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 images used in the Pharmacy Tech Topics advertisement and the Family Night at the Ballpark advertisement are the property of © 2013 Thinkstock, a division of Getty Images.

Features

History of Organized Hospital Pharmacy in Illinois: Organizational Relationships

Editor’s Note: Last month’s Keep Posted brought readers through the history of organized hospital pharmacy in Illinois through 1968. In this issue, ICHP Historian Sister Mary Louise Degenhart reviews the organizational relationships formed among ICHP, the Illinois Hospital Association, and the Illinois Pharmaceutical Association. Stay tuned next month for the next installment!

ICHP, IHA, and IPhA

In late 1967 and all of 1968, the minutes of the Illinois Council of Hospital Pharmacists primarily center on relationships with the Illinois Hospital Association and the Illinois Pharmaceutical Association. At a special meeting of the Executive Committees of NISHP and SISHP, the members recommended the following actions with:

1. IHA: a. Convey conviction to IHA that a strong liaison with IHA is important; the interaction of the two organizations professionally in the past was appreciated and hoped to increase such action.

b. ICHP appoint a liaison to IHA.

c. Decline the $500.00 publication grant in the future.

2. IPhA: a. Recommend a bylaws amendment to IPhA’s Constitution and Bylaws, “that the member appointed by the ICHP to the IPhA be a voting member.”

b. IPhA would underwrite distribution of the Illinois Hospital Pharmacist pursuant to development of guidelines by ICHP for administrative control of the publication.

c. IPhA was asked to assign to the ICHP the franchise for convention displays, with the Council undertaking a thorough study of ramifications involved in assuming total responsibility for convention displays.

d. IPhA was requested not to go outside the state for an IPhA Convention. The Council would actively support its seminar program through its own advertisement.

e. Hospital pharmacists be considered for appointments to IPhA committees. That a hospital pharmacist endorsed by ICHP be the next Board of Pharmacy appointee. That two names be placed on the ballot for each position to be filled.

On May 3, 1968, John H. Lewis, Secretary of NISHP, wrote to Sister Mary Matthew, Secretary of ICHP concerning this same issue of relationships. Mr. Lewis stated that, “It has become apparent that the IPhA does not represent the entire voice of pharmacy in the state of Illinois…As hospital pharmacists we have recognized this deficiency and have tried in numerous ways to unify hospital pharmacy and the IPhA by participation at the policy-making level…If (this issue is) not resolved soon, the hospital pharmacists of the NISHP must recommend to the ICHP that they take proceedings to sever affiliation with the IPhA.” A prepared document titled “ICHP-IPhA Relationship” was reviewed and, after much discussion, was accepted on September 13, 1968. Topically the document dealt with the Illinois Hospital Pharmacist, services, Annual Meeting, special meetings, headquarters, and liaison.

Other Activities

The treasury as of June 1, 1968, had $619.92 in checking, $1,697.30 in savings, with a balance on hand of $2,317.22. Illinois hospital pharmacists were into the political arena on the national level having presented a resolution to the ASHP House of Delegates. The resolution was intended to allow a hospital pharmacist to join ASHP without the required membership in APhA. Two other state-affiliated chapters presented similar resolutions and all three withdrew their respective resolutions, “when assured that ASHP and APhA were in communication to arbitrate these differences.”

Minutes during 1968 reflect that “efforts to form new ASHP-affiliated chapters within the state of Illinois are continuing.” Another interesting vote during 1968 was “to accept Mr. David Blumenfeld as legal counsel for the ICHP and to establish him as an ex-officio member of the Council…To reimburse Mr. Blumenfeld in the amount of $15.00 for travel outside of Chicago incurred on behalf of ICHP.” Selection of delegates to the ASHP House of Delegates was always an item of importance for the Council. The minutes of September 13, 1968, state, “Voted: to amend the rules and regulations of the Council relating to election of delegates to the ASHP House of Delegates. The ‘call for nominations’ shall be a function of the Council. In lieu of this appearing in the September issue of the Illinois Hospital Pharmacist, the secretary will send a letter of call to all active members of ASHP residing in Illinois.”

- Sister Mary Louise Degenhart

ICHP Historian

Meet Julie Cho

by Julie Cho, P-2, University of Illinois at Rockord, ICHP Student Intern

Hello. My name is Julie Cho and I am the new summer student pharmacist intern at the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists headquarters in Loves Park, IL. I grew up on the south side of Chicago in an area called Bridgeport. I am part of the first generation from my family to be born in the United States. I am the middle child and I have an older sister and a younger brother. I enjoy running and watching television and movies. I also enjoy traveling and hope to travel the world one day. I went to high school in downtown Chicago at Jones College Prep and graduated in 2008 and received my Bachelor of Science degree in both biology and psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2012.

