TABLE OF CONTENTS-August 2021 - California Pharmacists Association
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- August 2021 -
- TABLE OF CONTENTS -
It is hard to believe my year as your President is coming to an end. The work for you and
this Association are the highlight of my professional career. I hope that I have not let you
down. I was disappointed that travel was curtailed to the point where I was unable to attend
your local meetings, crab feed’s, Christmas Banquet, Comedy Night, and Summer Picnic as I
hoped. But if things work the way I plan, I will fulfill my promise to visit each active local
Chapter in my Immediate Past-President year.
I step off with CPhA in the positive direction of financial stability. Organizational
infrastructure and procedure to move forward and lead the profession was addressed. There
are challenges. There always will be. But we are now in a much more solid position to
respond to the everchanging landscape going forward. We need to put the petty stuff behind
and look at the big picture – develop this Association into the center for developing and
maintaining the pharmacy culture and community. This association has a history and does
two things better than anyone else – build relationships and advocacy
I have so many people to thank who helped me be successful as your Association President.
Whatever success you see from my term is because of the willingness of others to give me
advice, answer my questions, and provide the encouragement to embrace risk and take a
shot at success.
Thanks to the CPhA staff who do so much behind the scenes to make things happen.
We are so lucky to have them. You all have given me the ability to get out of the
blocks at full speed. I asked you to be innovative and aggressive – and you were,
Thanks to my Board of Trustees for you have been asked to do so much more during
this year. I thank you for leading the way I had hoped – ductos exemplo.
Thanks to all of you who took my calls and willingly stepped up to be the leading
voices in all the Committees, SIG’s and Taskforces that I could dream up, and finally
Thanks to the CPhA Past-President’s who were free with their time and thoughts to
tell me what I needed to hear, not necessarily what I wanted to hear
During my Presidential term, I would like to especially thank the following for their
exceptional and continuing guidance:
Michael Pastrick Don Floriddia
Jerry Mazzucca George Yasutake
Doug Hillblom Alan Martin
Robert Nickell Godfather
Steve Gray Ron Jordan
Chris Woo LB Brown
Ralph Saroyan
The following giants in the profession of pharmacy have mentored me for many years and
continue to be most influential. I hope that I worked to my potential in a way that made
your proud of the time you invested in me.
Arnie Cammeyer Robert Miller
Elliott Tertes Charlie Brown
Mickey Glasgow
Finally, thanks to you, the CPhA membership, for trusting me with “the keys to the
Association”. The future of CPhA looks very bright as I see those following me in this
position. I am confident to report to you that during my term, YES, WE GOT SOME!
- Clifford Young, RPh, CPhA President
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CPhA continues to work hard to support you!
Held House of Delegates Policy Forums to discuss the policies that will be decided at
HOD
Met with Assemblymember Janet Nguyen to talk about issues that community
pharmacists in her district face
Inspired new leaders at Leader Development Day
Announced our new partnership with DocStation
Recognized National Immunization Awareness Month
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October 30 @ 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, via Zoom
This event serves as an opportunity to connect and collaborate with legal leaders to discuss
critical and emerging pharmacy legal issues and get a fresh perspective on law and legal
pharmacy education. You will have direct access to dynamic presentations that focus on
current and emerging trends around pharmacy law and practice.
As a CPhA member benefit, we are providing one complimentary registration ($250 value) to
all pharmacists and pharmacy technician members! Attendance will provide each attendee
with 6.5 CE hours with 1 hour satisfying CA Code of Regulations §§ 1732,5(b).
Register Now
If you have any questions, please email education@cpha.com.
If you weren't able to attend WPE 2021 virtually or in person, you can still get access to
more than 20 hours of CE credit by purchasing the WPE 2021 CE Bundle.
