NABP's 2005 Fall Educational Conference Addresses Critical Issues in Pharmacy Practice

October 3, 2005 12:00 am

Continuing education (CE) opportunities abound at the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy®'s (NABP®) 2005 Fall Educational Conference (FEC), December 2-4, 2005, at the Trump Sonesta Hotel in Sunny Isles Beach, FL, where attendees may earn up to 11 hours of CE credit from educational sessions on critical issues in the practice of pharmacy today. Each session gives participants access to experts in the pharmacy profession who will offer insightful presentations and answer attendees' questions.

Friday, December 2

Featured Speaker Katherine Eban, investigative reporter and author of Dangerous Doses, will present during the FEC's first CE session, "Suspect Medicine: Is this Drug Counterfeit? A Day in the Life of a Counterfeit Drug." Offered on Friday, December 2, from 8 to 9 AM, this session will provide an overview of various complex counterfeit drug scandals that have prompted the enactment of some of the most state specific stringent wholesale distribution legislation. Participants will be exposed to investigative findings that have highlighted and unveiled the convoluted routes of counterfeit and diverted products. "Federal Regulatory Update on Controlled Substances: Discussion with Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)" will be offered from 9:15 to 10:45 AM. This session will provide participants with an overview of regulatory initiatives of DEA including the electronic dispensing of controlled substances, the Interim Policy Statement on the Dispensing of Controlled Substances for the Treatment of Pain, the use of automated ordering machines in long-term care facilities, and the electronic prescribing of controlled substances. Presenting during the session will be Michelle Ferritto from the DEA's Office of Diversion Control.

More components of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) go into effect on January 1, 2006, therefore NABP is offering the "Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003: Implications for Boards of Pharmacy" from 11 AM to 12:30 PM to provide participants with an overview of the MMA and an update on the specific federal regulations implementing Medication Therapy Management, the Competitive Acquisitions Program for outpatient drugs and biologicals, and the Medicare Part D drug benefit. Participants will also be updated on the status of electronic prescribing standards as mandated by MMA, with specific implications for the application of existing electronic prescribing and transmission state laws and regulations. Kim A. Caldwell, RPh, senior director of pharmaceutical outreach/reimbursement at Abbott Laboratories, will present during this session.

Saturday, December 3

Although most states require the licensure, registration, or certification of pharmacy technicians, significant variations exist in pharmacy technician training, education, and scope of duties. During "Pharmacy Technicians: A Need to Standardize Education, Training, and Scope of Duties?" held 8 to 10 AM, the results of a recent comprehensive practice analysis will be presented, which examines the roles and duties of pharmacy technicians in various pharmacy practice settings encompassing the past decade. Participants will gain various perspectives on how this information may be utilized in defining national standards for training, education, and scope of duties. Presenters for this session include Eleni Anagnostiadis, RPh, NABP's professional affairs director; Melissa Murer Corrigan, RPh, executive director and chief executive officer of the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board; and Ken Schafermeyer, PhD, director of education, Institute for the Advancement of Community Pharmacy.

By the year 2010, it is expected that 10 additional schools/colleges of pharmacy will be accepting students who will be seeking the first professional degree leading to the doctor of pharmacy degree. Data collected has also indicated that the number of students applying to and graduating from schools/colleges of pharmacy is significantly increasing. In order to accommodate this demand, many schools/colleges of pharmacy have begun to increase class size or distance learning programs. From 10:15 AM to 12:15 PM "Contemporary Issues in the Education of Pharmacists: Is the Quality of Pharmacy Education in Jeopardy?" will explore how the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Accreditation Standards and Guidelines for the Professional Program in Pharmacy Leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy Degree specifically ensures new and expanding programs maintain quality. In addition to examining various factors and views that attempt to highlight specific quality concerns, novel distance learning programs, including opportunities and challenges, will also be discussed. Presenters include Peter H. Vlasses, PharmD, BCPS, executive director, Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE); Katherine K. Knapp, PhD, professor and dean of the College of Pharmacy, Touro University — California; and Daniel Hussar, PhD, Remington professor of pharmacy, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

Sunday, December 4

According to the NABP Model State Pharmacy Act and Model Rules, the "Practice of Telepharmacy" is ". . . the provision of pharmaceutical care . . . through the use of telecommunications . . . and technologies to patients at a distance . . ." Although telepharmacy may improve access to pharmacist care services, the regulation of such practices has presented unique challenges. During Sunday's first session, "Telepharmacy, Remote Dispensing/Verification, and Automated Dispensing Devices: Increasing Access to Pharmacist Care Initiatives," from 8 to 9:30 AM, participants will examine various technologies, specific to telepharmacy, remote dispensing/verification, including the regulatory challenges and opportunities regarding the use of various automated dispensing devices both remote to the pharmacy and within the pharmacy (pharmacy kiosks). Presenting at this session will be John D. Jones, RPh, JD, vice president, Legal and Regulatory Affairs, at Prescription Solutions, and William T. Winsley, RPh, MS, executive director of the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy.

The FEC CE programming concludes with the session "Refusal to Dispense" from 9:45 to 11:15 AM. Over the past year, issues regarding conscience clauses has resurfaced particularly with respect to the practice of pharmacy; in 2004, approximately 23 states considered legislation to expand conscience clauses that would allow health care professionals to refuse to provide services related to abortion or contraception. The presenter for this session, Luke Vanderbleek, RPh, owner of Fitzgerald and Eggleston Pharmacies will discuss how the Illinois "Duty of Division I Pharmacy to Dispense Contraceptives" permanent rule will impact his practice and the community that he serves. Edward Martin, attorney and director of the Center for Rights of Conscience at Americans United for Life, will also speak at this session.

Register for the FEC online or download a registration form at www.nabp.net. For more information, contact NABP at custserv@nabp.net or visit the Association's Web site.

Renee Renganathan