NACDS Foundation Scholarship Awardees Report on Honors
The NACDS Foundation presented $230,000 in scholarships and grants at this year's NACDS Annual Meeting. Some of the winning institutions have released their own public announcements.
Medication Synchronization Bill Passes House in Texas
This week, NACDS and pharmacists from H-E-B and The Kroger Co. met with Rep. John Frullo (R) to thank him for his leadership on HB 1296, the medication synchronization bill that passed the House in Texas and is pending in the Senate.
NACDS and HDA Publish Joint Op-Ed in The Hill on Drug Importation
A joint op-ed by NACDS and the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) was published in The Hill on the inherent risks of importing drugs from foreign markets.
Telling Pharmacy’s Story through Opinion Research, One Congressional District at a Time Opinion research dashboard is new feature of Access Agenda microsite
With opinion research unveiled during the 2017 NACDS Annual Meeting, NACDS members can show members of Congress what their constituents think about key elements of pharmacy’s “Access Agenda.”
Creating the Unique NACDS “Shopping Experience”
During the NACDS Annual Meeting this week, one of the often-discussed trends was the need for retailers and supplier partners to collaborate for a truly positive shopping experience – one that makes consumers enjoy and value their time in the store. I thought a lot about the extent to which NACDS focuses on reflecting the chain and associate membership in this regard. Members tell us often that NACDS meetings and conferences create highly positive experiences that make them uniquely desirable and effective venues for advancing one’s business. In addition, NACDS constantly looks to reinvent itself and its events, for the good of the members.
“NACDS remains focused on keeping our events on the leading edge of member experience – just as you strive to remain on the leading edge of consumer experience.”
I want to thank everyone who made the 2017 NACDS Annual Meeting a tremendous success. Also, thank you to those who did the same at the NACDS Regional Chain Conference in February, and to those who already are thinking ahead to the NACDS Total Store Expo in August. I hope you find the extensive preparation materials to be powerful and effective, and I hope your on-site experience is second-to-none. NACDS remains focused on keeping our events on the leading edge of member experience – just as you strive to remain on the leading edge of consumer experience.
Collaboration, customer-focus, the pursuit of shared value for partners and for society, and other key themes resonated consistently from the conversations at the NACDS Annual Meeting. Through your engagement and input, thank you for helping to keep NACDS focused on the related theme of creating a highly competitive, productive and rewarding experience that constantly delivers satisfaction. In other words, thank you for helping NACDS to operate exactly the way it should: in your image.
The Cost of Medication Non-Adherence
The New York Times reported this week on an “out of control epidemic” in the U.S. that costs more and affects more people in the U.S. than any disease Americans are concerned about right now—and it is 100 percent preventable. The culprit? Medication non-adherence. A review in the Annals of Internal Medicine estimates that a lack of adherence causes nearly 125,000 deaths, 10 percent of hospitalizations and costs the already strained healthcare system between $100–$289 billion a year.
The article points to findings from studies NACDS has often referenced in advocacy efforts to improve medication adherence—including that 20–30 percent of medication prescriptions are never filled and approximately 50 percent of medications for chronic disease are not taken as prescribed.
Significantly, the study authors found the strongest evidence yet that improved medication adherence was accompanied by pharmacist-led high blood pressure management. In addition, the study showed that “education with behavioral support; reminders; and pharmacist-led, multicomponent interventions enhanced adherence…”
NACDS continues to advocate for issues that support pharmacist-provided services that improve medication adherence. Most recently, NACDS and the National Community Pharmacists Association urged Congress not to increase TRICARE beneficiary copayments, which unfairly penalize TRICARE beneficiaries who prefer to use local pharmacies.
NACDS and NCPA noted that restricting beneficiary access and raising copay amounts can have the unintended effect of reducing medication adherence. The organizations instead urged Congress to support the implementation of the “Pilot Program for Prescription Drug Acquisition Cost Parity in the TRICARE Pharmacy Benefits Program,” which was included in the FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act and has the potential to reduce costs while also restoring TRICARE patient access to medications and services from their neighborhood pharmacies.
NACDS RxIMPACT Keeps Advocacy Momentum Going
As promised, NACDS is harnessing the energy generated in advance of NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill and turning it into meaningful, effective advocacy efforts. Though the winter storm, flight cancellations and congressional schedule changes forced the cancellation of the Washington, D.C. event, NACDS RxIMPACT immediately started its work to translate congressional meetings scheduled for last week’s advocacy event into in-district opportunities for NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill participants when House and Senate members return home for recess in April.
Building on its largest letter writing campaign ever—5,000 and counting—to build support for federal provider status legislation (HR592/S109), NACDS RxIMPACT asked advocates again this week to write their representatives letting them know that as they work to reform the Affordable Care Act, pharmacy services in Medicaid and Medicare should be protected to ensure beneficiary access to quality and lower-cost care. In the first 24 hours of the campaign, advocates generated 1,031 letters to 236 members of Congress.
NACDS RxIMPACT also urged advocates in New York, Oklahoma, and Texas to promote pharmacy’s priorities and called on all NACDS member companies to advance a TRICARE pilot program to increase patient access and reduce costs.
