florida pharmacy today december 2015
DESCRIPTION
Check out the article on pages 15-19TRANSCRIPT
DEC. 2015
The Official PublicationOf The Florida Pharmacy Association
2016 LEGISLATIVE PREVIEW
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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | 3
VOL. 78 | NO. 12DECEMBER 2015THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THEFLORIDA PHARMACY ASSOCIATIONP H A R M A C Y T O D A Y
florida
Departments 4 Calendar
4 Advertisers
5 President’s Viewpoint
7 Executive Insight
20 FPA News & Notes
27 Buyer’s Guide
Features
FPA 2016 Legislative Preview
Governmental Affairs Committee
Call for Nominations Norm Tomaka & Family Community Service Award
Let’s Face It… Facebook Utilization as a Tool in Pharmacy Education
9131415
4 | F L O R I D A P H A R M A C Y T O D A Y
E-MAIL YOURSUGGESTIONS/IDEAS TO
MissionStatements:of the Florida Pharmacy Today JournalThe Florida Pharmacy Today Journal is a peer-reviewed journal which serves as a medium through which the Florida Phar-macy Association can communicate with the profession on advances in the sciences of pharmacy, socio-economic issues bearing on pharmacy and newsworthy items of interest to the profession. As a self-supported journal, it solicits and accepts advertising congruent with its expressed mission.
of the Florida Pharmacy Today Board of Directors The mission of the Florida Pharmacy Today Board of Directors is to serve in an advisory capacity to the managing editor and execu-tive editor of the Florida Pharmacy Today Journal in the establishment and interpreta-tion of the Journal’s policies and the manage-ment of the Journal’s fiscal responsibilities. The Board of Directors also serves to motivate the Florida Pharmacy Association members to secure appropriate advertising to assist the Journal in its goal of self-support.
AdvertisersTHE HEALTH LAW FIRM .............................. 12KAHAN HEIMBERG, PLC .............................. 23PHARMACISTS MUTUAL ............................... 2PPSC .................................................................... 21
2015-16
FPA CalendarDECEMBER
24-25 Christmas Holidays (FPA Office Closed)
JANUARY
1 New Year’s Day (FPA Office Closed)
12 2016 Legislative Session Begins
19-20 Florida Pharmacist Legislative Days Event
23 - 24 FPA Law and Regulatory Conference
23-24 Law Conference Sandestin
31 Last day to submit election ballots
FEBRUARY
28 - Awards Nomination Due
MARCH
4 - 7 APhA Annual MeetingBaltimore, MD
11 Legislative Session ends
19-20 FPA Committee and Council Meetings Orlando
APRIL
16 - 17 FPA Clinical ConferenceTampa
MAY
1 - 3 NASPA Leadership Retreat
6 Deadline for FPA Resolutions
6 Deadline for Vice Speaker and Director nominations
21-22 FPA CE Conference Jacksonville
For a complete calendar of events go to www.pharmview.comEvents calendar subject to change
CE CREDITS (CE cycle)The Florida Board of Pharmacy requires 10 hours’ LIVE Continuing Education as
part of the required 30 hours’ general education needed every license renewal period. There is a new 2 hour CE requirement for pharmacists on the dispensing of controlled substances effective this biennial renewal period.
Pharmacists should have satisfied all continuing education requirements for this biennial period by September 30, 2017 or prior to licensure renewal. Consultant pharmacists and technicians will need to review their licenses and registrations by December 31, 2016.
For Pharmacy Technician Certification Board Application, Exam Information and Study materials, please contact the FPA office.
For more information on CE programs or events, please contact the Florida Pharmacy Association at (850) 222-2400 or visit our website at www.pharmview.com
CONTACTSFPA — Michael Jackson (850) 222-2400FSHP — Tamekia Bennett (850) 906-9333U/F — Art Wharton (352) 273-6240FAMU — Leola Cleveland (850) 599-3301NSU — Carsten Evans (954) 262-1300
DISCLAIMER Articles in this publication are designed to provide accurate and authoritative infor-mation with respect to the subject matter covered. This information is provided with the understanding that neither Florida Pharmacy Today nor the Florida Pharmacy Association is engaged in rendering legal or other professional services through this publication. If expert assistance or legal advice is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. The use of all medications or other pharmaceutical products should be used according to the recommendations of the manufacturers. Information provided by the maker of the product should always be consulted before use.
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | 5
E-MAIL YOURSUGGESTIONS/IDEAS TO
Pharmacists as Health Care Providers What’s in a Name, and Why is it Important?
It is widely accepted that pharma-cists are experts in medication ther-apy management (MTM) and are
also considered to be the most acces-sible of all health care professionals. In many areas of pharmacy, pharmacists have multiple daily patient care interac-tions that lead to improved patient out-comes.
Over the years, pharmacy has adapt-ed its practice to meet the needs of the changing health care environment. For example, consider the adoption of pa-tient care standards, MTM and immu-nizations as expanded areas of phar-macy practice. Additionally, registered pharmacy interns are now able, with proper training and supervision, to administer all vaccines recommended by the CDC to adults. We are dedicat-ed to the empowerment of pharmacists in the advancement of our profession, so as to remain a viable partner in the health care continuum for both our-selves and future pharmacists.
FPA Past President Karen Whalen’s presidential theme, “Collaboration is Key,” is especially pertinent now. The Florida Pharmacy Association (FPA), Florida Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (FSHP) and Florida Inde-pendent Pharmacy Network (FIPN) have collaborated on the language for a new Senate Bill (SB 692), sponsored by Sen. Denise Grimsley, and a House companion bill (HR 547) sponsored by Rep. Edwin Narain. This new legisla-tion is entitled Access to Pharmacist Services Act of 2016. The FPA Board of Directors endorses this bill.
Passage of the Access to Pharma-cist Services Act of 2016 would allow a consultant pharmacist or Doctor of Pharmacy licensed in Florida to per-
form such acts already occurring in the Veteran’s Administration, U.S. Public Health Services Corps, nursing homes and home health care institutions to occur in all areas of pharmacy practice and would further define and clarify the pharmacist scope of practice to in-clude:
■ Medication management, patient health and wellness assessments, counseling and referrals related to
medications and health care servic-es for all pharmacists in all practice settings.
■ Order and evaluate any laboratory, diagnostic or clinical testing in all practice settings when, in the judg-ment of that pharmacist, it is con-sidered necessary for patient care, as currently allowed by consultant pharmacists and Pharm. D.s in li-censed home health care agencies and nursing home facilities.
■ Initiate, modify, discontinue and administer drugs within the context of a drug therapy management or-der or in collaboration with one or more providers in all practice set-tings.
This act, if passed, directly spells out in legislation, that pharmacists are health care providers and that, in col-laboration with other health care col-leagues, we are part of the health care
The President’s Viewpoint
FPA Past President Karen Whalen’s presidential theme,
“Collaboration is Key,” is especially pertinent now. The Florida Pharmacy
Association (FPA), Florida Society of Health-Systems
Pharmacists (FSHP) and Florida Independent
Pharmacists Network (FIPN) have collaborated
on the language for a new Senate Bill (SB 692), sponsored by Sen. Denise
Grimsley, and a House companion bill (HR 547) sponsored by Rep. Edwin
Narain.
BY GUEST COLUMNIST SCOTT TOMERLIN – PRESIDENT-ELECT
Scott Tomerlin, FPA President-Elect
6 | F L O R I D A P H A R M A C Y T O D A Y
The Florida Pharmacy Association gratefully acknowledges the hard work and dedication of the following members of the FPA leadership who work diligently all year long on behalf of our members.
Suzanne Kelley .................................................................................................Board ChairTimothy Rogers .........................................................................................FPA PresidentAlexander Pytlarz ................................................................................... FPA TreasurerScott Tomerlin ..........................................................................................President-ElectJackie Donovan .......................................................................Speaker of the HouseCarol Motycka ...............................................................Vice Speaker of the HouseThomas Johns ........................................................................................ FSHP PresidentJennifer Raquipo ................................................................................ Region 1 DirectorMichael Hebb ........................................................................................Region 2 DirectorTom Cuomo ............................................................................................Region 3 DirectorLinda Lazuka ........................................................................................Region 4 DirectorRobert Parrado ..................................................................................Region 5 DirectorLuther Laite IV ....................................................................................Region 6 DirectorDavid Mackarey ................................................................................. Region 7 DirectorHumberto Martinez .........................................................................Region 8 DirectorMitchell Fingerhut ............................................................................Region 9 Director
Florida Pharmacy Today Journal Board
Chair.............................................................. Carol Motycka, [email protected] Chair ...................................................Cristina Medina, [email protected] Treasurer ...................Stephen Grabowski, [email protected] .............Verender Gail Brown, [email protected] ................................................Joseph Koptowsky, [email protected] ............................. Rebecca Poston, [email protected] ................................................Patricia Nguebo, [email protected] ...............................................................Norman Tomaka, [email protected] .......................................................................Stuart Ulrich, [email protected] ............................................................ Don Bergemann, [email protected] Editor ...............Michael Jackson, [email protected] Editor ..................Dave Fiore, [email protected] Reviewer ...................... Dr. Melissa Ruble, [email protected] Reviewer ...................................Dr. Angela Hill, [email protected]
2015-16 FPA Board of Directors
See Viewpoint continued on p. 8
team. This opens the door to allow health benefit plans or insurers to provide payment or reimbursement for pharmacist’s patient care services when the services are provided under the pharmacist’s lawful scope of prac-tice.
