Official Newsjournal of the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists
Volume 47 Issue 4
Features
PhORCAS: A Bright Future for Reference Writers?
Columns
College Connection
First Experience at American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear Clinical Meeting
Pharmaceutical Waste in Hospital Pharmacy
More
Officers and Board of Directors
ICHP PHARMACY ACTION FUND (PAC) Contributors
Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists
4055 North Perryville Road
Loves Park, IL 61111-8653
Phone: (815) 227-9292
Fax: (815) 227-9294
www.ichpnet.org
KeePosted
Official Newsjournal of the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists
EDITOR
Jacob Gettig
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Jennifer Phillips
MANAGING EDITOR
Scott Meyers
ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR
Trish Wegner
DESIGN EDITOR
Amanda Wolff
ICHP Staff
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Scott Meyers
VICE PRESIDENT - PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Trish Wegner
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Maggie Allen
INFORMATION SPECIALIST
Heidi Sunday
CUSTOMER SERVICE AND
PHARMACY TECH TOPICS™ SPECIALIST
Jo Ann Haley
ACCOUNTANT
Jan Mark
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Amanda Wolff
LEGISLATIVE CONSULTANT
Jim Owen
ICHP Mission Statement
Advancing Excellence in the Practice of Pharmacy
ICHP Vision Statement
ICHP dedicates itself to achieving a vision of pharmacy practice where:
• Pharmacists are universally recognized as health care professionals and essential providers of health care services.
• Patients are aware of the training, skills, and abilities of a pharmacist and the fundamental role that pharmacists play in optimizing medication therapy.
• Formally educated, appropriately trained, and PTCB certified pharmacy technicians manage the medication distribution process with appropriate pharmacist oversight.
• Pharmacists improve patient care and medication safety through the development of effective public policies by interacting and collaborating with patients, other health care professionals and their respective professional societies, government agencies, employers and other concerned parties.
• Evidence-based practices are used to achieve safe and effective medication therapies.
• There are an adequate number of qualified pharmacy leaders within the pharmacy profession.
• Pharmacists take primary responsibility for educating pharmacy technicians, pharmacy students, pharmacist peers, other health professionals, and patients about appropriate medication use.
KeePosted Vision
As an integral publication of the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists, the KeePosted newsjournal will reflect its mission and goals. In conjunction with those goals, KeePosted will provide timely information that meets the changing professional and personal needs of Illinois pharmacists and technicians, and maintain high publication standards.
KeePosted is an official publication of, and is copyrighted by, the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists (ICHP). KeePosted is published 10 times a year. ICHP members received KeePosted as a member benefit. All articles published herein represent the opinions of the authors and do not reflect the policy of the ICHP or the authors’ institutions unless specified. Advertising inquiries can be directed to ICHP office at the address listed above. Image disclaimer: The image used in the Pharmacy Tech Topics advertisement is the property of © 2013 Thinkstock, a division of Getty Images. The image used in There’s an App for That! is property of Medscape® Mobile from WebMD®.
Copyright © 2013, Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists. All rights reserved.
by Leah Bentley, PharmD, BCPS PGY2 Internal Medicine Residency Program Director
Writing letters of recommendation can be a daunting task for new and experienced reference writers alike, and the addition of the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS) to this year’s residency application process will reach unfamiliar territories for all. After a few years of writing letters of recommendation for many students, I acknowledged the redundancy of the work required to serve as a reference and became hopeful that a more efficient method would be developed. We will soon see if PhORCAS is a solution to this tedious process.
While potential applicants and residency program directors have heard about the upcoming changes and most have been provided education on the process, student preceptors or other potential references may be less familiar with PhORCAS and how it may affect application submission. PhORCAS is a web-based tool designed to reduce the need for paper applications and to bring information together in one central location. Residency programs are not required to participate; therefore, reference writers may be asked to submit letters of recommendation through PhORCAS for some programs and through mail, email, or other avenues for others. Thus, residency applicants should be encouraged to provide details to reference writers about individual program requirements in advance.
Applicants may update information in the PhORCAS portal, including adding references for each specific program, beginning November 19, 2012. Reference writers will be notified by PhORCAS to login to the portal and complete the materials required by the individual programs when the applicant submits reference contact information. The reference writer must use the information contained in the email to login to PhORCAS and complete the “standardized reference template”. The template is similar to the ASHP recommendation form previously used by many residency programs with some additional questions meant to replace a letter of recommendation. Individual programs may still request a traditional letter of recommendation or other supplemental materials, which may be submitted through the portal. The applicant will not have access to the materials submitted by reference writers. Once submitted, the reference writer and candidate will be notified of the completion by PhORCAS.
I believe there are aspects of PhORCAS that will be beneficial to reference writers, such as use of the standardized reference template and electronic format. Once completed, this reference form will be available in PhORCAS to use again or modify for additional programs for the same applicant. This will hopefully cut down on time previously associated with completing multiple forms with only minor differences between programs. I also look forward to a reduction in materials that must be mailed. It is important to remember that individual programs may still require supplemental materials from reference writers, which may negate the most prominent benefit of PhORCAS for those completing the reference documents. Additionally, earlier application deadlines may be expected since many programs will assume applications may now be submitted in a more streamlined fashion.
As the upcoming residency “match” quickly approaches, reference writers may still anticipate significant time requirements. However, we will soon see if PhORCAS may be an answer to our prayers for a more efficient and consolidated application process.
