Upcoming Events

VPhA 128th Annual Convention

August 2-5, 2009

Cavalier Hotel, Virginia Beach, VA

 

2nd Annual Golf, Glamour & Gourmet

October 8, 2009

Colonial Williamsburg Resort

 

6/11/09 - Health Care Reform Legislation Would Expand Access to Pharmacist Patient Care Services NEW
Legislation released June 9 by Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Edward Kennedy (D-MA) would expand access to pharmacist-delivered medication therapy management (MTM) services for patients suffering from chronic diseases.

The Affordable Health Choices Act – not yet introduced in the Senate – would provide grants to expand opportunities for pharmacists to deliver MTM services through local community-based, multi-disciplinary health teams to patients who suffer from chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

The announcement was welcomed by a coalition of 14 national pharmacy organizations established to raise awareness about the human and financial costs of inappropriate medication use.  Please click here to read the complete announcement.
 

6/11/09 - Reminder - FDA Issues Final Rule Requiring Toll-Free Number on Medication Labeling (Compliance date - July 1, 2009)
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a final rule requiring the labeling for certain medications to include a toll-free number for patients to report side effects. The final rule confirms the interim final rule “Toll-Free Number for Reporting Adverse Events on Labeling for Human Drug Products” and its requirement for the addition of a statement to the labeling for certain human drug products for which an application is approved under section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The statement must include a toll-free number and advise that the number is to be used only for reporting side effects and is not intended for medical advice. This final rule also affirms the interim final rule’s addition of a new part 209 to the regulations requiring distribution of the side effects statement. This final rule implements provisions of the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (Public Law 107-109) and the Food and Dug Administration Amendments Act of 2007. The final rule is effective November 28, 2008, and the compliance date is July 1, 2009. More information is available in the Federal Register [Docket No. FDA–2003–N–0313].

 

5/27/09 - VPhA Encourages You To Share Your Experiences with Electronic Prescribing on NASPA/SureScripts Online CQI Portal
 The National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) and SureScripts have announced a collaborative effort to gather direct input from practicing pharmacists and technicians about the experiences that they have had with electronic prescriptions. This initiative, which compliments the patient safety focus of NASPA’s ongoing Pharmacy Quality Commitment program, is designed to allow the two organizations to gather suggestions for improvement as well as detailed, actionable, non-PHI data about issues that may have been encountered with electronic prescriptions so that said issues can be traced, analyzed, and if appropriate, remediated.

VPhA is a member of NASPA and is supporting this PEER Portal initiative and encourages pharmacist and technician members to fill out the brief questionnaire on the portal whenever they have suggestions for improvement to, or constructive criticisms about, e-prescribing processes that they have encountered. Additional details about this initiative are available on the portal itself, which can be viewed by clicking here.

 

4/27/09 - H1N1 Flu Update

Additional Information and Resources

Letter from Virginia Health Commissioner to health care providers

Virginia Department of Health Webpage

CDC H1N1 Flu Information


3/24/09 - Discontinuation of the Original E1 April 1, 2009
Originally announced on June 6, 2008, CMS will discontinue support for the original E1 eligibility query and continue to support only the “Enhanced E1” effective April 1, 2009. As a result of the change, all pharmacies will have access to the improved functionality of the enhanced E1; including the additional data elements and explicit messaging that assists pharmacists with processing beneficiary prescriptions.

Since CMS will no longer be supporting the original E1, pharmacies that are still utilizing the original E1 should contact their software vendors to receive the enhanced version of the E1. Vendors should visit the RelayHealth website for more information. If the vendors still using the Original E1 do not cutover or contact RelayHealth directly, their systems will not be able to process E1s in April.

The Enhanced E1 was implemented in December 2006 to provide enhanced search capability, additional data elements in the response, and more explicit messaging when the TrOOP Facilitator is unable to identify the plan enrollment. For more information on the Enhanced E1, please see this tip sheet.
 

12/29/08 - Reminder of Self certification for the Sale of Pseudoephedrine
Recently, pharmacists have been receiving notice from the U.S. Department of Justice concerning self certification for the sale of pseudoephedrine. We would like to remind you that each pharmacy needs to do a self certification if they are selling pseudoephedrine. It is on the DEA/Office of Diversion Control webpage, which can be found at: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/meth/index.html. Scroll down on this page to find the “Required Training and Self Certification” portion. Once the training has been completed, be sure to make a copy of the certificate and pay close attention to the expiration date at the bottom. You will not receive a renewal notice, but will need to recertify as soon as the certificate expires. Also, be sure to keep a copy of the certificate in the pharmacy. Every pharmacy will have a different date depending on when they did their original certification. We hope that this information helps in maintaining current certificates on file in your pharmacy.

 

12/12/08 - MTM Toolkit Now Available!

More and more pharmacies are becoming involved in the provision of Medication Therapy Management Services (MTMS). To help improve your efficiency in providing MTMS, expand your pharmacy’s service offerings, or to implement MTMS, VPhA has a unique resource offering for you!

Developed by community pharmacists for community pharmacists, the MTM Toolkit is an electronic compilation of more than 30 modifiable documents and resources, including:

 

 

Independent, chain and health-system pharmacies across the country have used the MTM Toolkit CD and have found that modifying the Toolkit documents with their own information and logos can save them time and money!

Order your MTM Toolkit CD today for only $100! Order online from the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin.