2015-04 Georgia Pharmacy

April/May 2015

The sTaTe of pharmacy employmenT in GeorGia

hot or not?

Inside:recoupmenT

issues

99% druG discounTs

pharmacisTs aT The

Gold dome

i n s i d e

special

section:

The value of GPhA

membership

Coverage You Need.Service You Deserve.A Price You Can Afford.

Georgia Pharmacy 1April/May 2015

6 newsNews, trends, and what’s happening in the pharmacy worldA new chief at Georgia Medicaid, cheap Asian drugs, provider status in Congress, and more

15association notesHow GPhA is working for youMember-survey results, pics from our Day at the Dome, new MTM and diabetes courses, streamlin-ing membership, and more

24PharmPACInvestors in the future of the pharmacy profession in Georgia

It wasn’t long ago that getting a job as a Georgia pharmacist was a (comparative) walk in the park. But times change, and the outlook isn’t quite as rosy these days.

Still, is it really as bad as some people seem to think? Or are there some rays of hope on the horizon?

18 cover story: Hot or Not?

contents

28calendar & contactUpcoming events and other dates for Georgia pharmacists

30postscript A note from President Bobby Moody... and a look at what members have to say about being part of GPhA.

GPhA members span a wide range of age, experience, and practice areas.

In December 2014, New South Research surveyed our members to learn more about who you are and what you’re looking for from GPhA. We got a terrific response, and we learned that our members cross age, gender, and practice-

area lines, but they still share many of the same preferences. Here are some highlights.

GPHA AT A GLANCE

WHAT HAVE WE DONE FOR YOU LATELY?

GPhA o�ers a lot to members (check out GPhA.org/membership), but here are the five biggest benefits members say they get from their association.

Pharmacy news and information

Legislation and regulatory advocacy

Continuing pharmacy education

Networking opportunities

New drug updates and information

94%

93%

88%

88%

86%

37%

25%

10%

4%

4%

1%

4%

15%

4 to 1

E-MAIL PREFERRED

Not only are GPhA members experienced, they’re also invested: Almost a third of GPhA membership

owns or manages one or more pharmacies.

WHAT DO WE DO?

EMPLOYEE PHARMACIST

PHARMACY OWNER

NON-OWNER

MANAGER

STUDENT

RETIREDFACULTY

TECHNICIANOTHER

19%

32%11%

11%

9%5% 10%3%

WHO ARE WE?

MALE

59%

FEMALE

41%

AGE

0% 35%

18-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65+

34%

12%

13%

18%

23%

GENDER YEARS LICENSED

32%

0% 35%

5 and under

6-20

21-40

41+

35%

16%

31%

18%

PRIMARY PRACTICE AREA

Independent pharmacy

Retail chain

Hospital

Compounding

Consulting/Long-term care

PBM or mail order

Academic

Other

From students to retirees, the vast majority of members prefer to get their communication via e-mail. The 18-to-24-year-old set does like social media, too —

but not nearly as much.

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This issue of Georgia Pharmacy has been mailed not only to GPhA’s 1,100 members, but to all 10,000+ licensed pharmacists in Georgia, member or not.

I’m hoping that sentence brings to mind a few ques-tions. For instance:

w Are there really that many pharmacists in Georgia? (Yes, there are.)

w And you mean to say that the state pharmacy association — the voice for pharmacists in Georgia, the group that advocates for phar-macy in the Legislature, the only big-tent organization in the state that represents all pharmacists, regardless of practice setting — only has 1,100 members? (Yes. I like how you snuck GPhA’s value prop into that question, by the way.)

w So who, then, advocates for all those Georgia pharmacists who aren’t GPhA mem-bers? (Good question. Maybe they belong to a smaller, practice setting-based association, a niche group. More likely, though... no one. They’re just out there on their own, exposed.)

I’m also hoping that this magazine — with its

timely focus on the pharmacy job market in Georgia, on our legislative priorities and sub-stantial progress in this current legislative ses-sion, and on a range of other pertinent news and info especially for Georgia pharmacists — helps illustrate that:

w As a GPhA member, you have public policy influence and business power you’ll never have on your own.

w GPhA is your gateway to expertise, training, resources, and networking opportunities that can improve and expand your clinical and business skills, regardless of your practice setting.

w Georgia pharmacists are stronger, more professional, and more successful when you come together in association.

w The value you’ll derive from belonging is much, much greater than the annual dues you’ll pay.

I say adding your voice to those of hundreds of other Georgia pharmacists in GPhA is a smart choice. But read on, and decide for yourself.

Here’s what’s certain: There’s no end to what we can do when we’re all together.

Scott Brunner, CAE is GPhA’s executive vice presi-dent & CEO. Contact him at [email protected].

sCott brunner

prescript

Georgia Pharmacy magazine is the official publication of the Georgia Pharmacy Association.

Unless otherwise noted, the entire contents of this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. Direct any questions to the editor at [email protected].

President Bobby Moody

Chair of the Board Pam Marquess

President-Elect Tommy Whitworth

First Vice President Lance Boles

Second Vice President Liza Chapman

Executive Vice President & CEO Scott Brunner, CAE [email protected]

Vice President of Communication and Engagement Phillip Ratliff [email protected]

Director of Communication / Editor Andrew Kantor [email protected]

Art Director Carole Erger-Fass

Sales Coordinator (Advertising) Katie Bodiford [email protected]

ADVERTISING All advertising inquiries should be directed to Katie Bodiford at [email protected] or (770) 252-1284. Media kit and rates available upon request.

SUBSCRIPTIONS Georgia Pharmacy is distributed as a regular membership service, paid for with membership dues. Non-members can subscribe for $50 per year domestic or $65 per year international. Single issues are $10 issue domestic and $20 international. Practicing Georgia pharmacists who are not members of GPhA are not eligible for subscriptions.

POSTALGeorgia Pharmacy (ISSN 1075-6965) is published bi-monthly by the GPhA, 50 Lenox Pointe NE, Atlanta, GA 30324. Periodicals postage paid at Atlanta, GA and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Georgia Pharmacy magazine, 50 Lenox Pointe NE, Atlanta, GA 30324.

All together, now?

1

FLAT COLOR

OPENBLACK & WHITE

GLOSS/GRADIENT

Georgia PharmacyA S S O C I A T I O N

Georgia Pharmacy 4 April/May 2015

So you know about Solvaldi, right? Gilead’s blockbuster Hepatitis C cure? In the U.S., it costs about $1,000 a pill — a total of $84,000 for the full 12-week treatment course.

Get this: A company called Incep-ta is now making a copy of it — a generic version, if you will — and selling it for a dollar a pill in Ban-gladesh. Legally. And it might start selling in other third-world coun-tries as well.

