Alexandria, Va. February 20, 2013 - The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) has submitted comments to the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) proposed rule for the disposal of unused or expired controlled substances.
Approximately 1,600 independent community pharmacies voluntarily participate in the medication take-back program Dispose My Meds, but are legally prohibited from accepting controlled substances. NCPA's recommendations, if incorporated into the DEA's final regulations, may help facilitate participation by many independent community pharmacies in drug take-back programs that include controlled substances.
"Controlled substances represent a missing link in efforts to adopt a unified approach to the safe disposal of unwanted, unused or expired medications," said NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey, RPh, MBA. "While the occasional medication collection events sponsored by law enforcement are valuable, consumers need broader access to disposal options for controlled substances throughout the year. NCPA's policy prescriptions for the DEA will help ensure security is balanced with flexibility."
Hoey added, "Voluntary drug take-back programs can help address the growing epidemic of prescription drug abuse and the contamination of drinking water. We recognize DEA's responsibilities to protecting public health and preventing drug diversion and NCPA's common-sense suggestions are consistent with that mission. We look forward to continuing to work with the agency in a constructive fashion going forward."
NCPA's comments seek to improve the DEA's proposed rules and include the following suggestions:
Clarify that retail pharmacies can use their contracted reverse distributors to collect controlled substances for disposal from long-term care (LTC) facilities they service;
Reconsider proposed requirements for collection receptacles and pharmacy employees that are impractical and may negatively impact pharmacy workflow; and
Work with the long-term care community to develop disposal standards that would enable more LTC facilities to operate disposal systems.
Since inception of the Dispose My Meds program in 2010 by NCPA, independently owned pharmacies have collected more than 50 tons of unused or expired medications. Consumers can find the nearest participating pharmacy at www.disposemymeds.org.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Medicare Part D E1 Enhancement…
At the request of industry, CMS has authorized Relay Health to implement an enhancement to the Medicare Part D E1 Transaction to facilitate Best Available Evidence when there is a discrepancy in the information received from the beneficiary and/or Part D plan. On May 23, 2013, Relay Health will begin returning additional information on the E1 Transaction by including the LIS/LICS level, (low income subsidy co-pay category), LIS/LICS effective and termination dates (if applicable), and the Medicare Plan Type, when a beneficiary match is successful.
Additional technical information can be found in the attached memo (Medicare Part D E1 Enhancement Communication 201302.pdf). Please validate that your pharmacy system can support the return of this information. If you have any questions concerning this communication, please send all inquiries to TBTSupport@relayhealth.com.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Pharmacy Day on Capitol Hill - Preceptor Sign Up
The 4th Annual Utah Pharmacy Legislative Day is scheduled for Monday, February 25th at the State Capitol. This event is co-sponsored by USHP, UPhA, Roseman University College of Pharmacy, and the University of Utah College of Pharmacy. A variety of community service events have been planned including health screenings (blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, asthma), administering immunizations, brown bag medication review, and poster events. In addition, other activities such as meetings with senators / legislators, capitol tours, and a legislator reception are being planned.
We are expect both schools of pharmacy to have large number of student pharmacists in attendance. Your presence is requested to both promote the profession of pharmacy to Utah lawmakers and also to precept student pharmacists. Please review the signups below and indicate your availability. Many thanks for your help!
Friday, February 8, 2013
In New Congress, Changes to Key Committees
New leadership, new faces, some losses
With health care–related committee assignments set for the 113th Congress, pharmacy is hoping for some positive legislative action.
APhA works with four main committees in Congress: Energy & Commerce and Ways & Means on the House side, and Finance and Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP) on the Senate side. Each of these full committees has a health subcommittee.
After the 2012 elections, changes to key committees include new leadership and new faces.
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) replaced Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WY) as ranking member on the Senate HELP Committee. Because Tennessee was hit hard by the deadly fungal meningitis outbreak linked to the now-closed New England Compounding Center, Alexander “ may be more engaged on drafting compounding legislation,” said Michael Spira, APhA Senior Lobbyist.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Change in UPhA Management
The Executive Team and the Board of Trustees of the Utah Pharmacists Association (UPhA) are pleased to announce a new direction for the organization. Effective immediately the management of UPhA will be transferred to Association Solutions, a local company specializing in the management of professional associations. Wayne Jones and his team have 30 years of experience managing associations and working to accomplish the goals and purposes of the association. Wayne is a seasoned lobbyist and has been successful in assisting associations with legislative needs at the State and National level.
The new members of the management of Association Solutions include:
Wayne Jones- Executive Director
Adam Jones- Chief Operations Officer
Joshua Wayman- Marketing and Membership Director
Tim Hansen- Chief Financial Officer
The new mailing address and phone number for the association offices will be:
Utah Pharmacists Association
7414 S. State Street
Midvale, UT 84047
801-566-5620
The Executive team and Board of Trustees of UPhA look forward to the challenges and opportunities of working with this new management team. We are excited for the future of pharmacy practice in the State of Utah
Kurt H. Price
President
Utah Pharmacists Association
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
New USP Label Standard for Heparin Products
USP would like to make you aware of an important new USP standard.
As a patient safety measure, USP has changed the labeling standard for Heparin Sodium Injection USP and Heparin Lock Flush Solution USP. The new standard requires manufacturers to clearly state on the label the strength of the entire container of the medication followed closely by how much of the medication is in each milliliter. The standard becomes official May 2013; some manufacturers have already submitted their label changes to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval.
As manufacturers transition labels to the new USP standard, products with both the old and new labels will be available for use. This transition period presents potential for confusion and errors. USP will conduct a number of WebEx meetings to explain the change more fully, discuss ways to help mitigate the potential for errors until the label transition is completed, and answer questions you might have.
USP has a related resource page on our website that provides information on the new standard, including aFrequently Asked Questions section. We encourage you to alert your members and colleagues about this change and sign up for one of the webinars below. FDA also has provided information about the new standard on its website.
Monday, February 18, 2013 11:00 – 12:00 p.m. EST
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. EST
Friday, February 22, 2013 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. EST
Tuesday, February 26, 2013 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. EST
Thursday, February 28, 2013 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. EST
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