ACE 2024 Registration Is Open!

It's time to start planning for the Annual Convention & Exposition (ACE)!

The signature event of Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA), ACE, will take place Feb. 23-25, 2024, at the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit. This will be MPA's last ACE in the Motor City for a while as we hit the road for Traverse City in 2025 and Lansing in 2026, 2027 and 2028, so don't miss out!

ACE is the premier continuing education event for pharmacists, pharmacy students and pharmacy technicians in Michigan. There will be something for everyone at ACE 2024.

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

- BOARD UPDATE -

Building Bridges in a Colorful Landscape

By Michell Dehoorne, Pharm.D., MSHP president

For many of us, autumn brings to mind stunning natural beauty as trees and foliage change colors and transform our surroundings into picturesque landscapes. It is also the time of year we come together at the MSHP Annual Meeting to be filled with inspiration, knowledge and colorful ideas to transform the health care landscape across Michigan.



This transcendent experience that encourages and motivates us to build bridges across health care inequities began with an inspirational keynote presentation by native Michigander Jacinda Abdul-Mitakabbir. Her insightful presentation improved our understanding of the impact of social determinants of health (SDoH) on patient outcomes and helped us recognize factors in health care processes and policies that can potentiate disparities in care. 

By the end of the presentation, attendees were filled with inspiration after Abdul-Mitakabbir also demonstrated how pharmacists can step forward and create bridges across health equity gaps through pharmacist-led vaccination outreach programs. This motivational presentation was on point with our organizational 2023 goals and the recently passed Senate Bill 219, which empowers pharmacists in Michigan to start similar vaccination programs.  

Next on the agenda was the Town Hall that highlighted outstanding pharmacists and programs in Michigan. Each awardee demonstrates outstanding leadership, devotes discretionary time to improve patient outcomes, advances pharmacy practice and improves the care of individuals in Michigan, especially those with health-related social needs. Recipients are as follows:

• Pharmacist of the Year: Brandon Flues. Flues exhibits leadership and demonstrates commitment to health-system pharmacy. He is recognized for outstanding work on the Michigan Hospital Medicine Safety Collaborative, Antimicrobial Stewardship and various multidisciplinary committees. In addition, he mentors and trains our future pharmacists and serves on both MPA and MSHP committees.
• Joseph A. Oddis Leadership Award: Insaf Mohammad. Early on in Mohammad’s career while completing a PGY1 residency, she served as president of Wayne County Pharmacists Association. In addition to remaining a leader in various capacities within this organization, Mohammad also serves as an MPA delegate, an MSHP committee co-chair and a speaker across multiple forums. She also leads by advancing pharmacy practice in particular by advancing population health outcomes through diabetes management and opioid risk mitigation. 
• President’s Award: Melissa Murphy. Murphy is dedicated to patients at risk of harm by opioids and exemplifies this within her practice at Ascension Genesys Hospital, as well as in her community. Murphy leads medication take-back days, raises awareness through disseminating informational materials on International Overdose Day and improves naloxone access for all. In addition, she educates patients, pharmacists and students, as well as pharmacy and medical residents on how to perform these services. She is also a founding member of a program at Ascension Genesys that addresses the unmet care needs of patients with opioid use disorders. In many instances, Murphy meets patients where they are – addressing health-related social needs such as access, transportation and life situations – thus exemplifying the president’s theme of building bridges across inequities in health care. Her early work in this area has led to the creation of a multidisciplinary team and teaching service incorporating this role into the education of medical residents. 
• Professional Practice Award: Corewell Health Dearborn Hospital Pharmacy SDoH Team. In 2022, Lama Hsaiky and Neha Desai received a grant to support a program focused on SDoH and to assess the impact of pharmacist-led interventions on the improvement of health outcomes and reduction of health care costs. Hsaiky and her colleagues designed a SDoH clinical pharmacy service using both the clinical skills of pharmacists and an electronic medical record-imbedded hospital screening dashboard to stratify patients. Their patient cohort included underserved adult patients below 200% of the federal poverty level with a documented 30-day readmission within the past year and at least one disease associated with medication complexity (COPD, DM, MI, CHF). The clinical pharmacist team performs structured clinical and socioeconomic assessments of patients for barriers to medication management and employs several mitigation strategies to target health-related social needs to improve outcomes. 

If this isn’t enough to get one excited about the role of pharmacists in addressing SDoH, we also had programming focused on training future practitioners on SDoH, in particular on the inclusion of SDoH education in pharmacy training programs. The remainder of the day was filled with outstanding networking and CE programs around ambulatory care, heart failure and asthma. Pharmacists managing these patient populations can improve care limited by social determinants of health, including race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, socioeconomic status, cognitive ability and geographic location. These barriers impact all dimensions of health care, including access to medications, primary care providers, hospitals, emergency services and community health centers. Pharmacists as accessible health care providers can play a crucial role in addressing these determinants and expanding access to needed health care services.

