Ken Latta and Ken Speidel, Senior Associates at Gates Healthcare, were among the 20,000 who attended the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear Clinical Meeting last month in Orlando, Fla.

The ASHP setting allowed Latta and Speidel to meet with several current Gates clients as well as connect with select vendors featuring innovative equipment and products to better serve their clients.

KEN SPEIDEL

"Drug shortages, which is always a topic of discussion at ASHP, seemed to have an additional sense of urgency," Speidel said. "And more so than in other years, there was significant interest in compounding pharmacy practices and regulations. What became clear is that hospitals are taking the changes very seriously but many hospital pharmacies have facilities and practices that will be challenging to change."

KEN LATTA

Latta noted that many attendees were particularly interested in a session on compounding with hazardous chemicals, which is the focus of the new USP Chapter 800 set to be executed this year, as well as new regulations on the way in California, Maryland and North Carolina. The session covered facility design, personal protective equipment, environmental monitoring and cleaning, and personnel training.