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KeePosted
Official News journal of the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists

EDITOR
Jennifer Phillips

ASSISTANT EDITOR
Milena McLaughlin

MANAGING EDITOR
Scott Meyers

ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR
Trish Wegner

DESIGN EDITOR
Melissa Dyrdahl

ICHP Staff
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Scott Meyers

VICE PRESIDENT - PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Trish Wegner

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Maggie Allen

INFORMATION SPECIALIST
Heidi Sunday

CUSTOMER SERVICE AND
PHARMACY TECH TOPICS™ SPECIALIST
Jo Ann Haley

ACCOUNTANT
Jan Mark

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Melissa Dyrdahl

LEGISLATIVE CONSULTANTS

Liz Brown Reeves

Mitch Schaben

ICHP's Mission Statement

Advancing Excellence in Pharmacy

ICHP's Vision Statement

ICHP dedicates itself to achieving a vision of pharmacy practice where:

· Pharmacists are universally recognized as health care professionals and essential providers of health care services.

· Pharmacists use their medication expertise and leadership skills to optimize the medication use process and patient outcomes.

· Pharmacy technicians are trained and PTCB certified to manage the medication distribution process.

ICHP's Goal Statements

· Raising awareness of the critical role pharmacists fulfill in optimizing medication therapy and ensuring medication safety in team-based, patient-centered care.

· Providing high quality educational services through innovative continuing pharmacy education and training programs, and sharing evidence-based best practices.

· Developing and nurturing leaders through mentorship, skill development programs, and leadership opportunities.

· Working with national and state legislators and policymakers to create or revise legislation and regulation critical to pharmacy practice and quality patient care.

· Urging pharmacy technician employers to require successful completion of an accredited pharmacy technician training program and PTCB certification of all pharmacy technicians.

Approved by the ICHP Board of Directors May 30, 2018.

KeePosted Vision
As an integral publication of the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists, the KeePosted newsjournal will reflect its mission and goals. In conjunction with those goals, KeePosted will provide timely information that meets the changing professional and personal needs of Illinois pharmacists and technicians, and maintain high publication standards.

KeePosted is an official publication of, and is copyrighted by, the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists (ICHP). KeePosted is published 10 times a year. ICHP members received KeePosted as a member benefit. All articles published herein represent the opinions of the authors and do not reflect the policy of the ICHP or the authors’ institutions unless specified. Advertising inquiries can be directed to ICHP office at the address listed above. Image disclaimer: The image used in the Pharmacy Tech Topics™ advertisement is the property of © 2017 Thinkstock, a division of Getty Images. Some images are property of © 2019 Adobe Stock.

Columns

Directly Speaking
The Measles: I've Had Them, You and Your Kids Don't Want Them!

by Scott A. Meyers, Executive Vice President

It helps that I was born in 1953! Back in first grade, 1959, there was no MMR vaccine. There was no influenza vaccine and even the oral polio vaccine was 4 years away. So it was fairly common to get the measles if you were a school age child. In fact, I had the measles and mumps at the same time and when they subsided, I came down with chicken pox! I missed over three weeks of first grade and my teacher and parents were considering holding me back for a second year. But fortunately, my superior intellect and a mother who was a teacher and a regular substitute at that time, made sure I did my homework and readings and I breezed through first grade in spite of all the time away.

I wrote the title of this column assuming that most of our members are now younger than I am and a majority of you may have never had the measles. And for those of you who haven’t, I hope your parents were pro-active and had you vaccinated for all the childhood diseases as the vaccines were developed. Now as parents, I hope you’re doing the same thing for your kids. With your health care education, I assume you know that vaccines are safe, don’t cause autism or any other significant conditions, and should be administered on the CDC schedule for childhood illnesses. And, if you’re approaching my age, you’re now engaged yourself with the CDC immunization schedule for adults! I guess what goes around comes around!

There are now over 1000 confirmed cases of measles in the U.S. since we declared in the year 2000 that it was eradicated! The outbreak has hit 28 states so far and the cases appear to be in areas with a high incidence of unvaccinated population. No kidding!? In fact, the New York State legislature just passed a bill revoking the religious exemption from immunizations and Governor Cuomo just signed it.

I have a friend or two who are “non-vaxers” as they have been called. And yes, I have tried many times to provide them with information refuting their steadfast beliefs. I have even blocked one Facebook friend’s posts from appearing on my page. They are a stubborn bunch that for the most part don’t have a health care background, although the one I blocked is a registered nurse! It’s hard to believe that health care workers can carry such unproven and unhealthy beliefs!

As pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy students, we should make it part of our job to educate all of our patients, family members and friends on the value of immunizations and herd immunity. We need to provide the “non-vaxers” with solid factual information about vaccines and immunizations to try to turn the tide of those who will perpetuate the falsehoods of their thinking. We even need to consider using guilt, if necessary - like some doctors have begun to do - when talking to those who refuse, by asking them how they will feel if they, or one of their children, give grandma or grandpa influenza that leads to pneumonia and death? Or if they give Pertussis to their new born cousin with the same outcome? It’s a strong and dramatic approach but maybe that’s what needs to take place? God forbid that it actually happens to someone you know!

For over a year, the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force has been discussing and debating pharmacy workload issues. As part of the workload issues, community chain pharmacists feel that monthly quotas for administering immunizations required by their managers are unreasonable and I agree. But every one of those pharmacists should be asking each of their patients if they have had the appropriate immunizations for their age and condition until that pharmacist knows that patient has. Employers shouldn’t force pharmacists to immunize a specific number of patients a month, but society should expect that each pharmacist should encourage every patient they care for to be up to date on their personal immunizations.

I’ve had the measles, mumps, chicken pox and more because vaccines weren’t around yet, and believe me, you and your kids don’t want them!

President's Message
Making Your Impact Last

by Noelle Chapman, PharmD, BCPS, FASHP - ICHP President - Vice President, Pharmacy Operations - Advocate Aurora Health

As this is my final message to you as President, please indulge me in being a bit reflective over the past year. We started this year by asking ourselves if we were ready to truly have an IMPACT on patients, practice, and the next generation. The ICHP Board and Division Directors responded with a resounding “Yes!” and began working to take that purpose and translate it into specific actions regarding engagement, advocacy, and sustainability. Some key achievements so far this year include:

The Educational Affairs and Marketing Affairs Divisions have been encompassing technician and New Practitioner needs to address member engagement (ICHP currently has the highest technician membership of all time!)
There has been consistent participation in the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force meetings (a committee whose aim is to provide recommendations regarding the rewriting of the Pharmacy Practice Act due by the end of this year) and the Government Affairs Division has been diligently tackling legislative issues through our new lobbyists to ensure we are addressing the advocacy needs and concerns of our membership.
An Executive Vice President Search Committee is currently working to make sure we have a sustainable plan for the leadership of our organization.

There are many more actions I will not take the time to call out (please see Division reports for details) but suffice it to say that the IMPACT we set out to have is well underway!
Given this direction, we have also been able to contemplate how we can do a little spring cleaning to provide space for us to continue to grow and develop as an organization and a profession. An IMPACT is essential to start the process, but it is just as important to take the direction provided by the IMPACT and ensure it is sustainable. I have been thinking a lot lately about viability. Viability is the ability to survive or live successfully. This is important when you want your IMPACT to live on, knowing it needs to be nimble and adjust to whatever is coming your way.

We live in an era where health reigns. Athleisure rules our clothing choices, our diets are driven by freedom from something (be it gluten, dairy, or sugar), and our watches remind us to stand and breathe and move. What a wonderful space to take our IMPACT on health and make it viable. We IMPACT patients by engaging them through practicing patient-centered medicine, but our viability is in connecting patients to their health. Fighting for legislation for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians is a forum to IMPACT practice, but viability comes in that legislation being visionary. We IMPACT the strength of our organization through our leaders, but viability comes from cultivating sustainable involvement in the next generation of practitioners. This viability is what ensures the health of our profession and ultimately our patients!

As I sit here writing this in my yoga pants, drinking Diet Coke, and recording my heart rate on my Apple watch, I am confident in the collective IMPACT of ICHP and our viability. However, the key to this viability is you. Which of the above activities holds meaning for you? What are we not doing that you think is valuable? Whether it is a monetary donation to the PAC, your presence at a meeting, becoming a Champion, or volunteering your time and energy through an affiliate, division, or network, the reality is that ICHP is nothing without YOU. You make us ready, determine our purpose, help us grow and are the heart of our viability. YOU make the IMPACT.

Board of Pharmacy Update
Highlights of the July 2019 Meeting

by Scott A. Meyers, Executive Vice President

The July 9th Meeting of the Board of Pharmacy was held at the Michael A. Bilandic Building at 160 N LaSalle in downtown Chicago. These are the highlights of that meeting.

NABP Annual Meeting - This year’s NABP Annual Meeting was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota with many of the Illinois Board members in attendance. Technology was a major focus of the meeting presentations with much discussion on keeping state pharmacy practice acts up to date with new innovations. USP 800 was also discussed at length along with open conversations related to creating multi-state licensure pacts for pharmacists. Some time was also allocated to expansion of pharmacy technician roles which has been a focus of Illinois’ own Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force. The 2020 Annual Meeting will be held in May in Baltimore, MD.

NAPLEX/MPJE Remediation - Nikola Markoski, PGY2 resident at Northwestern Memorial Hospital reported to the Board that materials from RxPrep will soon be forthcoming for the purpose of inspection by the Board as a resource for remediation for pharmacist candidates who have failed either the NAPLEX and/or the MPJE three time. Currently programming provided by Ed Rickert, Esq. has been approved as a remediation resource for individuals who have been unsuccessful with the MPJE exam and the RxPrep product could provide a resource for the NAPLEX. The Board will continue to discuss at the September meeting.

Department Update - Manaza Aman, general counsel for the Board, reported that a new Director for the Division of Professional Regulation has been named. The new Director is Cecilia Abundis.

Legislative Update - The update was provided by me and highlighted the 15 bills that passed both chambers of the General Assembly this Spring Session and have been or are awaiting the Governor’s signature. A complete list of pharmacy and health care related bills that have passed may be found on the ICHP website in the Advocacy tab under Pharmacy Practice. In addition, a summary of each can be found there too.

Next Meeting - The next meeting of the Board is set for September 10th at 10:30 am in Chicago. Check the IDFPR Website www.idfpr.com for exact location. Meetings of the Board of Pharmacy are open to the public and pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy students are encouraged to attend.

Government Affairs Report
Fourteen Pharmacy Bills Make It Through!

by Scott A. Meyers, Executive Vice President

The General Assembly has adjourned until the Fall Veto session with a very productive spring session under their belts. Pharmacy made it out okay with 14 related bills moving forward and none with a really negative impact on the profession. In fact, HB0465 which provides initial regulation of pharmacy benefits managers was a strong step forward! It doesn’t fix everything about PBMs but it does finally create a process to oversee part of the problem that patients and pharmacies face related to medication therapies.

A complete list of the bills that passed and either have been or are awaiting the Governor’s signature is provided below. If you or a colleague want to get more involved in ICHP’s advocacy efforts, contact Chris Crank at Christopher.Crank@rushcopley.com or Scott Meyers at scottm@ichpnet.org.