Reference:
Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists 2013 Spring Meeting
SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MEETING: Keynote: Leadership as a Professional Journey
Lunch Symposium: 2013 Diabetes Clinical Practice Recommendations and Treatment Algorithms: What’s New! Practice Management Sessions
Clinical Sessions
Technician Sessions
Student Sessions
Law Sessions
Poster Session
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Location Hotel Information Meeting Details Registration
10.5 Hours of CPE! Save with Early Bird Rates thru 3/22/2013! |
The objective of the Best Practice Award program is to encourage the development of innovative or creative pharmacy practice programs or innovative approaches to existing pharmacy practice challenges in health systems within the state of Illinois. Applicants will be judged on their descriptions of programs and practices employed in their health system based on the following criteria:
Past winners include: 2012 2011 2010 |
Online entry form: http://www.ichpnet.org/professional_practice/best_practices/
Eligibility Instructions for preparing manuscript The manuscript should be organized as a descriptive report using the following headings:
Format All applicants will be notified of their status within three weeks of the submission deadline. Should your program be chosen as the winner:
Non-winning submissions may also be considered for publication in the ICHP KeePosted, but your permission will be obtained beforehand. |
Join hundreds of pharmacy professionals at the State Capitol on March 13, 2013! Represent your profession and speak directly to legislators and staff regarding the critical issues facing pharmacists. It is vital that your legislators become more knowledgeable on the role of pharmacy in augmenting healthcare. Learn about key issues and how to discuss them with your legislators. Join your fellow pharmacists and become part of the solutions. Don’t miss this opportunity to let your collective voices be heard! |
PHOTO ID: All persons visiting the Capitol Building must present a government issued photo ID. MOTORCOACH: Bus transportation to and from Springfield will be available. Be sure to mark your pickup location below. Departure times to follow via email. PARKING: Parking will be available in the parking garage attached to the Hoogland Center for the Arts. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
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Registration is available online at IPhA's website. |
By registering for Pharmacy Legislative Day, you are giving IPhA and ICHP permission to use photographs or video of yourself taken at the event. IPhA and ICHP intend to use such media only in connection with IPhA and ICHP official publications, media promotions, websites, or social media sites, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and these images may be used without further notifying you. |
by Tom Westerkamp, ICHP President
Ever since the movie “Jaws” came out years ago, I have had a healthy respect for (alright, let’s be honest, a dreaded fear of) sharks. My favorite vacation spot generally includes a sunny warm beach near a body of salt water in which I can snorkel. An amazing opportunity to float in warm water observing the multi-colored fish and coral - it’s really living art. But all the while in the water, I always have an eye open for those menacing creatures that strike fear into many people.
I write this article having just returned from the ASHP Midyear Clinical meeting in Las Vegas. In one of the convention hotels, there was a large tank full of brightly colored coral and fish of every shape, size and color. There were also some sharks slowly swimming around, circling the tank, constantly moving. From what I’ve read about these creatures, sharks are constantly moving, continually swimming – on the prowl, I assume, for their next meal…always moving forward.
Having gone to many Midyear meetings over the years, I continually am amazed at all the new technologies and drug therapies that are available to learn about. The exhibit hall is filled with aisle after aisle of new devices, automation, databases, and new drug therapies. The CE sessions are like a grand Las Vegas “buffet for the brain”, where one can select and learn so many new things. One can skim through the program guide and select sessions on a variety of topics. From sunrise breakfasts to midday exhibits, to late afternoon and dinner CE meetings, there is something for all of us to learn.
I think us as pharmacists, students, and technicians all have a responsibility to continue to learn, beyond the minimum CE requirements. It is hard to keep up, with so many new things to learn, but like the shark in that hotel tank that continues to move forward, each of us must continue to learn if we are to be competent. We owe that to our patients. We owe that to those we care for. We can never stop learning.
This Midyear meeting was excellent, and I just wanted to share some highlights of some of the sessions I attended and what I learned. I went to an ASHP state affiliate volunteer presentation on the Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative and heard from national experts on why this initiative is so important to the profession of pharmacy, including input from a panel of state chapter volunteers that shared their PPMI success stories. I and 25,000 of my closest friends heard from President Bill Clinton who presented “Embracing our Common Humanity.” He described what the William J. Clinton Foundation does and what several of his initiatives are doing to help people domestically and all over the world – truly an inspiring and uplifting presentation. I attended a great interactive session on IV medication errors and the efforts of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices to develop guidelines to help reduce medication errors. I attended another great session on medication errors in anesthesia that provided insights on the errors occurring in ORs and PACUs all over the country, and what each of us can do to reduce the alarmingly high incidence of these events. I went to several “short and sweet” Pearl sessions, which are always popular, that feature a new topic every five minutes (a smorgasbord at the learning buffet!). One of the most informative sessions was an update on ACLS/PALS guidelines, which provided some exceptional insights by experts on adult and pediatric cardiac life support and what we can do to improve Code Blue teams.
The highlight of the conference for me was attending the state affiliate Presidents’ dinner, where I got to meet many state affiliate presidents, ASHP staff members, and dozens of ASHP Past Presidents. Each was friendly, open, approachable, and easy to talk to, and I was so impressed at their taking time to talk to me about where I practice and what is going on in Illinois. It was a superb dinner and a great opportunity to see the inner workings of ASHP.
As I digest all of this and bring it back to the practice of pharmacy in Illinois, I firmly understand why PPMI is important to the profession of pharmacy. That impacts all of us, wherever we practice. The advancement of pharmacists to practice and impact patient care outcomes relies heavily on having a solid drug distribution foundation, and that means that the role of technicians will continue to become more and more important. There is a PPMI task force that is focusing on how we can assist hospitals in getting their PPMI hospital self assessments completed. You will be hearing more about this in the coming months.
We are in the process of rolling out the findings that were discussed at the ICHP Leadership Retreat in November to each of our committees to explore ways of incorporating these areas of focus into their activities this year. There will be more discussion on these issues in the coming months as well.
