Pharmacy Industry News: Session to highlight growing local food industry
Session to highlight growing local food industry
The local food movement has been one of the important trends in food production and marketing during the past decade. More consumers want to know who is producing their food and how they are raising their food. Benefits of local foods include fresher products, more income for farmers and a stronger local economy.
A public meeting on local foods in Muskingum County will be at 7 p.m. April 6 in the Extension Office meeting room, 225 Underwood St. Both farmers and consumers are encouraged to participate. Discussion will include what local food assets exist in Muskingum County, how local foods might be better promoted and what future strategies could be developed to provide more local food for residents.
If you are interested in participating in this meeting, call the Extension Office at 454-0144 to make a reservation. Particiaption is free, and the public is welcome.
HEALTH FAIR FOR FARMERS
OSU Extension, Northside Pharmacy and Farm Bureau are sponsoring a health fair for farmers from 4 to 7 p.m. March 29 at the Center for Seniors in the Sunrise Center. Farmers have some specific health issues that relate to their exposure to the weather, pesticides, chemicals, livestock and airborne particles.
Health screening activities will include consultations with a pharmacist, blood pressure checks, lung function checks, dermavision-scanning for skin cancer, bone density scans ($20 per person), chiropractic screening and short massages. A number of exhibitors and vendors relating to health also will be present.
Participation is free (except for bone density scan) in the event, and the pubic is welcome. Farm Bureau members will receive workers’ compensation credit for participating in an educational program presented at 7 p.m. that evening on “First Aid on the Farm,” by Kent McGuire, Ohio State University Extension Agriculture Ability Specialist. Call the office if you have questions. Reservations are not needed for this activity.
Company President Is Prescribed Membership With Stanford Who’s Who
Stanford Who’s Who welcomes Nara Demie to the ranks of leading professionals as a result of her phenomenal work in the Pharmaceutical Industry. As President of RegCom Inc., as well as throughout her incredible 25 years in the field, Nara has consistently demonstrated the vision, dedication and diligence necessary to be considered among the best.
RegCom is a global management consulting firm and a trusted advisor to the world’s leading businesses, governments, and institutions. Over the years, Nara has developed significant expertise to assist clients in the worldwide pharmaceutical, biotechnology, natural products, cosmetics, medical device, and fine chemicals industries with the development and launch of their products in order to bring safe and effective treatments to the global marketplace for the patients who need them.
RegCom was founded in 2000, at a time when new challenges required a totally different approach. They have had numerous clients compliment the way they do business and how they adapt to meet challenges. Their ability to scale up or down to meet client needs whilst retaining the high service quality puts the company in an enviable position within the industry. RegCom has been steadily growing, leading to their recent entry into the international market. They have successfully assisted several companies with the process of entering the Canadian market in a short period of time.
Nara is responsible for managing all major aspects of the business as well as overseeing the daily operations. During her collegiate career, she earned a Pharmacy degree. Nara is a member of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Group and the Canadian Association of Professional Regulatory Affairs.
Industry groups unite to secure central healthcare role for pharmacists
Much has changed in the year since President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as healthcare reform. And much remains the same.
The prospect of reform prompted many competing pharmacy groups to submerge their differences and present Washington with a unified program focused on medication management and enhanced roles for pharmacists. The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) is still saying nice things about the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), and vice versa. The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) is openly sharing credit for pharmacy’s successes with other organizations, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) is touting the key role that hospitals can play in improving healthcare.
“It’s pretty clear that when you have industry groups that cannot come to a common position, members of Congress are not going to give you the time of day,” said Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE, president and CEO, NACDS. “The relationships that we have all built within the industry are a huge part of our success.”
Chief executives from key pharmacy organizations met in mid-2010 to reinforce the coalition, said Thomas E. Menighan, BS Pharm, MBA, executive vice president and CEO, APhA. The joint message is that the fight to move pharmacy into a central healthcare role has just begun.
Pharmacy needs to push pending legislation such as S. 274, which would expand access to medication therapy management for all Medicare recipients with at least one chronic condition.