Bill Number	Sponsor	Summary	Location
SJRCA0001	Harmon – Oak Park, D	Proposes to amend the Revenue Article of the Illinois Constitution. Removes a provision that provides that a tax on income shall be measured at a non-graduated rate. Provides that there may be one tax on the income of individuals and corporations (currently, there may be no more than one income tax imposed on individuals and one income tax imposed on corporations, and the rate of tax imposed upon corporations shall not exceed the rate imposed on individuals by more than a ratio of 8 to 5). Provides that the income tax may be a fair tax where lower rates apply to lower income levels and higher rates apply to higher income levels. Provides that no government other than the State may impose a tax on or measured by income. Effective upon being declared adopted.	Adopted by both chambers
SB1135	Harmon – Oak Park, D	Amends the Hospital Licensing Act. Permits hospitals that admit patients for treatment of mental illness to grant medical staff privileges to licensed prescribing psychologists. Amends the Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act. Requires a psychologist applying for a prescribing psychologist license to have completed 30 psychology doctoral graduate credit hours and 31 credit hours in a Master of Science degree program. Provides that clinical rotation training requirements for prescribing psychologists shall be completed under the administrative supervision of a Director or other faculty member of a regionally approved University that provides training for the master's degree in clinical psychopharmacology. Requires the clinical rotation training to be housed in a healthcare setting and to meet certain academic standards. Provides that all prescriptions written by a prescribing psychologist must contain the prescribing psychologist's name and signature. Provides that physicians may provide collaboration and consultation with prescribing psychologists via telehealth. Permits persons who have 5 years of experience as a prescribing psychologist in another state or at a federal medical facility to apply for an Illinois prescribing psychologist license by endorsement. Makes changes to the Clinical Psychologists Licensing and Disciplinary Board. Amends the Telehealth Act. Expands the definition of "health care professional" to include prescribing psychologists. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to reimburse prescribing psychologists for behavioral health services provided via telehealth. Requires the Department to, by rule, establish rates to be paid for specified services provided by clinical psychologists and prescribing psychologists. Effective immediately.	Passed both Houses
SB1250	Murphy – Des Plaines, D	Amends the School Code. Requires a school district, public school, or nonpublic school to permit a student diagnosed with a pancreatic insufficiency to self-administer and self-manage his or her pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy if the parent or guardian of the student provides the school with written authorization for the self-administration or self-management and written authorization for the therapy from the student's physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse; defines terms. Requires each school district or school to adopt an emergency care plan and develop an individualized health care plan for a student subject to the provision; specifies plan requirements. Provides that any disclosure of information under the provision shall not constitute a violation of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 or any regulations promulgated under that Act. Provides that any records created under the provision must be maintained in a confidential manner consistent with the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.	Passed both chambers
SB1665 Same as HB2439	Hastings – Frankfort, D	Amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act concerning the Prescription Monitoring Program. Excludes licensed veterinarians from the reporting requirements under the Program. Provides that a licensed veterinarian shall report information required under the Prescription Monitoring Program if the person who is presenting an animal for treatment is suspected of fraudulently obtaining any controlled substance or prescription for a controlled substance to the Department of Human Services. Provides that a licensed veterinarian may not be subject to any licensure or disciplinary action by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation for the failure to report such a person. Effective immediately.	Passed both chambers
SB1696	Steans – Chicago, D	Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that during the first quarter of State Fiscal Year 2020, the Department of Healthcare of Family Services must convene a technical advisory group consisting of members of all trade associations representing Illinois skilled nursing providers to discuss changes necessary with the federal implementation of Medicare's Patient-Driven Payment Model. Provides that implementation of Medicare's Patient-Driven Payment Model shall, by September 1, 2020, end the collection of the MDS data that is necessary to maintain the current RUG-IV Medicaid payment methodology. Requires the technical advisory group to consider a revised reimbursement methodology that takes into account transparency, accountability, actual staffing as reported under the federally required Payroll Based Journal system, changes to the minimum wage, adequacy in coverage of the cost of care, and a quality component that rewards quality improvements. Effective immediately.	Passed both chambers
SB1715	Hastings – Frankfort, D	Amends the Pharmacy Practice Act. Provides that the "practice of pharmacy" includes the administration of injections of long-term antipsychotic medications pursuant to a valid prescription by a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches, upon completion of appropriate training, including how to address contraindications and adverse reactions set forth by rule, with notification to the patient's physician and appropriate record retention, or pursuant to hospital pharmacy and therapeutics committee policies and procedures.	Passed both chambers
SB1828	Bush – Grayslake, D	Creates the Needle and Hypodermic Syringe Access Program Act. Provides that persons or entities that promote scientifically proven ways of mitigating health risks associated with drug use and other high-risk behaviors may establish and operate a needle and hypodermic syringe access program. Provides objectives for programs established under the Act. Includes language requiring programs to provide specified services. Provides that no employee or volunteer of or participant in a program shall be charged with or prosecuted for possession of specified substances. Provides that law enforcement officers who in good faith arrest or charge a person entitled to immunity under the Act shall not be subject to civil liability for the arrest or filing of charges. Provides that prior to commencing operations under the Act, an organization shall report specified information to the Department of Public Health. Amends the Alcoholism and Other Drug Abuse and Dependency Act. Provides that the Department of Human Service shall give preference for grants and proposals to specified drug overdose prevention programs. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall conduct an evidence-based treatment needs assessment to be submitted to the General Assembly by December 31, 2019. Effective immediately.	Passed both chambers
HB0345 Same as SB0021	Lilly – Oak Park, D	Amends the Prevention of Tobacco Use by Minors and Sale and Distribution of Tobacco Products Act. Changes the name of the Act to the Prevention of Tobacco Use by Persons under 21 Years of Age and Sale and Distribution of Tobacco Products Act. Raises the age for whom tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, and alternative nicotine products may be sold to and possessed by from at least 18 years of age to at least 21 years of age. Defines "electronic cigarette". Repeals the Smokeless Tobacco Limitation Act. Amends various other Acts to make conforming changes. Effective July 1, 2019.	Public Act 101-0002
HB0465	Harris – Chicago, D	Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that a contract between a health insurer and a pharmacy benefit manager must:(1) require the pharmacy benefit manager to update maximum allowable cost pricing information and maintain a process that will eliminate drugs from maximum allowable cost lists or modify drug prices to remain consistent with changes in pricing data; (2) prohibit the pharmacy benefit manager from limiting a pharmacist's ability to disclose the availability of a more affordable alternative drug; and (3) prohibit the pharmacy benefit manager from requiring an insured to make a payment for a prescription drug in an amount that exceeds the lesser of the applicable cost-sharing amount or the retail price of the drug. Contains provisions concerning the inclusion of prescription drugs on a maximum allowable cost list, State licensing requirements for pharmacy benefit managers, and other matters. Makes conforming changes to other Acts. Amends the Managed Care Reform and Patient Rights Act. Provides that a health care plan shall apply any third-party payments for prescription drugs. Makes changes to provisions concerning the denial of coverage for emergency services. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that the Department of Healthcare and Family Services may enter into a contract with any third party on a fee-for-service reimbursement model for the purpose of administering pharmacy benefits. Requires the Department to ensure coordination of care between the third-party administrator and managed care organizations as a consideration in any contracts established. Amends the Freedom of Information Act to exempt from disclosure certain information pharmacy benefits managers are required to provide under the Illinois Public Aid Code. Contains a severability provision.	Passed in both Chambers
HB0822	Halpin – Rock Island, D	Amends the Care of Students with Diabetes Act. Provides that a school may maintain a supply of glucagon medication in any secure location that is accessible before, during, or after school where a student is most at risk, including, but not limited to, a classroom or the nurse's office; defines "glucagon medication" and "undesignated glucagon medication". Provides that a physician, a physician assistant who has prescriptive authority, or an advanced practice registered nurse who has prescriptive authority may prescribe undesignated glucagon medication in the name of the school to be maintained for use when necessary. Allows a delegated care aide to carry undesignated glucagon medication. Provides that within 24 hours after the administration of undesignated glucagon medication, a school must notify the school nurse and the student's parent or guardian or emergency contact, if known, and health care provider of its use. Effective immediately.	Passed in both chambers
HB0889	Swanson – Woodhull, R	Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Requires an individual or group policy of accident and health insurance or managed care plan to provide coverage for long-term antibiotic therapy for a person with a tick-borne disease. Makes conforming changes in the Health Maintenance Organization Act and the Illinois Public Aid Code.	Passed in both chambers
HB2160	Conroy – Villa Park, D	Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Requires the Department of Insurance to develop a uniform electronic prior authorization form to be used by an insurer that provides prescription drug benefits when requiring prior authorization. Provides that the development of the uniform electronic prior authorization form shall include input from specified interested parties and that the Department of Insurance shall take into consideration certain existing prior authorization forms and national standards pertaining to electronic authorization. Includes procedures for when a completed and accurate uniform electronic prior authorization form is not accepted by the insurer. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family services to develop a uniform electronic prior authorization form to be used by a managed care organization that provides prescription drug benefits when requiring prior authorization. Provides that the development of the uniform electronic prior authorization form shall include input from specified interested parties and that the Department of Healthcare and Family Services shall take into consideration certain existing prior authorization forms and national standards pertaining to electronic authorization. Includes procedures for when a completed and accurate uniform electronic prior authorization form is not accepted by the managed care organization.	Passed in both chambers
HB2259	Feigenholtz – Chicago, D	Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to develop, no later than January 1, 2020, a standardized format for all Medicaid managed care organization preferred drug lists in collaboration with Medicaid managed care organizations and other stakeholders, including, but not limited to, organizations that serve individuals impacted by HIV/AIDS or epilepsy, and community-based organizations, providers, and entities with expertise in drug formulary development. Requires the Department to allow Medicaid managed care organizations 6 months from the completion date of the standardized format to comply with the new Preferred Drug List format. Requires each Medicaid managed care organization to post its preferred drug list on its website without restricting access and to update the preferred drug list posted on its website no less than 30 days prior to the date upon which any update or change takes effect. Requires the Department to establish, no later than January 1, 2020, the Illinois Drug and Therapeutics Advisory Board to have the authority and responsibility to provide recommendations to the Department regarding which drug products to list on the Department's preferred drug list. Contains provisions concerning Board meetings and correspondence; the Board's composition; voting and non-voting members; and other matters. Requires the Department to adopt rules, to be in place no later than January 1, 2020, for the purpose of establishing and maintaining the Board. Effective immediately.	Sent to Governor
HB2896	Flowers – Chicago, D	Amends the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Creates the Diversity in Health Care Professions Task Force. Provides that the Director of Public Health shall serve as the chairperson of the Task Force and it shall also be comprised of 2 dentists, 2 medical doctors, 2 nurses, 2 optometrists, 2 pharmacists, 2 physician assistants, 2 podiatrists, and 2 public health practitioners. Provides specified objectives. Provides specified recommendations to serve as guiding principals for the Task Force. Provides that Task Force members shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for their expenses incurred in performing their duties. Provides that the Task Force shall meet at least quarterly and at other times as called by the chairperson. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall provide administrative and other support to the Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall prepare a report that summarizes its work and makes recommendations resulting from its study and shall submit the report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 1, 2020 and annually thereafter.	Passed in both chambers
HB3097	Mah – Chicago, D	Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Human Services to develop in collaboration with an academic institution a program designed to provide prescribing physicians under the medical assistance program with an evidence-based, non-commercial source of the latest objective information about pharmaceuticals. Provides that the prescriber education program shall consist of a web-based curriculum and an academic educator outreach and shall contract with clinical pharmacists to provide scheduled visits with prescribing physicians to update them on the latest research concerning medication usage and new updates on disease states in an unbiased manner. Provides that education provided under the prescriber education program shall include disease-based educational modules on the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain, diabetes, hypertension, and other specified diseases and that such modules shall be reviewed and updated on an annual or as-needed basis. Provides that additional resources provided under the prescribing education program shall include, but not be limited to: (i) a drug information response center available to prescribing physicians that provides thorough and timely in-depth answers to any questions a prescribing physician may have within 48 hours after a question is received; and (ii) information on drug utilization trends within individual and group practices.	Passed in both chambers

Marketing Affairs
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue - How Can Marketing Affairs Continue to Serve You?

by Bernice Man, PharmD, BCPS - ICHP Director of Marketing Affairs - Practice Coordinator, Specialty Pharmacy; Northwestern Medicine

The Division of Marketing Affairs would like to keep the ICHP membership updated on our recent activities! For those who aren’t familiar with us, we are “responsible for developing and maintaining programs to support current membership and recruit new members.”1 Since the summer months are traditionally peak wedding season, I thought I’d utilize the “something borrowed” maxim.

Something Old
Marketing Affairs has continued previously implemented initiatives such as promoting membership retention via contacting new members within three months of becoming an ICHP member and featuring two ICHP leaders in each KeePosted issue. We continued the annual Student Chapter Video Contest and this past year centered it around social media. Last but not least, our Champions project continues to move forward under Julie Downen’s excellent leadership. There are still a number of sites who do not have Champions, please contact Trish Wegner at trishw@ichpnet.org if you are interested in joining the Champion team!