Let’s continue to move forward, learning as we go, in order to help improve the care we provide to our patients.
by Scott A. Meyers, Executive Vice President
The fallout from the New England Compounding Center contaminated products continues to reign down on pharmacy across the nation and here in Illinois. While I wouldn’t call that problem a true medication error, in several ways it is. More importantly, a medical error that drew national attention a few years ago was in the spotlight at this year’s ASHP Midyear Meeting. The Emily Jerry Story took center stage on Monday afternoon of the Midyear, and Emily’s father, the pharmacist involved in the error, Eric Copp, and Michael Cohen from ISMP all spoke candidly and emotionally of the impact that one error had on them, the State of Ohio and pharmacy practice in general.
For those who are not familiar with Emily’s story, she was a year and a half old, blond haired and energetic toddler that was diagnosed with a yolk sac tumor in her abdomen in 2005. By February of 2006, Emily had undergone successful surgeries and was ready for her hopefully last round of chemotherapy. It was the last treatment because tests had shown that the cancer was gone, but this was insurance to make sure that no traces remained. On the third day of her five-day treatment, Emily received a bag of chemotherapy that contained nearly 26 times the normal amount of sodium chloride that was prescribed. The hospital pharmacy compounded what should have been a normal saline bag from concentrated sodium chloride (23.4%) without proper dilution! The pharmacist was busy trying to catch up from an extended computer down time in the early morning and did not check the bag as thoroughly as he should have. The nurse had called for it “stat” somewhere around noon even though it was not due until 5:00 PM. The pharmacy technician that compounded the bag was very new and had not been thoroughly trained in the IV room. You can see the Swiss cheese holes lining up quickly. The saddest note was that because it was it Sunday and supplies had not been replenished during the weekend, a simple bag of normal saline had to be compounded rather than merely taken from the shelf.
Emily succumbed to the complications related to the hypernatremia several days later. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy revoked Eric Copp’s pharmacist license and the local district attorney filed criminal charges that sent him to prison for more than one year. The pharmacy technician did not lose her registration because at that time, Ohio did not register or even recognize technicians. The hospital was not disciplined.
As I said, the presentations by Emily’s father, Chris Jerry, and Eric were emotional and moving. The fact that Chris has forgiven Eric and asked him to help in his new cause of preventing medication errors is amazing. Eric’s openness and honesty are commendable. It’s clear that he cared about helping others and never intended to do any harm let alone be part of an accident that caused a death.
Because the NECC contamination issue was such a hot topic at the Midyear and because Emily’s story was so compelling and moving, it made me think about how both situations could have been prevented if everyone involved had done what they were supposed to do. In the case of NECC, a lot of people didn’t do their jobs. The Board of Pharmacy in Massachusetts, potentially the FDA, every buying group that placed their products on their contracts and then most importantly the pharmacists and technicians who worked at that facility all failed to do what should have been done. Drug shortages caused by other factors certainly didn’t help either. In Emily’s case, it was not only Eric and the technician, but the pharmacy managers who allowed normal saline bags to be compounded rather than restocking them from central supply, the nurse in a hurry for the bag, which caused undue stress on the pharmacy, the pharmacy staff for not stepping in to make sure computer down-time backlogs are not handled in a safer and more efficient way and hospital administration for not owning the error as a system error but instead placing the blame on the staff.
Medications errors can all be prevented if everyone does their job. Medication misadventures like adverse reactions to properly prescribed medications cannot. Medication errors seldom result from deliberate actions but often as a result carelessness or rushing. Many times medication errors can be prevented by simply speaking up, identifying an unsafe practice and proposing a safer alternative.
I know this is easy to say if you’re someone who no longer deals with medications in general, but I felt moved by Emily’s story and by the negligence and greed of NECC to bring this issue up again. I know that I wouldn’t be afraid to speak up if I saw an unsafe practice, but I also know that I often became more concerned with churning out product in my days as a practicing pharmacist than I did about taking the proper time to make sure everything was correct. We all feel the pressure of doing more with less, but we can’t forget that at the end of the process is a patient that trusts us and relies on us to make sure their medication is correct and safe.
Medication errors should always be dealt with seriously and quickly to identify the causes, to improve systems and to prevent reoccurences. Medication errors should only be treated as criminal offenses when they are done intentionally to cause harm. If a medication error does occur, it is the lesson learned from it that supplies the only value. Medication safety is everyone’s business.
by Jim Owen and Scott Meyers
January 2nd through the 9th of 2013 could see the most prolific session of any Illinois General Assembly in history. Those days will be the final days of the 97th Illinois General Assembly and would normally be referred to as the “Lame Duck” session.
A “lame duck” legislator is one that has less political power, is less inclined to work with other legislators and has the privilege of not facing the consequences of their actions. But according to sources around Springfield, only the last part of that statement could be true during the final days of the 97th Illinois General Assembly!
With Illinois now rated lower than most foreign countries and every other State in the nation by all credit rating agencies, there is a need for dramatic action to be taken in the final days of the 97th General Assembly. And who better to look to, seek leadership from and eventually blame everything on than Illinois’ own lame ducks! Illinois’ pension problem looms large with respect to our financial standing. A twice vetoed gaming bill that could somewhat increase State revenue will also certainly get a look or two. As a result of a very recent Supreme Court decision, Illinois will once again have to address a concealed carry law.
The good news is that none of these issues deal with pharmacy! Does that mean we’re safe and can take the first week plus of 2013 off? Absolutely not! Last year the SMART Act reduced the cost of Medicaid to the State by a projected (but we’re guessing inflated) $1.6 billion! It came about in the last few days of the spring session with no fanfare or even much of a heads-up. We’ll be watching these 8 days to make sure that we see the train coming and can hopefully get pharmacy off the tracks. Again, the operative word is hopefully because even with the clout of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and the help of IPhA, the pharmacy profession has limited power in the Capitol. (See SMART Act, for example!)
