Vote & Vax 2012 Offers Flu Vaccinations and Preventive Services on Election Day

Only 34.7 percent of women and 29.3 percent of men in Virginia are up to date with a combination of select clinical preventive services, such as influenza vaccination, colorectal cancer screening and breast and cervical cancer screenings according to the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors. Thanks to a Health Aging grant from the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, Virginia is taking action this fall to improve delivery of clinical preventive services and offer seasonal flu vaccine through a national initiative titled “Vote & Vax” (www.voteandvax.org). 

Vote & Vax Virginia 2012 builds on a decade of experience by Project Immunize Virginia by offering flu vaccines at polling locations in the following health districts: Central Shenandoah, Cumberland Plateau, Hampton, Peninsula, Prince William, and Richmond City.  This year, pharmacist-staffed clinics located at polling sites will offer insurance billing and collect co-pays or out-of-pocket payment for vaccines. 

In addition to vaccinations, activities such as education and referral for cancer and hypertension screening will be offered at each site by local coalitions.  Led by volunteers from the Medical Reserve Corps, these coalitions include area agencies on aging, nursing students, and other stakeholder groups, such as the Cancer Action Coalition of Virginia, AARP Virginia, and the Baptist General Convention of Virginia.

By lending your time and skills to a local coalition, you can help protect your community from the flu and play a role in the delivery of important preventative health services.  Please contact Joseph Hoyle, Clinical Preventive Services Coordinator, Virginia Department of Health at joseph.hoyle@vdh.virginia.gov for more information.

New Video, Website Help Health Plan Sponsors, Patients and Policymakers Maximize Prescription Drug Benefits, Reduce Wasteful Spending

A new video and website offer health plan sponsors (i.e., employers, unions, government programs, etc.), policymakers and patients resources to get the most out of their prescription drug benefit and to reduce unnecessary spending, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) announced. At the website www.whorunsmydrugplan.com, visitors can learn about common practices of giant pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), who are hired to administer drug plans and negotiate prices for payers, but drive up health insurance costs and restrict patient choice. There they can also watch "The Third Wheel," a video that takes a humorous look at how prescription middlemen affect consumers' prescription benefit by inserting themselves into the relationship between patients, doctors and pharmacists.

For the complete press release from NCPA, please click here.

Team Up. Pressure Down. Coaching Patients to Take Control.

Citing strong evidence of effectiveness, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in May 2012 recommended team‐based care ‐‐ uniting the efforts of physicians, pharmacists, nurses and other health care professionals ‐‐ to improve blood pressure control. Join the launch and/or one of four live CPE webinars (starting on September 5th) to learn more about Team Up. Pressure Down., a new Million Hearts™ educational program that offers support and resources for health care professionals working to help Americans improve medication adherence and more effectively manage their blood pressure. To register for the launch webinar, visit http://TeamUpPressureDown.webex.com. To learn more about the free CPE webinar and to register, visit www.GoToCEI.org under “Of Interest”.

Reminder: Utilize Konvoke to review and compare pharmacy products. Your Use of Kovoke Supports VPhA

The Virginia Pharmacists Association (VPhA) and Konvoke, Inc. have announced an agreement to create a benefit to support the awareness and growth of both member organizations.

VPhA and Konvoke, Inc. share a common vision to use www.konvoke.com to educate their members about current pharmacy technology, products and services, while also providing a venue for members to write their own product reviews. 

“A web-based community forum for pharmacy professionals to provide feedback on their vendor experiences is vital for today’s decision makers,” said Konvoke’s V.P. of Sales and Operations John Grove. “Our relationship with VPhA solidifies our commitment to continue to provide this free service to our members.”

“VPhA is always looking to provide additional benefits to our members,” said Tim Musselman, VPhA Executive Director.  “Our partnership with Konvoke will offer our members the ability to review products and services through expanding connections with other pharmacy professionals.”

About Konvoke

Konvoke, Inc. (www.konvoke.com) is an online peer review website for all pharmacy related technology, products, and services.  Konvoke facilitates communication between pharmacy professionals across the country and provides a forum where they can share their experiences with vendors and their products.  Review content on Konvoke is 100% controlled by its members.  Membership is FREE! 

The value that Konvoke provides to its members as a resource for product information is directly proportional to the amount of members that utilize the site and the content they provide.  Konvoke utilizes several avenues for membership marketing and growth, including tradeshows, advertising, member promotions, social media, word-of-mouth, and relationships with Pharmacy Associations.  Pharmacy Associations play an important role in providing information and services to their members.  A partnership with Konvoke can play a key role in providing product information to association members. 

REMINDER: Comment today on proposed Community Pharmacy Practice Accreditation standards - COMMENTS DUE AUGUST 15 & 17

Just recently, two organizations have released draft Community Pharmacy Practice Accreditation standards for public comments.

Center for Pharmacy Practice Accreditation
The Center for Pharmacy Practice Accreditation (CPPA), a joint initiative by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) seeks your input on draft standards for community pharmacy practice accreditation (read press release).  These standards will serve as the basis for community pharmacy practice accreditation and are designed to both facilitate the provision of quality pharmacy services to patients and stimulate and recognize innovative community pharmacy practices.

Comments will be accepted from July 1 to August 15, 2012 via the online comment submission form.

For more information on CPPA, please visit the APhA's website by clicking here.  

URAC
URAC, an organization who currently accredits PBMs, mail order pharmacies, and specialty pharmacies, opened a call for public comment to share input and opinions on proposed Community Pharmacy Accreditation standards.

To review the draft standards and submit comments by 6:00pm EDT, August 17, 2012, go tohttp://www.urac.org/publiccomment/.


VPhA encourages you to review the draft standards and submit your comments to CPPA and URAC prior to the August deadlines.