Something New
One of our 2018-2019 goals is to increase ICHP’s social media presence. To this end, Melissa Dyrdahl, ICHP’s Communications Manager, created an infographic that outlines the various ways members can connect to ICHP and stay updated via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. An initiative that has been ongoing and we hope to move forward through completion is obtaining the ICHP Board of Directors’ approval for a new network for technicians.

Melissa has done an amazing job graphically with revamping ICHP’s visual communication and developing a marketing calendar that is shared on our monthly conference calls. For example, she revised our Student Chapter Video Contest advertisement as well as an email to our newly minted 2019 pharmacy school graduates.

Something Borrowed
We are in the process of evaluating and leveraging ICHP’s website analytics information. To this end, we met with ASHP’s Director of Digital Marketing and Strategy and their Data Analyst in order to obtain guidance on how to best leverage ICHP’s online presence. ASHP provided extremely helpful information and we look forward to implementing these strategies in the upcoming year!

Something Blue
We identified that ICHPChat was not working out as a venue for membership discussion, so we are pivoting and in the process of moving that activity over to ICHP’s private Facebook group. Please join our Facebook group to participate in future discussions!

How Can We Serve You?
The inaugural year of my two-year term as ICHP’s Director of Marketing Affairs is quickly coming to a close. Many thanks to the dedicated members who participate in the Division of Marketing Affairs’ monthly conference calls. I look forward to how the group can move forward in 2020! Please do not hesitate to contact me with any new ideas for Marketing Affairs as we certainly want to tailor our activities to the needs of the ICHP membership!

References:
1. Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists. Marketing Affairs Division. https://www.ichpnet.org/about_us/divisions_and_committees/display_division.php?division=division_of_marketing_affairs. 2019. Accessed June 25, 2019.

ICHP Leadership Spotlight Interview - Meet Brian!
Brian Cryder, PharmD, BCACP, CACP

What is your Leadership position in ICHP?
Chair of the Ambulatory Care Network

Where is your Practice site?
Associate Professor, Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacist, Advocate Medical Group (practicing at Beverly location).

Why is pharmacy for you?
My answer has evolved over time. I first chose pharmacy because of my experiences interacting with hospital pharmacists when I would volunteer at our community hospital growing up. They were always kind and willing to show how they mixed their IV medications (that I would then deliver to the nursing units) and reviewed the orders coming in from the physicians. I was fascinated by the work that they did; work that almost no patient even realized was happening behind the scenes. Later as a pharmacy student, I interned in the VA system and discovered how great it was to interact with patients and use what I had learned to improve their diabetes and other chronic conditions. This got me hooked on ambulatory care and has brought me to a place where seeing a patient improve really motivates me to do more for my patients and promote opportunities for other pharmacists to do the same. There are few greater things in life than to see that feeling of hope restored in a patient when they feel they can finally understand their medications and actually succeed in treating their chronic conditions that once seemed impossible.

What Challenges do you face at your practice?
Working through pre-conceived ideas that patients have. These problems range from patients who have a difficult time understanding why I am a pharmacist who does not actually dispense medication to impressions about certain medications patients hold onto from what they hear on television or from a neighbor. Educating patients about the role and proper use of their medications seems simple, but can be one of the most impactful interventions we can do as pharmacists. It is easy to fall in the trap of assuming they know what a medication is just because it has been prescribed for several years, but engaging with patients about all of the medication use details can identify pitfalls that prevent the best outcomes available to them.

What makes ICHP great?
ICHP is important because it provides an opportunity to connect with others in the profession to learn from each other and together advocate for the importance of the pharmacist’s role within the healthcare team.

When was your First time joining ICHP?
I joined ICHP in 2003 upon joining the faculty at Midwestern University. Lynn Patton, who was at Midwestern at the time, was a strong advocate for getting involved in the state pharmacy organizations and recruited me as well as many other early career faculty to get involved with ICHP.

Who would you like to thank for making you who you are today in your career?
Virtually every person that I have worked with over my time as a student, intern, or pharmacist has influenced who I am as a pharmacist. If I had to highlight just a couple key influencers I would point to Dave Jansen and Debra Parker. Dave was the ambulatory care pharmacist at the Chillicothe, Ohio VA who really introduced me to ambulatory care and sparked my interest in the setting. Debra was my residency director at Physicians, Inc who really set the bar high by modeling how to be an impactful pharmacist through her interactions with patients, the physician team, students she precepted and other office staff – she expected a lot, but always held herself to that same standard.

What Advice do you have for a student?
Remember why you wanted to be a pharmacist in the first place. Virtually every prospective student that interviews for pharmacy school admission talks about how much they want to help others and make a difference for patients. Unfortunately, many times the pressures of completing pharmacy training can move your focus to the day to day tasks of assignments and achieving certain grades rather than keeping attention on the bigger picture of becoming a pharmacist that can make a difference for patients. I have never had a patient ask me what grade I received from any of my classes, but countless patients have asked “can you help me?”. While passing classes is important, if you aim first to learn what you need to know to be the best possible pharmacist in caring for your patients, the grades will be good enough to get you there.

What is your Favorite restaurant or food?
I like a wide range of foods, so it is easier to list the foods I do not like – sushi and liver (could never bring myself to eat it after pharmacy school taught me that the liver is the “water treatment plant of the body”).

What might we not know about you?
My family has a very strong medical orientation – my wife is a nurse practitioner, my brother is a physician assistant, my uncle is a family medicine physician, my mother and aunt are both nurses, an aunt was an occupational therapist, another aunt is a psychologist, a cousin is a physical therapist and another cousin is a veterinarian (for good measure). There is a running joke that we should start our own health center. Of those who are not medical, most are teachers, so with my faculty appointment I have that covered, too.

ICHP Leadership Spotlight Interview - Meet Andrew!
Andrew Merker, PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP, AAHIVP

What is your Leadership position in ICHP?
Northern Illinois Society of Health-System Pharmacists - Secretary

Where is your practice site?
Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Chicago College of Pharmacy, Internal Medicine Pharmacist, Mount Sinai Hospital

What pharmacy related issues keep you up at night?
What our profession is going to look like in 10, 20, and 30 years from now. With increased automation and advanced technology, it’s important for pharmacists and technicians to continue to adapt and develop new methods of providing patient care. It is one reason why organizations like ICHP are important, to promote discussion and advancement of our profession. Although the future is unknown, I’m excited to

see the ensuing discussion on how we adapt with our potentially changing roles in order to advance patient care.

What have you done to improve a problem at your organization?
Recently at my practice site, I’ve been heavily involved in implementing a policy for guiding management of patients experiencing opioid withdrawal. There was no policy previously, which resulted in over utilization of methadone and in some instances, required naloxone administration to reverse side effects. In addition to policy creation, I helped lead provider/pharmacist/nurse education. As a result of this policy and education we have been more judicious with our methadone use by substituting buprenorphine (a safer alternative) and have future goals of increasing naloxone dispensing and medication assisted treatment (MAT) in our associated clinics.

What makes ICHP great?
ICHP is great because of the collaboration between pharmacists and technicians from diverse practice settings. I’ve enjoyed working with a variety of pharmacists and technicians and learning from their personal experiences while working to promote our profession. The discussion has allowed me to be more creative in my own problem solving skills.

What initially motivated you to get involved in ICHP?
I joined ICHP in late 2016 to assist in the planning for the 2017 Annual Meeting. I had been out of residency for a couple of years and was looking to get more involved with professional organizations on a regional/state level. I felt I had more experience to offer at that point in my career and I wanted to know the level of organization and planning that goes into such a large event. I had a great experience and learned a lot.

Is there an individual you admire or look up to, or a mentor that has influenced your career?
A special thanks to Bill Reay for making me who I am today in my career. During my junior year in college, I was considering pharmacy but was undecided. I was able to connect with Bill who shared his experiences and initiated a level of enthusiasm within me to pursue pharmacy. Throughout the years, he was always there to motivate me for the next step in my career. He connected me with several pharmacists who helped in my decision making process. Without his guidance, I’m sure my career path would have turned out extremely different.

What advice would you give to student pharmacists?
The advice I always pass on to students is take advantage of opportunities presented and don’t be afraid to try something new. Some of my favorite and most beneficial opportunities came from offers I didn’t know I would enjoy initially. There is always something one can learn about themselves regardless if the opportunity fits in your “planned” career path or not.

Do you have a favorite restaurant or food?
Tacos have to be my favorite food. I find it hard to believe you can ever go wrong putting meat, cheese, and vegetables in a tortilla. They can be a part of any meal and I can eat them every day.

What is your favorite place to vacation?
San Juan, Puerto Rico. It’s beautiful, lots of beaches, a quick flight from Chicago, and the food is amazing.

ICHPeople

Congratulations! A big round of applause to our fellow ICHP Members! We celebrate you!

Great Job Dr. Janet Engle! Jan recently accepted the position of Executive Director at ACPE, where she will serve as the chief administrative officer for the organization. Jan starts her new job this September! Congrats Jan!

ICHP would like to extend our warmest congratulations to member, Dr. Henri Manasse! Dr. Manasse, a respected educator and leader in our industry, was recently awarded the "ASHP Board of Directors' Honorary Membership Award". He also received ICHP honorary membership in 2013. Thank you Henri for all the contributions you've made and continue to make to pharmacy practice!

Congratulations to ICHP's Vice President of Professional Services, Trish Wegner! Trish and her husband Bob recently welcomed two new grandchildren to their family! Isaac Joel Negus was born on April 16th to their daughter, Allison and son-in-law, Joel. He was 7 lbs, 11 oz and 20.5 inches. He joins his two sisters, Daisy and Gwendolyn. Then came Sierra Faith Wegner. Sierra was born on May 8th to their son, Mark and daughter-in-law, Megan. She was 7 lbs, 10.5 oz and 19 inches. Sierra joins her sister, Naomi.

Meet the newest "honorary" ICHPuppy! This is K-9 Blitz (Canine Blitz), the newest four-legged addition to the Loves Park, IL Police Department. Thanks to financial contributions from the ICHP Building Company and other local organizations, Loves Park Police were able to add K-9 Blitz to their crime-fighting team this past spring.

Educational Affairs
Angiotensin Receptor Blocker Recalls: What Did We Learn?

by Tomasz Jurga, PharmD - Assistant Professor of Clinical Sciences, Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy

Background

The Angiotensin Receptor Blocker (ARB) recalls have been an issue of concern for healthcare practitioners and patients since the first batches of valsartan were recalled back in July 2018. The first recalled lot of valsartan was from Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., in Linhai, Taizhou Zhejiang China.¹ ARBs previously received negative press almost a decade ago, when news stations reported ARB-associated cancer following a Lancet publication in 2010.^2,3 It has since been shown that ARBs and Angiotensin Converting Enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) are unlikely to cause any type of cancer.⁴ The current recall is related to impurities found in ARB formulations.