My first two summers during college I was a recreation leader at the Chicago Park District. I was able to lead a group of kids ranging from 6-14 years old. I always loved working with kids and this summer job helped me earn some money while doing something I really enjoyed. After that I worked at the UIC Pavilion throughout my college career. I was an usher and a receptionist at the arena. At the UIC Pavilion I was able to experience many types of events such as concerts, basketball games, roller derby, boxing, and many more. I always knew pharmacy school would be the next step in my career and after being accepted into UIC’s College of Pharmacy on the Rockford campus I was ecstatic.

After being accepted into the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy-Rockford campus, I was excited and scared about moving away from my family and friends. I moved to Rockford in the middle of August 2012. Once I got there it did not take long to get adjusted. My new housemate and classmates were very welcoming. My first year of pharmacy school passed by quickly; before I knew it I was done with my first year. I was able to meet great faculty and make new friends. I can now officially say I am a P-2.

After my first year of pharmacy school, I was lucky enough to become the summer intern at ICHP this year. I am working on the ICHP Health-System Pharmacy Response Network (HSPRN) for Emergencies. On this project I will update the ICHP HSPRN key contact list. After I have finished updating the health-system pharmacies information, I will work on a practice emergency drill. The drill will ask for the pharmacy to respond with the quantity of a specific medication. The medication name, strength, and dosage form will be provided in a request form sent to both primary and secondary contacts via fax or email. The results from the drill will be analyzed focusing on response time, effort, and areas for improvement.

I am excited to work on the project and continue to make improvements for next year. The weeks here are flying by quickly and before I know it my ten weeks will be over. However, I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with everyone in the office. Scott, Trish, Jan, Maggie, Heidi, Jo, and Amanda are all super kind and friendly making a wonderful work environment.

Columns

President's Message
Can We Change Course?

by Tom Westerkamp, ICHP President

I recently was invited to attend the college graduation of a family member from a prestigious military academy out east. While there, the family walked around the beautiful, historic campus and met several high-ranking officials. All were cordial and smiling on graduation day, but it was obvious these career military instructors were all about organization, respect for the chain of command and following orders. These are exactly the type of character traits one would like to see in our military leaders in charge of firing powerful weapons. But I don’t think anyone would describe these instructors as easy-going, laid-back or fun-loving.

It reminded me of a story I read about a highly decorated, well-seasoned captain commanding a large ship years ago in a storm at night. The captain spotted a strange light rapidly closing in. As his vessel plowed through the waves, the light rose and fell above the horizon. He ordered his signalman to flash a message to the unidentified craft ahead: “Alter your course ten degrees to the south.” Within seconds a reply came back: “Alter your course 10 degrees to the north.” Determined that his ship would never take a backseat to any other, the captain snapped a second order: “Alter your course 10 degrees; I am the Captain.” The quick response back was: “Alter your course 10 degrees; I am Seaman Third Class Smith.” The light was getting brighter and closer. The captain became enraged and signaled: “Alter your course; I am a battleship.” The quick reply back was: “Alter YOUR course; I am a lighthouse.”¹

This is a humorous story, but do you know anyone at work that acts like the battleship captain – someone with many years of experience who is used to having things go his or her way? Do you know individuals who may not solicit input on important decisions but simply collect data, analyze, make unilateral decisions and expect those decisions to be implemented without question…in other words, managers with “attitude”? Or is it possible this characterization describes us?

Do we or someone we know ever make knee-jerk decisions about a new way of doing things, of solving a problem on a patient care unit or with Nursing Administration, without seeking guidance or input from other staff members? Are we so entrenched with some dosing regimen or treatment protocol that we are closed-minded to a different therapeutic approach? Of course there are times when a quick decision must be made, but often procedural changes are not time-sensitive, and a calm discussion with several individuals with multiple points-of-view can provide a more sustainable decision – one that will have a better chance of working out and benefitting multiple parties involved.

So as we head off to home, school or our place of employment, remember that every day there are multiple opportunities to interact with others, and make decisions. We all get a chance to act like either the enlisted man, or the decorated captain with attitude. So here is a question we can ask ourselves:

Are we able to be flexible and change course when we need to, or are we a lighthouse?

Thanks for caring.