Pharmacists are trusted by the community, affording an opportunity to provide education on medication use, disease management and self-care as well as fostering a forum to complete medication reviews, assess barriers to adherence and provide solutions to overcome these barriers. By the end of day, participants of the annual program gained motivation, insight and tools on how to address healthcare inequities and improve care in Michigan. Thank you to all who attended this program as well as our sponsors and MPA staff who made this day a great success. 

I am grateful to have served as president and experienced such strong support in promoting the 2023 presidential theme throughout this year and, most importantly, at the 2023 Annual Meeting.

- TRANSITIONS OF CARE -

Value of Pharmacist-led Transitions of Care

Jamie Alex, Pharm.D., ambulatory oncology specialist, Henry Ford-Macomb

 and Melvin Leonard, Pharm.D., transitions of care specialist,

Ascension St. John, Detroit

Transitions of care and medication reconciliations have been well-studied and identified as a method to improve patient outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions and emergency department (ED) visits.¹ In many cases, there is a large information deficit for patients when they leave the hospital; they are often overwhelmed with information or do not have the health literacy to comprehend it. Due to a lack of sufficient patient education, recall can be significantly impaired. One study found that only 43 percent of patients had left the ED retaining the information discussed, including diagnosis, examinations and follow-up.²

In addition to reducing medication errors, transitions of care and medication reconciliation can aid in reducing the economic burden on patients and health systems and improve patient safety and outcomes by reducing admissions and ED visits. Health systems can lose valuable reimbursement due to penalties issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, reducing reimbursement rates by up to 3 percent.¹ Transitions of care pharmacists, both inpatient and outpatient, are well-positioned to provide accurate medication reconciliation, potentially saving hospitals a significant amount of money.

Najafzadeh, et al. developed a simulation model to identify the potential cost-savings to the health system after medication reconciliation. Medication reconciliation was estimated to result in a potential net benefit of $206 per patient due to the prevented costs of adverse drug events.³ A 2023 study evaluated patients who were either on high-risk medications or on more than three prescriptions at discharge. The intervention group included those who received medication reconciliation, a patient-specific care plan, counseling at discharge and follow-up phone calls on days 3, 14, and 30 for education. There was a reduction in 30-day readmission rates for those in the pharmacist group; for the 14 prevented readmissions in the study group, there was an estimated cost savings of $212,800.⁴

The value of transitions of care does not necessarily end at discharge – ambulatory care pharmacists can also play a role. One study investigated the integration of primary care ambulatory pharmacists on readmissions and ED visits. They identified patients who were at high risk, such as those prescribed five or more chronic medications, or had admitting diagnoses such as congestive heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation. They conducted face-to-face medication management within seven days of discharge, which was followed up by a visit with their primary care provider and pharmacist, if needed. This resulted in a significant reduction in readmissions and ED visits, along with a net economic benefit of $5,072 per patient over one year.⁵ Another study had pharmacist follow-up within 72 hours of discharge, and 86% of patients had one or more drug-related problems. The difference in cost for those who had usual care was $582 per patient based on the cost of readmission.⁶

Pharmacists are also in a unique position to help in addressing social determinants of health. For years, pharmacists have been at the forefront in their communities. Routinely, pharmacists follow-up with patients with limited health care services, health literacy, social support and language barriers. Along with medication reconciliation and education, pharmacists can assist providers with recommendations on chronic disease state management such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, immunizations, etc. Minorities and underserved communities are disproportionally affected by these chronic disease states; therefore, pharmacist involvement in clinical preventive services, chronic disease state management and transitions of care are vital to the elimination of health disparities.⁷

Overall, there are various benefits to having a pharmacist conduct medication reconciliations and transitions of care, both in inpatient and outpatient settings. Multiple studies have shown a reduction in readmissions and ED visits, which directly leads to cost savings for the health system. Integrating more transitions of care pharmacists will improve patient safety and patient knowledge of medications, potentially prevent medication errors and adverse events, and address some aspects of social disparities of health that exist in many of our communities.