Pharmacy needs to talk on a daily basis with the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and regulators at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and state agencies nationwide.
Pharmacy needs to present its own proposals to the CMS Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), not just react to proposals advanced by other provider groups.
Working together is the right idea, said Stephen W. Schondelmeyer, PharmD, PhD, director, PRIME Institute, University of Minnesota, Minn. He is also a member of the Drug Topics editorial board.
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“Cooperation is necessary, but not sufficient for success,” he cautioned. “Sufficient is when you are sitting at the big table, talking with the real decision-makers, not just talking to each other. There is movement in the right direction, but more needs to be done. Pharmacy needs to connect at the national, state, and local levels. Decision-makers need to say ‘pharmacy’ every time they talk about hospitals, home health, long-term care, state agencies, Medicaid, Medicare, medical homes, providers, accountable care organizations, primary care, and all the other issues that are being discussed. The window is closing as we speak. Pharmacy has to move quickly.”
The pharmaceutical industry has already gotten pharmacy and pharmacists written into larger roles in a healthcare delivery system that is about to balloon. An estimated 32 million Americans who are currently without health coverage will gain coverage over the next few years, including 16 million new Medicaid beneficiaries. Millions of Medicare recipients will be affected as the Medicare Part D coverage gap known as the “donut hole” is closed. Medication therapy management (MTM) has become a priority, with $10 billion in new funding to create innovative models. Pharmacists can expect to play a direct role in all these areas.
“Healthcare reform gave pharmacists a vehicle to talk about the role pharmacy can play,” Anderson said. “Pharmacists are becoming the visible face of community healthcare in the United States. After the economy and jobs, healthcare is going to remain front and center for members of Congress and for regulators.”
Pharmacy can’t claim sole credit for focusing healthcare reform on reducing costs, improving quality, and increasing medication adherence. But the profession deserves credit for seizing the opportunity to help shape the future.
“We started planning back before the 2008 election,” said John Coster, PhD, RPh, senior vice president of government affairs, NCPA. “We realized we had a chance to make a lasting impact. It was important to leverage our collective impact, and we did.”
The list of changes that took effect in 2010 is short but significant, Coster continued.
To curb fraud and abuse, legislation granted pharmacies limited exemption from accreditation requirements applied to other dealers of durable medical equipment.
The long-standing battle over pharmacy reimbursement for generic drugs reached a preliminary conclusion when the federal government abandoned definitions of “average manufacturer price” (AMP), which pharmacy groups first challenged in 2005. Legislation directs CMS to set reimbursement for generic drugs at no less than 175% of AMP. “It was extremely important that the new definition of AMP more closely match what our members see in the actual purchasing,” said Carol Kelly, senior vice president, government affairs and public policy, NACDS. “That resets the federal upper limit (FUL) calculation for Medicaid reimbursement at a more acceptable amount.”
The most important change from 2010 is probably the least visible. Pharmacy is receiving a positive reception in the White House, on Capitol Hill, and most important, in the warren of regulatory offices and agencies that write the rules that turn legislation into action.
“We are moving from a state of talking with Congress about the importance of pharmacists to talking with regulators who are moving us toward new care models,” said Joseph Hill, director, federal legislative affairs, ASHP. “The message that is coming through on all levels is that every new model must include pharmacy. Congress laid down the law on MTM and adherence.”
Take the new accountable care organizations (ACOs) that come into effect in 2012. CMS must launch pilot ACO programs and issue regulations in 2011 to lay the groundwork for full implementation next year.
Congress accepted the concept that improving quality of care reduces the overall cost of care, Hill said. CMS must reward ACOs that boost quality by sharing the cost savings linked to quality improvements.
“It’s a coordinated effort,” he said. “Hospitals can be very major players. They already have the physical facilities and the caregivers, including highly trained pharmacists.
He added, “There may be skepticism about just how much money can be saved. There may be antitrust issues and questions about self-referral that have to be addressed through the FTC, CMS, and other agencies.”
However, “hospitals are supporting this and pharmacists are supporting this,” he said. “There is no pushback.”