That’s because of two things. First, Gilead doesn’t have a patent on sofosbuvir (that’s Solvaldi’s chem-ical name) in Bangladesh. Second, even if Gilead did have a patent, because Bangladesh is so undevel-oped, a World Trade Organization agreement means it doesn’t have to protect pharmaceutical patents.

And if you’re picturing a shady character selling unmarked pills on a street corner, don’t. The drug has already been approved for sale by the Bangladeshi version of the FDA, and the company has applied to the W.H.O. for approval as well.

There’s more.If you’re thinking this might be

bad news for Gilead’s bottom line, get this: Gilead will be selling brand-ed versions of Sovaldi at the same price in India. That means you’ll be able to go there and spend $900 for the full treatment instead of the $84,000 US price.

You could conceivably pay to fly round-trip first-class to India, spend three nights at a five-star hotel, pay for the drug, and still save more than $70,000.

Augusta pharmacist — and GPhA member — Jake Galdo was one of only 45 pharmacists in the nation to receive the 2014 National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations’ Excellence in Innovation Award.

Sponsored by Upsh-er-Smith, the award “recog-nizes qualified pharmacists

who have demonstrated significant innovation in their practice, method, or service directly or indirectly resulting in improved patient care and/or advancement of the profession of pharmacy.”

If you’d like to get an idea of what Jake is thinking about when it comes to pharmacy, follow him (@JakeGaldo) on Twitter.

AugustA PhArmAcist receives innovAtion AwArd

news

read more @gphabuzz.com

Hep C Cure available at 99 perCent disCount… in bangladesH

Its status as a developing nation means Bangladesh doesn’t have to enforce pharmaceutical patents.


Linda Wiant, PharmD and (now former) pharmacy director for the Georgia Department of Community Health, was named chief of the DCH’s Medical Assis-tance Plans Division — the division that handles Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids programs.

A graduate of Mercer University’s pharmacy program, Dr. Wiant served as pharmacy director since 2011; she oversaw the state’s Fee-for-Service, drug rebate, and prior authorization programs, including the pharmacy claims processing and PBM systems.

Including the last four years at DCH, Linda has more than 20 years of experience working with managed-care pharmacy.

She took her new posi-tion March 16, replacing Jerry Dubberly, who left the post in January.

“We’re delighted Georgia pharmacist

Linda Wiant has been appointed to lead Medicaid,” said Scott Brunner, GPhA’s executive vice president & CEO. “Linda brings deep experience and a passion for patient care and customer service to the role. We look forward to working with her in her new role.”

Linda Wiant nAmed new chief of georgiA medicAid

Check out this new online-re-view site: It lets doctors rate various medications for differ-ent ailments.

RateRx (healthtap.com/rat-erx), from Internet health start-up HealthTap, will let doctors from around the world rate the effectiveness of certain medi-cations for certain ailments, as well as leave comments about the drugs, and rate other doc-tors’ answers.

For example, more than 1,200 doctors rated 24 acne treatments, with isotretinoin getting the top spot for severe outbreaks (sulfacetamide… not so much).

What the company hopes will

make the site stand out is that it’s not just aggregating clinical trial data, and it’s not allowing patient reviews — it’s strictly for physicians. Hopefully that will lead to more informed opinions, although it’s obvious the compa-ny should allow pharmacists to rate these drugs as well.

new site lets doctors rate meds’ effectiveness

the aCaBy the

numBers

Georgians signed up for healthcare coverage

using the federal exchange in 2015;

55 percent were new to the marketplace.

541,080

of Georgia consumers qualified for a tax

credit. Their average subsidy was

$277per month.

90%

Private insurers to choose from

in GeorGia

2014 5 insurers, 22 plans

2015 9 insurers, 41 plans


news FDA Debuts Drug shortAges AppIf you’re the kind of person who’s never far from your smartphone or tablet — and also the kind of person who likes to keep up with the nation’s latest drug shortages — the FDA has a deal for you.

Well, less of a deal and more of a free app.The agency released versions of its

accurate if uninspiringly named “Drug Shortages” app for Android and Apple phones and tablets.

With it, you can whip out your phone any time to check whether a particular drug is in shortage or not. You can browse the list by drug name or by treatment category, search by the name, and even report a shortage.

It also lets you check whether a shortage was resolved, or a drug was discontinued. And you can sign up to receive e-mail alerts of shortages as well.

This is version 1.0 of the app, so it’s got some kinks. It takes a long time to load, and some of the menus don’t quite work

the way you’d expect. Still, despite those version-1.0 quirks, it’s nice to see the FDA take advantage of the computers so many people carry around.

Here’s a statistic that’ll make you shake your head: A new poll found that nearly 70 percent of people who take prescription painkillers don’t know that sharing the pills is a felony.

Reality: According to the Na-tional Safety Council, most states consider sharing narcotic opioid painkillers, such as hydrocodone or oxycodone, to be the legal equivalent of selling heroin – punishable by up to seven years in prison.

Just something you may want to mention to your patients.

most people don’t know not to share painkillers

The Georgia Pharmacy Convention 2015 is coming July 9 through 12 at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort on Amelia Island, Florida.

GPhA’s flagship event features top-notch speakers and educators, dozens of exhibitors showcasing the latest products and services for pharmacists, and plenty of chances to meet and network with pharmacy professionals and experts.

Plus there’s the resort itself, with tennis, golf, walking and biking trails, and of course one of the

most beautiful beaches around. (And did we mention that it’s tax-deductible, too?)

Discounted early-bird registration is open from April 15 to May 13. After that, the price goes up. So register and book your room now to get the best rates, and watch your mailbox for more information. GPhA.org/convention

growplayconnectat a world-class family beach resort

with more than 14 hours of CPE courses

with colleagues, pharmacy experts, and exhibitors


A bill that would give pharmacists limited provider status was intro-duced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.

H.R. 592 and S. 314, the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act, would allow phar-macists in “medically underserved areas” to be compensated by Medi-care for Part B services they provide to patients — think immunizations, diabetes management, and blood

pressure screenings. Currently, Medicare doesn’t consider pharmacists to be healthcare pro-viders, and thus won’t pay for those services.

Both versions of the bill were in-troduced by a combination of Demo-crats and Republicans, which might bode well. They’ll now be taken up in committee (The House Energy & Commerce and Ways & Means committees and the Senate Finance and HELP committees), and then, if passed, to the respective floors for debate later in the session.

So what’s a “medically underserved area,” anyway?

For each area, the government looks at four factors in a county or section of a city: the number of primary care physicians for the population, the in-fant mortality rate, the percentage of the population below the poverty lev-el, and the percentage of the popula-tion age 65 or over. It uses those data to come up with a single score, called the Index of Medical Underservice, between 0 (incredibly underserved) to 100 (well served).