Reference

1. God’s Little Devotional Book. Honor Books, Inc. Tulsa OK. 1995; p.143.

Directly Speaking
It's Time to Trade Shoes

by Scott A. Meyers, Executive Vice President

We’ve all heard the quote, “Before you judge someone, walk a mile in their shoes”, or at least something very close to that. My searches on the internet did not yield any definitive answers other than the original saying was a Native American proverb about walking a mile in someone else’s moccasins. Regardless of its origin, we’ve all heard it, read it, and even probably tried or should have tried to live it once or twice. Well the shoes I’m suggesting we trade for are the shoes of the long-term care pharmacists. In May, I had the privilege to be a guest at the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) Spring Conference and Exhibition in Orlando as the current Chair of the PTCB Board of Governors. I didn’t speak nor did I meet with their Board, but I was given the opportunity to attend the meeting with a complimentary registration and spend a couple of days listening to their issues, learning about their problems and getting to know the PTCB Executive Director, Everett McAllister, better (as he was invited to participate, too!).

I came home from the meeting with several important takeaways. The first huge takeaway is that patients deserve better education than they often get from us – and I’m talking about all of us. Many times patients go home on new medications that require special administration (e.g., injections, infusions, special inhalers) or have medications that require special timing or other requirements that if not followed can nullify their effect or cause additional problems. This shouldn’t be new to any of us. But are we owning the responsibility to make sure the patients not only receive an explanation of these requirements but actually understand them, can repeat them and even demonstrate them? Or do we assume that the community pharmacy that provides the medications in question provide the important and detailed training that should accompany them? We all know what the assume-game leads to, if not just watch the early part of “The Bad News Bears” circa 1976!

Counseling patients that are headed home doesn’t sound like it has anything to do with our long-term care colleagues but in fact, when pharmacists don’t counsel and educate a patient or their caregiver appropriately, they often end up in a long-term care facility. I heard some real horror stories from patient advocates who presented. The most embarrassing was the patient’s daughter who told the advocate, “The nurse in the hospital was kind enough to take a few minutes to show me how to do the injection.” Where was the clinical pharmacist? Who provided the medications for home use and why didn’t they make sure the caregiver was ready for the challenge?

The second takeaway related to medication reconciliation. Long-term care pharmacists are faced with the same med-rec challenges that hospital pharmacists face. They often receive hand-written discharge summaries (by the nursing staff) that fail to contain all the medications the patient should take or at least have access to if needed. You know the problems you face on the inpatient side when you try to determine what a new admission is on at home. Did we get all the OTCs, herbals and supplements? What was the green pill really supposed to treat? What kind of sugar pill was it that you’ve been taking and how often do you take it? You have those questions everyday if you’re performing med-rec, and the same thing is true of the long-term care pharmacist. However, they also deal with confused patients and caregivers who assume that they should restart some of the medications they were on before their hospitalization even though they weren’t getting them in the hospital and they don’t appear on the discharge summary. Maybe it’s time to look at your discharge system and see if the medication summary can’t be improved.

Hospitals are now being paid for performance and penalized for readmissions too soon. Our colleagues in the long-term care field can have a dramatic impact on readmission if we develop a stronger relationship with them. And when they do send someone back to the hospital from a rehab or nursing home facility, they can ease our workload by communicating an accurate medication history. I really think we need to build new relationships with the folks who receive more and more of our patients as the population ages.

A third takeaway is that it’s never too early to establish a Medical Power of Attorney” for yourself, your spouse, parents and other loved ones. Having the medical power of attorney in place protects you and your family members from unnecessary stress and expense. Hopefully you’ll never have to exercise that power of attorney but chances are very good that eventually you will. Having it in place makes care much easier. So maybe these shoes don’t belong to the long-term care folks but rather someone you love.

Finally, the last takeaway is more of a question. I found myself asking a question again that I’ve had for many years, “Is mail-order pharmacy making it harder for good patient care?” Mail-order pharmacy saves money related to prescription drug costs for the most part, although community pharmacy even argues that, but overall, does it cost us more dollars and quality of care in the long run? By receiving medications you order online or over the telephone every three months, does that reduce the opportunities patients have to interface with their pharmacists? Mail-order providers will say no, with 24-hour a day 800 numbers, patients can speak with a pharmacist whenever they need. The problem is, will it be someone that knows them? Will it be someone the patient trusts? The pharmacist has the medication profile, but they can’t read body language or see the desperation or frustration in the patient’s eyes. A relationship between a mail-order pharmacist and mail-order patient can only grow so much. Trust can only develop so far when a patient speaks to a different pharmacist every time they call. Mail-order pharmacy quite possibly could make it harder to provide good patient care.

So what can the hospital pharmacist do to make life better for their patients when they leave the hospital? Make sure the patient or their caregiver or both, fully understand how, what and why of taking each medication to help reduce readmissions or admissions to the nursing home. If that requires establishing a medication education team, make sure it is overseen by pharmacists even if nurses are utilized. Develop iron-clad medication lists that go out with every discharge regardless of whether the patient is headed home, rehab or the nursing home.