- In New York, NACDS RxIMPACT rallied advocates to once again send 1,000 letters thanking House and Senate legislators for rejecting proposed Medicaid cuts in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D-NY) FY2017-18 budget, and urging them to stand by that position as the conference committee finalizes a compromise plan.
- In Oklahoma, NACDS RxIMPACT encouraged advocates to build Senate support for the unanimously House-approved HB 1824 by Representative Chris Kannady, which would allow patients to synchronize the fill date of their prescription medications so that they could order and receive all of their prescriptions on the same day each month instead of having to make multiple visits to the pharmacy.
- In Texas, NACDS RxIMPACT urged support for Senate Bill 2042, introduced by state Sen. Judith Zaffarini, which would give parents the option to have their children aged seven years and older receive additional vaccines from a certified pharmacist without [ READ MORE ]
NACDS.org Evolves to Tell Industry’s Story, Equip Members
NACDS has further evolved its flagship website to convey pharmacy’s story to key constituencies and to serve chain and associate members with insights and timely resources. The searchable “News” feature remains a dynamic and searchable information trove. Valuable content led by the NACDS Retail Advisory Board fuels thought leadership on topics from new product introductions to digital marketing. The members-only NACDS Membership Directory will continue to prove valuable in making connections throughout the year. NACDS.org
Other key features include access to compliance resources, information about pharmacy programs, direct links to NACDS’ robust conference websites, and access points for the NACDS RxIMPACT grassroots advocacy program.
Make Your Voice Heard—Virtually—in D.C. on March 13
NACDS is welcoming more than 400 advocates, representing 47 states, to Washington, D.C., to participate in the 9th annual NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill March 14-15. Can’t make it to D.C.? No problem. You can still urge Congress to recognize the value of pharmacy by participating in NACDS RxIMPACT’s biggest letter-writing campaign ever to promote provider status legislation (H.R. 592/ S.109).
Just because you can’t be in D.C. in person doesn’t mean you can’t still be with pharmacy advocates urging Congress to recognize the value of pharmacy. As Congress considers reforming the Affordable Care Act (ACA), pharmacy services in Medicaid and Medicare should be protected to ensure beneficiary access to quality and lower-cost care. Community pharmacy can play a key role in ensuring the success of efforts to reform these programs in helping guarantee access to affordable, high-quality care. Enhancing access to patient care in communities, through measures like provider status, could be especially beneficial, particularly for patients with chronic conditions.
Advocates are already excited to sign on and spread the word. Dave Rueter of Thrifty White responded to the email alert to participate. He wrote, “Thanks for making this so easy. I will send this out to our store teams on Monday morning [March 13] and encourage them to participate.” Larry Wagenknecht, chief executive officer of the Michigan Pharmacists Association, wrote, “I’m sorry that I am not physically able to be there this year, but we have several members (including a couple of really excited students) that we know are going to be there. We will be doing our part back here in Michigan!”
It’s still possible to make a difference back in your own state. Visit the NACDS RxIMPACT website, and by typing in your name and address only once, you will send a personalized letter to your elected lawmakers in Washington. Recently, NACDS RxIMPACT mobilized advocates to send nearly 5,000 letters to promote provider status legislation.
Note: To date, eleven NACDS member companies have already indicated they are at the ready to distribute the NACDS RxIMPACT Action Alert on March 13: Ahold USA, Brookshire Brothers, Inc. Brookshire Grocery Co., Discount Drug Mart, Inc., H-E-B, [ READ MORE ]
New Upcoming Pharmacogenomics Training—April 27-28 in Irvine, Ca.
Don’t miss a new opportunity to participate in an innovative education program that trains pharmacists to improve patient outcomes through a more personalized and tailored approach to medicine. Chapman University’s School of Pharmacy, in partnership with NACDS and the University of Pittsburgh, is hosting a Pharmacogenomics Certificate Program on April 27-28, in Irvine, Ca.
The certificate program is designed to enhance pharmacist skills to help to ensure that the right patient is getting the right medicine at the right dose using genetic test results.
Don’t wait, because there is no guarantee that participants will be able to use their personal genetic information during this training if their testing kit is processed after the Wednesday, March 15 deadline. The fee is $295, which includes the cost of optional genetic testing, lunch the first day and breakfast on the second day.
Pharmacogenomics—an emerging field of study that combines pharmacology and genomics—aims to ensure that medications are used in a safe and effective manner based on a person’s genetic makeup. The certificate program is designed to enhance pharmacist skills to help to ensure that the right patient is getting the right medicine at the right dose using genetic test results.
The certificate program is comprised of online home study modules and in-person live components, including an optional activity for learners to undergo personal genomic testing. The online home-study and the first day of live program equals 20 credit hours of pharmacogenomics educational content and is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a Practice-based Continuing Pharmacy Education activity. In addition to the in-person aspect of the program, pharmacist participants will also learn how to administer the training to others during the “train-the-trainer” component of the course on the second day.
Register for the Chapman University’s School of Pharmacy program by March 15 to be sure you can use your personal genomic information! In addition, there is still time to register for the program at Duke University on April 10-11 in Durham, N.C. Register for the opportunity as soon as possible in order to increase the likelihood that genetic testing [ READ MORE ]