You can find a list of MUAs by state and county from the U.S. Depart-ment of Health and Human Services at hpsafind.hrsa.gov.

phArmAcist proviDer-stAtus bill introDuceD in congress

Georgia Pharmacy 8 February/March 2015

GPhA members span a wide range of age, experience, and practice areas.

In December 2014, New South Research surveyed our members to learn more about who you are and what you’re looking for from GPhA. We got a terrific response, and we learned that our members cross age, gender, and practice-

area lines, but they still share many of the same preferences. Here are some highlights.

GPHA AT A GLANCE

WHAT HAVE WE DONE FOR YOU LATELY?

GPhA o�ers a lot to members (check out GPhA.org/membership), but here are the five biggest benefits members say they get from their association.

Pharmacy news and information

Legislation and regulatory advocacy

Continuing pharmacy education

Networking opportunities

New drug updates and information

94%

93%

88%

88%

86%

37%

25%

10%

4%

4%

1%

4%

15%

4 to 1

E-MAIL PREFERRED

Not only are GPhA members experienced, they’re also invested: Almost a third of GPhA membership

owns or manages one or more pharmacies.

WHAT DO WE DO?

EMPLOYEE PHARMACIST

PHARMACY OWNER

NON-OWNER

MANAGER

STUDENT

RETIREDFACULTY

TECHNICIANOTHER

19%

32%11%

11%

9%5% 10%3%

WHO ARE WE?

MALE

59%

FEMALE

41%

AGE

0% 35%

18-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65+

34%

12%

13%

18%

23%

GENDER YEARS LICENSED

32%

0% 35%

5 and under

6-20

21-40

41+

35%

16%

31%

18%

PRIMARY PRACTICE AREA

Independent pharmacy

Retail chain

Hospital

Compounding

Consulting/Long-term care

PBM or mail order

Academic

Other

From students to retirees, the vast majority of members prefer to get their communication via e-mail. The 18-to-24-year-old set does like social media, too —

but not nearly as much.

association notes

Georgia Pharmacy 9February/March 2015

Late last year, many pharmacies in Georgia re-ceived a letter explaining that the Department of Community Health was recouping some Medicaid overpayments (via its contractor, Catamaran).

We weren’t thrilled about how that was carried out. While federal law requires DCH to recoup those overpayments, as GPhA CEO Scott Brun-ner wrote to DCH Commissioner Clyde Reese, “The amount of any recoupment in this situation should be paid by the entity that committed the error, not by scores of Georgia pharmacies that were affected by Catamaran’s mistake.”

The letter led to an invitation from DCH to meet with its staff.

DCH’s director of pharmacy services (and now chief of Georgia’s Medicaid program) Linda Wiant and director of communications and legislative af-fairs Lisa Marie Shekell agreed that the wording of the message could have been better. For one, it gave the impression that the pharmacies were being audited, when in fact it was an audit of Catamaran that uncovered the overpayments.

As for the timing of the recoupment — more two years after the fact — while Georgia’s audit bill of

rights limits such recoupments to two years after the overpayment because this was not the result of a pharmacy audit, there was no such time limit according to the Policy Manual for Medicaid.

We did ask that DCH reconsider its policy, as it seems neither fair nor logical to go back so far and demand repayment. Wiant and Shekell agreed to consider that.

They also said that DCH would bring GPhA in earlier in future recoupments. That will allow us to better help pharmacists understand the whats and whys, and if necessary defend their interests.

In the end, it was a positive and helpful meeting, and we’re appreciative of DCH’s willingness to sit down with us to work together on behalf of Geor-gia’s pharmacists.

1 CONTACT LOCAL MCKESSON REPRESENTATIVE FOR ASSISTANCE WITH HEALTH MART

GPhA, DCH meet about recoupment

DCH sAiD it would bring gPhA into the Process eArlier in future recouPments


GPhA past president Jonathan G. Marquess, PharmD, was named a 2015 fellow of the American Pharmacists Associ-ation, one of the association’s highest honors.

The award honors APhA members “for exemplary

professional achievements in professional practice and outstanding service to the profession,” and re-cipients are chosen by the members of their APhA academies. In Marquess’s case, that was the APhA Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management.

To be named a fellow, a member must have at least 10 years of professional experience, and demonstrate that “outstanding service to the pro-fession” through activities with national, state, and local professional organizations.

For Dr. Marquess, those activities include serv-ing as chairman of the Georgia Pharmacy Associ-ation Board of Directors, past president of GPhA, and chair of the APhA New Practitioner Advisory Committee.

Dr. Marquess has served as a clinical assistant

Jonathan Marquess named APhA Fellow

Thanks in part to a grant from the Georgia Department of Public Health, GPhA will be offering free, APhA-approved training in MTM and diabetes management to members for CE credit.

There will be several dates available, so watch your mailbox (or check GPhA Buzz) for dates and times.

This is a course that would typically set you back $400 or more, so it’s something you’ll want to take advan-tage of. (Independent pharmacists will need this training to participate in AIP’s new High Performance Network.)

MTM and diabetes CPE

association notes

professor of pharmacy practice at Mercer University School of Pharmacy, and today he and his pharmacist wife, Pam (current chair of the GPhA Board of Directors), own four community pharmacies in the Atlanta area. He is also chairman of the Georgia Adult Immunization Coalition.

Marquess is now eligible to use the “FAPhA” des-ignation as long as he is a licensed pharmacist and an APhA member.

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Dear Providers,

The Affordable Care Act mandates that states revalidate the enrollment of all providers every five (5) years. Beginning in April 2014 and monthly thereafter, DCH and Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Services (HPES) sent letters to providers requiring that they revalidate their enrollment within 60 days of the date on the letter. A significant number of the letters mailed to providers noted above were returned to HPES. It is critical that provid-ers ensure that their mail-to-address is correct in the Georgia Medicaid Management Information System (GAMMIS). Providers can review or update their mail-to address information by logging into GAMMIS and clicking on Demographic Maintenance.

Effective April 1, 2015, DCH will sus-pend those providers who were sent revalidation letters and have not reval-idated their enrollment. In addition to the 60 day requirement noted above, DCH allows an additional 60 days for providers to complete the process and those providers who have not reval-idated their enrollment within the 120 day time period will be suspended from the Georgia Medicaid/PeachCare for Kids program. The suspension will be Traditional Fee-for-Service Medic-aid and PeachCare for Kids and the Georgia Families and Georgia Families 360° managed care programs which are currently administered by WellCare, Peach State Health Plan, and Ameri-group. Claims for services to member enrolled Traditional Fee-for-Service Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids and the Georgia Families and Georgia Fam-ilies 360° managed care programs for dates of service on or after April 1, 2015, will not be paid.

A report of those providers who have not revalidated through October 1,

2014, can be found online through the GAMMIS at www.mmis.georgia.gov. Click on Provider Informa-tion/Provider Notices. Providers who are on this report who have not revalidated their enrollment by April 1, 2015, will be suspended.