This year’s lame duck session may get a little derailed by the tragedy in Newtown, CT and focus more on gun control and the proposed concealed carry issues. Unfortunately, any existing legislation in any State would not have prevented the event in Newtown and some of the other incidents like it in 2012. The fiscal deficit in Illinois will certainly be a flash point, and because the State pays a lot for health care of its poorest and its own employees, there is still a significant chance that pharmacy and hospital reimbursement will take another hit from a group that will largely be held unaccountable.
Your personal relationship with your State legislators, your membership in a State pharmacy organization like ICHP, your support of ICHP’s Pharmacy Action Fund, and your diligence in keeping informed on all the issues facing Illinois government are the only safeguards you and the pharmacy profession have to prevent the actions that could forever change the practice of pharmacy. We appreciate each member’s support of ICHP’s advocacy efforts and we encourage every member to take one more step in 2013 than you did in 2012 to advance that advocacy. If you haven’t got a relationship with your legislators, start working on it – especially if they are new members of the General Assembly (no bad habits yet!). If you haven’t contributed to the ICHP Pharmacy Action before, think about sending a check. If you have never attended the ICHP/IPhA Under the Dome Legislative Day before, put it on your calendar and then make sure you attend on March 13th!
Pharmacy is not the biggest fish in this pond and not the loudest voice in Springfield, but the legislators know us and they listen when we mobilize the troops. It’s up to each and every one of us to make sure our voices are heard and our practice is advanced for the sake of our patients and their constituents.
Let’s see if the lame ducks act like lame ducks or fly like eagles during the last days of the 97th General Assembly and the first days of 2013!
by Yana Labinov, PharmD; Robert DiDomenico, PharmD; Larisa Cavallari, PharmD, BCPS
While in use for over 60 years, warfarin remains a challenging drug to manage, mostly because of its narrow therapeutic index and the significant inter-patient variability in warfarin dose requirements. Failure to achieve and maintain optimal anticoagulation is associated with an increased risk of stroke, hospitalization, and even death.1-3 In the last decade, genetic variations in the genes encoding for cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9), which metabolizes the more potent-enantiomer of warfarin, and vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKORC1), the target site of warfarin, have been shown to significantly influence warfarin dose requirements and play a major role in the inter-patient variability in warfarin response.4,5
In recognition of the significant effect of genotype on warfarin response, a dosing table stratified by genotype was added to the FDA-approved warfarin labeling (Table 1), and several warfarin pharmacogenetic algorithms, that include both genotype and clinical factors, have been developed to assist with warfarin dosing.6-8 Additionally, the National Institute of Health-supported Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) recently published guidelines that strongly recommend warfarin dosing based on CYP2C9 and VKORC1 genotypes when genetic information is available.9 Improved individualized warfarin dosing based on appropriate assessment of genetic information may lead to faster achievement of therapeutic anticoagulation, thus reducing the risks and costs associated with sub- and supra-therapeutic anticoagulation during the warfarin initiation period, when risk for thrombosis and bleeding are highest.
Table 1. Three Ranges of Expected Maintenance Warfarin Daily Doses Based on CYP2C9 and VKORC1 Genotypes6
Recently, CYP2C9 and VKORC1 genotyping became routine for guiding warfarin dosing at the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System (UI Health), a 483-bed tertiary care teaching institution serving predominantly African American and Hispanic patient populations. The newly formed Warfarin Genetic Service functions as a consult service provided by pharmacists and physicians experienced in warfarin pharmacogenetics and anticoagulation. The collaborating team consists of an attending physician, physician fellow, clinical pharmacist, and a post-doctoral pharmacy resident or fellow. All warfarin-naïve patients started on warfarin during hospitalization have CYP2C9 and VKORC1 genotyping performed, and the Warfarin Genetic Service provides dosing recommendations to the clinicians caring for these patients for the duration of hospitalization. The cost of the genotyping is a potential barrier as it is not covered by some third party payers. However, this may change pending the outcome of on-going clinical trials.
As experts in pharmacotherapy, pharmacists are in a unique position to take a leading role in the clinical implementation of pharmacogenetics. However, a barrier to pharmacists playing a major role in clinical pharmacogenetics is that many pharmacy and medical schools incorporate little on the topics of genetics and genomics into their curriculum, and very few offer practical experiences in the area. Thus, while pharmacists are ideal experts for managing genotype-guided pharmacotherapy, graduating pharmacists may lack the knowledge and experience to do so. Although pharmacy curricula typically lack content related to genotyped-guided warfarin dosing, there is an abundance of data from which pharmacists may educate themselves on incorporating pharmacogenomics into the management of warfarin, including the CPIC guidelines referenced above.9
At UI Health, the Warfarin Genetic Service is providing pharmacy students and residents an opportunity to develop their knowledge and gain clinical experience incorporating pharmacogenetics into practice. The Warfarin Genetic Service serves as an experiential rotation for both pharmacy students and residents, exposing them to the clinical application of pharmacogenomics early in their clinical training. In this way, the Warfarin Genetic Service may help overcome the aforementioned barriers and promote the role of pharmacists in implementation and management of pharmacogenetics at other practice sites.
In the era of personalized therapy, pharmacists should be well prepared to take on active roles and take advantage of clinical opportunities. Ultimately, preparing pharmacists to manage genotype-guided warfarin therapy could lead to safer and more effective warfarin use.
References:
by McKenzie C. Ferguson, Pharm.D., BCPS Assistant Professor, Pharmacy Practice Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Looking for ways to get more out of your smartphone? If you are like me, you probably have a smartphone with lots of apps, but maybe they are not all that great for helping you be more efficient and helpful with your pharmacy services. So I find myself asking daily… “Is there an app for that to make my life more efficient and a little easier?” This article is not necessarily going to cover the basics, like apps for drug information or clinical calculators. By now, you have probably given that consideration. Instead, this will focus on ten additional apps that might be useful to a health-system practitioner.