Be prepared and willing to provide needed information to the pharmacist that picks up the patient on the other side of the discharge. They are health care providers and HIPAA allows you to provide the appropriate and critical information. Encourage patients to develop and build a relationship with a local pharmacy. When you find a pharmacy that does a great job with patient care, recommend it. You can do that! Make sure you and your family have established your medical powers of attorney. You hope to never use them, but preparation now will be priceless later.

I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent at the ASCP Spring Meeting and Exhibition, and I learned more than I thought I would. I now feel stronger than ever that ICHP and all of Pharmacy needs to work harder on the continuity of care, transitions of care or whatever you prefer to call it. I hope that more will come from my experiences at this meeting and only time will tell.

One other nugget from the meeting, ASCP President, Sean Jeffrey announced at the meeting that ASCP will be changing their name! The Board of Directors feels strongly that the pharmacist members of ASCP are more than consultant pharmacists and there certainly should be a better description of their membership. My vote is the Association of Senior Care Pharmacists…I’m all for saving logos and acronyms!

New Practitioners Network
Volunteering + Networking + Fiesta = The Perfect ICHP Student Member Experience

by Han Ngo and Janey Yu, Incoming PS-3’s at Midwestern University

This past month, ICHP’s student society members and ICHP’s New Practitioners Network (NPN) had a wonderful opportunity to volunteer at “Meals from the Heart” at the world’s largest Ronald McDonald House located in Chicago. Dr. Colleen Czerniak organized this evening event and she had mentioned to us how this event actually requires planning several months in advanced to host at the House!

While working together in a single kitchen to prepare a meal for 70-80 people at the Ronald McDonald House, we also had a valuable opportunity to meet with other ICHP members from Roosevelt, UIC, and Chicago State University and current residents and practicing pharmacists from the Chicagoland area as well.

This was a great and memorable experience. It was interesting to learn from other students about their upcoming events they have planned for their student chapter. At first glance, you could not differentiate between student and faculty, but that was the beauty of this ambiguity because who knows what you could learn from each person you meet!

When you station a group of ICHP members in a single kitchen with taco ingredients, you are bound to have a fiesta from it all. There were endless cans of black beans, bags of shredded lettuce, a bed of diced tomatoes, a huge pot of Spanish rice, and pans of shredded seasoned pork and chicken. That evening, we proved that ICHP members are not only medication-use experts - we can also cook a tasty Mexican-style dinner and turn it into a buffet! It was a pharmacy fiesta!

Volunteering that evening and learning more about the Ronald McDonald House was fun and exciting. After volunteering, we had the opportunity to tour the House and realized how this House is a “home away from home”, since it provides the comfort of a home when a family experiences the hardship of having their child hospitalized. In addition, the opportunity to reconnect with familiar faces as well as form new bonds while preparing and serving a warm delicious meal to everyone at the House was a rewarding volunteer experience for our ICHP members.

For more information about the Meals from the Heart volunteer event or if you are interested in planning one please go to: http://rmhccni.org/meals-lurie/

NPN at Ronald McDonald House photos

NPN Cubs game photos

The GAS from Springfield
Session Ends, Pharmacy Escapes!

by Jim Owen and Scott Meyers

The 2013 Spring Session of the Illinois General Assembly has adjourned and Pharmacy escaped relatively unharmed! That’s the good news. The bad news is, that the pension problems still remain, the 2014 budget spends 2 billion dollars more than last year’s, and because of those two actions or lack thereof, the State’s credit rating has dropped another level to the lowest for a State in the nation! That means more debt and more debt interest!

But let’s get back to the pharmacy issues. SB1934, the Biosimilar bill, died quietly at third reading in the Senate. And while death is usually final, we know this issue will probably reappear in a coming session, hopefully no earlier than next year and hopefully with less chance of passage as most states are failing to pass this blatant attempt to maintain profits on brand name biologicals.

SB1454 also languished in the Senate and failed to get the votes that would make hydrocodone products schedule II controlled substances. While Senator Delgado may get his wish from the DEA federally in the near future, it is probably best that Illinois does not follow New York state’s lead and make restrictions tougher than they need to be.

SB62 was this year’s try at obtaining prescriptive authority for clinical psychologists. While the bill eventually passed it did so without the prescriptive authority and making only a minor change in the definition of what a clinical psychologist is. This change continues to appear and then disappear with each legislative session.

HB1 was passed and will allow for the use of medical marijuana providing the Governor signs it. It is unclear what his position is on the issue but if he does sign the bill, pharmacies will still be prohibited from becoming a medical marijuana dispensary because of the federal C-I classification. Until the DEA reclassifies marijuana as a C-II controlled substance, no licensed health care provider will be allowed to obtain, store or dispense it.