Register Now
Upcoming Virtual CE Courses
Advanced Practice Pharmacist
Saturday, September 18, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Travel Health Services Certificate Program
Saturday, September 25, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery
Saturday, October 2, 8:00 am - 3:00 pm
Virtual Pharmacy Law & Practice Conference
Saturday, October 30, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Pharmacist and Patient-Centered Diabetes Care
Saturday, November 13, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Other Upcoming Events
House of Delegates Virtual
Saturday, September 11, 11:30 am - Sunday, September 12, 2:00 pm
PCCA Webinar: The ROI of Adding Compounding to Your Practice
Thursday, September 30, 6:00 - 7:00 pm
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Advocacy in Action
All three of CPhA's active, co-sponsored bills have been passed by the Assembly and the
Senate and are with the Governor for his signature.
SB 362 (Newman) would end the dangerous practice of imposing performance quotas
intended to increase profit margins on pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
SB 524 (Skinner) would prohibit patient steering, allowing patients to choose which
pharmacy they use.
AB 1064 (Fong) would allow pharmacists to independently initiate and administer any
vaccine that has been authorized or approved by the federal Food and Drug
Administration (FDA).
For a complete list of bills that CPhA is working on this year, please see the Current
Legislation page on our website.
Medication Therapy Management
The Governor has signed the Budget Health Trailer bill (AB 133) that, among other items,
creates a pharmacy benefit for pharmacists to be reimbursed under Medi-Cal for specific
medication therapy management (MTM) services. Medi-Cal would create a reimbursement
methodology for MTM services that can be supplemented in addition to the normal
reimbursement for the cost of the drug and dispensing fee. Pharmacies will have to sign up
as an MTM provider under Medi-Cal in order to be eligible for this new reimbursement.
Pharmacy MTM reimbursement will be based on ‘patient encounters’ that will be defined
based on the following core elements:
A medication therapy review of the beneficiary’s current medications
Creation of a personal medication record
Development of a medication-related action plan
Ongoing interventions and/or referrals to other appropriate health care providers
Documentation of all actions provided by the pharmacy
Claims for MTM payments will be submitted on CMS-1500 forms and eligible claims will be
based on ‘patient encounters’ of 15 minute increments. Specific CPT codes will be made
available by Medi-Cal. As of now, specific dollar amounts are not yet known but will range
between $30-$70 per encounter. Lastly, the state must first get approval from the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on a State Plan Amendment (SPA) before
implementing this program. CPhA is hoping this approval comes as early as August.
CPhA will be creating an “MTM Guide for Members” containing more specific information as it
becomes available.
For more information on the work that the Center for Advocacy is doing on behalf of our
members, please contact advocacy@cpha.com.
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On Thursday, September 23, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, join us for a Community Town Hall.
CPhA staff will be sharing reports about the association, legislative updates, upcoming
events, and membership benefits.
From 7:00 to 7:30, we’ll be offering half an hour of free CE credit.
Register Now
The deadline for the CalVaxGrant has been extended to September 10. Independent
pharmacies can request up to $55,000 to offset costs associated with becoming an approved
vaccine site.
Learn More
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On-Script Podcast: Innovative Roles of Pharmacy Technicians
In this episode of On Script, Jeremy and special guest co-host, Lyndsey McDonald, Director
of Retail Pharmacy Relationships at NHA, have a discussion with Raymond McCall, Chief
Strategy Officer for Medly Pharmacy.
Raymond discusses Medly’s unique business model, merging technology and pharmacy
practice to deliver innovative patient care, and how they leverage pharmacy technicians as
one of their foundational cornerstones to deliver the best possible customer service.
Additionally, Raymond shares a little bit about Medly’s ambitious growth aspirations to serve
patients all across the US, and the importance of staffing highly trained pharmacy
technicians and giving them opportunities to grow professionally within the Medly
organization.
If you’re a pharmacy professional looking for new opportunities to join an innovative
company, be sure to check their Careers page often as Medly rapidly expands to new
markets near you. You don’t want to miss this episode!
Listen Now
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Welcome to our Newest Future Pharmacists
We're thrilled to welcome a new class of future pharmacists to the California pharmacy
community!Meet our latest APPE student, Melanie Tran
from Chapman University!
"The CPhA APPE offers a glimpse into
different aspects of association
management and how to be an effective
leader in the rapidly changing field of
pharmacy. Building relationships,
strategizing projects, and learning new
aspects of our profession are just a few
beneficial experiences afforded to me in
this rotation."
