and endowments.
Mindy Harpine, Sanford USD Medical Center
Whitney Jandreau, VA Maine Health Care System
Kayla McGrath, Sarasota Memorial Hospital
Graduation Week Activities Awards Ceremony: Students: Thirteen awards were made to students that celebrated academic, practice, service and leadership excellence. These awards were sponsored by national, local and institutional organizations and speak to the depth and breadth of excellence within the program and the quality of the students. Preceptors and Faculty Preceptor of the Year for Institutional Practice: Tyson Thornton, Pharm.D., Sabasticook Valley Hospital, Pittsfield Me.
On May 1, 2015, the Epsilon Gamma Chapter of Rho Chi. was established. John Reynolds, Northeastern University, and National Past President, did the honors of chartering the chapter, followed by the induction of 24 new members.
Preceptor of the Year for Community Practice: Tri Cao, Pharm.D., Walgreens, Ellsworth, ME
Pharmacy Class of 2015 Place Nine into Residencies
he P1 Teacher of the Year is Dr. Aaron Domina
The School of Pharmacy was notified that nine P-4 students have been selected for Post Graduate Year One residency training. “All of our students who entered the national residency spin were matched this year. This would not have been possible without the education and encouragement
The P2 Teacher of the Year is Dr. Brian Piper
that our students received from the faculty and staff, encouraging them to pursue these career-enhancing opportunities. We are all proud of their accomplishment,” said Dean Larson. A list of the students and their respective residency facilities: Jessica Bates, Penobscot Community Health Center
Faculty Experiential Educator of the Year Award: Stephanie Nichols
The P3 Teacher of the Year is Mr. Gregory Cameron The P4 Teacher of the Year is Dr. Timothy Gladwell Hooding and Graduation Ceremonies A total of 65 pharmacy students were hooded by Provost Lynn Coy-Ogan and Dean Rodney Larson. With the recommendation of pharmacy faculty, 65 students earned and were awarded their Doctorate of Pharmacy degree from Husson University. 21
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