A Frequently Asked Questions regarding reval-idation can be found on GAMMIS at www.mmis.georgia.gov. Click on Provider Information/FAQ for Providers. In addition, providers may contact Medicaid’s fiscal agent HPES at 800-766-4456 (Option #1) or e-mail [email protected] for assistance.

This message is from the Georgia Department of Community Health and is printed verbatim as a service to our members.


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GPhA dues are about to get a bit simple when we roll out our new “Easy Dues” program in June.

You’re going to be hearing plenty about the changes, but here’s the gist: Instead of billing each member on his or her membership anni-versary, we’re going to set a single renewal date for all members: September 1.

That means if you’re expecting your annual renewal between now and September 1, you’re going to get a prorated bill to carry you to September 1. After that, your membership will renew on September 1 every year.

Once we get past this changeover period, the

New dues process arrives later this year

association notes

new system will make things a lot simpler for staff, which means they can spend less time on administration and more time on providing services for your dues dollars.

So watch your mail (snail and e-) for more information about Easy Dues, or visit GPhA.org/easydues for more info.


More than 400 pharmacists, pharmacy techs, and pharmacy students showed up at our annual Day at the Dome event (you might remember it as VIP Day), to meet with legislators and get a primer on our latest efforts at the capitol.

For more on those efforts, check out the legislative update on page 14. But first admire these photos from the day itself.

Jack Dunn, RPh, pharmacist owner of Jasper Drugs and Gifts in Jasper (and past president of the Georgia Pharmacy Association), was honored at the state cap-itol by the Georgia House of Representatives for being named the 2014 NCPA Willard B. Simmons Independent Pharmacist of the Year.

JACK DUNN HONORED BY GEORGIA HOUSE

PhArmAcy dAy At the dome recAP

Allie Jo Shipman, a student pharmacist from Mercer University, checks the blood pressure of a state employee during the 2015 Pharmacy Day at the Dome.

We could barely fit all the pharmacists, technicians, and student pharmacists who attended Day at the Dome onto the steps in the Capitol. Just right of center are Governor and Mrs. Deal.

Jack Dunn (center) speaks at the state capitol while being honored by the Georgia House of Representatives. Rep. Rick Jasperse (left) and Speaker David Ralston (right) look on.


MAC trAnspArenCyStatus: Passed the House, passed the Senate, and is awaiting Governor Deal’s signature.

It’s been a long, multi-year battle, but this year, with the leadership of House Insurance Committee Chairman Richard Smith of Columbus, GPhA was able to bring the PBM industry to the table and negotiate major reforms to the Audit

Bill of Rights and the statute regulating PBMs. The result, HB470, sponsored by Representative David Knight of Griffin, is a bill that goes a long way toward rectifying anticompetitive practices and policies that did not allow pharmacists to be reimbursed fairly for the medications they sold.

Here’s a brief summary of what HB 470 does:w It gives Georgia’s Commissioner of Insurance en-

forcement authority over the Audit Bill of Rights and PBMs, including the ability to impose fines.

w It requires that PBMs update their MAC pricing no less than every five business days, and the notification must include where the drug can be purchased at that price.

w It prohibits PBMs from compensating audi-tors based on a percentage of the amount they recover.

w It requires that any recoupment be limited to the amount overpaid.

w It prohibits PBMs from placing a drug on a MAC list unless there are at least two therapeutically equivalent, multi-source generic drugs, or at least one generic drug available from only one manu-facturer, available for purchase by network phar-macies from national or regional wholesalers.

w It limits the right to appeal a reimbursement to 14 calendar days following reimbursement of the initial claim. And the PBM must respond to an

legislative update

CAnnAbinoid oil (Hb 1)Status: Signed by the governor into law

Allows patients with any of eight disease states to legally possess cannabinoid oil with low THC. (The original House version allowed for nine conditions.) Pharmacists are not a part of the dispensing regime.

It will also set up a panel, including a pharmacist, to look at ways to use medical marijuana in Georgia.

biosiMilArs (sb 51)Status: Passed the House, passed the Senate, and is awaiting Governor Deal’s signature.

The bill will determine the procedure for substituting biosimilar medicines, once they are approved by the FDA, and makes those substitutions protected under the Pharmacy Audit bill of Rights.

eye drop refills (Hb 47)Status: Passed the House and is in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.

This legislation will allow for certain eye drops to be refilled without a new prescrip-tion up to 70 percent of the amount of the original prescription. This will help patients with the continuity of care if they put too many drops into their eyes at a time or if other similar problems arise.

otHer leGislAtion we Are followinG

At press time, the prospects look good for all three GPhA priority bills this year: MAC transparency, expanded immunization protocols for pharmacists, and clarification that the actual prescriber’s name may appear prescription labels.

david knight

appeal no later than 14 calendar days after the date the appeal was received.

w If an appeal is denied, the PBM must provide the reason for the denial and the NDC number of the drug that can be purchased at a lower price.

w If an appeal is successful, the PBM must adjust the MAC price on the drug on the day after the appeal is decided, and must apply the MAC price to all similarly situated pharmacies.


We owe our thanks to several members of the house who championed HB470 and helped bring it this far:w Rep. David Knight of Griffin, the bill’s lead sponsorw House Insurance Committee Chairman Richard

Smith of Columbusw Reps. Bruce Broadrick, Buddy Harden, Butch

Parrish, Jason Shaw, and Ron Stephensw Senators Charlie Bethel and Hunter Hill, who

carried the bill in the Senate

presCribers’ nAMes on lAbelsStatus: Passed the House, passed the Senate, and is awaiting Governor Deal’s signature.

GPhA engineered an amendment in this year’s Drug Update Bill (which updates the list of dan-gerous narcotics) to clarify that pharmacists may put the name of either the supervising physician or the actual prescriber on a label.

This brings Georgia law in sync with feder-al Medicare and Medicaid requirements, and reduces confusion for pharmacists who had to choose between following state law or federal requirements.

iMMunizAtion expAnsionStatus: Passed the House, passed the Senate, and is awaiting Governor Deal’s signature.

After several years’ effort, GPhA reached an agreement with the Medical Association of Georgia on the parame-ters of this bill, which would allow Georgia pharmacists to provide adult vaccina-tions for three additional vaccinations without a

prescription. Under the bill, pharmacists would be allowed to provide immunizations for pneumonia, shingles, and meningitis — in addition to influ-enza — without a prescription (but in a “vaccine protocol agreement” with a physician).

The end result is good for pharmacists and their patients, as it helps made immunizations more accessible, geographically and financially, especially to people in rural areas.

We owe a special thanks to House Health & Hu-man Services Committee Chairman Sharon Cooper of Marietta and to Senate Health & Human Services Committee Renee Unterman of Buford, who shep-herded this bill through their respective chambers.