AHRQ ePSS (2.3 MB)
This free app is designed and developed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. It can be used to identify screening, counseling and preventative medication services for patients based on the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (UAPSTF) recommendations. Patient-specific information such as age, gender, smoking/pregnancy status and sexual activity are prompts for specific recommendations. Other useful features include tools that link to PDF screening assessments and patient-friendly information that can be shared. It also has a feature that allows the user to browse recommendations for certain disease states. For example, screening for Hepatitis B at the first prenatal visit is a Grade A recommendation from 2009 USPSTF recommendations. This app is available on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Android and other mobile platforms.
CHEST (2.7 MB)
The CHEST app is a free download that links to current and previous issues of CHEST in abstract format. Select portions of the CHEST guidelines are also provided with a link to full-text in PDF. However, full-text access is not available for all articles unless the user has a subscription. Podcasts are also available with this app. This app is available only on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
ClinicalTrials (1.1 MB)
This free app accesses the National Library of Medicine database clinicaltrials.gov so that you can search for clinical trials worldwide. Details about the trials are provided including estimated enrollment, phase of the study, study design, purpose and eligibility. For example, if you search rivaroxaban, more than 30 observational and interventional results appear ranging from phase I to phase IV studies. This app is available only on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Critical Care ACLS Guide (39.3 MB)
This app, which costs $5.99, provides information for critical care situations including ACLS, suspected stroke, pediatric emergencies, and other medical emergencies. Emergency medications are also included with links to indications, contraindications, dosing, etc. Graphics are also provided (e.g., EKG interpretations). It is produced by Informed Publishing. This app is available on iPhone, iPad iPod touch, and Android.
LactMed@NIH (2.0 MB)
LactMed@NIH is a free database published by the National Library of Medicine that links to information regarding the use of drugs and dietary supplements during lactation. This app provides well-referenced information supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics and includes a summary of use, drug levels, effects in infants, effects on lactation, alternative drugs and drug class information. For example, a search of pseudoephedrine produces results that show it can cause irritability in breastfed infants and also decrease milk production in the mother. This app is available on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Android.
MediBabble (53.4 MB)
MediBabble is a free app that offers language translation services. Users are able to select and download commonly encountered languages (e.g., Spanish, Chinese, Mandarin, Russian, French, and German, among others). All questions are structured to elicit a yes/no or numerical response. There is a focused set of questions for introductions/explanations, chief complaint, history of present illness, past medical history, medications and allergies, family & social history, review of symptoms, among others. The app translates audible information or has the option for text only which can be used for hearing impaired patients. Once the app and chosen languages are downloaded, it can be used without an Internet connection. This app is available only on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Medscape (6.1 MB)
This free app now has a feature for drug formulary information which includes information from insurance plans all over the United States. It can be customized to the most common plans you encounter in your area so that outpatient recommendations can be made and tailored to your patients’ insurance plans. There are many other features included with this app including a drug reference, interaction checker, medical calculator, and medical news. This app is available on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Android and Kindle Fire.
RxShortages (4.6 MB)
RxShortages is a free app to stay up-to-date with the latest drug shortages. Information is based on lists generated from ASHP and the FDA. It offers the ability to search the latest drug shortages as well as resolved shortages and also allows users to report a shortage to ASHP or the FDA. This app is available on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Android.
Sanford Guide (3.2 MB)
The Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy is available as an app. But, it’s not free! A 12-month subscription can be purchased for $29.99 (Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy) or $9.99 (Guide to Hepatitis Diagnosis and Treatment). The Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy is organized by clinical syndromes, pathogens, prevention, tools/tables, and drug information. This app is available on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Android (as of mid-summer 2012).
Theheart.org (0.8 MB)
This free app is a great way to keep current with the latest cardiology literature and news. It links to landmark trials and provides background, results and commentary without access to full-text. The cons are that although you can save news articles, studies cannot be saved as a favorite. This app is available only on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.ICHP President-Elect | Michael Fotis |
ICHP Treasurer-Elect | Ginger Ertel |
ICHP Secretary-Elect | Carol Heunisch |
Director-Elect, Government Affairs | Edward Rickert |
Director-Elect, Organizational Affairs | Kathy Komperda |
Director-Elect, Professional Affairs | Desi Kotis |
Regional Director-Elect, Northern | Kathryn Schultz |
NPN Chair-Elect | Diana Isaacs |
Regional Director-Elect, Central | Jennifer Arnoldi |
Regional Director-Elect, Southern | Brian Thompson |
By-Laws Change | Approve |
Thank you to all who ran for these important positions!
by Tyler Davis, PS-3, SSHP Vice President; Joshua Grant, PS-3, SSHP Treasurer Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy
Tyler Davis
I had the opportunity to attend the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting (MCM) this year. As a student who is seriously considering pursuing a residency, I found the experience to be immensely beneficial. I began the meeting with the Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists (SSHP) Leadership Workshop where my fellow officers and I came away with some wonderful ideas to implement at our SSHP chapter to grow and strengthen it.
I also attended the session entitled Residency Training Primer; Residency Training 101: Should I Do a Residency? This session included information on how to decide if a residency is right for students. Dr. David Warner delivered an amazing presentation that provided insight and helped cement my desire to pursue a residency. He discussed the residency matching statistics including the number of students who apply versus those who get matched for a residency. He also commented on the initiatives for pursuing more residency positions.
As part of the SSHP executive board, we also had the opportunity to present at the student society showcase and see what other student societies are doing. This provided us with ideas of how to develop our own chapter’s activities. I also attended the student poster session. It was extremely helpful to walk through and see what types of projects students had performed and talk to the students about their projects.