Many manufacturers have recalled their products involuntarily or voluntarily, based on reports from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), although the total volume of recalled lots is small.⁵ Certain manufacturers have recalled irbesartan due to the possibility that their product may be contaminated.¹ The two initially identified impurities involved were N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and N-Nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA). NDMA and NDEA are categorized as group 2A carcinogens (Table 1). Since July 2018, there has been a new impurity identified that crossed safety thresholds. N-Nitroso-N-methyl-4-aminobutyric acid (NMBA) has been identified in certain losartan lots in March 2019. Most recently, Valisure LLC conducted its own testing of valsartan batches and found a fourth group 2A carcinogen, dimethylformamide (DMF). The company created a citizen petition that was sent to the FDA in June 2019.⁶ To be considered a Group 2A carcinogen, at least two of the following criteria are required:^7,8

Limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans
Sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals
Strong evidence that the agent exhibits key characteristics of carcinogens

Table 1. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Carcinogenic Classifications
Classification	Definition
Group 1	Carcinogenic to humans
Group 2A	Probably carcinogenic to humans
Group 2B	Possibly carcinogenic to humans
Group 3	Not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans
Group 4	Probably not carcinogenic to humans

NDEA, NMBA, and NDMA have relatively simple chemical structures, NDEA: C₄H₁₀N₂O; NDMA: C₂H₆N₂O; NMBA: C₅H₁₀N₂O₃.^9,10,11 They are ubiquitous in nature and are formed by various reactions of chemicals with amines or nitrites.¹² These reactions are easy to replicate and large amounts of NDMA and NDEA are used in cancer research to induce tumor growth in animals. NDMA is often studied at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg/day to induce tumor growth, which is many times greater than the acceptable daily limit set by the FDA.¹³

The FDA states that the acceptable daily intake of NDMA and NMBA is 96 nanograms and 26.5 nanograms for NDEA. Acceptable risk is defined as daily exposure to a compound that results in a 1:100,000 cancer risk after 70 years of exposure. To put that into perspective, if 100,000 patients were taking 96 nanograms of NDMA for 70 years, it would result in one patient developing cancer. It has been estimated that the recently recalled ARB batches have been available since 2014. If 8,000 people took valsartan 320 mg from the recalled batches daily for the full four years, there may be one additional case of cancer over the lifetimes of these 8,000 people.⁵

The FDA issued a statement in March 2018 to utilize more scrutiny when testing for impurities, which led to the discovery of NDEA and NDMA contamination in July 2018, and NMBA in March 2019.¹³ The FDA announced on January 25, 2019 that they identified one of the sources of contamination; the reuse of solvents required for the production of drugs. Other root causes are still under investigation, but it became apparent that certain manufacturers reused solvents in order to decrease production costs.¹⁴

Since ARBs offer additional benefit beyond that of simply reducing blood pressure, it would be unfortunate if this treatment option were not available. There are not many therapeutic options available for patients who cannot tolerate and ACEI but require therapy for mortality benefit (e.g., those with heart failure or those who with diabetic renal disease).15,16 A link between NDMA-containing ARBs and cancer has not been identified.¹⁷ More long-term research on NDMA and the other impurities is still needed.

Main take-away points:

During this period of drug recall and limited availability, pharmacists can do the following:
Focus on proper patient education - With the new FDA statement requiring better impurity testing techniques, the next drug recall is likely unavoidable. Be prepared to answer questions from patients and providers and understand the background and reasons for the recall. Focus on proper prescriber education - Pharmacists should inform physicians not to discontinue medications without checking to see if other manufacturers are available. Switching medications that have not been affected can be counterproductive. It can increase workload for pharmacists who are already working on replacing affected drugs. This can in turn lead to increased wait times and even more patient dissatisfaction.
Take an active role in replacing affected medications – Aim for minimal interruption to a patient’s medication regimen. Some hospital pharmacies have released specific instructions for lot substitutions. They have also notified healthcare workers about the lot and manufacturer changes. In many cases, hospital pharmacies have switched from an affected ARB to an unaffected one without interrupting patients’ therapies. Community pharmacists reached out to patients to notify them if their medications have been affected. Ambulatory care pharmacists should educate patients and prescribers about the nature of the recall to prevent unnecessary adjustments at the prescriber level.
Check the FDA recall list to see when/if new recalls are announced: https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm Check the FDA ARB recall list for specific information on ARBs: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-and-press-announcements-angiotensin-ii-receptor-blocker-arb-recalls-valsartan-losartan
Consider the whole picture. When answering questions about possible dangers and risks, remember to focus on life-time exposure and weigh the benefits-risks for each patient.

In conclusion, pharmacists should be prepared for the next drug recall and should check the FDA website whenever another recall does occur to be prepared to educate patients and physicians.

References:

1. Food and Drug Administration. Major Pharmaceuticals Issues Voluntary Nationwide Recall of Valsartan Due to The Potential Presence of a Probable Carcinogen (NDMA) (July 2018). www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm613625.htm (accessed 2019 Jan 31).

2. Sipahi I, Debanne SM, Rowland DY, Simon DI, Fang JC. Angiotensin-receptor blockade and risk of cancer: meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Lancet Oncol. 2010;11(7):627-636.

3. Angiotensin receptor blockers linked to “modest” increase in cancer risk, Lancet study reveals. The Pharmaceutical Journal. 2010;284:602.

4. Chiang YY, Chen KB, Tsai TH, Tsai WC. Lowered cancer risk with ACE inhibitors/ARBs: a population-based cohort study. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2014;16(1):27-33.

5. Food and Drug Administration. FDA updates on angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) recalls including valsartan, losartan and irbesartan (June 2019).
fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-and-press-announcements-angiotensin-ii-receptor-blocker-arb-recalls-valsartan-losartan (accessed 2019 June 19).

6. Citizen Petition from Valisure, LLC (June 2019).
regulations.gov/document?D=FDA-2019-P-2869-0001 (accessed 2019 June 19).

7. World Health Organization. International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC Monographs on the Identification of Carcinogenic Hazards to Humans Preamble (2019).
monographs.iarc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Preamble-2019.pdf (accessed 2019 Jan 31).

8. World Health Organization. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1-123 (2018).
monographs.iarc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/List_of_Classifications.pdf (accessed 2019 Jan 31).

9. N-Nitrosodiethylamine. Pubchem Open Chemistry Database. US National Library of Medicine. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/5921 (accessed 2019 Jan 31).

10. N-Nitrosodimethylamine. Pubchem Open Chemistry Database. US National Library of Medicine.
pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/6124 (accessed 2019 Jan 31).

11. N-Methyl-N-(3-carboxypropyl)nitrosamine. Pubchem Open Chemistry Database. US National Library of Medicine.
pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/N-Methyl-N-_3-carboxypropyl_nitrosamine (accessed 2019 June 19).

12. Liteplo RG, Meek ME, Windle WE. Concise International Chemical Assessment Document 38: N-Nitrosodimethylamine. World Health Organization. 2002.

13. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). M7(R1) Assessment and Control of DNA Reactive (Mutagenic) Impurities in Pharmaceuticals To Limit Potential Carcinogenic Risk Guidance for Industry (March 2018). www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/UCM347725.pdf (accessed 2019 Jan 31).

14. Food and Drug Administration. Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., and Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research on the FDA’s ongoing investigation into valsartan and ARB class impurities and the agency’s steps to address the root causes of the safety issues (January 2019). www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm629796.htm (accessed 2019 Jan 31).

15. Brenner BM, Cooper ME, de Zeeuw D, et al. Effects of losartan on renal and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and nephropathy. N Engl J Med. 2001;345:861-869

16. Pitt B, Poole-Wilson PA, Segal R, et al. Effect of losartan compared with captopril on mortality in patients with symptomatic heart failure: randomised trial - the Losartan Heart Failure Survival Study, ELITE II. Lancet. 2000;355:1582–1587

17. Potegard A, Kristensen KB, Ernst MT, Johanses NB, Quartarolo P, Hallas J. Use of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) contaminated valsartan products and risk of cancer: Danish nationwide cohort study. BMJ. 2018;362:k3851.

Educational Affairs
Call for Posters!

Are you working on a project that others could learn from?
Please consider sharing the outcomes with your colleagues at the poster session during the ICHP Spring Meeting March 27-28, 2020 in East Peoria, IL! This is a great opportunity to share innovative ideas with others and learn about trends in Illinois health-system pharmacies.

Categories/Presentations/Eligibility
All ICHP members are eligible to submit abstracts to be considered for presentation at the Spring Meeting. For more information on categories for submission, platform presentations and eligibility criteria, please visit our website.

Submission:
Members wishing to submit a poster should use the online submission form. Be sure to click "Submit" after completing your form. The deadline for submissions is January 10, 2020. Please direct any questions to Trish Wegner at TrishW@ichpnet.org.

Deadlines:
Submission deadline is January 10, 2020. Authors will be notified of acceptance of their poster via email in February, 2020.

Criteria determined by the Division of Educational Affairs

Professional Affairs
Pharmacist's Role in Suicide Awareness and Prevention

by Jen Phillips, PharmD, BCPS, FCCP, FASHP Associate Professor - Midwestern University; Clinical Pharmacist - AdvocateAuroraHealth; Maggie Lau, PharmD PGY-1 Resident VA San Diego Healthcare System

Background

Suicide is a global public health concern resulting in close to 800,000 deaths every year which is equivalent to approximately one person every 40 seconds.¹ According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half of the United States experienced an over 30% increase in suicide rates from 1999 to 2016, marking suicide as the 10th leading cause of death in the country with an estimated annual cost impact of $69 billion to the healthcare system.^2-4 The 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), noted that 9.8 million adults reported serious thoughts of suicide. Of this number, 2.8 million adults made suicide plans and 1.3 million adults made a nonfatal suicide attempt.⁵ Contrary to popular belief, mental health conditions are not the sole cause of suicide. More than half of individuals who die by suicide did not have a diagnosed mental illness at the time of their death.² Suicide can stem from multiple contributing factors with the most prevalent related to relationship problems, substance abuse, physical health, job or financial stress, or other personal crisis.2 Specific risk factors identified by the CDC include: family history of suicide and/or maltreatment; previous suicide attempt(s); history of mental disorders or alcohol and substance abuse; cultural/religious belief that suicide is a noble resolution of an issue; feelings of hopelessness; impulsive or aggressive behavior tendencies; feeling of isolation; lack of access to mental health treatment; loss in any aspect of the individual’s life; physical illness; easy access to lethal methods; and unwillingness to seek help due to the stigma attached with suicidal thoughts or mental illness.⁶

Organizational Resources

Many organizations are recognizing the pivotal role that healthcare providers can play in reducing patient suicides and are publishing guidance documents and/or resources that can be used to develop policies or procedures to help reduce suicide. Recommendations from three organizations – The Joint Commission (TJC), The National Alliance for Suicide Prevention, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) – are summarized below.

The Joint Commission

The TJC published a Sentinel Event Alert urging healthcare institutions to improve their ability to identify and treat patients at risk for suicide.⁷ This alert included detailed strategies for front-line healthcare professionals to help detect risk for suicide in both acute and non-acute care settings.⁷ Strategies included using proactive screening tools, having resources available for patients who are in crisis mode, educating staff on identification and management strategies, establishing systematic identification and treatment processes, and ensuring appropriate education of documentation.⁷ Institutions interested in implementing suicide detection and prevention programs at their institution may find this guidance document helpful.

National Alliance for Suicide Prevention

The National Alliance for Suicide Prevention issued a report outlining gaps in care that need to be remedied to make health care “suicide safe”.⁸ These identified gaps, along with potential solutions identified by the National Alliance are summarized below.

Suicide is not proactively identified. Data suggest that more than half of patients who succumb to suicide had a healthcare visit within the month preceding their death. There may be a perception among healthcare providers that only mental health specialists have the training and responsibility to manage patients at risk for suicide. Others may be afraid to broach the subject, fearing that talking about it may “plant the idea” in the patient’s head. Both of these thought processes are unfounded. Healthcare professionals need to feel comfortable assessing risk for suicidality in patients. Educational programming is needed, along with the development and use of effective screening tools that are feasible to incorporate into practice.⁸
Lack of effective action. Currently, most patients who present with suicidal thoughts are either hospitalized for a short period or referred to a mental health specialist. The National Alliance suggests that both of these options are not enough. A short-term hospitalization may not be long enough to reduce suicide risk. In addition, it may take a while for a patient to get an outpatient appointment and suicide risk is highest in the time immediately following hospitalization. The National Alliance suggests an alternative option where healthcare providers work with the patient to develop a “safety plan” including identifying triggers and using methods to manage thoughts and impulses safely. Additionally, providers should work with the patient to reduce immediate access to lethal means.⁸
Lack of supportive contact. It is important for healthcare providers to follow-up with patients who express suicidal thoughts after discharge. This may be in the form of telephone calls, messages, or follow-up visits. This helps remove the feeling of isolation that may precipitate suicidality by reinforcing to the patient that there is a caring contact available to them.⁸

In addition to the gaps identified above, the National Alliance provides more specific recommendations of standard care elements for a variety of different practice settings, including primary care, emergency department, and inpatient/outpatient behavioral care settings. Individuals interested in implementing these services at their institution are encouraged to review these recommendations at https://theactionalliance.org.