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Inspiring confidenceGPhA/UBS Wealth Management Program

We know pharmacists think about much more than prescriptions. You think about your future and retirement,

making the right financial decisions for your family, andhelping your employees so their future looks confident too.

UBS provides GPhA with exclusive UBS benefits for the complexities of your life and pharmacy. Contact us today

and let us help you plan with confidence.

Harris Gignilliat, CIMA®, CRPS®

First Vice President–Wealth Management Senior Retirement Plan Consultant

404-760-3301 [email protected]

Wile Consulting GroupUBS Financial Services Inc.

3455 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1700Atlanta, GA 30326

ubs.com/team/wile

As a firm providing wealth management services to clients, we offer both investment advisory and brokerage services. These services are separate and distinct, differ in material ways and are governed by different laws and separate contracts. For more information on the distinctions between our brokerage and investment advisory services, please speak with your Financial Advisor or visit our website at ubs.com/workingwithus.UBS Financial Services Inc., its affiliates and its employees are not in the business of providing tax or legal advice. Clients should seek advice based on their particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor. CIMA® is a registered certification mark of the Investment Management Consultants Association, Inc. in the United States of America and worldwide. Chartered Retirement Plans SpecialistSM and CRPS® are registered service marks of the College for Financial Planning®. ©UBS 2014. All rights reserved. UBS Financial Services Inc. is a subsidiary of UBS AG. Member FINRA/SIPC. 7.00_Ad_7.5x4.875_AX0220_WileConsultingGrp2 GphA

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sharon cooper

hot or not?

cover story


The sTaTe of pharmacy

employmenT in GeorGia

By Andrew KAntor

pharmacy is cold.

There are too many pharmacists out there, and not nearly enough jobs for them, especially with what’s coming down the pike from pharmacy schools.

Perhaps the most-cited story supporting this perspective is Katie Zavadski’s September 2014 article in New Republic, “The Pharmacy School Bubble Is About to Burst.”

Since 1987, Zavadski wrote, the number of pharmacy schools in the United States has almost doubled from 72 to more than 130. And she quoted Palm Beach Atlantic University pharmacy professor Daniel Brown, who estimated 20 percent unemployment of new pharmacy graduates by 2018.

As Brown wrote in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education in 2013, “[N]o goose harbors an infinite supply of golden eggs, and the inordinate rate of academic growth that ensued has put the academy at risk, along with its students.”

pharmacy is hot.

Pharmacy is one of the country’s fastest growing professions, with

plenty of opportunity.The American Association of

Colleges of Pharmacy says that, “There is good potential for advancement and

competitive salaries within a pharmacy career,” citing “A shortfall of as many as

157,000 pharmacists is predicted by 2020 according to the findings of a

conference sponsored by the Pharmacy Manpower Project.”

The Georgia Department of Labor lists pharmacist as one of “Georgia’s HOT

Careers t0 2022.” And Forbes said that, “Pharmacists reigned supreme in Forbes’

list of the best health care jobs in 2015.”Sharon Deason, a pharmacist

with Publix in Atlanta, has been in the business since 1975. “There do seem to be a lot of pharmacists graduating,” she agrees, “but I have not seen many problems with finding jobs. At Publix right now we have

six openings I know of!”



So what’s the deal? Is the market for pharma-cists oversaturated thanks to all those new grad-uates coming down the pike? Or are there some factors coming into play that might mean the sky isn’t falling after all?

First, let’s look at the numbers. There are, according to the Georgia Board of

Pharmacy, about 14,123 licensed pharmacists in Georgia as of the beginning of 2015. About 73 per-cent of those live in Georgia; most of the rest live in neighboring states.

Of those, according to the Georgia Department of Labor, about 210 will leave their positions each year, either to retire or to change jobs, and about 90 new positions will open statewide thanks to growth.

And the supply of pharmacists is growing as well. Each year, Georgia’s four pharmacy schools are expected to turn out a total of more than 500 graduates, the majority of whom will look for jobs in chain and independent pharmacies.

Those simple numbers seem to imply that yes, there are a lot more student pharmacists on their way to graduation than there are jobs for them.

As one long-time pharmacist in southeast Georgia put it (he asked that we not use his name), “Over the last 10 years, open pharmacist positions have become few and far between.” From his perspective, it’s clear cause and effect — and the cause is new pharmacy schools and increased class size.

“I’ve seen pharmacy go from a pharmacist shortage to a glut,” he said.

Certainly that’s what students are hearing.Victoria Jackson, a third-year student phar-

macist at the University of Georgia, said that, like many other students, she was attracted to a career that seemed to offer everything from flexible hours and personal fulfillment to signing bonuses and the respect that comes with being a healthcare provid-er in the community.

“Who wouldn’t want that job?” she asked. “I thought this career path would be a mecca of job opportunities.”

But that changed. Jackson wasn’t alone in her perception of the career, and pharmacy schools had expanded to meet the increased demand. The demand for students that is — not necessarily for pharmacists.

“My opinion quickly shifted after starting school and talking to other pharmacists and upperclassmen,” Jackson said. “The supply and demand for pharmacists is quickly changing, and not for the better. With the openings of multiple pharmacy schools across the nation, the job mar-ket is drying up.”

Jackson isn’t alone in that opinion. “After starting my first semester of pharmacy

school, our program’s dean came to give us a ‘talk,’” said Sarah Williford, a 2015 PharmD candidate at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Georgia campus. “[H]e laid it all out there and said the field of pharmacy was extremely saturated, and the job market was very hard and competitive. He told us that we would be lucky if we even had one job lined up by the time we graduated, and to not expect that first job to be our dream job. That was a huge reality check.”

“The supply and demand for pharmacisTs is quickly changing

and not for the better. With the openings of multiple pharmacy

schools across the nation, the job market is drying up.”

cover story


But wait, there’s more demand

Reality for Jackson, Williford, and their colleagues might not be quite so gloomy, however. There’s no question that supply is growing — and grow-ing quickly. But supply, obviously, is only half the equation. It’s the other half — demand — where the action is.

Once again, let’s start by looking at some numbers.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted the country would see about a 15 percent growth in pharmacy positions between 2012 and 2022. Georgia is expected to fare even better, with a 17 percent growth in pharmacist jobs during that period. That’s a big reason Forbes and the Georgia Depart-ment of Labor consider pharmacy such a hot field (and the BLS’s estimate of a $115K average starting salary doesn’t hurt).

But while 17 percent growth might seem like a lot, the actual numbers are more sobering: That translates to about 300 annual openings according to the GDOL, while the BLS’s estimate is slightly rosier: about 370 in Georgia.