Benefits of achieving pharmacist provider status may include:
■ Improved patient access to pharma-cist-provided patient care services.
■ Deeper integration of pharmacist collaboration with other health care providers in patient care and medi-cation adherence outcomes.
■ Defined opportunities for pharma-cists in provision of patient care.
■ Greater professional satisfaction as a result of positive impact in patient care outcomes.
■ Increase in demand of pharmacist-provided patient care services.
■ A pathway for third-party reim-bursement of pharmacist-provided patient care services.
■ The ability to help play a role in quality measures that are now the mainstay of many health care sys-tems.
This legislation further creates a greater demand for pharmacist patient care services. Data consistently illus-trates that investment in pharmacist-provided patient care services yields a return in overall health care cost sav-ings and improved patient care out-comes far greater than the amount in-vested in providing these services.
Since 1997, Doctors of Pharma-cy and consultant pharmacists were given the authority to order laborato-ry and diagnostic assessments in the nursing home and home health care settings under Florida law. Through the joint partnership of FPA and FSHP, both associations are working together to modify this existing law to allow a greater number of patients to be served (in all settings) by including pharma-cists who are currently excluded from this law.
The FPA has a longstanding House of Delegates-approved policy that ad-vocates for the expansion of laboratory services that Doctors of Pharmacy and
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | 7
See Executive Insight continued on p. 9
Florida has undergone significant changes within its Medicaid pro-gram over the past five years.
What started out as a pilot project has now expanded into a statewide man-aged care program for Medicaid re-cipients, essentially privatizing health care services for the poor and indi-gent. As part of this project, Medicaid patients were asked to select available health plans in their region with the as-sistance of a choice counselor. There is even a tool available online so patients can use their computers from the com-fort of their homes. Enrollment is man-datory for all Medicaid recipients with the exception of:
■ Women who are eligible only for family planning services;
■ Women who are eligible only for breast and cervical cancer servic-es; and
■ Persons who are eligible for emer-gency Medicaid for aliens.
The purpose of such a program was created by the Legislature under Part IV of Chapter 409 of the Florida Statutes, and likely its purpose was to better en-sure predictability and sustainability of the costs associated with Florida Med-icaid. Let’s keep in mind that Medicaid is actually a state and federal collabora-tion of health care for the indigent with funding from both state and federal agencies. According to an October pre-sentation to the Senate Health and Hu-man Services Subcommittee, the feder-al government pays about 60.5 percent of the Medicaid program costs, with the state picking up the remaining 39.5 per-cent.
Changes in the pharmacy costs for Medicaid, and likely for health care in
general, are being attributed to the costs of hepatitis C and cystic fibrosis drugs. Many of our member providers are also seeing very large increases in the costs of prescription drugs, and may be the focus on any policy decisions that the legislature may look at.
This is all very interesting, but let us get back to the subject of this article and
open up what is happening to pharma-cy. Recent activity in the managed care industry for this patient population saw a number of pharmacies learning that they were no longer part of their area’s Medicaid managed care network for pharmacy services. We are seeing a side effect of the statewide Medicaid man-aged care program, no pun intended.
In response to inquiries from the FPA membership, a letter was sent to the Agency for Health Care Adminis-
tration expressing dismay over the re-traction of pharmacy networks. The FPA was concerned over patient access and choice and asked that the Agency provide more information to Medicaid recipients on how they can seek assis-tance when choosing plans. Of course, there isn’t much of a choice when some regions of Florida have only two plan options to select.
It is also troubling to discover that provider network access standards re-quired of these plans include that a pharmacy has to be within a 20-mile drive in an urban area, or within 45 miles if the patient lives in a rural area. Let us put this particular discussion on the geographic map for an area in Northwest Florida. Meeting these net-work access standards by the plans means that it is OK for a Medicaid pa-tient to travel from Century to Pen-sacola to get a prescription filled. For
Reducing Competition to Save Money
Executive Insight
According to an October presentation to the Senate
Health and Human Services Subcommittee, the federal government pays about 60.5 percent of the Medicaid program
costs, with the state picking up the remaining
39.5 percent.
BY MICHAEL JACKSON, RPHMICHAEL JACKSON, BPHARM, EVP & CEO, FLORIDA PHARMACY ASSOCIATION
Michael Jackson, B.Pharm
8 | F L O R I D A P H A R M A C Y T O D A Y
Executive Vice President/CEOMichael Jackson
(850) 222-2400, ext. 200Director of Continuing Education
Tian Merren-Owens, ext. 120Controller
Wanda Hall, ext. 211 Educational Services Office Assistant
Stacey Brooks, ext. 210Coordinator of Membership
Christopher Heil, ext. 110
FLORIDA PHARMACY TODAY BOARDChair..................................... Carol Motycka, St. AugustineVice Chair ...............................Cristina Medina, HollywoodTreasurer ..............................Stephen Grabowski, TampaSecretary ........................Verender Gail Brown, OrlandoMember .................................... Joseph Koptowsky, MiamiMember .............................Rebecca Poston, TallahasseeMember .............................................Patricia Nguebo, OcalaMember ................................Norman Tomaka, MelbourneMember .............................Stuart Ulrich, Boynton BeachMember ......................Don Bergemann, Tarpon SpringsExecutive Editor ........Michael Jackson, TallahasseeManaging Editor ........................Dave Fiore, Tallahassee
This is a peer-reviewed publication. ©2015, FLORIDA PHARMACY JOURNAL, INC.ARTICLE ACCEPTANCE: The Florida Phar-macy Today is a publication that welcomes articles that have a direct pertinence to the current practice of pharmacy. All articles are subject to review by the Publication Re-view Committee, editors and other outside referees. Submitted articles are received with the understanding that they are not being considered by another publication. All articles become the property of the Florida Pharmacy Today and may not be published without written permission from both the author and the Florida Pharmacy Today. The Florida Pharmacy Association assumes no responsibility for the statements and opinions made by the authors to the Florida Pharmacy Today.
The Journal of the Florida Pharmacy Association does not accept for publication articles or letters concerning religion, politics or any other subject the editors/publishers deem unsuitable for the readership of this journal. In addition, The Journal does not accept advertising material from persons who are running for office in the association. The editors reserve the right to edit all materials submitted for publication. Letters and materials submitted for consideration for publication may be subject to review by the Editorial Review Board.
FLORIDA PHARMACY TODAY, Annual sub-scription - United States and foreign, Indi-vidual $36; Institution $70/year; $5.00 single copies. Florida residents add 7% sales tax.
FLORIDA PHARMACY ASSOCIATION
610 N. Adams St. • Tallahassee, FL 32301850/222-2400 • FAX 850/561-6758
Web Address: http://www.pharmview.com
FPA STAFFconsultant pharmacists can provide. The intent of the Access to Pharma-cist Services Act of 2016 is to be in-clusive to ALL pharmacists, B.S. and Pharm. D. degree holders alike, allow-ing B.S. pharmacist practitioners the ability to participate in this opportu-nity. We believe that a pharmacist be-comes a pharmacist upon completion of licensure, regardless of the terminal
degree. It is for this reason we have advocated on behalf of ALL pharma-cists to have the opportunity to be in-cluded in this bill.
If ever there was a time for phar-macists to unite and be active, it is now. A unified profession is a strong profession, active in its resolve, and embracing new horizons without fear.
As was stated at the beginning of this article, we are the most patient-accessible health care professionals. The Pharmacist Services Act of 2016 is a step toward advancement of phar-macist-direct patient care services re-gardless of worksite, improved patient outcomes and a reduction in overall health care spending. When we join together to collaborate with each oth-er, the advancement of pharmacy will be successful. At the end of the day, our patients win, we win, and there are no losers! Please join us today in this endeavor.
Ask your state representative to support HB547 by Rep. Edwin Narain and SB692 sponsored by Sen. Denise Grimsley.
FPA PRESIDENTS COMMITTEE ■ Timothy Rogers, FPA President ■ Suzanne Kelley, Board Chair ■ Alexander Pytlarz, FPA Treasurer
■ Scott Tomerlin, President Elect ■ Jackie Donovan, Speaker of the
House ■ Carol Motycka, Vice Speaker of the
House FSHP OFFICERS
■ Tom Johns, President ■ Christine Gegeckas, Immediate
Past President
■ Kathy Baldwin, President Elect ■ Tony Frezza, Treasurer ■ Steve Kessinger, Treasurer Elect ■ Jennifer Austin, House of Dele-
gates Chair ■ George Malone, House of Dele-
gates Chair Elect
FIPN OFFICERS ■ Steven Nelson, President ■ Lois Adams, Vice President and
PAC Vice-Chair ■ Scott Paramore, Secretary and
Treasurer
EDITOR’S NOTE: House Bill 547 was heard in the Heath Quality Subcom-mittee at their meeting on Dec. 1. While this bill had general support by the com-mittee, questions were raised on several amendments that were approved to go on the bill. This created some confusion, along with objections from the medical associa-tions. The committee elected to temporar-ily postpone further action on the bill. The Florida Pharmacy Association and Flori-da Society of Health-System Pharmacists met with the Florida Medical Association in an attempt to sort out the confusion and craft a plan to achieve the intent of the leg-islation. The 2016 legislative session will begin on Jan. 12 and this bill may have an-other opportunity for review.