The residency showcase was by far the event that was of most value to me. While the event is much more pertinent for fourth-year professional pharmacy students, as a third year student it was still very beneficial to walk through the showcase and see how the whole event works. I had the opportunity to speak with a few program coordinators and residents and this helped put me at ease for next year when I attend again. I now know the flow of the student events at MCM and will be better able to utilize this knowledge next year when I attend the showcase as a fourth-year professional pharmacy student.
Joshua Grant
The first few days of December were fantastic because I had the opportunity to attend the ASHP Midyear Meeting as an SSHP student leader. I was able to learn what other chapters are doing and get many great ideas for our Roosevelt University SSHP chapter. Our student society executive board was able to network with many other chapter leaders. As a new SSHP chapter, the meeting gave us valuable insight for our student society’s future direction.
I also attended a lecture on residencies, where the audience learned about what a residency actually is and how pharmacy, as a whole, is progressing toward residencies being mandated instead of being elective for direct patient care clinical pharmacy careers. This was very interesting and really helped me make a decision on whether or not residency is the right choice for me.
Our executive board also had the opportunity to present a student poster on what our chapter has done in the past year. Our focus was the Poison Control Education Initiative, a program we implemented in order to increase poison control awareness. The following day, we attended a student poster session that highlighted different research projects that students are working on. It was very beneficial for me to learn what types of research opportunities are available. It helped me develop an idea in my mind for future research that I might be interested in.
We also attended the residency showcase. As someone who is very interested in residencies and what they have to offer, I learned so much. I walked around to the different residency booths and listened to what they were talking about with prospective residents. As a third year professional pharmacy student, I did not have the opportunity to speak with many of these residencies because this showcase is intended mainly for fourth year students. I did, however, learn about the process of the residency showcase and how to approach different residencies in order to learn more about them. When I attend this meeting next year, I will be so much more prepared because of the experiences I had at this year’s Midyear Meeting.
by Joanna Kasper, P-2, SSHP Student President; Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science College of Pharmacy (RFUMS-COP)
The mission of the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science College of Pharmacy (RFUMS-COP) includes serving the nation through excellence in pharmacy practice with a commitment to patient-centered inter-professional care. For the second consecutive year, the College of Pharmacy collaborated with the Rosalind Franklin University Health System (RFUHS) and the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine to provide mandatory influenza vaccinations to second and third year podiatric medical students. As part of their pharmacy skills lab education, all first year pharmacy students (P-1s) at Rosalind Franklin University receive APhA Pharmacy-Based Immunization training. Dr. Frank Hughes, Associate Professor and Director of Pharmacy Skills Education at RFUMS-COP, says “training pharmacy students early in their education allows them to be more engaged in their introductory pharmacy practice experiences.” To help reduce the burden on the University Health System, our first year pharmacy students gladly immunized their fellow students in the podiatric medicine program in an effort to help prevent the spread of influenza. “This was an inter-professional opportunity that allowed pharmacy students to use their newly learned immunization skills,” said Kevin Rynn, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs.
The inaugural pharmacy class initiated this service during last year’s influenza season and was proud to hand off the opportunity to the underclassmen. Thanks to our P-1 students building on last year’s program, the vaccination clinic was an even greater success this season. Dr. Lauren Angelo, Associate Professor and Director of Community Pharmacy IPPE and P-1 student Jazyle Boyd worked with volunteer faculty and students from the College of Pharmacy, the College of Podiatric Medicine, and the RFUHS. Jayzle stated, “this was a successful event that I hope at some point can be expanded to include vaccinations to the whole university.” Pharmacy faculty directly supervised the clinic which resulted in 143 student vaccinations the previous season and 141 this year out of 150 eligible to receive the immunization each year. Those surveyed about their experience indicated that they were extremely satisfied. Podiatry students commented on the convenience of the immunization clinic. They also noted that including pharmacy on the healthcare team at the immunization clinic makes perfect sense and gives them a strong appreciation for their pharmacy colleagues. This immunization program is an inter-professional success story that will remain at Rosalind Franklin University for years to come.
Picture 1: Drs. Frank Hughes and Lauren Angelo work with P-1 student Arminder Bratch to prepare for their next patient
Picture 2: P-1 student Nicole Sarpa concentrates on the task at hand, vaccinating a fellow podiatry student in the immunization clinic
Picture 3: Dr Sean Kane takes time to interact with his P-1 students Brian Bogdanowicz and Zain Abdullah
by Kelly Morton, PS-4, ICHP Member Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy
As environmentally conscious practices become increasingly popular, the concern for pharmaceutical waste has also grown. There are many sources for potential drug waste including products that have expired, drugs that are no longer needed, or those that are contaminated or damaged. Minimizing pharmaceutical waste benefits the environment and may also provide cost savings.
As part of my APPE hospital rotation, I was able to work on a project that involved tracking inventory of medication waste for 30 days. Any expired or unwanted patient-specific medications were sent down to the pharmacy for disposal on a daily basis. I was responsible for documenting the items that were discarded, with the ultimate goal of developing strategies to limit waste. It was surprising to see how much waste occurred each day. The pharmacy staff discussed their concerns with me about the time and money lost preparing IV medications that were never used. Also, minimizing waste can help to prevent further depletion of medications that are already in short supply.
Some immediate issues that were identified through this project include waste associated with missing medications, which can result in duplicate orders and incorrect floor stock inventories. Pharmacists and technicians have the opportunity to help educate the hospital staff in these areas. In addition, making sure the stock is arranged in a way where the oldest items are being used first will help to prevent medications from reaching expiration. Just as pharmacists are available to assist with the appropriate use of medications, we can also be utilized as a resource to help educate on the proper handling and disposal of medication waste.