HB1052 provides that advanced practice nurses may now provide services that the collaborating physician provides or could provide but still requires a written collaborative agreement to be in place. The original intent of this bill was to allow APNs to practice without a collaborative agreement but the Illinois Medical Society blocked that attempt and allowed only a slight change to the process.

While many have asked where the bill went that was going to make compliance with USP 797 mandatory for pharmacies that compound sterile products, the truth is there was never one in the first place. The change in sterile compounding requirements by the State will be done with a rule change which does not require legislation. The most recent draft of rules created by the Board of Pharmacy’s Task Force still rest in the hands of the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation staff. There is no indication when a response to the draft will be proposed but we will let you know as soon as we know. At this year’s National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) Annual Meeting in St. Louis in May, the NABP House unanimously passed a resolution that all Boards should require compliance to USP 797 as soon as possible. That carries no weight in Illinois, but it should be an indicator to those procrastinators who continue to hope and pray that Illinois moves in a less restrictive direction that it will probably only be a matter of time before we are the last State to adopt 797 and will be forced to move that way. While 797 is cumbersome and still is not perfect, what Illinois has currently and what it is moving toward is even less than perfect, and we owe our patients better!

We truly hope that “The GAS” column has been informative and even helpful to some who have established relationships with their Illinois legislators. We hope to continue to bring you the latest news on legislative and regulatory issues that could or will impact pharmacy practice in Illinois. We remind you that the “GAS” in “The GAS From Springfield” is an acronym for General Assembly Story, but also a tongue in cheek poke at the legislature that seems to be better equipped at creating “a gaseous asphyxiant, irritant or poison” than producing useful statutes! Because of this continuous tongue in cheek poke, we often use humor to diffuse the frustration that all those who work with or pay attention to the Illinois General Assembly experience.

Watch for next month’s column and see if the Governor’s call for a special session on pensions gets any traction or more importantly produces some much needed results!

Leadership Profile
Kevin O. Rynn, PharmD, DABAT, FCCP

Where did you go to pharmacy school?

In 1990 I received my BS in Pharmacy from Rutgers University in New Jersey and then my PharmD degree from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh in 1992. Trace your professional history since graduation. Where have you trained or worked? I completed my pharmacy residency (now called a PGY-1) at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh and then came to the University of Illinois at Chicago to complete two years in a specialty residency and fellowship in Emergency Medicine and Clinical Toxicology. Afterwards I was hired as faculty at UIC and a clinical pharmacist in Emergency Medicine and Toxicology at Michael Reese Hospital. In addition, I worked part-time throughout the later 1990s at the Illinois Poison Control Center and for Osco Pharmacy. I then moved to New Jersey for a faculty position at Rutgers School of Pharmacy. In New Jersey, I practiced in emergency medicine at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and was Director of the Emergency Medicine PGY-2 residency program. I am currently Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in North Chicago, Illinois.

Describe your current area of practice and practice setting.

At Rosalind Franklin, I oversee experiential education and have been responsible for establishing new relationships with our health-system, community pharmacy, pharmaceutical industry, and other partners. I work with colleagues at the College of Pharmacy to establish practice sites for our new faculty and IPPE/APPE sites for our students. The college is interested in expanding residency opportunities and we have begun a teaching certificate program for our affiliated health-system residents. We will be establishing some of our own residencies in the years to come. Global health is a passion of mine; we have begun working with our medical school on some initiatives in Uganda.

What initially motivated you to get involved with ICHP?

I feel it is important to be a role model to students and residents. Becoming actively involved in pharmacy organizations is one way to show your commitment to the profession.

What advice would you give to a new practitioner eager to become more involved within ICHP?

There are so many great organizations to be active in – choosing one or two like ICHP to concentrate your efforts will make you more effective. I’ve seen some new practitioners and students become overzealous and spread themselves too thin making it more difficult to serve the mission of the group.

Is there an individual you admire or look up to, or a mentor that has influenced your career?

So many people have influenced me, from my first student rotation preceptor in the emergency department when I said, “I want to do what you do,” to my fellowship director Frank Paloucek who continues to inspire me. Others with such great leadership abilities and ideas such as MaryLynn Moody serve as excellent motivators for me today. I would like to mention Dr. Amy Lodolce who recently passed away. She was someone who I mentored as a PGY-1 resident at Michael Reese Hospital. She later became an inspiration to me as she progressed in her career. I admired her as the perfect role model for students and new practitioners. Her career, although cut short, was so prosperous. She influenced many individuals and yet was so humble. I am proud to have been her colleague and friend.

What is your vision for pharmacy in the future? What would you like to see accomplished within pharmacy?