American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)

Many commonly used medications have the potential to cause depression, suicidal ideation or provoke suicide attempts.⁹ Pharmacists need to be aware of these medications and counsel patients appropriately on the risks. ASHP has taken a leading role on this issue by creating a policy statement, issuing continuing education topics, and creating a resource center on their website that contains guidelines and links to resources such as a list of medications associated with suicidality or depression. The resource center is available at: https://www.ashp.org/Pharmacy-Practice/Resource-Centers/Medications-and-Suicidality/Drugs-Associated-with-Suicidality.

With regard to policy on this issue, ASHP delegates reviewed and approved a joint council policy recommendation regarding suicide awareness and prevention at this year’s ASHP Summer Meeting. In this policy, ASHP asserts that all pharmacists are in an ideal position to help identify and prevent suicides.¹⁰ The proposed policy recommendation calls for ASHP to collaborate with other key stakeholders (e.g., government, healthcare organizations, colleges/universities) to increase awareness and education on this issue, including the development and use of standardized tools for assessing the role of medications and other factors in provoking suicidality.¹⁰ ASHP also recognizes that suicide can affect patients and healthcare workers alike, and that optimal prevention strategies should focus on increasing the well-being and resilience of both patients and healthcare providers.¹⁰

Conclusion

As front-line providers, pharmacists are in an ideal position to identify suicidal behavior. All pharmacy personnel should be trained to identify patients at high risk for suicide and intervene as appropriate and necessary. Pharmacy workers should proactively add education on this issue to their continuing professional development plan. Pharmacy leaders should review what policies they have in place to detect and manage suicidality and use the aforementioned resource documents to develop or improve their programs. Finally, pharmacists should submit an FDA MedWatch alert for any medication suspected to be involved in suicidality that does not already have a warning listed in the prescribing information. By working proactively, pharmacists can join other healthcare providers in moving towards our goal of zero patient suicides.

References

World Health Organization. Suicide Data. http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/suicideprevent/en/. Accessed 2018 September 23.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicide Rates Rising Across the US. https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/suicide/index.html. Accessed 2018 September 23.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Suicide Statistics. https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/. Accessed 2018 September 23.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html. Accessed 2018 September 23.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2017). Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. SMA 17-5044, NSDUH Series H-52). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-FFR1-2016/NSDUH-FFR1-2016.htm.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicide: Risk and Protective Factors. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/suicide/riskprotectivefactors.html. Accessed 2018 November 20.
The Joint Commission. Detecting and treating suicide ideation in all settings. Sentinel Event Alert. 2016 56(3).
National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention: Transforming Health Systems Initiative Work Group (2018). Recommended standard care for people with suicide risk: Making health care suicide safe. Washington, Dc: Education Development Center, Inc.
Lavigne. Suicidal ideation and behavior as adverse events of prescribed medications: An update for pharmacists. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2016;56:203-6.
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Joint council recommendation: suicide awareness and prevention. https://connect.ashp.org/communities/ (accessed 2019 May 14).

New Practitioners Network
Making the Most of Mentorship: Advice for how to Maintain a Mentor Relationship

by Abby Lodico, PharmD, PGY-1 Pharmacy Resident, Northwestern Medicine, Chicago, IL; W. Justin Moore, PharmD, PGY-1 Pharmacy Resident, Northwestern Medicine, Chicago, IL

The benefits of a mentor-mentee relationship are limitless, and include networking opportunities, camaraderie, and professional development as discussed in an article published in the last issue of KeePosted, Mentors Matter: Finding the match to make the right move. As previously highlighted, good mentors are compatible with mentees and continually challenge mentees to strive for improvement. Strong mentorship primarily relies on a sound foundational relationship. To maintain a strong mentor-mentee relationship, we offer the following advice.

A solid relationship takes work

Similar to all personal relationships, such as those with family members, co-workers, or classmates, a mentor-mentee relationship requires intentional effort to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship. After carefully selecting a mentor with the best fit based on desired criteria, mentees should make every attempt to strengthen the bond and grow the relationship. If a mentor dedicates time and attention to a mentee, that respect should be appreciated and reciprocated. Try to find commonalities with mentors, as personal connections and common interests will allow each person to open up and gain trust within the relationship. With each interaction, attempt to balance the amount of time focused on personal, more casual topics, and professional, more focused discussions. People are more willing to invest time into activities and relationships which they enjoy. By creating more enjoyable interactions, mentors and mentees are more encouraged to keep in touch.

Discuss what works, and more importantly, what might not work

Mentor-mentee relationships often include generational gaps. Seasoned mentors and younger mentees may often fall into different age groups or cultural perspectives. Communication barriers could be a pitfall and cause a successful mentor relationship to sour early, as basic preferences are not discussed. By establishing what works and how people like to communicate, you can ensure that each party is comfortable and on the same page. Avoid key ideas and advice being lost in generational translation. For example, older generations such as baby boomers may prefer more traditional media such as telephone conversations, whereas younger practitioners may be more inclined to text or email (avoiding verbal communication at all costs). Hold off on emoji use until it is established that you are each familiar with this approach!

Be comfortable being uncomfortable

Mentees should lean into uncomfortable situations and try to feel secure in their boldness, as this promotes personal development and demonstrates strength of character. Mentees should make the first move, and go out of their way to connect with mentors. Reaching out to mentors and being proactive about setting up meeting times will help to ensure that mentor-mentee relationships endure. Again, it is important to figure out what works best for the relationship to flourish. If necessary, get creative! Plan outings or send articles to mentors that you think may be of interest. By thinking outside the box, mentors will see the extra effort and be more likely to dedicate additional time and support to mentees.

Create the space…...and time!

Meeting times between mentors and mentees should be established with standing meetings. Having this dedicated time increases the likelihood that mentors and mentees will connect and it will encourage a continued commitment for future meetings. Use calendar invites or reminders to be sure that all parties are aware of planned meetings and to minimize scheduling conflicts and frustration. After planning these times, make every effort to keep your commitments in order to maximize benefit from these interactions. Many times, mentor-mentee relationships suffer when mentees only reach out to mentors during opportune times of need. By establishing more consistent meeting patterns, a more genuine and developed relationship will grow.

Get involved

Mentees should be encouraged to seek career opportunities such as professional organization involvement, research, or even social media. More intimate professional organization settings like smaller group or committee work allow for a deeper level of understanding of project content and a deeper connection to other collaborators. Greater professional involvement may also include professional meeting attendance which is an ideal space to set up time to catch up with a mentor. Joining similar professional organizations may be a chance to work alongside a mentor and observe them in a different role, adding another layer to the relationship.

Twitter may also serve as a way to stay connected with mentors through online discussions and interactive dialogue. As social media continues to grow and impact nearly every professional sector, it is expected that this platform could serve as a virtual meeting space to better serve mentorship conversations.

Mentor-mentee relationships are not one size fits all. Find what works for you and your mentor, and make sure that you put in the effort to ensure that your relationship is sincere, mutually beneficial, and long-standing. For those who may be struggling to maintain a relationship, we have all been there. Hopefully this advice provides new perspective to get the relationship back on track for the future.

Features

Make Your Plans -
Pharmacy Month, Week and Day are Approaching!

by Scott A. Meyers, Executive Vice President

October is National Pharmacy Month. The third full week in October, the 21st through the 27th, is National Hospital and Health-System Pharmacy Week. And Tuesday, October 15th is National Pharmacy Technician Day. So even though it is August, it’s not too soon to start making plans to commemorate all three of these important celebrations!

So what’s a pharmacy department to do? A cake is always a good thing but probably not enough for something this auspicious. A pizza party for all shifts on any given day during that third week? We’re getting closer. How about table tents with pharmacy trivia in the cafeteria during the entire month? Simple facts about numbers of prescriptions filled in the U.S. annually, How many new drugs were approved by the FDA in 2018, and anything else you can find with a quick Google search! Now we’re cooking!

What about tent cards on patients’ meal trays during National Hospital and Health-System Pharmacy Week letting them know that they have access to a pharmacist right there at their bedside if they have questions or concerns about their meds? You might need to invite the dietary supervisors to your pizza party to pull this one off, but it’s a great idea!

Whatever you do, don’t miss the opportunity to celebrate! If you’re not the director in your department, ask if you can help, or better yet - lead the celebration! If you don’t light the fire, no one will be able to cook! Let’s all make October a month to remember! I know I always do, it’s the month when I was born!

Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force Report - June
Recommendations Finally Get a Vote!

by Scott A. Meyers, Executive Vice President

On the afternoon of Wednesday, June 19th the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force met in Chicago and Springfield, as usual. What was strikingly different was the first item of new business for the Task Force, which was a vote on 12 motions developed from discussions over the past 12 or more meetings to make official recommendations to the staff of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation for presentation to the General Assembly.

Before the voting began, Hunter Wiggens, newly appointed General Counsel for the Department, informed the Task Force members that because the Illinois Pharmacy Practice Act will expire on January 1, 2020 unless it is extended during the Fall veto session, it is critical that the Task Force finish its work as soon as possible and no later than the September 1st deadline.

Here are the motions that were discussed and their votes.

Motion No. 1
Motion regarding “Pharmacy Technician on Duty”

So moved that the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force recommends against the adoption of any language within the Pharmacy Practice Act or Rules thereunder, addressing the following standard listed in Section 4.5 of the Act:

“requiring pharmacies to have at least one pharmacy technician on duty whenever the practice of pharmacy is conducted.”

The Task Force voted 5-1-1 (in favor – opposed – abstain) on the motion, with the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) abstaining on the grounds that this motion did not impact patient care. The members voting in favor of the motion felt that there were too many situations where it would be unnecessary and uneconomic to have a technician on duty just because a pharmacist was practicing pharmacy. The labor representative was the only dissenting vote. Examples: Long-term care chart reviews, after-hours administrative activities in critical care hospital pharmacies, pharmacies with low volume during late weekend hours, and more.

Motion No. 2
Motion regarding “Triple Pay for No Breaks”

So moved, that the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force recommends against the adoption of any language within the Pharmacy Practice Act, or the Rules thereunder, addressing the following standard listed in Section 4.5 of the Act:

“to pay the pharmacist 3 times the pharmacist’s regular hourly rate of pay for each workday during which the required breaks were not provided.”

The Task Force voted 5-1-1 (in favor – opposed – abstain) on the motion, with ISMS abstaining on the grounds that this motion did not impact patient care. The members voting in favor of the motion felt that this motion was inappropriate and had no business in the Practice Act or Rules. The labor representative was the only dissenting vote. The labor representative on the Task Force was the only vote opposed.

Motion No. 3
Motion regarding “Break Room”

“to make available at all times a room on the pharmacy’s premises with adequate seating and tables for the purpose of allowing a pharmacist to enjoy break periods in a clean and comfortable environment.”

The Task Force voted 5-1-1 (in favor – opposed – abstain) on the motion, with the Illinois State Medical Society abstaining on the grounds that this motion did not impact patient care. The labor representative was the only dissenting vote. The members voting in favor of the motion believed that this standard would be unnecessary in many pharmacy situations and did not belong in statute or regulation.

Motion No. 4
Motion regarding “Prescription Limits” and ”Pharmacy Technician Hours”

So moved, that the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force intends to address the following standards contained in Section 4.5 of the Pharmacy Practice Act, which are:

“to set a prescription limit of not more than 10 prescriptions filled per hour;” and
“to mandate at least 10 pharmacy technician hours per 100 prescriptions filled,”

by modifying them in recommending that the legislature enact a new section in the Pharmacy Practice Act entitled “Grounds for Discipline,” which would include the following provisions:

(2) Failure to provide a working environment for all pharmacy personnel that protects that health, safety and welfare of a patient which includes, but is not limited to: . . . .

(c) Adequate time for a pharmacist to complete professional duties and responsibilities including, but not limited to:

(A) Drug Utilization Review;

(B) Immunization;

(C) Counseling;

(D) Verification of the accuracy of a prescription; and

(E) All other duties and responsibilities of a pharmacist as specified in the Pharmacy Practice Act Administrative Rules Part 1300.

The Task Force voted 6-0-1 (in favor – opposed – abstain) on the motion, with the ISMS abstaining on the grounds that this motion did not impact patient care.