But here’s the kick: Those numbers are based on previous growth. For the most part, they assume that past experience will predict future results. And that’s not necessarily the case, because there are several factors in play that are likely to increase demand for healthcare workers, including pharma-cists, faster than in previous years.

Baby Boomers. The biggest generation is living longer than ever, and they’re now hitting the age when they’ll start to need more medical care. It’s no surprise, of course — it’s one of the reasons 20 of the 25 fastest-growing jobs for people with master’s degrees on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ list are in healthcare; pharmacist is number 49.

Obamacare. It’s simple cause and effect: “As a result of the Affordable Care Act, more patients will be insured, which also translates to more patients that need our care,” explained Ashish Advani, director of the Drug Information Center at Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy.

How many more? More than 536,000 Georgians signed up for

coverage through Healthcare.gov in 2015, including about 200,000 new enrollees, most from the ranks of Georgia’s 1.8 million uninsured, according to gov-ernment data and the Kaiser Family Foundation.

There is room to grow, too. While 90 percent of people who bought their insurance through Healthcare.gov were eligible for a subsidy to offset the cost of insurance, about 282,000 Georgians still fall into the coverage “gap”: They earn too little to qualify for subsidies under the ACA, but too much to meet Medicaid guidelines. That gap would close if and when Georgia elects to expand Medicaid.

In fact, a February 2013 report from the Univer-sity of Georgia concluded that Medicaid expansion in the state would support more than 70,000 jobs statewide through 2023 — with half of those in the healthcare industry.

Provider status. In early March, a bill that would give pharmacists limited provider status was introduced in Congress. It would allow pharmacists in “medically underserved areas” to be compensat-ed by Medicare for Part B services they provide to patients — immunizations, diabetes management, blood pressure screenings, and so on.

It’s a major step toward pharmacists being con-sidered full healthcare providers under Medicare, which would considerably expand their patient pool, thus increasing demand.

In Georgia, GPhA is behind efforts to enhance pharmacists’ role as full-fledged healthcare pro-viders. The association is leading efforts to expand pharmacists’ immunization protocols, which will also create more demand for other services, with the side benefit of bringing more healthcare options to many Georgians, as close as their local pharmacy. It could be a whole new ball game.

“With the advent of pharmacists gaining provider status, there would open a completely

AmAndA Westbrooks, rpH, kennesAW: “I honestly don’t know about the demand for pharmacists going up much more significantly. It’s possible that there will be more prescriptions being filled, but along with the ACA, MAC pricing, and increasing wholesale prices of drugs, I don’t know that there will be enough extra money coming into pharmacies to pay for more pharmacist hours.

“If anything, I think the demand on the currently employed pharmacist is going to increase, and without much extra tech help.”

A different point of view


different outlook for the face of pharmacy,” said Dr. Curtis Jones, dean for South University’s School of Pharmacy. “Not only are jobs going to be there, but pharmacists — at some level — are going to begin to practice at the level of their licenses.”

The end of the recession. In the economic downturn of the mid-2000s, the stock market, and with it the portfolios of many potential retirees, did a nosedive. It didn’t begin recovering until 2009. That meant that pharmacists, like many others, were, in Advani’s words, “clinging to jobs during the recession.”

Now that the economy is back on solid footing,

esTimaTes of fuTure pharmacy openinGs are at least partially based

on outdated information: the economic doldrums of the mid- to late-2000s.

past performance in this case may underestimate future results.

cover story

they can reconsider retiring or moving. And as they do, they’ll create openings for both graduating stu-dents and for other pharmacists looking to change positions.

All these factors mean that estimates of future pharmacy openings are at least partially based on outdated information: the economic doldrums of the mid- to late-2000s. Past performance in this case may underestimate future results.

Of course, knowing that there probably will be jobs doesn’t tell you where those jobs will be.

location, location, location

When you look at the Georgia numbers, they’re Georgia numbers. Statewide. There aren’t break-downs by county or ZIP Code, so when we talk about expansion and job openings, it’s not obvious where exactly those openings are.

Word on the street, however, seems clear.“Based on what I am hearing about employ-

ment, larger cities are saturated with pharmacists, and it’s the rural areas that need staffing,” said Mandy Irvin, a student pharmacist at South Uni-versity. “Cities where pharmacy schools are located are also an issue for employment, since students tend to stay where they were educated.”

Stephanie White, a student pharmacist at Mer-cer, agreed. “I’ve heard that while the job market is more saturated than in the past, there are plenty of jobs available if you are willing to relocate,” she said.

That’s nothing new, according to South Univer-sity’s Dean Jones. “The higher demand in rural ar-eas vs. metropolitan areas has always been there,” he explained, because more pharmacists prefer to stay in urban areas. Back in the early 2000s, when demand for pharmacists peaked, “they had greater choice, and a good number of them chose to stay in the cities.”

That perceived saturation of the urban market might not be the case for long, though. And again, one of the main drivers could be the Affordable Care Act. Because where the patients are, so too

, CFP TM


will be the demand for healthcare workers.In 2014, about 68 percent of Georgia’s 2014

health insurance enrollees were in the Atlanta metropolitan area, according to Dr. William Custer, a health insurance expert at the Georgia State Uni-versity’s Center For Health Services Research.

But the numbers shifted somewhat this year, when, Custer said, 200,000 additional people signed up for one of the various policies available — this time, they were mostly in rural areas.

“So what that tells you,” Custer said, “is that about half of the new money (and therefore new jobs) coming into Georgia is going to the Atlan-ta metro and about half to more rural areas of Georgia.”

And if Georgia expands Medicaid, he said, it would also help create jobs in cities. “When we looked at the effects of [potential] Medicaid expansion in Georgia, we estimated that about 40 percent of the new jobs created would be in urban areas,” Custer said.

Bottom line? “I would tell pharmacists that, looking at the ACA effect alone, there will be new opportunities in both rural and urban areas of Georgia.”

There are, of course, a long list of variables and estimates — too many, in fact, to say for sure whether the market for pharmacists will be hot or cold. While the cries of “oversaturation” and fears of 20 percent unemployment for pharma-cists are likely overblown, the increased supply suggests that students shouldn’t expect thosee immediate six-figure salaries they may have been counting on.

Jordan Loggins, a 2015 PharmD candidate at the UGA College of Pharmacy, isn’t terribly concerned. “The market for pharmacists is much larger than some students might think,” he said. “Finding a job might not be easy, but neither is pharmacy school. As long as you are willing to put in the time and effort into it, jobs are out there for the taking.”