Viewpoint continued from p. 6
The Pharmacist Services Act of 2016 is a step toward advancement of pharmacist-direct patient care services regardless of worksite, improved patient outcomes and a
reduction in overall health care spending.
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | 9
our members that may not be famil-iar with that area of Florida, a patient would have to travel from the Florida – Alabama line in the northern end of Escambia County to the southern end, a few miles from the Gulf of Mexi-co. Don’t forget that after the prescrip-tion is picked up, the patient must then travel home, which would be a 90-mile round trip.
Remember that we are talking about a patient population that has limit-ed income or resources and must rely upon public support for their health care. Many of these patients may al-ready be transportation-challenged. In some cases, there may be a phar-macy in the communities where these patients live that is willing to provide high-quality pharmacy services but, for whatever reason, the pharmacy is not considered eligible to be a participating
provider.So what is the purpose and reason
for restricting access to pharmacies by these plans? Some of what we are hear-ing is that limiting the network makes it easier to get favorable pricing on pre-
scription drugs from pharmacy pro-viders. In theory, if a pharmacy is able to get a larger market share, then that should lower costs to the payer. Retrac-tion of the pharmacy market through
network restrictions may lower pre-scription drug costs in theory, but that is not what we see happening with claims of pharmacy costs increasing. Somewhere, the math is not adding up.
While we are on this discussion, why is it that a pharmacy business that has been serving patients for years, that can provide value-added servic-es such as medication therapy man-agement, comprehensive medication review, home delivery, increasing im-munization rates and other similar ser-vices, is denied the ability to care for the citizens in their community? Re-member that these are the same busi-ness entities that support the local little league baseball teams, school functions and other charitable events. They are the local businesses that pay the tax-es and fees used to fund the very enti-tlement programs that their neighbors may rely upon in periods of financial need. Why are the dollars that they pay to the state and federal government to support health care and other services OK, but their professional services are not acceptable?
Obviously, we will not get the an-swers to those questions, so the best thing to do is to change public opinion and public policy. You change public opinion by getting those you have been serving over the years to speak for you. If you are affected by these network closures, the comment pages in your
local newspaper can be an opportuni-ty to get your message on the desks of decision makers. I imagine that mem-bers of the Florida House and Senate read news from their districts on the
issues. There might be some things in this article that you can use to shape your messaging. On the public poli-cy side, the Legislature has to be made aware of what is happening with Med-icaid. They need to understand how re-stricting networks and limiting access affects quality of care for the indigent. We believe that pharmacy providers want to compete in an open market-place and create jobs and opportuni-ties. You cannot do that if the only door of opportunity you have to go through is closed, locked and sealed.
The FPA is in conversation with key members of the House and Sen-ate on this issue. While we are hav-ing this conversation, we need for each of our members to do the same with your state legislators. Watch future Stat News for action items for the 2016 legis-lative session.
Executive Insight continued from p. 7
Many of these patients may already be
transportation-challenged. In some cases, there
may be a pharmacy in the communities where
these patients live that is willing to provide high-
quality pharmacy services but, for whatever reason,
the pharmacy is not considered eligible to be a
participating provider.
If you are affected by these network closures, the comment pages in your local newspaper
can be an opportunity to get your message on the desks of decision makers.
10 | F L O R I D A P H A R M A C Y T O D A Y
The 2016 legislative session is right around the corner, with an early start in January. Normally, the session begins in March and runs 60 days. The House and Senate will be-gin their work Jan. 12 and will end on March 11, unless there is a need to extend. For the past several years, the Florida Pharmacy Association has been working on numerous phar-macy issues, including expansion of immunization servic-es, getting clarity on maximum allowing cost pricing by the PBMs and changing the clinical laboratory statutes to recog-nize pharmacists as health care providers. These issues, and many more, are included in the legislative report that you can find on the Pharmview.com menu under “FPA Advocacy Pro-gram.” You can also find information in the May 2015 issue of Florida Pharmacy Today in an article entitled “Another Home Run Session.”
Planning for the 2016 session began back in July after the annual meeting, when the Governmental Affairs Committee met to craft our 2015-2016 advocacy plan. This plan was pre-sented to the FPA Board of Directors at their August meeting and (with some minor changes) approved. Our lobbyists and FPA staff are already working on issues related to that plan and collaborating with the Florida Society of Health System Pharmacists. Information is being published on proposed leg-islation that can be found on Phamrivew.com in our “Legis-lative Action Center.” There is already an action alert related to closed pharmacy networks that our journal readers need to pay close attention to. You can follow the progress on these is-sues through our website and through the FPA’s social media
tools, such as our Facebook page, our Twitter account and our breaking news section on the FPA website. Watch for our Stat News messaging on emerging issues that you may need to be aware of. Should the FPA send you an alert asking you to reach out to members of the House and Senate or to the Gov-ernor’s Office, your active participation can make a difference. We have enjoyed several years of proactive legislative cam-paigns and want to keep that momentum going. Also, mark your calendars for Jan. 19 – 20, 2016 and plan to attend the Florida Pharmacists Legislative Days here in Tallahassee.
Below are some of the issues of interest that we are either monitoring or advocating for. A full report will be made available during the annual meeting in Ft. Lauderdale on June 30 – July 3, 2016. We hope that you will attend.
CURRENT LEGISLATION
KEY BILLS
Bill Name: SB 748 - Physician AssistantsBill Summary: Revising circumstances under which a
physician assistant may prescribe medication; authorizing a licensed physician assistant to perform certain services as del-egated by a supervising physician; deleting provisions related to examination by the Department of Health; requiring a des-ignated supervising physician to maintain a list of approved supervising physicians at the practice or facility, etc.
Position: Monitoring
Bill Name: SB 676 - Prescribing of MedicationsBill Summary: Expanding the categories of persons who
may prescribe brand name drugs under the prescription drug program when medically necessary; requiring a hospital to provide specified advance notice to certain obstetrical phy-sicians before it closes its obstetrical department or ceases to provide obstetrical services; requiring the Board of Nursing to establish a committee to recommend a formulary of con-trolled substances that may not be prescribed, or may be pre-scribed only on a limited basis, by an advanced registered nurse practitioner; requiring that certain health insurers that do not already use a certain form use only a prior authori-zation form approved by the Financial Services Commission, etc.
Position: Monitoring
Bill Name: SB 210 - Prescribing of MedicationsBill Summary: Health Care; Expanding the categories of
persons who may prescribe brand name drugs under the pre-scription drug program when medically necessary; exempt-
FPA 2016 Legislative Preview By Michael Jackson, FPA EVP/CEO
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | 11
ing controlled substances prescribed by an advanced reg-istered nurse practitioner or a physician assistant from the disqualifications for certification or licensure, and for con-tinued certification or licensure, as a deputy pilot or state pi-lot; applying existing penalties for violations relating to the prescribing or dispensing of controlled substances by an ad-vanced registered nurse practitioner; redefining the term “practitioner” to include advanced registered nurse practitio-ners and physician assistants under the Florida Comprehen-sive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act for the purpose of prescribing controlled substances if a certain requirement is met, etc.
Position: Monitoring
Bill Name: SB 152 - Ordering of MedicationBill Summary: Revising the authority of a licensed physi-
cian assistant to order medication under the direction of a su-pervisory physician for a specified patient; authorizing an ad-vanced registered nurse practitioner to order medication for administration to a specified patient; authorizing a licensed practitioner to authorize a licensed physician assistant or ad-vanced registered nurse practitioner to order controlled sub-stances for a specified patient under certain circumstances, etc.
Position: Monitoring
Bill Name: HB 423 - Drug Prescription by Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners & Physician Assistants
Bill Summary: Expands categories of persons who may prescribe brand drugs under prescription drug program when medically necessary; exempts controlled substances prescribed by ARNP or physician assistant from disqualifica-tions for certification or licensure as deputy or state pilot; ap-plies certain existing penalties to ARNPs; requires ARNPs & physician assistants who prescribe controlled substances to make certain designation, comply with registration require-ments, & follow specified standards of practice; redefines term “practitioner” to include ARNPs & physician assistants under Florida Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention & Control Act.
Position: Monitoring
PHARMACY PRACTICE
Bill Name: SB 780 - Provision of Pharmaceutical Services
Bill Summary: Providing that an insured living with a chronic illness may not be required to obtain pharmaceutical services exclusively from a mail order pharmacy; requiring health insurers to provide to an insured living with a chron-ic illness an explanation and comparison of payment meth-ods and charges for pharmaceutical services from mail order pharmacies and other providers of pharmaceutical services; providing that a health maintenance organization subscrib-er living with a chronic illness may not be required to obtain
pharmaceutical services exclusively from a mail order phar-macy, etc.
