Tramadol SurveyMegan Stoiber, a Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy Resident, would like to invite you, as a Member of the Virginia Society of Health-System Pharmacists, to participate in the research project, A Comparison of Pharmacists’ Perceptions on the Safety of Tramadol. The purpose of this project is to assess pharmacists’ perceptions and past experiences with dispensing tramadol to their patients. This will be accomplished by an online questionnaire, which should take no more than 10 minutes of your time. To be a pharmacist participant in this research, please click the following link to open the web-based questionnaire:
http://vcupharmacy.us2.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_25ZK6UftU8iGPIw Upon completion of the web-based questionnaire, you can be entered into a raffle to win a $100 VISA gift card! If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Megan Stoiber (mstoiber@vcu.edu) or Dr. Kelly Goode (jrgoode@vcu.edu). Thank you for your interest and participation. VSHP Lobby Day
Save the date!
Wednesday, February 15th. Orientation in the AM, followed by lobbying with your Delegate/Senator. The day will conclude with the quarterly VSHP Board of Directors Meeting. To be held in Richmond at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, near the state capitol building. VSHP President-elect attends Affiliate Leaders' Banquet
VSHP President-elect, Francine Farnsworth, attended the ASHP Affiliate Leaders' Banquet in December. The banquet is held annually at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and brings together Executives and leaders from each state affiliate of ASHP. Francine is picture in the top row, second from the left.
Recognize Pharmacists as Healthcare Providers!Despite overwhelming evidence of the positive impact pharmacists can have on patient health, pharmacists are not recognized as healthcare providers under the Social Security Act and, therefore, cannot be paid by Medicare for therapy management and patient consultation services. The Social Security Act does recognize other healthcare professionals such as dieticians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurse midwives, and clinical social workers.
By changing the compensation structure allowed under Medicare, we can ensure that patients have access to the medication expertise of pharmacists. Studies have shown that when a pharmacist is directly involved in patient care, patients have fewer adverse drug reactions, experience improved outcomes, and healthcare costs are reduced. The perils of adverse effects from taking multiple medications affect all age groups. According to a recent survey, just over half of all Americans take at least 2 medications each day and nearly one-third take 4 or more medications each day. For the Medicare population, medication use is even higher — nearly half of Americans aged 65 and older take at least 4 medications each day. This is a critical safety issue!! Follow the link below to add your name to the petition requesting that pharmacists be recognized as healthcare providers! http://www.change.org/petitions/the-president-of-the-united-states-recognize-pharmacists-as-health-care-providers Time to renew your VSHP membership!
To simplify the billing process, the Board of Directors has decided to have just one dues cycle for 2011 and membership renewals have been recently mailed. Dues will remain the same for all membership levels. In 2012, the regular renewal schedule will resume. VSHP recogizes your continued support and applauds your individual efforts by joining and remaining a member. We greatly appreciate your patience through a difficult period for VSHP. As a Board of Directors, we recommit our dedication to returning our Association to one of the leading influences in pharmaceutical care in the State. We value your membership and ask that you continue to support the mission and goals of the organization by renewing your membership today.
If your institution pays your membership dues directly but you would like to support the VSHP Political Action Commitee, please send your personal check or donate online after you have renewed your VSHP membership. The VSHP PAC provides direct funding to state legislators who support issues deemed vital to our industry. That portion of VSHP Dues attributable to direct lobbying is not deductible as an ordinary and necessary business expense. The non-deductible portion of VSHP dues for 2010 was 15 percent. You have two options for renewal this year. You can renew online with PayPal (you do not need a PayPal account to use this service), or you can fill out a traditional membership application that can be mailed in along with a check made payable to VSHP. Former VSHP/VPhA Leaders Appointed to Board of Pharmacy
Several Past Presidents of VSHP and/or VPhA have been appointed to the Virginia Board of Pharmacy. This speaks well for the Professional Pharmacy Organizations of Virginia.
From Left to Right: Empsy Munden, Crady Adams, Ellen Shinaberry, Gill Abernathy and Jody Allen. NABP CPE Monitor
CPE Monitor is a national, collaborative effort by NABP and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) to provide an electronic system for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to track their completed continuing pharmacy education (CPE) credits. It will also offer state boards of pharmacy the opportunity to electronically authenticate the CPE units completed by their licensees, rather than requiring pharmacists and technicians to submit their proof of completion statements upon request or for random audits.
Click here for more info. Changes in Pharmacy Technician CE
The Pharmacy Technician's Letter has a nice summary of the changes to pharmacy technician CE. The summary can be found here.
| 2011 Fall Seminar in Pictures
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