Motion No. 5
Motion regarding “Prohibiting Distractions”

So moved, that the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force, intends to address the following standard contained in Section 4.5 of the Pharmacy Practice Act, which is:

“to place a general prohibition on activities that distract pharmacists,”

by modifying this standard in recommending that the legislature enact a new Section in the Pharmacy Practice Act entitled “Grounds for Discipline,” which would include the following provision:

(2) Failure to provide a working environment for all pharmacy personnel that protects that health, safety and welfare of a patient which includes, but is not limited to:

(a) Sufficient personnel to prevent fatigue, distraction or other conditions that interfere with a pharmacist’s ability to practice with competency and safety or creates an environment that jeopardizes patient care.

The Task Force voted 7-0-0 (in favor – opposed – abstain).

Motion No. 6
Motion regarding “No Work During Break”

So moved, that the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force, intends to address the following standard contained in Section 4.5 of the Pharmacy Practice Act, which is:

“to not require a pharmacist to work during a break period,”

by modifying the standard and recommending that the legislature enact a provision in the Pharmacy Practice Act stating that a new section entitled “Grounds for Discipline” include the following provisions:

(2) Failure to provide a working environment for all pharmacy personnel that protects that health, safety and welfare of a patient which includes, but is not limited to: . . .

(b) Appropriate opportunities for uninterrupted rest periods and meal breaks

The Task Force vote 7-0-0 (in favor – opposed – abstain). The Task Force member voted unanimously to support this motion based on its flexibility and because pharmacists are professionals and while given the opportunity for uninterrupted breaks they may choose not to take them when the workload is excessive or when an emergency occurs.

Motion No. 7
Motion regarding “Whistleblower Protection”

So moved, that the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force, intends to address the following standard contained in Section 4.5 of the Pharmacy Practice Act, which is:

“the extent to which providing whistleblower protections for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians reporting violations or worker policies,”

by recommending that the legislature enact a provision in the Pharmacy Practice Act stating that a new section entitled “Grounds for Discipline” include the following provision:

(5) Anyone reporting violations of this section to the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation are specifically protected under the Illinois Whistleblower Act” (740 ILCS 174/15(b)).

The Task Force vote 7-0-0 (in favor – opposed – abstain). The Task Force members voted unanimously to include this standard in the Pharmacy Practice Act, acknowledging that this protection already exists but that placing a reference to the Whistleblower Act in the Act would reassure and inform unaware pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and student pharmacists of this protection. Concern was stated by a number of Task Force members that references to several other Acts that may impact pharmacy could or then should be added to the Pharmacy Practice Act resulting in a cluttering of the Act with informational citations. Some Task Force members agreed but felt that this issue of whistleblower protection was important enough and existing fear by many pharmacists, technicians and students was part of the cause to the formation of the Task Force initially.

Motion No. 8A
Motion regarding “Length of Work Day”

So moved, that the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force intends to address the following standard listed in Section 4.5 of the Act:

“to limit a pharmacist from working more than 8 hours a workday,”

by recommending that the legislature enact a provision in the Pharmacy Practice Act under a new Section entitled “Pharmacy Work Conditions,” which states the following:

A pharmacy licensed under Illinois Statutes, which is located within Illinois, shall not require a pharmacist, student pharmacist, or pharmacy technician to work longer than eight (8) continuous hours per day, inclusive of the breaks required under subpart 2.

This motion died due to a lack of a second by any member of the Task Force. During discussions at several previous meetings there was general consensus that many pharmacies use 10-12 hour work days and this implementation of this standard would cause unreasonable hardships for many.

Motion No. 8B
Motion regarding “Length of Work Day”

So moved, that the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force intends to address the following standard contained in Section 4.5 of the Pharmacy Practice Act, which is:

“to limit a pharmacist from working more than 8 hours a workday,”

by modifying this standard to limit the hours worked to 12 hours a workday and recommending that the legislature enact a provision in the Pharmacy Practice Act under a new Section entitled “Pharmacy Work Conditions,” which states the following:

A pharmacy licensed under Illinois Statutes, which is located within Illinois, shall not require a pharmacist, student pharmacist, or pharmacy technician to work longer than twelve (12) continuous hours per day, inclusive of the breaks required under subpart 2.

The Task Force voted 5-1-1 (in favor – opposed – abstain) on the motion with the ISMS abstaining on the grounds that this motion did not impact patient care. The members voting in favor of this motion felt that this more appropriately accommodates most pharmacy practice setting schedules. The labor representative was the only dissenting vote. The Task Force did have the option to let both motions 8A and 8B fail, which would have resulted in no regulation of a maximum length of work day.

Motion No. 9
Motion regarding “Break Records”

So moved, that the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force intends to address the following standard contained in Section 4.5 of the Pharmacy Practice Act, which is:

“to keep a complete and accurate record of the break periods of its pharmacists,”

by recommending that the legislature enact a provision in the Pharmacy Practice Act under a new Section entitled “Pharmacy Work Conditions,” which states the following:

The Employer shall keep and maintain a complete and accurate record of the daily break periods of its pharmacists.

The Task Force voted 4-2-1 (in favor – opposed – abstain) on the motion with the ISMS abstaining on the grounds that this motion did not impact patient care. The dissenting votes by IPhA and ICHP felt this standard creates a cumbersome and unnecessary standard with no impact on patient care.

Motion No. 10A
Motion regarding “Mandatory Breaks and Lunch Period”

So moved, that the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force, intends to address the following standard contained in Section 4.5 of the Pharmacy Practice Act, which is:
“to provide a pharmacist a minimum of 2 15-minute paid rest breaks and one 30-minute meal period in each working day on which the pharmacist works at least 7 hours,”

by modifying this standard in recommending that the legislature enact a new Section in the Pharmacy Practice Act entitled “Pharmacy Work Conditions,” which would include the following provision:

A. A pharmacist working longer than six continuous hours per day shall be allowed during that time period to take a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break and (2) 15-minute breaks. No pharmacist shall be required to work longer than 5 continuous hours per day without the opportunity to take an uninterrupted meal break.

This motion was not considered because the Task Force had already approved Motion No. 8B which relates to the next motion to be considered.

Motion No. 10B
Motion regarding “Mandatory Breaks and Lunch Period”

So moved, that the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force, intends to address the following standard contained in Section 4.5 of the Pharmacy Practice Act, which is:

“to provide a pharmacist a minimum of 2 15-minute paid rest breaks and one 30-minute meal period in each working day on which the pharmacist works at least 7 hours,”

by modifying this standard in recommending that the legislature enact a new Section in the Pharmacy Practice Act entitled “Pharmacy Work Conditions,” which would include the following provision:

A. A pharmacist working longer than six continuous hours per day shall be allowed during that time period to take a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break and (1) 15-minute break.

The pharmacist qualifies for an additional 15-minute break if working 12 continuous hours per day. No pharmacist shall be required to work longer than 5 continuous hours per day without the opportunity to take an uninterrupted meal break.

The Task Force voted 6-0-1 (in favor – opposed – abstain) on the motion with the ISMS abstaining on the grounds that this motion did not impact patient care.

You should note that the Task Force has 8 voting members including the Chair, however Phil Burgess, Chair of the Task Force was absent.

Following the vote on motions described above, the Board then unanimously approved the Grounds for Discipline recommendation described in motions 4-7 in its entirety and the Pharmacy Work Conditions recommendation by a vote of 6-0-1 with ISMS abstaining. These two documents are provided on the ICHP website at www.ichpnet.org, sign in and then click on Advocacy and then Practice Act and Related Statutes.

The Task Force then discussed e-prescribing and e-cancellation or CancelRx. Task Force member Adam Bursua provided an update on the availability of e-cancellation capabilities of most community pharmacies and outlined a proposal to require e-cancellation access for all pharmacies by January 1, 2021 which will be discussed and voted on at the July 9th meeting.

The Task Force concluded with a final review of proposed changes to the Practice Act and Rules related to pharmacy technician tasks and responsibilities. What is expected to be the final language recommended by the Task Force to the Department at the July meeting can also be found on the ICHP website. ICHP members should have already received an e-mail blast regarding this language and the Grounds for Discipline and Pharmacy Work Conditions documents in June. (Note: If you did not receive that important e-mail blast please ask your IT Department to whitelist www.ichpnet.org and look in your spam or junk folders to see if it landed there!)

The next meeting of the Task Force will be held on Tuesday, July 9th at 1:30 pm in Chicago and Springfield. Exact locations for each site have not yet been announced but will eventually be posted on the Department website at www.idfpr.com.

Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force Report - July
More Recommendations Get a Vote!

by Scott A. Meyers, Executive Vice President

On Tuesday, July 9th the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force met in Chicago and Springfield as usual. Following a trend begun at its June meeting, the Task Force voted on several recommendations that will be written up by the staff of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation for presentation to the General Assembly this fall. The Task Force reviewed the list of tasks assigned to them by the General Assembly and noted that much of the work will be completed by the end of the July meeting. At this time the Task Force is scheduled to meet one more time in August and then their recommendations will be presented to the General Assembly in time for the fall veto session.

Here are the motions that were discussed and their votes:

Motion No. 1
Motion regarding “Pharmacy Technician Continuing Education and Duties”

So moved, that the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force, intends to address the following directive contained in Section 4.5 of the Pharmacy Practice Act, which states that:

In developing standards related to its discussions, the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force shall consider the extent to which Public Act 99473 (enhancing continuing education requirements for pharmacy technicians) may be relevant to the issues listed in Section 4.5 of the Pharmacy Practice Act.

by recommending amendments to sections of the Pharmacy Practice Act and Rules and the Controlled Substance Act, as shown on the document entitled “Proposed Changes Related to Duties of Pharmacy Technicians.” These amendments are intended to accomplish the following:

A. Require that pharmacy technicians be specifically trained for the tasks which they are assigned to accomplish, while retaining the exception that certain tasks cannot be delegated to pharmacy technicians;

B. Require that pharmacy technicians obtain documentation from a pharmacist-in-charge verifying that he or she has successfully completed a standardized nationally accredited education and training program with an objective assessment mechanism to be licensed, if they have not graduated from a pharmacy technician training program meeting the requirements of the Ac t;

C. Permit pharmacy technicians to administer vaccinations/immunizations to persons, as long as they successfully complete a course of training on the administration of vaccines approved by the Department and are directly supervised by a pharmacist; and

D. Permits student pharmacists and registered pharmacy technicians to transfer prescriptions between pharmacies for the purpose of original or refill dispensing, and to receive prescriptions for controlled substances from an employee or agent of the individual practitioner pursuant to the directions and order of that practitioner.

The Task Force voted 7-0-0 (in favor-opposed-abstain) on the motion. Brian Kramer representing the Illinois Long-term Care Pharmacy Providers Association was absent from the meeting. There was some discussion that pharmacy technicians should not be permitted to transfer controlled substance prescriptions but no conclusion was reached and the language of the motion was not revised in that regard.

Motion No. 2
Motion regarding “Pharmacy Prescription Systems Contain Mechanisms that Require Prescription Discontinuation Orders to be Forwarded to a Pharmacy”

So moved, that the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force, intends to address the following directive contained in Section 4.5 of the Pharmacy Practice Act, which states that:

[T]he extent to which requiring the Department to adopt rules requiring pharmacy prescription systems contain mechanisms to require prescription discontinuation orders to be forwarded to a pharmacy.

by recommending amendments to sections of the Pharmacy Practice Act, or the Rules promulgated thereunder, which state the following:

A. Effective January 1, 2021, all pharmacies that use the SCRIPT standard for receiving electronic prescriptions must enable, activate, and maintain the ability to receive transmissions of electronic prescription cancellation and to transmit cancellation response transactions.

B. Within two (2) business days of receipt of a prescription cancellation transaction, pharmacy staff must either review the cancellation transaction for deactivation or provide that deactivation occurs automatically.

The Task Force voted 7-0-0 (in favor-opposed-abstain) on the motion. Brian Kramer representing the Illinois Long-term Care Pharmacy Providers Association was absent from the meeting. Task Force members believed that this was appropriate and were informed that any pharmacy using the SCRIPT standard for receiving e-prescriptions merely needs to turn on this function, train staff and develop pharmacy procedures to meet the intent of the changes.