Pharmacy has changed and evolved even since I entered into the practice 23 years ago. I tell my students all the time, we are educated not only to practice in today’s environment but also in the environment we think will exist 20 years from now. Pharmacists will always be responsible for making sure the right drug gets to the right patient at the right time, this involves both distributive and clinical skills. I look forward to seeing the health-system pharmacist’s responsibilities continue to evolve at the bedside and in the clinic with prospective assessment, monitoring, and follow-up of patients and with the ability to be reimbursed for such care.

What three adjectives would people use to best describe you?

Stubborn (but let’s just call it persistent), diplomatic, and resourceful

Do you have any special interests or hobbies outside of pharmacy and work?

I firmly believe in establishing a healthy work/life balance. Family is important to me. I enjoy outdoor activities from kayaking in the summer to a yearly winter ski trip.

What is your favorite place to vacation?

I always like a good beach vacation, nothing like the Jersey Shore, but the shore is going home. I would have to say any European city with lots of history; I’ve loved Rome, Dublin, London, Barcelona, and Madrid to name a few.

What is the most interesting or unique fact about you that few people know?

If I were to answer this question then I could no longer say, “few people know”! I’m a fairly open guy so most people know too much about me, but if I must… My childhood consisted of eight years of Irish dance with trophies to show for it.

ICHPeople

Congratulations to Desi Kotis from Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Miriam Mobley-Smith from Chicago State University for being recognized as Fellows of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Both ICHP members were given their award at the 2013 ASHP Summer Meeting in Minneapolis. To be selected as FASHP, members must have successfully demonstrated sustained commitment or contributions to excellence in practice for at least 10 years, contributed to the total body of knowledge in the field, demonstrated active involvement and leadership in ASHP and other professional organizations, and have been actively involved in and committed to educating practitioners and others.

College Connections

Pathways to Pharmacy in a Physics Class

by John Shilka, P-3, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy

Finals are finished and the summer has just started, but we are still actively promoting our profession. Shortly after our semester ended, five student members of our chapter visited a local high school to present some information on the profession of pharmacy during the school's normally scheduled physics time slot. I have been involved with several volunteer activities that provide education to patients, but this was one of the most unique experiences I have participated in. I believe that this encounter provided us with a valuable learning experience in lecturing, answering questions, and public speaking. Honing these skills is helpful because they are extremely valuable to us in our future, especially those interested in becoming involved in an academic setting.

The morning of my arrival at the school I was slightly nervous, but mostly nostalgic. Walking into the school brought back memories of my own high school days, particularly those of career opportunities I was thinking about while in high school. While reminiscing, I realized that this was an important topic and we needed to provide as much valuable information as possible. These sets of lectures we were going to present could help a student choose a pathway into college and help change a life. When we approached the classroom and entered, we prepared our presentation and we learned a little about the school. The school's name is Urban Prep Academy and we presented at their Bronzeville campus. The school is an all-male high school that focuses on getting students into college and continuing their success throughout their college career. This was a perfect audience to talk to about getting involved in the pharmacy field

In order to be thorough in our lecture, our group decided to approach the topic on a multifaceted level. We used the ICHP PowerPoint™ presentation from the toolkit to present our ideas. Continuing our first approach we decided that we would talk to the students about the different opportunities for pharmacists and what sort of new services we are becoming involved in, such as vaccinations and health screenings. Next, we would touch on the real responsibilities of pharmacists in settings like community, hospital, and industry while we would compare them to what the students thought these responsibilities were. We also planned to add in information about the testing requirements (e.g. PCAT), grade point average requirements, pre-pharmacy information, and how they can get a head start by getting involved now.

In no time, students started arriving in class and we began greeting them with handshakes. The students seemed thrilled to see us and even filled out a worksheet while we presented the information. The amount of interest combined with their current knowledge was actually surprising. Much of the information that they were aware of, such as the responsibilities of a hospital pharmacist, was unknown to me during my high school days and I was already interested in pharmacy at that time. Although the students were informed, they still had plenty of questions to ask. Questions varied from test scores on the PCAT to how involved pharmacists were with the drug development process. Many students even shared their personal experiences with pharmacists and how they affected their life. At the end of each presentation we saw that a few students had become interested in the field and they may become our colleagues in the future. When we finished our presentations, we went to the back of the classroom to take a picture with the students. There we were able to have a quick conversation with a few of the students until they had to leave for their next class. After four sets of classes, we departed from the school, hopefully giving the students a unique look into a fantastic career.

When reflecting on this experience, I can say that it made me appreciate the work that pharmacists have put into teaching others about the profession. I was able to see this by the level of knowledge the students had about our responsibilities. I also hope that with our input we were able to educate the students about a pathway into pharmacy and even encourage some to try it themselves. I hope in the near future we are able to give additional lectures to students within the school on a variety of other topics.