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Pharmacists often find themselves at transition points in their careers. Maybe it’s deciding to venture out and buy your first pharmacy, or to open an additional location; maybe it’s contem-plating retirement and selling your pharmacy; it could even be the idea of investing in a new business model or creating a new pharmacy business tool. Are there any general financial principles you can share to help pharmacists navigate those transitions?Your question illustrates and magnifies the need for pharmacists to have a comprehensive finan-cial plan. I like to say that without a map, any road will get you to where you want to go. With a plan you get to identify efficiencies to get you there quicker. Because of these transitions and opportunities, financial planning for the phar-macy profession should almost be mandatory. I don’t see how pharmacists can make decisions like this without some form of financial planning to help navigate. Whether it’s starting a pharmacy, opening a new location or going into retirement, a financial plan can shed light and make difficult decisions much easier by providing perspective and a longer term time horizon.

If an employee pharmacist hopes to own her own pharmacy in the next five to 10 years, what kind of advice can you give her to begin prepar-ing for it today?Start a savings plan that is based upon the size and scope of the pharmacy they want to buy. Owning a business takes a considerable financial commitment on the front end. In addition you want to make sure you have your financial house

Pharmacists have some unique needs when it comes to planning their finances, but they have many of the same issues as any employee or busi-ness owner.

Knowing this, GPhA formed what we call an affinity partnership with UBS Wealth Manage-ment — specifically, the Atlanta-based Wile Consulting Group.

Through this partnership, GPhA members have access to some useful financial-planning tools, including in-person meetings with a UBS wealth planner. (This isn’t a quick meeting where you’re given generic advice about diversifying investments and balancing portfolios. These are personal, in-depth sessions by experts, and GPhA members get them free.)

So when we look to get investment and planning advice for members, we turn to Harris Gignilliat. He’s Wile’s first vice president for wealth management, and the man who administers our partner-ship with UBS.

We asked him a few questions about pharmacists and their finances.

financial planning

Harris GiGnilliat

Money MattersIt’s never too early — or too late — For pharmacists to plan their Financial Futures.


in order, especially when leveraging a bank loan. Think about the number and type of employees, the location, and the size of business you want to acquire and build. Look for a mentor who can talk to you about mistakes and how to avoid them. Leverage the GPHA and AIP as they are great re-sources and have access to valuable information.

How can a pharmacist use his everyday experi-ences to become a better investor?The best advice I can give is to ignore their every-day experiences. Too many times investors use their specific personal perspective as a barometer for investment decisions. They like a product, a service or a company that they have a personal interaction with and want to buy the correspond-ing stock. This is a recipe for disaster. By the time they make that correlation, typically the invest-ment opportunity is already gone. But there are some rules of thumb that apply to everything. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Buy when everybody is selling and sell when every-body is buying. These are all well-known clichés, but they all make sense and cents!

The markets have been on an unprecedented run since the 2008 recession. What do you and your firm see as opportunities and challenges in the near term?We are entering one of the longest bull markets in the history of the stock market. Common sense tells you that markets don’t go straight up and with return comes risk. We are seeing the general investor become complacent and it reminds me of other market times in history when investors lost sight of the risk involved in the stock mar-ket. I believe the longer term trajectory is still positive, but we need to prepare investors for an increase in volatility and large potential swings in the market in the short term. I think the next 6-12 months has the potential to get very choppy. We’ve already seen this increase in volatility since the beginning of the year. As far as opportunities, investors need to start broadening their horizons and start looking outside the US. We see very fa-vorable valuations in international and emerging market stocks and believe this is a good time to engage those markets.

The career path for a pharmacist can vary by practice settings, and many pharmacists may cross back and forth among practice settings in their career. How do you develop a financial

plan that positions you to achieve your goals re-gardless of practice setting and pharmacy role?First, having a plan is crucial. The biggest mistake we see with pharmacists and financial planning is that they create one and then never return to it. The best advice I could give is to create a financial plan and update it as your transitions happen. Plans are not definitive. Life has many twists and turn along the way, but if you keep your financial plan up to date, the likelihood of reaching your goals increases dramatically. I like to say that every plane flying from NY to LA gets off course at some point during the trip, but the key is that the plane always ends up at the final destination because the pilot has a map.

Student-loan payments can last decades after graduation. Some people prefer to make the minimum payments each month, while others try to pay them off more quickly. What’s your advice?There is not a one-size-fits-all answer to this question. The basis for this decision needs to be based around the interest rate of the loan. If you have a competitive interest rate, meaning you can identify investment and opportunities that will grow faster than the debt accumulates, it benefits you to make the minimum payment and offset the difference with these outside investments. For those with higher interest rates it behooves them to eliminate the debt as soon as possible. The biggest mistake we see is pharmacists not taking the time to come up with a strategy to handle their debt. The second biggest mistake is pharmacists ignoring their savings strategies in order to pay down debt quicker, thereby losing the power of compound interest.

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“FInancIal plannInG For the

pharMacy proFessIon should

alMost be Mandatory

i don’t see how pharmacists can

make decisions like this without

some Form oF Financial

planning to help navigate.”


pharmpac

Investing in PharmPAC is investing in your business.

our Goal is your GoalGPhA’s lobbying can only be as effective as the support behind it. Your association works every day to help ensure that legislation passed in Georgia is the best possible for you and your business.

Visit GPhA.org/PharmPAC to find out more.

PharmPAC funds help elect legislators who are friendly to pharmacy. As of March 15, 2015, we still had a long way to go to meet our goal for the year.

$0 $10,000 $20,000 $30,000 $40,000 $50,000 $60,000 $70,000 $80,000 $90,000 $100,000

$14,312 GOAL


The Georgia Pharmacists Political Action Committee — PharmPAC — provides the resources for your association to lobby and advocate on behalf of pharmacy professionals across the state.

GPhA works at the local, state, and even federal level, leading the way in influencing pharmacy-related legislation.

Investors in PharmPAC understand the importance of this to their business, and they make financial commitments of support.

2015 PharmPaC investorsThe following pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, students,

and others have joined GPhA’s PharmPAC. The contribution levels are based on investment for the calendar year as of March 15, 2015.

Diamond Investors ($4,800 or more)

Titanium Investors ($2,400)

Fred ShArPeAlbany

“I don’t have time or the knowledge to keep up with all the legislative bills that can affect pharmacy.