Motion No. 3
Motion regarding “Pharmacy Employee Termination”

As the Pharmacy Practice Act currently requires that Pharmacies or pharmacists-incharge file a report with the Department’s Chief Pharmacy Coordinator in every instance where a pharmacist, registered certified pharmacy technician or a registered pharmacy technician “is terminated for actions which may have threatened patient safety,” it is moved, that the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force recommends against the adoption of any additional language within the Pharmacy Practice Act, or the Rules thereunder, addressing the following directive listed in Section 4.5 of the Act:

In developing standards related to its discussions, the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force shall consider the extent to which Public Act 99-863 (enhancing reporting requirements to the Department of pharmacy employee terminations) may be relevant to the issues listed in paragraphs (1) and (2).

The Task Force voted 7-0-0 (in favor-opposed-abstain) on the motion. Brian Kramer representing the Illinois Long-term Care Pharmacy Providers Association was absent from the meeting. Since very clear language already exists within the Pharmacy Practice Act, the Task Force members felt any additional language was unnecessary. However, the Task Force did urge the Department to re-establish its Board of Pharmacy newsletter and distribute this key information to all registrants. Representatives of several pharmacy associations indicated that they will inform their members of the existing language.

The voting concluded with the above three motions. The Task Force then considered requiring community pharmacies with auto-refill programs to use these programs only after the patient or the patient’s agent “opt in”. There was substantial debate on whether the patient or the patient’s agent should opt in for each new prescription or whether they could opt in for the system once for all prescriptions. Any decision was deferred to the August meeting.

The Task Force also deliberated on notifications provided by auto-refill systems and whether or not telephone or text notifications that a refill was ready should contain the medication name, strength and other important information within the notification. The Task Force believes that including these items of information in a text or voicemail message that could be recorded and found by other individuals would create a HIPAA violation. In addition, many pharmacy providers already have telephone apps that can provide this information in a password protected environment. The Task Force felt that this request did not make sense.

The Task Force will discuss and approve, at its next meeting, rationale for each vote taken by it. The rationale will include a majority and minority opinion when each exists.

Prior to the conclusion of the July Task Force meeting, Dr. Jerry Bauman, Dean Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy, expressed the desire for the Task Force to consider and hopefully vote on one additional recommendation to the General Assembly at the August meeting. This recommendation would ask the General Assembly to convene a new Task Force to seriously consider the underlying cause of most of the issues this Task Force addressed during the past 18+ months. That underlying cause is the current mechanism of pharmacist and pharmacy reimbursement for services. The current mechanism revolves solely around the provision of a commodity (in pharmacy’s case, the medication). This mechanism does not provide any remuneration for patient care services and provides absolutely no incentive to ever discontinue a medication that is no longer needed or even contraindicated. Dr. Bauman and Garth Reynolds will work on a document to be considered at the August meeting. In the opinion of this author and member of the Task Force, it will truly be the most important recommendation we can make to our legislators in Springfield!

The next meeting of the Task Force will be held on Tuesday, August 13th at 1:30 pm in Chicago and Springfield. Exact locations for each site have not yet been announced but will eventually be posted on the Department website at www.idfpr.com. Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy students may and are encouraged to attend this meeting just as they have been for all previous meetings.

PTCB'S Recertification Process is Now Easier and Faster
CPhTs Need to have an NABP E-Profile ID Before Recertifying

Certified Pharmacy Technicians (CPhTs) live busy lives both inside and outside the pharmacy. PTCB has been working to make the CPhT recertification process faster and easier. We recently invested in a streamlined recertification application process to save CPhTs time and provide immediate approvals, allowing them to recertify much faster as long as their CE hours are recorded in their NABP CPE Monitor account.

Please note: Their application deadline and certification expiration dates have not changed and continuing education requirements remain the same.

To take advantage of the new process, CPhTs must have an NABP e-Profile on file with PTCB before their next recertification deadline.

How is PTCB’s recertification process better?

Eliminates the need to manually enter CE information already entered into CPE Monitor
Provides instant recertification/reinstatement
Quick and efficient application

How do CPhTs set up their e-Profile ID?
To set up an NABP e-Profile, CPhTs visit NABP’s website and create one. After creating their e-Profile account, they must be sure to add their PTCB Certification Number to the Credentials section of their NABP e-Profile. CPhTs should ensure that their e-Profile ID and birth date (month and day) match in their PTCB Account and NABP e-Profile. To update their birth date in their NABP e-Profile, they can follow these instructions.

How can they check if their e-Profile has been verified by PTCB?
After logging into their PTCB Account, they look for the check mark next to their e-Profile ID on their Account home page. If they do not see the check mark, they can add their e-Profile ID by clicking ‘Add your e-Profile’ under ‘Profile Summary’ or when applying for renewal.

Updated Renewal Fee
In coordination with this upgrade, PTCB will adjust the recertification fee for the first time in more than a decade (since 2007). Beginning October 2, 2019, the recertification fee will be $49 and the reinstatement fee will be $89. The existing $25 Late Application Processing Fee and $10 Reprocessing Fee will not change.

For information about creating an NABP e-Profile, refer to NABP’s Help page or contact NABP at https://nabp.pharmacy/about/contact/.

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Join us for the 2019 ICHP Annual Meeting
Impact Patient Care

Join us for the 2019 ICHP Annual Meeting!

September 12-14, 2019

Drury Lane Conference Center

Oakbrook Terrace, IL

Early bird Deadline: August 20, 2019

Registration, Meeting Programming, Exhibitor info and more on our website!

College Connection

Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy
Discovering Serendipity: Reflections of a Third-Year Pharmacy Student

College Connection

by Honey Joseph, PS3, ICHP Membership Chair Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy

I did not always dream of becoming a pharmacist. Growing up in India, where the Doctor of Pharmacy degree was not even introduced until 2008, I never knew what possibilities existed in the field of pharmacy. I certainly did not imagine that I would pursue a career in it. As a first generation immigrant in the United States, I learned about the Doctor of Pharmacy degree from friends and teachers.

By virtue of countless forces, I ultimately decided to attend Midwestern University’s Chicago College of Pharmacy. As I listened to Dean Fjortoft deliver her welcome message on the first day of classes, I quickly realized that the scope of pharmacy far surpassed my limited understanding. On that day alone, I must have heard that “pharmacy is a small world” at least five times; yet as each day of the quarter passed, pharmacy school was convincing me otherwise. Too many opportunities to explore in too little a time— from organizations and fraternities, to research and internships— pharmacy felt like a grand world in which I wondered if I could ever establish myself.

Academics by itself occupied most of my time during the first year. I would look around and see other students embracing leadership roles and ask myself why I could not achieve what they did, even though I was trying. Was I not capable of being a leader? Somewhere within this period of self-struggle, an opportunity came to attend the Student Leadership Institute (SLI), an extracurricular program aimed to develop healthcare profession leaders. Through the SLI, I learned to connect with the leader within me through multiple activities such as completing the Decisiveness, Interactiveness, Stability, and Cautiousness Index Profile (a tool to self-assess one’s behavioral traits), working closely with a mentor in the pharmacy profession, and networking with peers. These experiences were crucial to help plant optimism inside me and rectify the subtle, underlying sense of uncertainty which had hitherto informed my decisions.

After the SLI, several leadership roles came to me unexpectedly. One of these roles was being the Membership Chair of ICHP, a position which would not only allow me to grow personally, but would also give me a platform to allow other students to develop their own unique skills. As I reflect, I cannot help but smile remembering how I almost missed the deadline to submit the application for this ICHP e-board position until one of my friends reminded me. Moreover, I had always been the person to complain that a person’s resume does not show attempts, rather only achievements. I now recognize that the value of perseverance transcends any such tangible realities; there is always a reward for persistence.

It took me till the end of my third year to see the beautiful synchronicities of my pharmacy school experience, for instance, that the SLI fittingly happened before I adopted leadership positions. In fact, a plethora of clues now reveal to me that I had always been in the right place. Childhood memories of me keenly arranging tablets into my grandmother’s pill box, or sitting with my eyes to the countertop as my chemistry teachers performed demos with acids and bases, or deciding to live on campus which made programs such as the SLI more accessible for me. None of these were coincidences. There is a reason why I can only see positive outcomes as I look back at my pharmacy school experience. There is a reason why I have countless reasons to be grateful— from enduring friendships and accomplishments…to so many little reasons to celebrate from within. There is a reason why I have no fears for myself or for the future of pharmacy. I call this reason “serendipity.”

Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy
Meet the New E-Board and why we Chose to be a Part of ICHP-SSHP

College Connection

by Jeremy Fernandez Balingit, PS-2, SSHP President Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy

The new ICHP-SSHP E-board is excited for the school year to start and is eager to brainstorm new and great ideas. SSHP is an incredibly valuable organization for many reasons. To help spread the word about SSHP and encourage others to join, here is a small introduction of who our new officers are and why we decided to join SSHP.

Our new members include:
President - Jeremy Fernandez Balingit
Vice President - Priya Patel
Treasurer - Adeola Lawal
Secretary - Swetha Sajan

Rosalind Franklin University College of Pharmacy
Interprofessional Health Screening Events at RFU

College Connection

by Rita Piro, PS-3, ICHP Vice President Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science College of Pharmacy

Pharmacists are integral members of interdisciplinary health care teams found in community, hospital, and industry settings among others. One way that Rosalind Franklin University (RFU) prepares students for success as future health care professionals is by incorporating interprofessional education throughout the curriculum and encouraging collaboration through multidisciplinary student organizations.

This year, members of the RFU ICHP-SSHP had the opportunity to participate in the RFU Body in Balance Health Fair, an annual event held at the Foss Park Community Center, which provides health screenings and educational materials to Lake County residents. Pharmacy students volunteered alongside students from podiatry, medicine, physical therapy, psychology, and physician assistant programs.

During the health fair, patients were able to visit different stations that catered toward their own specific health care needs. Physical therapy students performed balance and gait checks as well as fall prevention education. Podiatry students performed foot exams and peripheral neuropathy screenings. Pharmacy students administered flu vaccinations. Additional stations led by physician assistant and medical students included glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure screenings.

Interprofessional student teams collaboratively educated the public about common health problems, disease states, and preventative medicine. Each station was comprised of students from each health care program at RFU. The interprofessional education stations allowed students to have an open discussion with patients about topics focusing on cardiac education (hypertension and hypercholesterolemia), diabetes, smoking cessation, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. Educational handouts were given to patients to help provide more information on certain disease states and healthy lifestyle modifications.

The event was successful and 47 patients attended the fair. It helped provide patients with important health information and resources to make informed health care decisions. It also allowed students from different health professions to gain valuable experience working together to provide effective patient-centered care.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy
Meet the Executive Board

College Connection

by Justin Shiau, P2, President-Elect SIUE School of Pharmacy

The summer is just getting started and what better way to kick it off than with a big welcome for the 2019-2020 Executive Board! Everyone is very excited and ready to get involved this upcoming year in the SIUE ICHP-SSHP.

University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy
"It's OK not to be OK" De-Stigmatizing Conversations Surrounding our Mental Health

College Connection

by Josiah Baker, P3, PharmD Candidate, ICHP Student Chapter President University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy

According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 4 people will experience one or more mental health crises during their lifetime. To put this in perspective, nearly 1.88 billion people worldwide will deal with mental health related issues. Odds are that you or someone you know has been personally affected by mental health issues. Mental health is a topic of conversation that has been largely avoided and notably stigmatized for decades in many social and cultural circles due to misunderstandings and in some cases, vilification. These stigmas create a culture of deafening silence in spaces where struggling voices are desperate to be heard the most. This silence is crippling, and it consistently erodes our ability to participate in proactive outreach and empowerment.

This year, the student chapter of ICHP at the UIC College of Pharmacy in Chicago committed to breaking the silence. In March 2019, we joined forces with Hope for the Day to officially learn how to de-stigmatize conversations surrounding mental health. Hope for the Day is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is dedicated to proactively preventing suicide through provisions of community outreach and mental health education. Carl Evans, pictured below, shared his compelling testimony with a group of 120 pharmacy students during an ICHP mental wellness event. He continues to impact many more with his deliberate destruction of stigmas that once confined us. Carl likened the building pressure of a shaken soda can to the pressure of continually concealing the effects of anxiety, depression, or other emotional stressors. As individuals, family members, friends, community leaders, and certainly as future healthcare professionals we have a responsibility to recognize signs of mental unrest. Once signs are recognized, we are able to respond with love, hope, and resources for treatment as needed.