Position: We support this legislation
Bill Name: SB 692 - Access to Pharmacist Services Act
Bill Summary: SB 692 - Practice of Pharmacy - Citing this act as the “Access to Pharmacist Services Act”; providing du-ties and responsibilities of a consultant pharmacist and a doc-tor of pharmacy; providing for payment or reimbursement for a pharmacist’s patient care services separate and apart from payment or reimbursement for prescription medications, etc.
Position: We support this legislation
Bill Name: HB 583 - Provision of Pharmaceutical Services
Bill Summary: HB 583 Mail Order Services - Provides re-quirements for health insurers & HMOs with respect to phar-maceutical services received from mail order pharmacies; requires health insurers & HMOs to provide insured & sub-scribers living with chronic illness explanation & comparison of payment methods & charges for pharmaceutical services from mail order pharmacies & other providers of pharmaceu-tical services.
Position: We support this legislation
Bill Name: HB 547 - Access to Pharmacist Services Act
Bill Summary: Provides responsibilities of consultant pharmacist & doctors of pharmacy; provides for payment or reimbursement for certain pharmacist services.
Position: We support this legislation
CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE ISSUES
Bill Name: SB 852 - Medical MarijuanaBill Summary: Repealing provisions relating to the com-
passionate use of low-THC cannabis; creating the “Florida Medical Marijuana Act”; authorizing a registered patient or a designated caregiver to purchase, acquire, and possess up to the allowed amount of medical marijuana for a patient’s med-ical use; requiring a registered patient or a designated care-giver to demonstrate certain actions in order to maintain the specified protections; requiring the department to notify law enforcement of the expired or cancelled identification card in certain circumstances, etc.
Position: Monitoring
Bill Name: SB 616 – CannabisBill Summary: Removing cannabis from the schedule of
controlled substances, etc.Position: Monitoring
Bill Name: SB 554 - Hemp ProductionBill Summary: Citing this act as the “Hemp Industry De-
velopment Act”; specifying that hemp is an agricultural crop;
12 | F L O R I D A P H A R M A C Y T O D A Y
requiring the registration of hemp growers; providing regis-tration requirements; allowing the department to assess regis-tration fees; providing exemptions; providing for an affirma-tive defense to certain charges relating to cannabis; providing exceptions to other laws, etc.
Position: Monitoring
Bill Name: SB 460 - Experimental Treatments for Terminal Conditions
Bill Summary: Revising the definition of the term “inves-tigational drug, biological product, or device”; providing for eligible patients or their legal representatives to purchase and possess cannabis for medical use; authorizing certain licensed dispensing organizations to manufacture, possess, sell, deliv-er, distribute, dispense, and dispose of cannabis; exempting such organizations from specified laws, etc.
Position: Monitoring
Bill Name: SB 422 - Health Insurance Coverage For Opioids
Bill Summary: Providing that a health insurance policy that covers opioid analgesic drug products may impose a pri-or authorization requirement for an abuse-deterrent opioid analgesic drug product only if the insurer imposes the same requirement for each opioid analgesic drug product without an abuse-deterrence labeling claim, etc.
Position: Monitoring
Bill Name: HB 4021 – CannabisBill Summary: Removes cannabis from schedule of con-
trolled substances; conforms provisions.Position: Monitoring
Bill Name: HB 363 - Health Insurance Coverage For Opioids
Bill Summary: Provides that health insurance policy cov-ering opioid analgesic drug products may impose prior au-thorization requirement for abuse-deterrent opioid analge-sic drug product only if insurer imposes same requirement for each opioid analgesic drug product without abuse-deter-rence labeling claim; prohibits such health insurance policy from requiring use of opioid analgesic drug product without abuse-deterrence labeling claim before providing coverage for abuse-deterrent opioid analgesic drug product.
Position: Monitoring
Bill Name: HB 271 - Hemp ProductionBill Summary: Designates act “Hemp Industry Develop-
ment Act”; specifies that hemp is agricultural crop; requires registration of hemp growers; provides registration require-ments; provides exemptions; requires rulemaking; provides for affirmative defense to certain charges relating to cannabis; provides exceptions to other laws.
Position: Monitoring
Bill Name: HB 65 - Pub Rec/Low-THC Cannabis Patient Registry/DOH
Bill Summary: Exempts from public records requirements personal identifying information of patients & physicians held by DOH in low-THC cannabis patient registry or former compassionate use registry; exempts information related to ordering & dispensing low-THC cannabis; authorizes speci-fied persons & entities access to exempt information; requires that information released from registry remain confidential; provides penalty; provides for future legislative review & re-peal; provides statement of public necessity.
Position: Monitoring
Bill Name: HB 63 - Medical Use of Low-THC CannabisBill Summary: Allows registered patients & designated
caregivers to purchase, acquire, & possess low-THC cannabis subject to specified requirements; allows cultivation or pro-cessing licensee, employee, or contractor to acquire, cultivate, transport, & sell low-THC cannabis; allows retail licensee to purchase, receive, possess, store, dispense, & deliver low-THC cannabis; prohibits certain actions regarding acquisition, pos-session, transfer, use, & administration of low-THC cannabis; clarifies that person is prohibited from driving or boating un-der influence of low-THC cannabis; provides duties of DOH; provides implementation requirements; specifies act does not require or restrict health insurance coverage for purchase of low-THC cannabis.
Position: Monitoring
1101 Douglas AvenueAltamonte Springs, FL 32714
Telephone: (407) 331-6620www.TheHealthLawFirm.com
Representing Health Care Professionals
George F. Indest III,J.D., M.P.A., LL.M.
• DOH Investigations• Licensure Discipline• Medicare/Medicaid Defense• Administrative Hearings• Contract Litigation
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | 13
This past summer, the GAC met in Orlando to discuss plans for FPA’s upcoming legislative agenda. The following items were approved for guidance to the Board of Directors:
1. Advocate for standalone legislation and rule makinga. FPA should advocate for changes to F.S.
400.0121 that would help provide relief to pharmacies that are struggling with getting adequate supplies of pain medications to treat their patients.
b. Intern registry should have a designated expi-ration date.
c. The three-hour vaccine safety requirements in F.S. 465.009 should allow ACPE providers to deliver this program.
d. Continue efforts to support national provider status initiatives.
e. Advocate for changes to Florida laws to allow pharmacists to dispense a 30-day supply of maintenance medications (currently it is only a three-day supply) when the provider cannot be contacted.
2. Advocate for, if opportunity presenteda. Consider recommended changes to the phar-
macy practice act as identified in the draft revi-sions to F.S. 463.0125 to help pharmacists with patient health and wellness issues and advo-cate for changes if an opportunity is presented.
3. Monitora. Continue to monitor for development of Flori-
da’s medical marijuana initiatives.
What can you do to help? Right now there is movement to “shrink” Medicaid networks to exclude many pharmacies. Go to the FPA website (pharmview.com), click on FPA Advo-cacy Program, then Legislative Action Center, scroll down to Ac-tion Alert and click on Take Action under Medicaid Pharmacy Networks Shrinking. Follow the instructions and you will find your state senator’s and state representative’s office phone numbers, along with talking points. Give them a call and tell them that limiting access to pharmacy services is a bad idea. The talking points contain eight succinct points that explain FPA’s position very well.
Governmental Affairs Committee
The Governmental Affairs Committee (GAC) is charged with providing guidance to the Board of Directors on legislative or regulatory issues.
By Bill Garst
14 | F L O R I D A P H A R M A C Y T O D A Y
The Florida Pharmacy Foundation invites FPA members to nominate a pharmacy student who has rendered outstanding service for the 2016 Norm Tomaka & Family Community Service Award.
Established last year by Norm Tomaka, this award recognizes a pharmacy student who has demonstrated a sustained involvement in a charitable organization or community service program at a state or local level, promoted community service within the pharmacy profession and served as a positive motivator for student pharmacists involved in the Florida Pharmacy Association.
Eligible nominees are students enrolled in a pharmacy school in the state of Florida who are also active members of the FPA.
The lucky winner will be recognized at the 2016 Florida Pharmacy Association Annual Meeting with a $1,000 check.
If you would like to obtain an official nomination form or learn more about the Norm Tomaka & Family Community Service Award, please contact Anne Wade at the Florida Pharmacy Foundation Office, [email protected] or 800-222-2400. The deadline for nominations is January 13, 2016.
Call for NominationsNorm Tomaka & Family
Community Service Award
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | 15
Andreina Ottman, PharmD Can-didate1*, Jacqueline Walker, Phar-mD Candidate1, Krisy-Ann Thornby, Pharm.D.1, Assistant Professor of Phar-macy Practice 1Lloyd L. Gregory School of PharmacyPalm Beach Atlantic University901 South Flagler DriveP.O. Box 24708West Palm Beach, Florida [email protected]: 407-340-3337*Corresponding author
Conflict of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest.Main text word count: 2280Separate references word count: 197Number of references: 8Number of tables: 2Number of figures: 0
IntroductionThe life of a current pharmacy stu-
dent is driven by the evolution of tech-nology and its effect on education. With the advancement of technology came the introduction of social media (SM)—an interactive platform for shar-ing, creating, discussing and modify-ing user-generated content; and social networking sites (SNS)—a platform to build social networks or social rela-tions among people who share similar interests, activities, backgrounds or re-al-life connections.1
The birth of SM has infused the cur-rent generation to increase its utiliza-tion for numerous reasons. The most popular SNS is Facebook and as such, it is a great medium for enhancing com-munication, generating revenue and even increasing awareness.