GPhA puts the bills into terms I can understand so I am able to communicate effectively with my representatives.“

—Sharon Deason

SCott MeekSDouglas

rAlPh BAlChinFayetteville

GreG hiCkMAnMonroe

t.M. BridGeSHazlehurst

JeFF SikeSValdosta

BrAndAll loVVornBremen

dAnny SMithMcRae


Get invested today.Visit GPhA.org/PharmPAC or contact Andy Freeman

[email protected] • (404) 419-8118

Platinum Investors ($1,200)

WilliAm CAGleHuGH CHAnCyKeitH CHAPmAnDAle CoKerAl DixonJACK DunnAnDreW FreemAnrobert HAttonirA KAtzJeFF lureyeDDie mADDenPAmAlA mArquessiVey mCCurDyDreW millerlAirD millermArK PArrisHouston roGersCHris tHurmonDDAnny totHAlex tuCKertommy WHitWortH

Gold Investors ($600)

WilliAm breWsterbruCe broADriCKmAHlon DAViDsonsHAron DeAson robert DiCKinsonbenJAmin DuPreeKeVin FlorenCeKerry GriFFinmiCHeAl iteoGubobby mooDysHerri mooDybriAn riCKArDAnDy roGersmiCHAel tArrAntCHuCK WilsonWilliAm WolFe

2015 PharmPaC investors (Continued)

Silver Investors ($300)Nelson AnglinGregory DrakeAmanda GaddyWillie LatchKalen ManascoBill McLeerDonald PeilaAustin Tull

Bronze Investors ($150)Robert BentleyNicholas BlandMark CooperMichael CrooksRabun DekleAnn Hansford

John HansfordLarry HarkleroadHannah HeadHenry JoseyBrenton LakeSusan McCleerErica Veasley

Member InvestorsRenee AdamsonClaude BatesRobert BentleyNicholas BlandStuart BradleyKristin BrooksWaymon CannonMark CooperJames DarleyRabun DekleAmy Grimsley

Larry HarkleroadHannah HeadLise HennickKameron HuffmanWillie LatchCarroll LowreyRalph MarettMax MasonRoy McClendonSheila D. MillerSheri MillsMark NidayCorey RieckKimmy SandersJim SandersOlivia SantosoTerry ShawJeffrey SmithGeorge WuAnonymous Contributor

PharmPACBoard of DirectorsDean Stone, Region 1Keith Dupree, Region 2Judson Mullican, Region 3Bill McLeer, Region 4Mahlon Davidson, Region 5Mike McGee, Region 6Jim McWilliams, Region 7T.M. Bridges, Region 8Mark Parris, Region 9Chris Thurmond, Region 10Stewart Flanagin, Region 11Henry Josey, Region 12Bobby Moody, Ex-OfficioR. Scott Brunner, Ex-Officio


Reach out to us

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Our phOne number is 404.231.5074

Our Website is GPhA.orG

Our blOg is GPhABuzz.com

GPha LeadeRshiP

President BoBBy [email protected]

Chair of the BoardPaM Marquess [email protected]

President-elect ToMMy [email protected]

First Vice President LanCe [email protected]

second Vice PresidentLiza [email protected]

executive Vice President and CeosCoTT Brunner, Cae [email protected]

calendar

MAY 12–13nCPa Legislative ConferenceHilton Crystal City at Reagan National Airport, Arlington, Va.

JulY 8, 12GPha Board of directors meetings at the GPha ConventionOmni Amelia Island Plantation Resort, Amelia Island, Fla.

Get together with fellow pharmacists and pharmacy professionals from your neck of the woods for an evening of good food, great conversation, and a chance to hear the latest information from one of GPhA’s industry partners.

You can find details of each region meeting online at GPhA.org/spring2015 (where you need to register, because this year all the dinners are free).

TuesdAY APril 14Region 3 - ColumbusRegion 7 - AcworthRegion 8 - Waycross

ThursdAY APril 16Region 1 - StatesboroRegion 4 - FayettevilleRegion 12 - Dublin

TuesdAY APril 28Region 6 - MaconRegion 10 - AthensRegion 11 - Augusta

ThursdAY APril 30Region 2 - ValdostaRegion 5 - AtlantaRegion 9 - East Ellijay

spring regiOn meetings

JulY 11GPha general membership business meetingOmni Amelia Island Plantation Resort, Amelia Island, Fla.

JulY 17–19Georgia society of health-system Pharmacists summer MeetingOmni Amelia Island Plantation Resort, Amelia Island, Fla.

140th GPha Convention Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort, Amelia Island, Fla.

You won’t want to miss the biggest event of the year for Georgia pharmacists: GPhA’s annual convention. We’ll offer hours of continuing education, lots of family fun, a chance to mingle with hun-dreds of your fellow pharmacists, phar-macy technicians, pharmacy students from across the state, and an exhibit hall full of top-notch industry vendors.GPhA.org/convention

JulY 9-12


postscript postscript

A few months back you received a survey from GPhA asking for your feed-back about the association. We’ve been working hard to make sure you receive value for the dues you pay.

We had around a 30 per-cent response rate, and we

found that most members joined GPhA to net-work with other pharmacists and stay current on pharmacy issues and news (so I hope you are enjoying GPhA Buzz and this magazine for time-ly updates on all things that involve pharmacy). Rounding out the top three reasons for joining

was serving as a voice for pharmacy. Most respondents say that they would recom-

mend GPhA to a colleague. We’ve grown by more than 100 members in the past few months, and we’re working hard to continue that momen-tum. I want to challenge you to encourage your pharmacist friends to join the association and attend our Georgia Pharmacy Convention 2015 and take advantage of all that GPhA has to offer.

Most members believe that GPhA promotes the profession and provides a voice, but we need every pharmacist to help raise that voice. Like our EVP said in his Prescript column: There’s no limit to what we can accomplish when we’re all together.

bobby moody

Value proposition

You told us...

Believed their GPhA membership had

“high value”

Of respondents were willing to recommend the GPhA to a colleague (59% would “definitely recommend”)

39%

Second was staying current on pharmacy news

The biggest reason members had for joining GPhA was networking opportunities

28%

Why did members join?

PercePtion of value

21%Third, GPhA is the voice for pharmacists in Georgia

Based on a survey conducted by New South Research of Georgia Pharmacists, on behalf of GPhA.

benefit most requested

1 MOre cOntinuinG educAtiOn OPPOrtunities, PreferABly yeAr rOund.

Education was so popular that 48% said they would like to see education programs included in their dues, and 40% wanted regular webinars on relevant topics.

80%

s

MOre fAce-tO-fAce netwOrkinG.2 s

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GLOSS/GRADIENT


86%

Georgia’s AIP pharmacies are now under contract with private Georgia payers and Accountable Care Organizations to provide clinical services through our partnership with CriticalKey, LLC.

As part of this CriticalKey-powerednetwork, AIP member pharmacies will be able to expand patient offerings to provide care coordination and clinical services for MTM, smoking cessation, obesity control, diabetes management, and more.

Network members will get the training they need to up their game and be ready to provide the services payers are asking for.

Look for more information about the AIP High Performance Network in your mailbox, or talk to your AIP member service representative, and get paid for doing what you were meant to do.

Introducing the AIP CriticalKey High Performance Network

GP.AIP.HouseAd2.indd 1 3/25/15 11:24 AM

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FLAT COLOR

OPENBLACK & WHITE

GLOSS/GRADIENT


50 Lenox Pointe NE, Atlanta, GA 30324

2015-04 Georgia Pharmacy

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