By embracing open communication about mental health, we bring hope and most importantly freedom to ourselves and to those around us. There should never be shame in reaching out for help. As Carl reiterated countless times throughout his story, it truly is “ok not to be ok.” The first step in the healing process is allowing an individual to recognize the feelings they are experiencing and then seek help when they are ready. When confronted with complex emotional situations, many people have a tendency to want to “fix” the individual. Rather than offering up a quick fix to the situation, creating space for free expression and discovery of emotions yields a greater benefit to everyone involved. Being heard is a therapeutic experience and focused listening demonstrates care.

Through this initiative, our student community grew closer and became increasingly aware of mental wellness within ourselves and our social circles. The statistics surrounding mental health are staggering and we are living in an age where mental wellness must be paramount. I challenge everyone to openly embrace the issue. Protect your joy. Find healthy releases. Seek help when you find yourself or others around you struggling and forge a path towards wellness. Educate yourself about mental health, share tools such as the Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-8255), and have personal conversations with your loved ones. Let’s fight together to break the silence.

(Pictured: Alex Nudo (P2, Mental Wellness Chair), Amanda Vitrano, Carl Evans)

Welcome New Members!

New Members

Joined in April
Arti Aravindan - Recruited by Alexis Tandyk
Maureen Barnes-Israel
Natasha Brown - Recruited by Richard Puccetti
Sara Brown - Recruited by Kathryn Schultz
Heather Bryant - Recruited by Travis Hunderdosse
Brittany Crawford - Recruited by Richard Puccetti
Jeremy Fernandez Balingit - Recruited by Sara Koehnke
Emily Forbes
Lidiane Gabeira
Alex Holub
Jessica Jones - Recruited by David Huhtelin
Alicia Jones
Dagmara Kutrzuba - Recruited by Alexis Tandyk
Renee McTee
Farrah Naama
Ishmael Ochir - Recruited by Richard Puccetti
Daniel Osei-Bonsu
Allison Rodawold
Jazmine Rosales
Ruba Samara
Kasia Szaflarska - Recruited by Alexis Tandyk
Darlisa Taylor - Recruited by Richard Puccetti
Danny Tran

Joined in May
Malgorzata Labedz
Rachel Nass - Recruited by Ann Jankiewicz
Michael Gabay
Jon O'Connor
Jan Powell
Sadaf Suleman
Panagiota Terzis

Joined in June
Syed Ahmed
Matthew Allsbrook - Recruited by Travis Hunerdosse
Ana Alvarado
Chinchumol Baby
Jessica Banks
Maria Barrios
Cynthia Bautista
Amanda Bentley - Recruited by Amy Boblitt
Lindsey Blomgren - Recruited by Levi Youngs
Emily Boyer - Recruited by Madison Fleckenstein
Johnathan Brooks
Sophia Brown
Jessica Carlson
Nicholas Cirone
Allison Cowett - Recruited by Lara Ellinger
Nahreen Dammo
John Davis
Paris Dotson
Thorsten Ericksen
Anna Flores
Catherine Floyd
April Frischkorn - Recruited by Tonya Roley
Lucia Garcia
Glen Gard - Recruited by Scott Meyers
Alex Goneh
Ancy John
Chinchu Perumbel John
Heather Khali - Recruited by Kristi Stice
Sarah Lee
Brooke Lowe - Recruited by Lisa Ingram
Jennifer Miller
Ommar Mohammed - Recruited by Nour Shaban
Rohy Ortiz
Bhavna Patel
Helly Patel
Nisha Patel
Cathleen Perez
Franklin Ponce - Recruited by Ellen Smith
Portsha Sample - Recruited by Antoinette Cintron
Barry Sealy
Nour Shaban
Gautam Shah
Jessica Sheridan
Jade Sproles
Freddy Tadros
John Ullery
April West - Recruited by Kara Ozee
Barbara White
Renee Youmara

ICHP Pharmacy Action Fund
Contributors

Pharmacy Action Fund (As of 7.1.19)

Upcoming Events

For more information on upcoming events, please visit: www.ichpnet.org/events/calendar/

Upcoming Events

SANGAMISS CPE EVENT
August 13, 2019
Topic: Put the "Live" Back into Liver: Management of Decompensated Liver Disease
Speaker: Carrie Vogler, PharmD, BCPS
Accredited for Health-System Pharmacists

COLLABORATIVE PHARMACEUTICAL TASK FORCE
August 13, 2019

Last Meeting!
Chicago, IL & Springfield, IL

CHAMPIONS WEBINAR
August 14, 2019 - Noon
Topic: IBD: Biologic Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
Speaker: David Choi, PharmD, BCACP
Accredited for Health-System Pharmacists
See your practice site Champion to participate!

2019 ICHP ANNUAL MEETING
September 12-14, 2019
Drury Lane Conference Center - Oakbrook Terrace, IL

NISHP CPE Event
October 16, 2019
Park Ridge Country Club - Park Ridge, IL
SAVE THE DATE - More information to follow.

2019 LEADERSHIP RETREAT
November 15-16, 2019
I Hotel and Conference Center - Champaign, IL
By invitation only

NISHP CPE Event
November 21, 2019
RPM Italian, Chicago, IL
SAVE THE DATE - More information to follow.

2020 ICHP SPRING MEETING
March 27-28, 2020
Embassy Suites Conference Center - East Peoria, IL

Regularly Scheduled Conference Calls
Educational Affairs: 3rd Tuesday of each month - 11:00 am
Executive Committee: 2nd Tuesday of each month - 7:00 pm
Government Affairs: 3rd Monday of each month - 5:00 pm
Marketing Affairs: 3rd Tuesday of each month - 8:00 am
Organizational Affairs: 2nd Wednesday of each month - 3:00 pm
Professional Affairs: 4th Tuesday of each month - 3:00 pm
Technology Committee: 2nd Friday of each month - 8:00 am

Regularly Scheduled network meetings
340B NETWORK: See ICHP calendar for details
Ambulatory Care Network: 1st Thursday each month - 12:00 pm
Chicago area pharmacy directors network dinner meeting: See ICHP calendar for details
New Practitioners Network: 3rd Tuesday of each month - 5:30 pm
Small and Rural Hospitals: See ICHP calendar for details

Board of Directors
2018-2019

Noelle Chapman President	Travis Hunerdosse Immediate Past President, Committee Chair, Nominations Committee	Carrie Vogler President-Elect 217-545-5394
Kathryn Schultz Treasurer	Ed Rainville Secretary	Scott Meyers Executive Vice President ICHP Office
Amy Boblitt Regional Director Central	Elise Wozniak Regional Director Northern	Lynn Fromm Regional Director Southern
Mary Lee Organizational Affairs Director	Karin Terry Professional Affairs Director	David Martin Educational Affairs Director
Bernice Man Marketing Affairs Director	Christopher Crank Government Affairs Director	Kristine VanKuiKen Technician Representative
Bryan McCarthy Chairman, New Practitioners Network	Brian Cryder Ambulatory Care Network Chair	David Tjhio Chairman, Committee on Technology
Jennifer Phillips Editor & Chairman - KeePosted	Milena McLaughlin Assistant Editor - KeePosted	Sandra Durley 340B Network Chair

Tara Vickery Gorden

Small and Rural Hospital Network Chair

Student Chapter Presidents

Sanad Abduljawad Chicago State University College of Pharmacy	Irum Khan Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy	Jeremy Fernandez Balingit Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy
Nimita Shah Rosalind Franklin University College of Pharmacy	Kristen Ingold Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy	Josiah Baker University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy
Bill Clafshenkel University of Illinois at Chicago, Rockford Campus, College of Pharmacy

Northern Illinois Society of Health-System Pharmacists (NISHP)

Denise Kolanczyk President	Milena McLaughlin President-elect	Erika Hellenbart Immediate Past President
David Martin Treasurer	Andrew Merker Secretary	Richard Puccetti Technician Representative

West Central Society of Health-System Pharmacists (WCSHP)

Ed Rainville

President

Metro East Society of Health-System Pharmacists (MESHP)

Jared Sheley

President

Sangamiss Society of Health-System Pharmacists

Billee Samples

President

Megan Stoller

President-elect

Julie Downen

Immediate Past President

Vacant Roles at Affiliates

President - Rock Valley Society

President - Southern IL Society

President - Sugar Creek Society

Print Entire Issue

November 2021

KeePosted Info

Columns

Directly Speaking The Measles: I've Had Them, You and Your Kids Don't Want Them!

President's Message Making Your Impact Last

Board of Pharmacy Update Highlights of the July 2019 Meeting

Government Affairs Report Fourteen Pharmacy Bills Make It Through!

Marketing Affairs Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue - How Can Marketing Affairs Continue to Serve You?

ICHP Leadership Spotlight Interview - Meet Brian! Brian Cryder, PharmD, BCACP, CACP

ICHP Leadership Spotlight Interview - Meet Andrew! Andrew Merker, PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP, AAHIVP

ICHPeople

Educational Affairs Angiotensin Receptor Blocker Recalls: What Did We Learn?

Educational Affairs Call for Posters!

Professional Affairs Pharmacist's Role in Suicide Awareness and Prevention

New Practitioners Network Making the Most of Mentorship: Advice for how to Maintain a Mentor Relationship

Features

Make Your Plans - Pharmacy Month, Week and Day are Approaching!

Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force Report - June Recommendations Finally Get a Vote!

Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force Report - July More Recommendations Get a Vote!

PTCB'S Recertification Process is Now Easier and Faster CPhTs Need to have an NABP E-Profile ID Before Recertifying

We Need Your Feedback!

Join us for the 2019 ICHP Annual Meeting Impact Patient Care

College Connection

Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy Discovering Serendipity: Reflections of a Third-Year Pharmacy Student

Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy Meet the New E-Board and why we Chose to be a Part of ICHP-SSHP

Rosalind Franklin University College of Pharmacy Interprofessional Health Screening Events at RFU

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy Meet the Executive Board

University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy "It's OK not to be OK" De-Stigmatizing Conversations Surrounding our Mental Health

More

Welcome New Members!

ICHP Pharmacy Action Fund Contributors

Upcoming Events

Board of Directors 2018-2019

Directly Speaking
The Measles: I've Had Them, You and Your Kids Don't Want Them!

President's Message
Making Your Impact Last

Board of Pharmacy Update
Highlights of the July 2019 Meeting

Government Affairs Report
Fourteen Pharmacy Bills Make It Through!

Marketing Affairs
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue - How Can Marketing Affairs Continue to Serve You?

ICHP Leadership Spotlight Interview - Meet Brian!
Brian Cryder, PharmD, BCACP, CACP

ICHP Leadership Spotlight Interview - Meet Andrew!
Andrew Merker, PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP, AAHIVP

Educational Affairs
Angiotensin Receptor Blocker Recalls: What Did We Learn?

Educational Affairs
Call for Posters!

Professional Affairs
Pharmacist's Role in Suicide Awareness and Prevention

New Practitioners Network
Making the Most of Mentorship: Advice for how to Maintain a Mentor Relationship

Make Your Plans -
Pharmacy Month, Week and Day are Approaching!

Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force Report - June
Recommendations Finally Get a Vote!

Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force Report - July
More Recommendations Get a Vote!

PTCB'S Recertification Process is Now Easier and Faster
CPhTs Need to have an NABP E-Profile ID Before Recertifying

Join us for the 2019 ICHP Annual Meeting
Impact Patient Care

Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy
Discovering Serendipity: Reflections of a Third-Year Pharmacy Student

Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy
Meet the New E-Board and why we Chose to be a Part of ICHP-SSHP

Rosalind Franklin University College of Pharmacy
Interprofessional Health Screening Events at RFU

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy
Meet the Executive Board

University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy
"It's OK not to be OK" De-Stigmatizing Conversations Surrounding our Mental Health

ICHP Pharmacy Action Fund
Contributors

Board of Directors
2018-2019