A review article published in 20141 evaluated the use of social media among students, faculty, administra-tors and pharmacists. This review in-cluded studies using content sharing (e.g. Twitter, YouTube) and relationship-building applications (e.g. Facebook). Of the 24 studies included on social media, Facebook was the most com-mon SNS used in nine studies. Results showed that 76 to100 percent of phar-macy students have a Facebook profile, with as many as 75 percent logging in daily.1
Additionally, between 45 to 65 per-cent of pharmacy faculty members have a Facebook profile, and a small
proportion are using it for teaching purposes.1 Almost half of the faculty members on social media used it for professional networking, and one quar-ter employed it to increase their profes-sional knowledge and skills or to stay abreast of news and information per-taining to their professional interests.1 Most importantly, 50 percent of phar-macy faculty with Facebook profiles expressed a willingness to use Face-book for teaching purposes in the fu-ture.1
While social media has not been ex-plicitly mentioned in the Accredita-tion Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) guidelines, there is language that could encompass the use of SM. The accrediting standards for pharma-cy schools discuss student engagement in the 2016 ACPE guidelines. Stan-dard 10 (Curriculum Design, Deliv-ery and Oversight) includes a section about actively engaging learners, inte-grating and reinforcing content across the curriculum and addressing/accom-modating diverse learning styles.2 This standard could provide rationale for schools to consider exploring greater use of Facebook in the classroom.
An increasing number of profes-sional programs are developing guide-lines on e-professionalism, which will be important with integration of social media and as a result of increased stu-dent use. For current pharmacy practi-tioners, Facebook is already being used to promote pharmacy organizations,
Let’s Face It… Facebook Utilization as a Tool in Pharmacy Education
The purpose of this article is to discuss potential opportunities for Facebook utilization in pharmacy schools, review how pharmacy students may already be using it, discuss barriers for its use and discuss how building this skill set could translate to being a connected pharmacist not only within the pharmacy profession, but other professions as well.
16 | F L O R I D A P H A R M A C Y T O D A Y
pharmacy events, as well as providing a quick glimpse of up-to-date drug in-formation. There are other popular SM sites that are widely used, but Facebook has gained the most nationwide recog-nition.
The purpose of this article is to dis-cuss potential opportunities for Face-book utilization in pharmacy schools,
review how pharmacy students may al-ready be using it, discuss barriers for its use and discuss how building this skill set could translate to being a connected pharmacist not only within the phar-macy profession, but other professions as well.
Facebook in the ClassroomOn Aug. 24, 2015, Facebook reached
1 billion daily users for the first time, which correlates to one in seven peo-ple on Earth using Facebook that day.3 With numbers like these, it is hard to ig-nore the popularity of this SM outlet.
The authors conducted a survey at the Gregory School of Pharmacy at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Results showed that 87.4 percent of pharmacy students used Facebook to access up-dates on classes, study guides and oth-er activities related to the classroom.4 These results are consistent with a pre-vious study1 and suggest that the use of social media among pharmacy students is increasing. Taking these studies into account, there is a possible synergistic relationship between Facebook integra-tion and pharmacy education.
Facebook has the potential to serve as an academic tool for both students and faculty. Table 1 lists examples of how Facebook can be used in the class-room as well as the concept, benefit and implementation behind those uses. While not all students will adopt Face-book for academic reasons, those who do may find it to be convenient, time-ly and a method to increase faculty and student interaction.
Currently, many colleges and univer-
sities already have course management systems (CMS) such as eCollege, Black-board, Schoology, etc., which is a mul-tifunction program intended to serve as a teaching and learning resource be-tween students and faculty.5 Current CMS software functions give access to students for course content, announce-ments, assignments, e-mail, assess-
ments, calendar, learning modules, dis-cussion, web links, who’s online, roster, chat, media library and goals of the course.5
Chickering and Gamson developed the seven principles for good practic-es in undergraduate education. These principles are based on 50 years of re-search, and the goal of these principles is to create an environment of endur-ing and powerful education.6 Although the Pharm.D. degree is a profession-al degree, these principles can be use-ful when applied to this program. The seven principles include encouraging contact between faculty and students, reciprocity and cooperation among stu-dents, active learning, giving prompt feedback, communicating high expec-tations, emphasizing time on task and respecting diverse talents and ways of learning.6
A 2011 study5 sought to determine if current CMS software correctly cap-tures these seven principles. The re-search was conducted at a residen-tial Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)-accredit-ed business school in California. Cours-es selected for participation included consumer behavior, services market-ing, e-marketing and strategic market-ing management. Surveys were collect-ed from 195 business students. Most of the students were marketing majors (81 percent) and all were upper divi-sion students (92.5 percent seniors and 7.5 percent juniors).5 The average re-spondent was 22 years old. The results showed that many students assumed technology would be integrated into
their college experience by faculty.5 Additionally, the study revealed that students dislike using CMS software for discussion, web links and me-dia library; they rarely use it for calen-dar, chat, and goals.5 Lastly, this study showed students’ perceptions of CMS in regards to enhancing the “seven principles.” Students felt that CMS did not communicate high expectations, en-courage cooperation among students, or emphasize time on task.5
While these CMS systems contain more tools than Facebook, students are likely to use Facebook for many of the programs’ more simple features de-scribed in Table 1. Not all course man-agement programs have mobile appli-cations, which make logging in and receiving updates more cumbersome. Taking into account students’ negative perceptions about CMS and Facebook’s ease of use, it is evident that Facebook as an academic tool has great potential.
Barriers of Implementing Facebook
Although Facebook may have many benefits to students, there may be bar-riers prohibiting pharmacy faculty to readily adopt features of this social media tool. These barriers include not wanting to incorporate new technology into the pharmacy curriculum, lack of Facebook knowledge and fear of tech-nology failure. Faculty may have res-ervations about how to integrate its use in the classroom for many reasons. For one, not all faculty may want or have a Facebook account. For those who do, a systematic planning method should be in place. The faculty will need to set up verbiage or a course policy for its use. Some questions faculty might ask be-fore integrating may be: will groups be used; what about students who do not want to create a Facebook account; will information posted on Facebook also be duplicative to what is posted on CMS; is this a greater workload for faculty; should Facebook hours be set for when faculty are expected to post/respond; does the course syllabi have policies to handle misuse or lack of participation. Considering the logistics of set-up, fac-ulty may need to evaluate the benefits relevant to each class and anticipate set-
Facebook has the potential to serve as an academic tool for both students and faculty.
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | 17
FB Use Description of Concept, Benefits, How to Implement
vReal-time Q&AvMuddy PointsvThreaded Discus-
sionvSubstitution of
●● Concepto Assess concepts learned during class in real-time and clarify confusing or muddy points by us-
ing FB to ask students questionso Start a threaded discussion with students to further clarify points or to assess student’s under-
standing of the material o Students can post a question on the group wall instead of emailing the professor
●● Benefits o Faculty can ask/post questions before/during lecture and have students respond on FBo Students can ask questions during the lecture by posting on FB without interrupting the profes-
sor. If the class has an intermission, faculty can use this time to review questions or comments posted and reply verbally or with a post on FB
o Faculty and students have unlimited access to view questions and answers posted on FBo Decreases repetitive emails from students and allows faculty to answer questions for all to see
●● How to Implemento Log into FBo Create a professor group for class of 20xx (no quantity limit on members) and invite students to
join the groupo Prompt students to ask questions and post them on the wall of the groupo Answer questions by writing in the comment field of the post
vDocument SharingvVideo SharingvProviding Links to
Videos
●● Concepto Course management systems (CMS) such as eCollege, Blackboard, or Schoology are not habitu-
ally checked by students. These CMS programs are typically the area where professors post important and helpful information/documents for students
o Unfortunately, there is no system in place to alert students of any new documents that have been uploaded or shared by the professor
o By using FB to upload documents, the student will receive a notification that a new document posted
o Professors and students can share videos or links to videos that may enhance the material being covered in class
●● Benefitso Students will stay up-to-date on materials uploaded by professors due to instant notifications
of any uploaded documentso Professors and students can share videos or links to videos, which may facilitate learning for all
students ●● How to Implement
o Log into FB and click on group that the professor created for the classo Click on “add file” to upload a document then click on “add photo/video” to upload a videoo Post link of video on wall of group
vCreate Groups for Projects
●● Concepto Professors often assign group work to students, which can create many challenges for the stu-
dents and professors involvedo To facilitate group work, professors can create groups for projects and encourage students to
communicate via FB ●● Benefits
o Professors can monitor the group to see which students are actively participating in the group work
o Professors can have students upload drafts of assignments and view them at any time to moni-tor progress of the group
o Students can work remotely on the group work and do not need to meet as frequently face-to-face
●● How to Implemento Log into FBo Click on the group that the professor made for the class and click on “create group” on the
right-hand side of the screeno Add a group name in the “group name” box, then add members by typing student’s names in
the “members” boxo Click on “secret” so that only members of the group can find the group and see postso Click create
Table 1: Examples of How to Use Facebook (FB) in the Classroom
18 | F L O R I D A P H A R M A C Y T O D A Y
backs with Facebook integration.