During the last week of my rotation, I was invited to attend a seminar on pharmaceutical waste management. This provided me with a better insight on the cost and regulation of waste disposal. In order to keep up with the legal requirements that are becoming increasingly more stringent, I learned that many hospitals are choosing to contract with outside waste management companies. The cost of disposal is usually determined by the total amount (in pounds) of all hazardous waste generated in one month. Consequently, it is in an institution’s best interest to minimize waste. Although there is some investment needed up front for establishing policies and training staff, it can provide cost savings in the long run.
The first step in implementing a better workflow for medication waste is to examine how the current process is being handled. The data collection from my project provided a way to help identify areas that necessitate change. Finding strategies to minimize pharmaceutical waste will continue to be a growing concern for hospital pharmacies as the pressure to follow legal regulations and cut costs increases.
by Joseph Truong, P3, Outreach Coordinator UIC College of Pharmacy – Rockford Campus
As most students and professionals know, networking is one of the most critical aspects of creating and sustaining a successful career. Personal and professional connections can be the deciding factor in determining practice setting, specialization, organizational involvement, and countless other factors for an individual. Words of wisdom, a clinical pearl, or a simple handshake could make a drastic difference in shaping a career path. Ultimately, it may not come down to who you know but rather who knows you. With the pharmacy market becoming increasingly competitive, creating relationships with others in the field is as important as ever.
ICHP Executive Vice President Scott Meyers and UIC-Rockford Vice Dean of Pharmacy Dr. David Bartels kicking off the social with a quick introduction
For this reason, the ICHP Rockford student chapter decided to plan and host their first pharmacist and student social this semester. The goal of this event was to create an environment where UIC pharmacy students could meet and network with pharmacists from around the Rockford area. The event would provide students an opportunity to mingle with local pharmacists, all the while seeking helpful advice that they will be able to carry with them on their future career paths.
After months of planning and anticipation, the mixer was held on Tuesday, November 27th, at the UIC Health Sciences Campus in Rockford. Over 65 students and 25 pharmacists attended the event, with four of the students commuting from the Chicago campus. Pharmacists in attendance came from Rockford Memorial Hospital, Swedish American Hospital, OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center, Lehan Drugs, Kishwaukee Community Hospital, Crusader Community Health, ICHP, and various other practice sites from the surrounding region.
Students and faculty were grateful to have this opportunity to meet and catch up with local Rockford pharmacists and to showcase their newly constructed facility. Feedback from students and faculty regarding the event has been overwhelmingly positive and we hope to make this a tradition here at the Rockford campus for years to come. We are most appreciative for all of the pharmacists who volunteered their time to attend. Your experience and insight makes a huge difference to us as students and without your attendance this event would not have been the success that it was. We hope that you had an enjoyable time as well and will consider sharing a drink and a story with us again next year.
Students and pharmacists mingling during the event
UIC ICHP Student officers from both the Chicago and Rockford campus in attendance at the mixer
TOM WESTERKAMP | President | 224-948-1528 | tom_westerkamp@baxter.com |
CHRIS RIVERS | Immediate Past President | 708-202-7240 | criversrx@gmail.com |
MIKE FOTIS | President-Elect | michael.fotis@northwestern.edu | |
MIKE WEAVER | Treasurer | 815-599-6113 | mweaver@fhn.org |
KATHY KOMPERDA | Secretary | 630-515-6168 | kkompe@midwestern.edu |
TRAVIS HUNERDOSSE | Director, Educational Affairs | 312-926-6124 | THunerdo@nmh.org |
EDWARD RICKERT | Director, Government Affairs | 618-402-7416 | erickert@kdlegal.com |
JENNIFER ELLISON | Director, Marketing Affairs | Jennifer.C.Ellison@osfhealthcare.org | |
JENNIFER PHILLIPS | Director, Professional Affairs; Assistant Editor, KeePosted | 630-515-7167 | jphillips@midwestern.edu |
LINDA FRED | Director, Organizational Affairs | 217-383-3253 | linda.fred@carle.com |
ANN JANKIEWICZ | Chairman, House of Delegates | 312-942-5706 | ann_m_jankiewicz@rush.edu |
ELIZABETH ENGEBRETSON | Technician Representative | 815-756-1521 x 153346 | EEngebretson@northshore.org |
DAVID TJHIO | Chairman, Committee on Technology | 816-885-4649 | david.tjhio@cerner.com |
JENNIFER ARNOLDI | Chairman, New Practitioners Network | |
JeArnol@gmail.com |
