The American Pharmacists Association’s (APhA) annual meeting is unique in that it is the only pharmacy event geared to meet the needs of all pharmacists, no matter their practice setting. Pharmacists come by the thousands to learn from the general session and CE programs, and to explore a truly impressive exhibit hall.
This year’s event was held in Phoenix in March. I live in Prescott, about 100 miles north, so I took a day and drove down to see what was new. Here are a few things I learned.
A few months after last year’s event, the fairly new CEO of the organization departed unexpectedly. After several months with an interim CEO, it was generally expected APhA would use this event to announce a replacement, but no such announcement was made. One highlight for me was being able to see my longtime friend and exceptional pharmacy owner, Theresa Tolle, R.Ph., deliver her remarks as the outgoing president of APhA. Last year she had played a major role in encouraging me to apply for the 2022 APhA Honorary Membership. I was honored to receive that award on the same stage Tolle began her one-year journey at the helm of the organization.
In her remarks this year Tolle reported that APhA has worked with government officials, nonprofit organizations, and private companies to move the profession forward. Their message is that pharmacists are uniquely qualified to help improve outcomes and lower the total cost of healthcare, not just medications. She stated that while frustratingly slow, progress is being made on PBM (pharmacy benefit manager) reform, provider status, and test-to-treat authority, on both the state and national level. And, Tolle said, the association is finding success in helping payers understand the unique value pharmacists can play in helping people deal with social determinants of health.
Speaking of PBM’s. I had a hallway conversation with Rob Tinsley, CEO of the Kansas-based pharmacy support organization, Currus. He says the organization has formed a subsidiary PBM called, Prescription Network. According to Tinsley this new company is helping employers, patients, and pharmacies by providing a truly robust prescription benefit where pharmacy providers are reimbursed at NADAC (National Average Drug Acquisition Cost) plus a dispensing fee. The model also includes a pass-through of all rebates to the benefit of the payer, and the formulary is not prioritized based on maximizing rebates but on saving costs.
I am familiar with several “pharmacist friendly” PBMs and hope they find success in the marketplace. One of Tinsley’s goals is to work with pharmacy owners to introduce his pharmacy benefit experts to business owners in their communities.
The APhA trade show flow was busy. I counted almost 200 vendors. Many, such as ScriptPro, Micro Merchant, Transaction Data Systems, and RxSafe will be familiar to ComputerTalk readers. And I enjoyed visiting with several companies I had not yet heard about.
Pyrls, pronounced “pearls,” is a young technology company bringing easy-to-navigate medication information designed for pharmacists to use in counseling sessions and while providing other clinical services. Another company new to me, Quidel, was demonstrating a point-of-care testing device that interfaces with several pharmacy management systems. It tests for flu, COVID-19, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), strep, and others. Also new to me was Insulet Inc., makers of Omnipod, a wearable insulin delivery device that helps monitor and then deliver insulin without the need for patients to do injections.
My takeaway from attending this meeting is that creative pharmacy leaders, dedicated pharmacists, and innovative companies are finding new and better ways for pharmacists to practice their profession and operate a profitable pharmacy. But for that to happen they will need to learn new skills, plug into new technology, and provide new services. CT
Bruce Kneeland is an independent pharmacy veteran, author, and podcaster. He can be reached at BFKneeland@gmail.com and listened to at www.pharmacycrossroads.com.