New School Year

by Megan Herman, P-3, SSHP Vice President, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy

Our chapter of SSHP is looking forward to the 2013-2014 school year. The chapter plans to do more exciting things this year; we have new committee chairs and new organizations we can work with. There are many things our organization will continue to do, but we are also looking for new ways to expand our chapter and our profession.

One of the new positions this year is the PPMI Chair. We plan to become very involved with the PPMI. This chair will be involved with coordinating events with current preceptors who host pharmacy students. These events will help the current preceptors become more aware of just what the PPMI is and help them learn what they can do as preceptors. The chair has created a brochure for students to help them learn what they can do as students to become more involved with the PPMI initiative. I was told recently that we need to be the change in our profession. Our chapter plans to do just that this upcoming school year.

Along with the PPMI Chair, we have created a Community Outreach Chair. This chair will be involved with putting together events such as the “This Side of the Dirt” presentations. These presentations are given to middle school and junior high school students in the St. Louis area. They are about 30-45 minutes in length and are intended to teach the students that we want to keep them on “This Side of the Dirt” and not six feet under. During these presentations, the students learn about drug abuse, addiction, and what they can do to help.

Another group of individuals our chapter will continue to reach out to this year is the deaf community. I had a personal experience with this group and will be coordinating with the Community Outreach Chair this year to organize events for this community. It was a great experience and I would encourage more organizations to get involved. Our chapter is also getting involved with the local school of pharmacy, (St. Louis College of Pharmacy), to help with events to benefit the community. One of the activities we are looking to help with is gift bags for cancer patients.

For the upcoming school year, I would like our organization to grow and expand our profession. Our chapter has the goals set and we plan to achieve them. I hope everyone has a great rest of the summer.

A Reflection on Institutional Pharmacy

by Taylor R. Highland, P-2, ICHP Member and Vice-President of the Student Chapter, Chicago State University College of Pharmacy

I will be reflecting upon my Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) Institutional rotation at Presence St. Mary’s Hospital in Kankakee, Illinois. Saint Mary’s hospital is a rural acute care facility containing 186 beds with a level II Emergency/Trauma Center. I was there for eight hours per week during the second semester of my P-2 year. Before I was accepted into pharmacy school, I worked as an inpatient pharmacy technician in a similar hospital in central Illinois. Even though I worked three years as a technician, I never really got to see what a clinical pharmacist does. At St. Mary’s, the pharmacists have multiple responsibilities which include order entry and staffing as well as clinical responsibilities. Starting from day one, I was constantly paired with a pharmacist. Even though I worked in a similar hospital with the same Meditech™ computer system, it was interesting to be able to compare and contrast the differences in the workflow of the pharmacy and the utilization of the technology. The most empowering experience I gained from this rotation was being able to see the pharmacists in action on rounds and being able to take the knowledge I have gained in school and apply it to real life situations. Although I have two more years to go and most likely a residency after that, being able to see the role of the pharmacist participating in a multidisciplinary team gives me something to strive for.

Another side of institutional pharmacy that I was not exposed to previously as a technician was administration. During my rotation, I had the opportunity to participate in a Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) meeting with the Directory of Pharmacy. During my rotation at St. Mary’s, they switched to Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE). Switching to this kind of order entry is an ongoing process and involves a lot of changes in the hospital. During this meeting, pharmacists and head nurses came together to discuss problems about the new system and solutions to those problems that suited everyone in order to maintain a smooth workflow and follow accreditation guidelines.

One of the things that I have heard is that there is less patient interaction in the hospital setting versus the community setting. I had previously done an IPPE at a community pharmacy during my P-1 year. I would agree that overall, I experienced less day-to-day patient interactions, however the interactions that I did have were very thorough because there was more time in this setting to spend with the patient.

I learned that regardless of the setting, the patient always comes first. The main goal of a pharmacist is to improve the health and quality of life of our patients even if it is through different pathways. From my experiences so far, I see that the pharmacist’s responsibilities are similar but different in each setting. I have always aspired to be a hospital pharmacist, and am fortunate to have gone through this rotation at St. Mary’s because I have gained many role models. At the end of the day, I feel like this IPPE rotation gave me a great glimpse into the world of institutional pharmacy and has increased my excitement level for my Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotations.