1. Phatak A, Prusi R, Ward B, et al. Impact of Pharmacist Involvement in the Transitional Care of High-Risk Patients Through Medication Reconciliation, Medication Education, and Postdischarge Call-Backs (IPITCH Study). J Hosp Med. 2016; 11(1):39-44. doi: 10.1002/jhm.2493.
2. Marty H, Bogenstätter Y, Franc G, et al. How well informed are patients when leaving the emergency department? Comparing information provided and information retained. Emerg Med J. 2013;30(1):53-57. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2011-200451.
3. Najafzadeh M, Schnipper JL, Shrank WH, et al. Economic value of pharmacist-led medication reconciliation for reducing medication errors after hospital discharge. Am J Manag Care. 2016;22(10):654–661.
4. Sutt, AR, Alm R, Olson JL. Impact of ambulatory care pharmacist intervention on 30-day readmission rates in high-risk transitions-of-care patients. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2023;S1544-3191(23):00146-2. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2023.05.005.
5. Freeman CR, Scott IA, Hemming K, et al. Reducing Medical Admissions and Presentations Into Hospital through Optimising Medicines (REMAIN HOME): a stepped wedge, cluster randomized controlled trial. Med J Aust. 2021;214(5):212–217. doi: 10.5694/mja2.50942.
6. Spiegel B, Shane R. Cost-Effectiveness of Pharmacist Postdischarge Follow-Up to Prevent Medication-Related Admissions. Am J Accountable Care. 2018;6(2).
7. Noghadam S, Leal, S. How Should Physicians and Pharmacists Collaborate to Motivate Health Equity in Underserved Communities? AMA Journal of Ethics. 2021;23(2):E117-126. doi: 10.1001/amajethics.2021.117.

- MEMBER SPOTLIGHT -

Brandon Flues, Pharm.D., BCPS

Pharmacy clinical coordinator, Hurley Medical Center;

2023 MSHP Pharmacist of the Year

Member Since: 2017

Describe Your Role/Day in the Life: I am currently a pharmacy clinical coordinator at Hurley Medical Center (HMC) in Flint. In my role, I coordinate and oversee clinical pharmacy services in internal medicine, infectious diseases and emergency medicine. I serve as the co-leader and co-chair of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee and as a member of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee; Infection Control Committee; Sepsis Committee; Internal Medicine Performance Improvement Committee; and lead quality improvement initiatives for the Michigan Hospital Medicine Safety collaborative at HMC. I serve as an adjunct clinical instructor for Ferris State University, Creighton University and St. John Fisher University. I offer an acute care/internal medicine APPE, infectious diseases APPE and drug information APPE. I participate in daily interdisciplinary team rounding and engage in quality improvement/research projects with the internal medicine residency program faculty and residents.

Why You’re an MSHP/MPA Member: MPA/MSHP has been a great opportunity for networking with other pharmacy leaders throughout the state and does an excellent job advocating for the advancement of pharmacy services in Michigan. I am the co-chair of the MSHP Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee for 2023 and have also served on the Governmental Affairs Committee and New Practitioner Committee for MPA.

Recent Accomplishments: Achieved board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist (BCPS) in 2019, APPE Preceptor of the Year award for Ferris State University for 2020-21.

How MSHP/MPA Has Helped You Achieve Any Accomplishments: Being a MPA/MSHP member helps me to stay current on new pharmacy updates throughout the state and provides a great opportunity for networking within the profession.

- EDUCATIONAL AFFAIRS -

2023 MSHP Annual Meeting Recap 

By Carley Dubbert, Pharm.D.

The 2023 Michigan Society of Health-System Pharmacists (MSHP) Annual Meeting was held Oct. 27 at the Crowne Plaza Lansing West. It was an exciting day full of education, networking opportunities and recognition for the profession. New this year was an option to participate in special interest luncheon tables. This allowed pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to interact and learn from peers in their specific area of pharmacy. The room was buzzing with conversation! Attendees also had the option to visit with exhibitors and learn about recent advancements and novel medications on the market.

The Town Hall welcomed the new 2023-24 MSHP board, including president-elect Kyle Schmidt, Pharm.D., BCCCP, who presented his presidential theme of “Less, not Loss” and his vision to drive action and impact through organizational efficiency. The Town Hall also allowed recognition to several award winners: 

1. Pharmacist of the Year: Brandon Flues, Pharm.D., BCPS
2. Joseph A. Oddis Leadership Award: Insaf Mohammad, Pharm.D., BCACP
3. President’s Award: Melissa Murphy, Pharm.D., BCPS
4. Professional Practice Award: Corewell Health Dearborn Hospital Pharmacy Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) Team 
5. Clinical Skills Competition Winners: Wayne State University College of Pharmacy 

Continuing education (CE) events kicked off with Jacinda Abdul-Mutakabbir, Pharm.D., MPH, AAHIVP, delivering an inspiring keynote session related to SDoH and the importance of understanding the patient impact to integrate solutions into pharmacy practice. She discussed how her experience growing up in Detroit, infectious disease training and master’s degree in public health energized her to make an impact on social disparities in medical research and overall health literature. She gave insight on how to impact those in the community by explaining her current work to create equitable access to the COVID-19 and flu vaccines in Loma Linda, California.