JACOB GETTIG | Editor & Chairman, KeePosted Committee | 630-515-7324 fax: 630-515-6958 | jgetti@midwestern.edu |
DESI KOTIS | Regional Director North | 312-926-6961 | dkotis@nmh.org |
MARK LUER | Regional Director South | mluer@siue.edu | |
SCOTT BERGMAN | Regional Director Central | scbergm@siue.edu | |
MARC MCDOWELL | President, Student Chapter, University of IL C.O.P. | marc.mcdow@gmail.com | |
ALEXANDRA HABANEK | Student Representative, University of IL C.O.P. | ahaban2@uic.edu | |
CHRIS RADUNZ | President, Rockford Student Chapter, University of IL C.O.P. | radunz@uic.edu | |
AYUMI ODA | President, Student Chapter Midwestern University C.O.P. | ayumi.oda@mwumail.midwestern.edu | |
BRANDON ORAWIEC | President, Student Chapter, Chicago State University C.O.P. | borawiec@csu.edu | |
KRISTINE MAN LIMOS | Student Representative, Chicago State University C.O.P | KmanLimo@csu.edu | |
KELCEY CORRELL | President, Student Chapter, Southern Illinois University S.O.P | kelceycorrell@gmail.com | |
ANTHONY ALBIANI | President, Student Chapter, Roosevelt University C.O.P. | aalbiani@mail.roosevelt.edu | |
JOANNA KASPER | President, Student Chapter, Rosalind Franklin University C.O.P. | joanna.kasper@my.rfums.org | |
SCOTT MEYERS | Executive Vice President, ICHP Office | 815-227-9292 | scottm@ichpnet.org |
ICHP AFFILIATES
JENNIFER PHILLIPS | President, Northern IL Society (NISHP) | 630-515-7167 | jphillips@midwestern.edu |
JULIA SCHIMMELPFENNIG | President, Metro East Society (MESHP) | jschimmelpfen@sebh.org | |
MEGAN METZKE | President, Sangamiss Society | memiller8@yahoo.com | |
ED RAINVILLE | President, West Central Society (WSHP) | 309-655-7331x | ed.c.rainville@osfhealthcare.org |
Vacant Roles at Affiliates —
President, Rock Valley Society; Southern IL Society; Sugar Creek Society
New Members | Recruiter |
---|---|
Jaimie Bhagat | |
Dev Surati | |
Whitney Maher | Michaela Doss |
Suzann Witt | Jason Morell |
James Lee | |
Holly Edwards | Tyler Davis |
Gregory West | David Lamb |
Julie Kasap | Melissa Mays |
Thomas Bochula | Tyler Davis |
Lara Milekovic | Tyler Davis |
Stefanie George | Tyler Davis |
Leakena Sou | Tyler Davis |
Nathan Fowler | Tyler Davis |
Rachel Butzen | Tyler Davis |
Ricky Reyes | Tyler Davis |
Gabriela Sadowicz | Tyler Davis |
Krista Foley | Tyler Davis |
Yasser Rasheed | Tyler Davis |
Biljana Stojsavljevic | Tyler Davis |
Agnieszka Wasilik | Tyler Davis |
Safa Salamah | Tyler Davis |
Pinky Choksi | Tyler Davis |
Mary Georgi | Tyler Davis |
ICHP PHARMACY ACTION FUND (PAC) Contributors
Contributions listed consist of donations from the past 12 months.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY GUILD - $1000 & More
Dan Ciarrachi
Kevin Colgan
Edward Donnelly
Andrew Donnelly
Dave Hicks
ICHP
James Owen Consulting Inc.
Frank Kokaisl
Scott Meyers
Michael Novario
Michael Rajski
Edward Rickert
Michael Short
Carrie Sincak
Avery Spunt
Michael Weaver
Patricia Wegner
Thomas Westerkamp
SPRINGFIELD SOCIETY - $500-$999
Jered Bauer
Scott Bergman
Ginger Ertel
Kenneth Foerster
Linda Fred
Ann Jankiewicz
Jan Keresztes
Kathy Komperda
Leonard Kosiba
Despina Kotis
Richard Lewis
Huzefa Master
John & Joycelyn McCann
William McEvoy
Anna Nowobilski-Vasilios
Christina Rivers
Miriam Smith-Mobley
JoAnn Stubbings
Cathy Weaver
Paul Zega
CAPITOL CLUB - $250-$499
Sheila Allen
Margaret Allen
Peggy Bickham
Jaime Borkowski
Timothy Candy
Rauf Dalal
Drury Lane Theater
Sandra Durley
Starlin Haydon-Greatting
George MacKinnon
Janette Mark
Heather Minger
Jennifer Phillips
Edward Rainville
Jennifer Rogers
Justin Schneider
Kathryn Schultz
Heidi Sunday
Jill Warszalek
Alan Weinstein
LINCOLN LEAGUE - $100-$249
Tom Allen
Anonomyus
Jen Arnoldi
Jerry Bauman
Jill Borchert
Se Choi
Scott Drabant
Nancy Fjortoft
Nora Flint
Michael Fotis
Jacob Gettig
Gireesh Gupchup
Joann Haley
Joan Hardman
Travis Hunerdosse
James Jansen
Vern Johnson
Zahra Khudeira
Mary Lee
John LeGrand
Kristopher Leja
Phyllis Lulinski
George Lyons
Gloria Meredith
MWU COP Student Chapter
Peggy Reed
Katie Ronald
Rochelle Rubin
Don Shadensack
Kristi Stice
GRASSROOTS GANG - $50-$99
Sean Chantraparout
Jordan Cohen
Mark Deaton
Rhonda DePasquale
John Esterly
Lois Honan
Charlene Hope
Diana Isaacs
Gerald Jablonski
Kim Janicek
Dwaine Keller
Colleen Kielch
Kati Kwasiborski
Kim Lim
Mark Luer
Scott Metzger
Shannon Pace
Douglas Shafer
Barbara Smith
Lucas Stoller
Carrie Vogler
Marie Williams
CONTRIBUTOR - $1-$49
Daniel Abazia
Nitika Agarwal
Pat Bagnara
Brett Barker
Elvira Becker
Kathy Brandon
Amanda Bryant
Christina Corcoran
Maricar Curry
Colleen Czerniak
Gabrielle Daniels
Agnes Dominic
Judy Douglas
Jeanne Durley
Kathy Eakright
Karen Eckhart
Lisa Edmond
Lara Ellinger
Jennifer Ellison
Brooke Griffin
Milena Griffith
Susan Hamilton
Eva Hurth
Richard Januszyk
George Jossel
Alex Lomahan
Bella Maningat
Sarah Matias
Ann Marie McDermott
Lindsay McNeely
Virginia Nash
Karen Nordstrom
Walter Ogle
Gopi Patel
Dina Porro
Jeremy Raschke
Jolee Rosenkranz
Jeri Rothman
Mark Ruscin
Ann Ryan
Kim Scarsi
Allison Schriever
Wade Seggerman
Jennifer Splawski
Brandi Strader
Kodanda Uppuluri
Ellen Voelker
Shari Weyland
Laura Woskobnick