Officers and Board of Directors

TOM WESTERKAMP
President
224-948-1528
tom_westerkamp@baxter.com

CHRIS RIVERS
Immediate Past President
Chairman, Nominations Committee
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
Travis_Hunerdosse@rush.edu

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
815-756-1521x153346
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

EMMA CARROLL
President, Student Chapter
University of IL C.O.P.
emmacarroll620@gmail.com

NADIYAH CHAUDHARY
President, Rockford Student Chapter
University of IL C.O.P.
nadi925@gmail.com

JANEY YU
President, Student Chapter

Midwestern University C.O.P.
janey.yu@mwumail.midwestern.edu

BERNICE MAN
President, Student Chapter
Chicago State University C.O.P.
bman@csu.edu

TRAMAINE HARDIMON
Student Representative
Chicago State University C.O.P
thardimon@csu.edu

ZAK VINSON
President, Student Chapter
Southern Illinois University S.O.P
zvinson@siue.edu

ALEX MERSCH
President, Student Chapter
Roosevelt University C.O.P.
amersch@mail.roosevelt.edu

JENNIFER AGUADO
President, Student Chapter
Rosalind Franklin University C.O.P.
jennifer.aguado@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

Welcome New Members!

New Members	Recruiter
Hamidah Damulira
Heather Strawn
Robert Chapman
Rebecca Castner	Ann Jankiewicz
Andrea Rupniewski
Courtney Herr
Arthur Joseph	Selene Marquez
Ann Unanue
Dave Hardik
Michael Nolan
Tramaine Hardimon
Manali Soni-Talsania
Lisa Deegan
Jacob Bierman
Negin Kiyavash	Ginger Ertel
Sawsan Ikram

ICHP Pharmacy Action Fund (PAC) Contributors

GENERAL ASSEMBLY GUILD - $1000 & More
Scott Bergman
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

Stephanie Crawford
Ginger Ertel
Linda Fred
Ann Jankiewicz
Jan Keresztes
Kathy Komperda
Leonard Kosiba
Despina Kotis
Huzefa Master
William McEvoy
Christina Rivers
Miriam Mobley-Smith
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
Vern Johnson
George MacKinnon
Janette Mark
Heather Minger
Jennifer Phillips
Edward Rainville
Kathryn Schultz
Heidi Sunday
Jill Warszalek
Alan Weinstein

LINCOLN LEAGUE - $100-$249
Tom Allen
Anonymous
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
Zahra Khudeira
Mary Lee
John LeGrand
Kristopher Leja
Phyllis Lulinski
George Lyons
Gloria Meredith
MWU COP Student Chapter
Peggy Reed
Katie Ronald
Don Shadensack
Kristi Stice

GRASSROOTS GANG - $50-$99
Sean Chantraparout
Jordan Cohen
Mark Deaton
Rhonda DePasquale
Glenna Hargreaves
Lois Honan
Charlene Hope
Diana Isaacs
Gerald Jablonski
Kim Janicek
Dwaine Keller
Colleen Kielch
Kati Kwasiborski
Kim Lim
Scott Metzger
Shannon Pace
Barbara Smith
Lucas Stoller
Carrie Vogler
Marie Williams

CONTRIBUTOR - $1-$49
Daniel Abazia

Brett Barker

Elvira Becker
Amanda Bryant

Colleen Czerniak
Gabrielle Daniels
Agnes Dominic
Judy Douglas
Jeanne Durley
Kathy Eakright
Lara Ellinger
Jennifer Ellison
Brooke Griffin
Susan Hamilton
Richard Januszyk
George Jossel
Alex Lomahan
Bella Maningat
Sarah Matias
Lindsay McNeely
Virginia Nash
Karen Nordstrom
Gopi Patel
Jeremy Raschke
Jolee Rosenkranz
Jeri Rothman
Mark Ruscin
Ann Ryan
Allison Schriever
Wade Seggerman
Jennifer Splawski
Brandi Strader
Ellen Voelker
Shari Weyland
Laura Woskobnick
Izabela Wozniak

Upcoming Events

Saturday, July 20
Family Night at the Ballpark – Peoria Chiefs
Dozer Park | Peoria, IL

Wednesday, July 24
Pharmacy Directors Network Dinner
Via Carducci | Chicago, IL

Thursday, July 25
12:00 pm Champion Webinar: Recent Updates in Hypertension - Focus on the Elderly
Online - Click here for instructions to access a Champion Webinar.

Saturday, July 27
Certificate Training Program for Pharmacists: Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery
Springfield, IL

Sunday, July 28
Certificate Training Program for Pharmacists: Delivering Medication Therapy Management Services
Springfield, IL

Wednesday, July 31
3:00 pm Champion Webinar: Recent Updates in Hypertension - Focus on the Elderly
Online - Click here for instructions to access a Champion Webinar.

Thursday, September 19 – Saturday, September 21
ICHP Annual Meeting
Drury Lane Theatre and Conference Center | Oakbrook Terrace, IL

Friday, September 20
Save the Date! ICHP 50th Anniversary Gala
Drury Lane Theatre and Conference Center | Oakbrook Terrace, IL

Tuesday, October 15
Submission Deadline: 2013 ICHP Student Chapter Video Contest

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November 2021

KeePosted Info