LACK OF FACEBOOK KNOWLEDGE A lack in utilization can be second-
ary to a lack of knowledge or aware-ness. Not all faculty are acquainted with Facebook and its uses. This lack of knowledge can lead to resistance in implementing its use. Fortunately, there
are many helpful step-by-step guid-ance documents regarding Facebook available on the internet. Additionally, there are many “how to” videos on You-Tube detailing how to register for Face-book, explore the toolbar and tabs, find and add friends, use chat, add photos, set privacy settings, etc. With much in-formation available on how to use Face-book, it should be feasible for faculty to learn and implement its use.
FEAR OF TECHNOLOGY FAILUREFacebook is a SM tool that is free and
accessible to anyone who has access to the internet. The pharmacy curricu-lum is constantly advancing, especial-ly with regards to technology. As more pharmacy programs move from paper to computer exams, reliance on technol-ogy is becoming the standard. Technol-ogy can aid in standardized exam tak-ing, help reduce academic dishonesty and allow information for accreditation to be compiled using statistics.
While there are many benefits to the implementation of technology in the classroom, the possibility of its failure cannot be ignored. Integration of Face-book into the curriculum would in-crease reliance on technology, which may deter faculty from using it because setbacks in technology or internet capa-bilities would represent a loss of infor-
mation and productivity. It may be pru-dent for faculty to have a contingency plan and instructions for students in the event of Facebook failure. Per Face-book’s website, the last time Facebook was unavailable for longer than 2 hours was in September 2010.7
Professionalism Current SM policies are varied but
overall discourage any representation of unprofessionalism. Instances of un-professionalism include but are not limited to: dissemination of electronic insults to, or verbal attacks on, univer-sity administration, faculty, staff or stu-dents; use of social media in a manner that interferes with academic responsi-bilities; or posting of potentially inflam-matory or unflattering material on an-other individual’s website.8
Guidelines for professional and eth-ical behavior generally follow the con-cept that any accessible postings on social media are subject to the same
professional standards as any other per-sonal interaction. The written nature, persistence and potential accessibili-ty of these postings make them subject to particular scrutiny. Unprofessional public postings by others on a student’s social media can reflect poorly on the student. Students should monitor their sites and ensure that the content will not be viewed as unprofessional.
The expansion of social media into the realm of education allows for ease of use that other course management systems do not provide, but it also has the potential to meld the lines be-tween personal use and profession-al use. Although a perceived barrier, a study conducted in 2013 on social me-dia and unprofessional pharmacist con-duct revealed that less than 50 percent of the boards of pharmacy that partici-pated had to deal with incidents of un-professional online behavior.8 The most common online professional behaviors that caused complaints consisted of in-appropriate use of internet for clinical practice and inappropriate communica-tion or contact with patients.8
Because best practices of online pro-fessionalism have yet to catch up with actual online activities, professional interactions should continue to be ex-panded in an effort to obtain a broad-er consensus. While each school may al-ready have varied guidances for misuse of social media, future best practices de-veloped by national pharmacy organi-zations could greatly pave the founda-tion for this topic.
Table 2: Examples of Methods to Utilize Facebook as Pharmacists in the Pharmacy Profession
Facebook Use
vConnecting and networking with other pharmacy/non-pharmacy professionalsvKeeping abreast of the newest issues affecting pharmacists (e.g. joining and sharing links from medical websites (Medscape,
pharmacist’s letter, etc.)vSharing links on updated drug shortagesvUpdating patients on immunizations being offered at local facilitiesvEncouraging patients to participate in events at local facilities and in the communityvNotices from pharmacy organizations about what they are involved in for the pharmacy professionvReceiving important information on “news feed” from the FDA and CDC (new drug approvals, immunizations schedule, na-
tional disease outbreak updates, etc.)
Technology can aid in standardized exam taking, help reduce academic dishonesty and allow information for accreditation to be compiled using statistics.
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | 19
Facebook in the Profession of Pharmacy
As many changes in health care sys-tems are expected, so is the pharma-cists’ use of the internet and pharma-cists’ services. This change presents pharmacists with both challenges and opportunities in regards to Facebook integration. Developing this skill set as a pharmacy student can translate into being a connected pharmacist not only within the pharmacy profession, but other professions as well.
In pharmacy, ASHP, APhA, ACCP, ASCP and NCPA are just a few of the organizations that lead the way in unit-ing pharmacy as well as advancing the profession. All of these national orga-nizations have a Facebook page. Each Facebook page is unique, but general-ly includes videos, upcoming events, announcements and links to articles pertinent to pharmacy practice. Some organizations also provide informa-tion on policy issues affecting pharma-cy and advice on how to get involved. Additionally, once you “like” the page of an organization, it tends to show up regularly in your “news feed.” This al-lows students and pharmacists alike to stay up-to-date on information, which is essential because pharmacy practice changes constantly.
Even government agencies, includ-ing The Food and Drug Administra-tion (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Medicare, have Facebook pages with resources for pharmacy professionals. These resourc-es include new drug approvals, public health issues, links to vaccine sched-ules, information on current outbreaks and information on different Medicare plans. This information can be accessed quickly and efficiently, leading to great-er patient education and satisfaction.
The fact that all of these important agencies and organizations have Face-book pages gives insight into the impor-tance of Facebook on a professional lev-el. It also signifies the need to develop etiquette for professional Facebook use, which can be developed while in phar-macy school. The ability to stay abreast of current events that pharmacists are impacted by on a daily basis is now lim-itless and within reach as a result of so-
cial media like Facebook. Capitalizing on this opportunity can very well start in the pharmacy classroom. Table 2 lists possible ways to use Facebook in the pharmacy profession, which includes connecting and networking with non-pharmacy professionals.
ConclusionWhile barriers and limitations exist
with Facebook integration in the class-room, evidence has shown that many pharmacy students use Facebook regu-larly. This suggests that Facebook could be a potential medium to facilitate learning in the pharmacy classroom. Integrating Facebook into the pharma-cy curriculum could be a recipe for cre-ating well-rounded future pharmacists. Pharmacists with this skill set are likely to stay ahead of the curve as the phar-macy curriculum and our profession continues to evolve with the increased use of technology and social media. Further research studying how phar-macy schools are using Facebook and students’ perception of its use and fea-sibility may help new adopters incorpo-rate this tool to propel our future phar-macists, advancing the profession.
References1 Benetoli A, Chen TF, Aslani P. The use
of social media in pharmacy practice and education. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2014; 15. pii: S1551-7411(14)00038-2. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2014.04.002. [Epub ahead of print].
2 Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Accreditation Standards and Key Elements for the Professional Program in Pharmacy Leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy Degree (Standards 2016). Chicago, IL: ACPE. Released February 2, 2015. https://www.acpe-accredit.org/pdf/Standards2016FINAL.pdf.
3 Fuller J. 1 billion people, probably including you, used Facebook on Monday. NY magazine. August 27, 2015. September 14, 2015. http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/08/1-billion-people-used-facebook-in-one-day.html.
4 Walker J, Ottman A, Fairclough J, Thornby K. Facebook utilization and academic performance among pharmacy students. ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting. Anaheim, CA.
December 2014.5 McCabe DB, Meuter ML. A student
View of Technology in the Classroom: Does it enhance the Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. Journal of Marketing Education. 2011; 22(2):149-159.
6 Chickering AW, Gamson ZF. Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. AAHE Bulletin. 1987; 39(7): 3-7.
7 Facebook. Facebook Engineering. https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook-engineering/more-details-on-todays-outage/431441338919. Published September 23, 2010. Accessed September 14, 2015.
8 Skelley J, Hughes P, Elmore L. Social Media and Unprofessional Pharmacist Conduct: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Boards of Pharmacy. Innovations. 2013;4(3)125.
Members voting in the FPA election are encouraged to go to www.pharmview.com and sign in with your username and password. Once signed in you will see the menu item for the 2016 FPA elec-tion of officers. Voting is now done online and only takes a few minutes.
Online Voting is Open for the Election of FPA Officers and Regional Directors
2016 FPA CANDIDATES
20 | F L O R I D A P H A R M A C Y T O D A Y
Action Alert for Pharmacy Medicaid ProvidersThe Florida Pharmacy Association has learned that
some Medicaid plans are removing pharmacies from their managed care network, limiting access to only a few pharmacy providers. Florida has undergone significant changes within its Medicaid program over the past five years. What started out as a pilot project has now expand-ed into a statewide managed care program for Medicaid recipients, essentially privatizing health care services for the poor and indigent. The purpose of such a program was created by the Legislature under Part IV of Chapter 409 of the Florida Statutes, and its purpose was likely to somehow get more predictability and sustainability of the costs associated with Florida Medicaid.
Our members need to be aware that this program of limiting of access to pharmacy providers is problematic and that the Legislature will need to intervene on this is-sue. Members of the Florida House and Senate will be in their districts over the holidays. Each of us will need to take action to reverse this onerous policy.
Take Action Here Contact Your State Legislator
(The tool at the above link will connect you to your state senator and state representative.)
The FPA is working with key members of the House and Senate on proposed legislation to reign in this behav-ior, and your state senator and state representative need to be educated and asked to support this effort. Here are some talking points that you (or your patients) should use when reaching out to your state legislator.
