NABP’s 96th Annual Meeting Programs Offer Something for Everyone

3/24/00

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) will offer three tracks of continuing pharmaceutical education (CPE) programming at its 96th Annual Meeting. Entitled "Unity 2000: Regulating in the New Millennium," the meeting will be held May 6-10, 2000, at the Opryland Hotel and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn. Whether you are a state board of pharmacy executive officer, board member, or a compliance officer, or if you are interested in pharmacy regulation and practice, NABP’s Annual Meeting has an educational program option for you. In addition, the Annual Meeting features a session for consumer members of the state boards of pharmacy and a new member seminar for individuals recently appointed to a board.

Executive Officer and Board Member Programming

Among the scheduled educational programs for the Executive Officer and Board Member track is Smart Cards: A Winning Hand?, sponsored by IMS Health. On Sunday, May 7, John A. French, president of Centurion Technologies, Inc.; R. Francis Schlemmer, associate professor and acting department head at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy; and William L. "Buck" Stevens, RPh, executive director of the Mississippi State Board of Pharmacy, will take a look at the innovative technology contributing to the development and use of the personal medical "Smart Card." The Smart Card is a system that facilitates the exchange of medical record information between physicians, pharmacists, and patients, while at the same time maintaining control and privacy for patients.

A second program scheduled for this track is the JCAHO Update, sponsored by DuPont Pharmaceuticals Co. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has expanded its range of activities in recent years. On Monday, May 8, Darryl S. Rich, PharmD, accreditation operations at JCAHO, will discuss JCAHO’s current activities and its plans for the future.

The third program for the executive officers and board members, Electronic Prescription Transmission and the Prescriber/Patient Relationship, will be offered on Tuesday, May 9. Internet pharmacies, telemedicine, and electronic prescription order-entry systems are recent innovations that have revolutionized health care in the United States. During this session, sponsored by Merck and Company, Bill G. Felkey, associate professor, pharmacy care systems, of the Auburn University School of Pharmacy, will consider the electronic systems that have allowed these new methods of health care delivery to flourish and their significance to the regulation of pharmacy practice.

Compliance Officer Programming

The Compliance Officer track will familiarize compliance officers and board inspectors with NABP’s Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites™ (VIPPS™ ) program, the issues surrounding licensee background checks, as well as those related to the dispensing of veterinary pharmaceuticals, and pharmacy software.

On Saturday, May 6, NABP will offer the VIPPS Inspector Training Program, led by Glenn Detweiler, NABP’s licensure and applications database programs director; Moira Gibbons, JD, RPh, NABP’s VIPPS and ELTP programs manager; Steve Hudson, director of inspections at the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy; and Andy Stergachis, PhD, RPh, director of pharmacy services, drugstore.com.

NABP’s VIPPS program has been recognized in the media and by the profession as an important tool for helping the consumer access important information regarding the licensure, confidentiality, and practices of VIPPS-certified online pharmacies. This growing program requires additional trained inspectors to help NABP’s VIPPS staff inspect the operations of online pharmacies seeking the VIPPS credential and ensure that those pharmacies meet the 17-point criteria that are the center of the VIPPS program. These are not full-time positions; VIPPS inspectors may be asked to participate in two or three inspections per year, and only when the inspections do not interfere with their responsibilities at the board of pharmacy office. NABP will assume all expenses related to the inspection visit. For more information, please contact Moira Gibbons at NABP headquarters. Advance registration is required.

Protection of the public from health care workers with questionable backgrounds has caused some health care regulatory boards to institute criminal background checks as a condition of licensure. On Sunday, May 7, What Should You Know? The Issues Surrounding Licensee Background Checks will consider the issues related to such requirements, including calls for national standards. The session, sponsored by the US Pharmaceuticals Group of Pfizer Inc., will be presented by Vickie Sheets, JD, RN, director for practice and accountability for the National Council State Boards of Nursing. David Dryden, JD, RPh, executive secretary of the Delaware State Board of Pharmacy will lead a group discussion.

The issues related to the dispensing of veterinary pharmaceuticals have provided some state boards of pharmacy with unique regulatory challenges. These issues, as well as the particular aspects of inspecting veterinary supply pharmacies and distributors, will be considered Monday, May 8, during the Inspecting Veterinary Supply Pharmacies/Distributors program led by Robert Ratcliff, supervising inspector for the California State Board of Pharmacy. The program is sponsored by Schering Laboratories.

The final session that will be offered to compliance officers, Pharmacy Software Review on Tuesday, May 9, will provide an overview of the pharmacy software programs that are helping pharmacists reduce medication errors. Participants will learn about the characteristics of the programs, and what to look for during the inspection process during the session led by Allen Vaida, PharmD, executive director of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Novartis Pharmaceuticals is the sponsor for the program.

Pharmacy Practice Programming

New to this year’s Annual Meeting is a three-part pharmacy practice track that will offer five contact hours in immunization therapy sponsored by Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories and Albertson’s. On Sunday through Tuesday, May 7-9, the Immunization Seminars, will address the basics of immunology and vaccine administration as well as the issues surrounding the provision of immunization services as part of a pharmacy practice.

Public Board Member Session

On Saturday, May 6, board of pharmacy consumer members attending the 96th Annual Meeting are invited to attend the Public Board Member Session. Participants will discuss the roles of the consumer member on a regulatory board and what NABP can do to support consumer members. Also on the session agenda is a discussion of current issues confronting consumer members.

Almost all boards of pharmacy have consumer members who serve as representatives of the public. An average of two such public members currently serve on each of the nation’s 53 state boards of pharmacy.

New Member Seminar

Led by members of the NABP Executive Committee, staff, and Counsel, the New Member Seminar on Saturday, May 6 offers an in-depth look at the Association’s programs, the issues confronting NABP and the state boards of pharmacy, and the special circumstances that may confront board members. The session also includes a discussion of Roberts Rules of Order and the procedures followed during the Annual Meeting’s business sessions.

To learn more about the 96th Annual Meeting educational and special programming, call the NABP Meetings Desk at 847/698-6227.

If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail Info@nabp.net.

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