Are you a student who wants to learn more
about association management? Apply for
an APPE rotation with CPhA!
Apply Now
BACK TO TOPPharmacists’ Responsibility in Assessing the Value of Digital
Tools for their Patients
Written by: Kyle Amelung, PharmD, Digital Health Consultant
Editor: Parisa Vatanka, PharmD, CTTS
Over 350,000 health-related mobile apps and thousands of additional digital health products
and services have entered the market in the last decade, now reaching approximately 250
new apps every day [1]. Partially driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and relaxed FDA
regulations, funding provided to digital health companies was greater in just the first half of
2021 versus any previous full calendar year [2]. Therapy is moving beyond tablets,
capsules, and injectables to now include software-based products for prevention and
management of disease. The potential for patients to receive care how they prefer is
apparent, and the opportunity to improve health outcomes in a cost-effective manner is
palpable.
Today, pharmacists must work to expand their repertoire, understanding the value that
digital health products and services can bring to patients’ lives.
Technology Adoption and Patient Engagement: Considerations
What’s the first step to take when contemplating specific digital health products or services
to recommend? Following a deliberate process for matching a patient with a digital tool is
essential, as not all products or services will meet every patient’s lifestyle and healthcare
goals. One helpful reference is the Digital Medicine Society’s (DiMe) Micro-Playbook for
Pharmacists which assists in defining meaningful clinical data points, evaluating technology,
and operationalizing a care plan [3].
Barriers to patient adoption may include lack of smart phone ownership, hesitancy to use
wearable technology, out-of-pocket costs, or broad aversion to virtual care services or data
sharing. Pharmacists can explore opportunities to overcome these barriers, such as
improving patient awareness that employers and health plans may offer connected sensor
products or other adjunct health benefits at no cost.
Regardless of recommendations provided, pharmacists should continuously check in. Has the
patient stayed engaged with the product, utilizing it to its full potential? Have abnormal data
points been addressed? Has information been shared with the full care team? If the patient
has decided to not use the tool, it’s important to understand why. Motivational interviewing
may bring the patient to realize benefits that were previously unseen. The pharmacist’s role
should focus on understanding their population, the value of options in the market, and
where a potential fit may occur.
Assessing Value to Support Effective Patient Consultations
Study methodologies provided by manufacturers continue to strengthen. Pharmacists should
keep a keen eye on study limitations such as sampling bias and how clinical endpoints are
defined; nonetheless, reviewing manufacturers’ publications on their websites and/or
PubMed is beneficial. Evidence-based medication search engines – for example, Micromedex
from IBM; Wolters Kluwer's LexiComp and UpToDate – will certainly be expanding into digital
health offerings. While some systemic reviews are available, additional independent meta-
analyses are needed to deliver clear insight on how specific products effect various patient
populations. Fortunately, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) – an
influential non-profit focused on “evaluating the clinical effectiveness and value of new
treatments, tests, and delivery system interventions” – continues to expand into digital
products [4].
With a dedicated focus on understanding the value of innovative digital health tools, health
outcomes will be improved in a cost-efficient manner. Nothing is more important.
References
1. https://www.iqvia.com/insights/the-iqvia-institute/reports/digital-health-trends-2021
2. https://rockhealth.com/reports/h1-2021-digital-health-funding-another-blockbuster-
year-in-six-months/
3. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/125B_5JtY63YdSPTJWIRtc62sl6m7VJJ-
J_KT7TX3jBI/edit#slide=id.g7a16f7722d_0_0
4. https://icer.org/who-we-are/people/careers/?gh_jid=4187400003To learn more about digital health, click here.
To contribute an article to Digital Health Corner, contact Risa Vatanka at
parisa.vatanka@gmail.com.
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The California Pharmacists Association (CPhA) is the largest statewide professional association for
pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians in the country. CPhA represents the
pharmacy profession in all practice settings and promotes the health of the public through the
practice of pharmacy. For more information, visit cpha.com.
Copyright © 2021 CPhA, All rights reserved.
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