■ In 2011, Florida Statute 409.975 was created to grant authority for managed care plans to limit the provid-ers in their Medicaid networks based upon based on credentials, quality indicators and price.
■ Many of our Florida-based businesses are finding out through notices that they are being excluded from Medicaid networks.
■ These pharmacies have cared for these patients for many years and have managed the health of not only those patients, but their family members as well.
■ These Florida-based businesses are locally owned and operated and pay taxes and fees for the privilege of serving their communities.
■ Taxes and fees paid by Florida-based pharmacy busi-nesses and Florida-licensed pharmacy personnel are used to fund these health care entitlement programs to treat the indigent. It is disturbing that the language in Statute 409.975 gives managed care plans the au-thority to discriminate against these very same phar-macies and that they are not allowed to care for citi-zens in their own communities.
■ Many of these Florida-based businesses are support-ing their communities through sponsorship of local charities and events and are contributing to the lo-cal economy and the creation of jobs. The have a cor-porate footprint on Florida soil, but they are being banned from helping those who cannot help them-selves.
■ Pharmacies that can provide the credentials, show the quality of care and are willing to accept the terms and conditions of a managed care contract should not sim-ply be brushed off as an undesired provider of phar-macy services.
■ Current network access standards for Florida Med-icaid only require plans to have a pharmacy within a 30-minute travel time for patients in an urban area and a 60-minute travel time for patients in rural ar-eas. This means that in Florida’s population centers, a round trip to the pharmacy that takes an hour (two hours for rural areas) is an acceptable standard. This is very troubling when Medicaid patients are already transportation challenged.The “ask” is simple on this issue. Florida Statute
409.975 needs to be changed to correct the discrimina-tion of qualified pharmacy providers in the Medicaid program. Pharmacies that have not had any adverse inci-dents, are qualified, can show positive outcomes and val-ue-added services and are willing to accept the terms and conditions of a managed care agreement should be al-
FPA News & Notes
Michael Jackson, FPA EVP & CEO testifies at AHCA Hearing on Medicaid Managed Care
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | 21
lowed to care for Medicaid patients in their communities.There are other statutes in Florida laws that need
to be reviewed as well, and the FPA and our coalition are working together to expose this issue. YOU need to make sure that your state legislator is thoroughly briefed on this problem so that that this is clearly on their radar when they return to Tallahassee on Jan. 12 for the legis-lative session. PLEASE MAKE THE CALL TODAY AND SET UP AN APPOINTMENT TO TALK WITH YOUR STATE LEGISLATOR.
Chronic Diseases and Mail Order Prescriptions
Senate Bill 780 and House Bill 583 have been filed to create Florida Statute 627.6442. The bill also revises Flori-da Statute 641.31 related to health maintenance contracts. The proposed legislation does not allow a patient’s health insurance policy, plan or other contract for health care services to restrict pharmacy services to mail order for certain chronic diseases. This bill allows patients who are suffering from HIV infection, epilepsy, hypertension or diabetes to get their prescriptions filled at any phar-macy willing to accept the terms and conditions of the patient’s health plan. The Florida Pharmacy Association supports this legislation.
FPA on the Move
Pharmacy advocates visit with Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater to discuss pharmacy MAC pricing issues. (L to R - Bill Mincy and Lois Adams of FIPN, Florida CFO Jeff Atwater and FPA’s Michael Jackson)
FPA visits with Representatives Mayfield and Lee on pharmacy access and network closure issues. (L to R - EVP Michael Jackson, Rep. Debbie Mayfield, Rep-Vero Beach & Rep. Larry Lee, Dem-Fort Pierce)
22 | F L O R I D A P H A R M A C Y T O D A Y
Pharmacist in Command of the Florida National Guard
EVP Michael Jack-son was honored to meet one of our dis-t i ng uished mem-bers in service to our state. Maj. Gen. Mi-chael Calhoun of the Florida Nation-al Guard assumed his duties as adjutant general of Florida on March 29, 2015. Gen-eral Calhoun is a re-cipient of the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, the Humani-
tarian Service Medal, the Florida Cross, the Florida Dis-tinguished Service Medal, the Alabama Commendation Medal and the Mississippi State Emergency Medal. He was the Army National Guard recipient of the Depart-ment of Defense African American History Month Rec-ognition Award for 2008 for his contributions to the glob-al war on terrorism, and a recipient of the Ancient Order of Saint Barbara. In addition to a Bachelor of Science de-gree in pharmacy from Florida A&M University, General Calhoun holds a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.
Florida Continues Advocacy Support of Provider Status
FPA Past President Bob Parrado visits with U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor to discuss H.R. 592. Currently, there are 245 cosponsors who have signed onto this legislation in the U.S. House. Seventeen members of the Flor-ida delegation have signed on in support of this initiative. There are 37 members of the U.S. Senate who are signed on as cosponsors; however, we are still waiting on a decision from Senators Rubio and Nelson. Your messaging contin-ues to have a positive effect on this issue. The 10 House members from Florida who have not signed on as co-sponsors are as follows: Rep. Ted Yoho, Rep. Ander Cren-shaw, Rep. John Mica, Rep. Bill Posey, Rep. Kathy Castor,
Rep. Vern Buchannan, Rep. Lois Frankel, Rep. Federi-ca Wilson, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. If these members of Congress are home in their districts over the holidays, please consider visiting with them for a discussion on H.R. 592. Talking points and in-formation are available on the FPA web site.
Proposed Legislation on Access to Pharmacist Services filed
SB692 and HB547, which would create an act related to access to pharmacist services, has been filed and is spon-sored by Senator Denise Grimsley and Representative Edwin Narain. This legislation, if signed into law, would provide more opportunities for patients to have access to pharmacist-provided patient care services. Data consistent-ly illustrates that investment in pharmacist-provided pa-tient care services yields a return in overall health care cost savings and improved patient care outcomes far greater than the amount invested in providing these services. The Florida Pharmacy Association is supporting SB692 and HB547 and will be working with the bill sponsors.
ARNP and PA Prescribing Proposals PendingEach year, legislation is filed that seeks to give addi-
tional prescribing authority (including controlled sub-stances) to advanced registered nurse practitioners and physician assistants. There are several bills that the FPA is monitoring that are seeking to implement these chang-es. These include SB152, SB210, HB375, HB423 and SB676.
Revisions to Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Requirements
HB313 was filed to exempt certain post-surgical ad-ministration and dispensing of controlled substances in certain facilities from having to report to the PDMP. Un-der the provisions of this bill, in rehabilitative hospitals, assisted living facilities or nursing homes, if a certain dos-age of a controlled substance that is needed is dispensed, it does not have to be reported to the PDMP if ordered by the treating physician. This bill has already passed the House Health Quality Subcommittee and is now in the House Health and Human Services Committee.
President Elect Scott Tomerlin visits with pharmacy students at LECOM
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | 23
A PhArmAcist And A LAwyer
Board of Pharmacy Licensure Disciplinary ProceedingsCompounding Violations, DEA Investigations
Mergers and AcquisitionsPharmacy Risk Assessment/Management Evaluations
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Pharmacist AttorneyBrian A. Kahan, R.Ph., J.D.
Licensed Florida Pharmacist and Attorney
STATEWIDE REPRESENTATION
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The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before you decide, ask us to send you free written information about our qualifications and experience.
SAVE THE DATE126TH ANNUAL MEETING
AND CONVENTION OF THE FLORIDA PHARMACY
ASSOCIATION
Marriott Harbor Beach3030 Holiday Drive
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33316
June 30 - July 3, 2016
Cannabis and Medical Marijuana Legislative Proposals
Similar to last year, the Florida Legislature will be en-tertaining a number of bills on the use of cannabis and medical marijuana. Included in the 2016 legislative ses-sion inventory of proposals on this issue are HB63, HB65, HB271, HB307, HB460, SB554, SB616, SB852 and HB4021. The provisions in the bills range from minor changes to the existing law on the use of THC to removing cannabis from the list of controlled substances. The FPA will con-tinue to monitor these proposals.
AMA Calls for Ban on DTCAThe American Medical Association released a policy
statement this week raising concerns over how direct-to-consumer advertising is affecting the increasing cost of prescription drugs.
24 | F L O R I D A P H A R M A C Y T O D A Y
APhA Foundation and NASPA Bowl of Hygeia
Awarded to a pharmacist for out-standing community service above and beyond professional duties. The use of the following selection criteria is re-quired:
■ The recipient must be a Florida li-censed pharmacist and a member of FPA.
■ The recipient must be living. Awards are not presented posthumously.
■ The recipient has not previously re-ceived the award.
■ The recipient is not currently serving nor has he/she served within the immediate past two years on its award committee or an officer of the association in other than an ex offi-cio capacity.
■ The recipient has compiled an out-standing record of community ser-vice, which, apart from his/her spe-cific identification as a pharmacist, reflects well on the profession.
James H. Beal AwardAwarded to the "Pharmacist of the
Year." The criteria established for this award is that the recipient be a Flori-da registered pharmacist and a mem-ber of FPA, who has rendered outstand-ing service to pharmacy within the past five years.Criteria:
■ The recipient must be a Florida reg-istered pharmacist and a member of the FPA.
■ The recipient has rendered outstand-ing service to pharmacy within the past five years.
Technician of the Year AwardAwarded annually to a Florida phar-
macy technician who is recognized for his/her outstanding performance and achievement during his/her career.
Criteria: ■ Candidate must be a member of the
Florida Pharmacy Association for at least two years.
■ Candidate must have demonstrated contributions and dedication to the advancement of pharmacy techni-cian practice.
■ Candidate must have demonstrated contributions to the Florida Pharma-cy Association and/or other phar-macy organizations.
■ Candidate must have demonstrated commitment to community service.
■ Candidate is not a past recipient of this award.
R.Q. Richards AwardThis award is based on outstanding
achievement in the field of pharmaceu-tical public relations in Florida.Criteria:
■ The recipient must be a Florida reg-istered pharmacist and a member of the FPA.
■ The recipient has displayed out-standing achievement in the field of pharmaceutical public relations in Florida.
Frank Toback/AZO Consultant Pharmacist AwardCriteria:
■ Candidate must be an FPA member, registered with the Florida Board of Pharmacy as a consultant pharma-cist in good standing.
■ Candidate should be selected based on their outstanding achievements in the field of consultant pharmacy.
DCPA Sidney Simkowitz Pharmacy Involvement Award
Presented annually to a Florida pharmacist who has been active at the local and state pharmacy association level in advancement of the profession of pharmacy in Florida.Criteria:
■ A minimum of five years of active involvement in and contributions to the local association and FPA.
■ Candidate must have held office at local level pharmacy association.
■ Member in good standing for a pe-riod of at least five years in the FPA and must have served as a member or chairman of a committee of the association.
■ Candidate must have been active-ly involved in a project that has or could potentially be of benefit to members of the profession.
Pharmacists Mutual Companies Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award
Awarded to a young pharmacist for their involvement and dedication to the practice of pharmacy.Criteria:
■ Licensed to practice for nine years or fewer.
■ Licensed to practice in the state in which selected.
■ Participation in national pharmacy association, professional programs, and/or community service.
IPA Roman Maximo Corrons Inspiration & Motivation AwardInteramerican Pharmacists Associa-tion created this award to honor the memory of Roman M. Corrons who in-spired and motivated countless phar-macists to participate actively and as-pire to take on leadership roles in their profession. Roman was always there with guidance and support that moti-vated pharmacists and encouraged vi-sionary leadership, approachable active membership and succession planning. This award recognizes the motivators among us who inspire others to contin-ue to advance the profession.Criteria:
■ The recipient must be a Florida Li-censed Pharmacist and a member of the FPA.
■ Candidate should motivate others to excel within the profession by en-couraging them to be leaders.
■ Candidate is not necessarily an asso-ciation officer, but guides, supports and/or inspires others.
A brief description on the candidate’s motivational/inspirational skills must accompany the nomination.
The Jean Lamberti Mentorship Award
The Jean Lamberti Mentorship Award was established in 1998 to honor those pharmacists who have taken time to share their knowledge and experience with pharmacist candidates. The award is named in honor of long time FPA member Jean Lamberti for her effort in working with pharmacy students.
C A L L F O R N O M I N A T I O N S F P A A W A R D S 2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 6
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | 25
DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS: FEBRUARY 28, 2016
Criteria: ■ The recipient must be an FPA mem-
ber. ■ The recipient must serve as a role
model for the profession of pharmacy.
Upsher Smith Excellence in Innovation Award
Awarded to honor practicing phar-macists who have demonstrated inno-vation in pharmacy practice that has re-sulted in improved patient care.Criteria:
■ The recipient has demonstrated inno-vative pharmacy practice resulting in improved patient care.
■ The recipient should be a practic-ing pharmacist within the geograph-ic area represented by the presenting Association.
Qualified Nominee: A pharmacist prac-ticing within the geographic area repre-sented by the presenting Association.
Cardinal Generation Rx AwardThe Cardinal Health Generation Rx
Champions Award recognizes a phar-macist who has demonstrated excellence in community-based prescription drug abuse prevention. The award is intend-ed to recognize outstanding efforts with-in the pharmacy community to raise awareness of this serious public health problem. It is also intended to encour-age educational prevention efforts aimed at patients, youth and other members of the community.
The nominee must be a pharmacist who is a member of the state association. Self-nominations are allowed. Applica-
tions will be evaluated based upon the following criteria:
■ Commitment to community-based educational prevention efforts aimed at prescription drug abuse
■ Involvement of other community groups in the planning and imple-mentation of prevention programs
■ Innovation and creativity in the cre-ation and implementation of preven-tion activities
■ Scope/magnitude of prescription drug abuse efforts
■ Demonstrated impact of prescription drug abuse prevention efforts
I AM PLEASED TO SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING NOMINATION:
Name:
Address:
FOR THE FOLLOWING AWARD:
(Nomination Deadline February 28, 2016)
APhA Foundation and NASPA Bowl of Hygeia
James H. Beal Award
R.Q. Richards Award
Frank Toback/AZO Consultant Pharmacist Award
DCPA Sydney Simkowitz Award
Pharmacists Mutual Co. Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award
IPA Roman Maximo Corrons Inspiration & Motivation Award
The Jean Lamberti Mentorship Award
Upsher Smith Excellence in Innovation Award
Cardinal Generation Rx Award
NOMINATED BY:
Name:
Date Submitted:
Signature:
Please describe briefly below the nominee's accomplishments, indicating why you feel he or she should receive this award. (Attach additional sheets if necessary.)
C A L L F O R N O M I N A T I O N S F P A A W A R D S 2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 6
F P A A W A R D S N O M I N A T I O N F O R M
MAIL NOMINATONS TO: Annual Awards, Florida Pharmacy Association, 610 N. Adams St., Tallahassee, FL 32301(850) 222-2400 FAX (850) 561-6758 DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS IS FEBRUARY 28, 2016
26 | F L O R I D A P H A R M A C Y T O D A Y
CALL FOR RESOLUTIONS TO THE 2016 HOUSE OF DELEGATES
The House of Delegates Board of Directors will meet in May 2016 to review and approve resolutions for the Annual Meeting. The deadline for submitting resolutions is May 6, 2016! PLEASE NOTE THIS DEADLINE.
The following information will be needed when submitting resolutions:
1. Name of organization: The name of the organization submitting the resolutions(s);2. Name and telephone number of individuals: A contact in the event clarification or further
information is needed; 3. Problem: A statement of the problem addressed by the resolution;4. Intent: A statement of what passage of the resolution will accomplish;5. Resolution Format: Please type and use double spacing.
TITLE OF RESOLUTION
NAME OF ORGANIZATION
WHEREAS , AND
WHEREAS :
THEREFORE BE IT
RESOLVED (THAT THE FPA OR SUBDIVISION OF FPA)
CONTACT NAME AND PHONE #:
PROBLEM:
INTENT:
Return this form to: Membership Coordinator, Florida Pharmacy Association, 610 North Adams Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32301 or fax (850) 561-6758
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 | 27
PHARMACY RESOURCES
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LEGAL ASSISTANCE
Kahan ◆ Heimberg, PLCBrian A. Kahan, R.Ph., Attorney at Law(561) 392-9000
The Health Law FirmGeorge F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M. (407) 331-6620
PHARMACEUTICAL WHOLESALER
McKesson Drug CompanyJim Springer(800) 804-4590 FAX: (863) 616-2953
BUYER’S GUIDEADVERTISERS: This is a special section designed to give your company more exposure and to act as an easy reference for the pharmacist.
P H A R M A C Y T O D A Yflorida
Advertising in Florida Pharmacy Today
Display Advertising: please call (850) 264-5111 for a media kit and rate sheet. Buyers’ Guide: A signed insertion of at least 3X per year, 1/3 page or larger display ad, earns a placement in the Buyers’ Guide. A screened ad is furnished at additional cost to the advertiser. Professional Refer-ral Ads: FPA Members: $50 per 50 words; Non-members: $100 per 50 words; No discounts for advertising agencies. All Professional Referral ads must be paid in advance, at the time of ad receipt.
AHCA MEDICAID PHARMACY SERVICES2727 Mahan DriveTallahassee, FL 32308(850) 412-4166www.fdhc.state.fl.us/medicaid/pharmacy
AMERICAN PHARMACISTSASSOCIATION (APhA)Washington, D.C. (800) 237-2742www.pharmacist.com
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HEALTH SYSTEM PHARMACISTSBethesda, MD (301) 657-3000www.ashp.com/main.htm
DRUG INFORMATION CENTERPalm Beach Atlantic University(561) [email protected]
FLORIDA BOARD OF PHARMACY4052 Bald Cypress WayBin #C04Tallahassee, FL 32399-3254(850) 245-4292www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa
FLORIDA POISON INFORMATION CENTER NETWORK(800) 222-1222www.fpicn.org
NATIONAL COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS ASSOCIATION 100 Daingerfield Road Alexandria, VA 22314(703) 683-8200(703) 683-3619 [email protected]
RECOVERING PHARMACISTS NETWORK OF FLORIDA(407) 257-6606 “Pharmacists Helping Pharmacists”
FREQUENTLY CALLED NUMBERS