Julie Schmidt, Pharm.D., BCPS, delivered a CE presentation on recent updates in heart failure management. She presented data from several different randomized control trials and discussed how they fit into practice. During the same hour, Tiffany Jenkins, Pharm.D., BCACP, Minji Sohn, PhD, and Angela Green, Pharm.D., MBA, BCPS, teamed up to educate attendees on dashboard development and implementation in ambulatory care practice. 

Afternoon sessions included a panel of Erin Munsel, Pharm.D., Amber Lanae Martirosov, Pharm.D., Michelle Dehoorne, Pharm.D., BSPharm, and Calvin Ice, Pharm.D., BCCCP, who presented on advice for mentors and mentees. It was an interactive session that was beneficial for attendees at all stages in their career. The second afternoon CE presentation was delivered by Dr. Nijra Lugog, MD, and Nada M. Farhat, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCACP. They shared recent asthma updates, resources for inhaler coverage and the power of collaboration to improve patient care. The final general session discussed the inclusion of SDoH education in pharmacy training programs. Panelists included Jamie Kalus, Jane McDonnell, Pharm.D., BCPS, Lisa Meny, Pharm.D. and Amy VandenBerg, Pharm.D., BCPP.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to another successful Annual Meeting!

- REGIONAL UPDATE -

Southeastern Michigan Society of Health-System Pharmacists Regional Society Update

By Jessica Jones, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCCP, SMSHP president-elect

The Southeastern Michigan Society of Health-System Pharmacists (SMSHP) has had a successful year and has been quite busy since our last update in July. At the end of July, we hosted our annual continuing education (CE) breakfast and golf outing at Northville Hills, with Margo Farber, Pharm.D., presenting a CE on “New Drug Updates: 2023.” The event was a success and we look forward to hosting this annual event next summer.

When resuming organization activities in September, Christopher Zimmerman, Pharm.D., BCPS, ACHIP, from Michigan Medicine presented a CE program on “Clinical Decision Support and EMR Integrations,” at The Gazebo Banquet Center in Warren. In October, we hosted our annual Residency Showcase and Reverse Expo at VistaTech Center in Livonia and wrapped up our annual elections – all of which were a success! On Nov. 8, SMSHP hosted its annual awards banquet, installation of elected 2024 officers, and a CE on “Caring for the Hospitalized Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension: Therapeutic Updates and Best Safety Practices” presented by Zachary Smith, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCCP, FCCP, from Henry Ford Health, at Silver Gardens in Southfield.

Our 2024 elected officers are as follows:

• Jessica Jones, Pharm.D. – President
• Rox Gatia, Pharm.D. – Immediate Past President
• Farzad Daneshvar, Pharm.D. – President-Elect
• Lisa Forsyth, Pharm.D. – Secretary
• Alicia Thorne, Pharm.D. – Treasurer
• Michelle Ganoff, Pharm.D. – Director
• Lama Hsaiky, Pharm.D. – Director
• Sweta Patel, Pharm.D. – Director
• Richard Valone, Pharm.D. – Director

Our 2023 annual award recipients were as follows:

• Corewell Health Dearborn Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Team – Innovative Practice Award
• Stephanie Edwin, Pharm.D. – Pharmacist of the Year Award
• Renee Paxton, Pharm.D. – Preceptor of the Year Award
• Michelle Calito, CPhT – Technician of the Year Award
• Amoreena Most, Pharm.D. – Resident of the Year Award
• Carleigh Robinson – Exemplary Student Award
• Shannon Habba – Exemplary Student Award
• Lauren Lim – Student Research Award
• Farzad Daneshvar, Pharm.D. – Committee Service Award
• Jessica Jones, Pharm.D. – President’s Award

As we wind down to enjoy the holiday season, the SMSHP board was scheduled to host a leadership and 2024 planning retreat for all board members and committee leaders Dec. 13.

We are looking for someone to help with social media for the organization! If you are a member who would like to get more involved, please reach out to SMSHP President Rox Gatia or let us know via our website, smshp.org. 

Best wishes to you all for a safe, happy and healthy holiday season!

OFFICERS

PRESIDENT | Michelle Dehoorne | (313) 343-6381 | Ascension, Detroit

PRESIDENT-ELECT | Kyle Schmidt | (616) 685-6675 | Mercy Health St. Mary's, Grand Rapids

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT | Shawna Kraft | (734) 232-6667 | Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor

TREASURER | Marc Guzzardo | (810) 606-6095 | Ascension, Detroit

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT | Edward Szandzik | (313) 587-6279 | Detroit

DIRECTORS

Stacy Brousseau | (269) 341-7407 | Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo

Diana Kostoff | (313) 725-7925 | Henry Ford, Detroit

Nada Farhat | nmhammou@med.umich.edu | Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor

Julie Schmidt | (269) 341-7999 | Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo

REGIONAL SOCIETY REPRESENTATIVES 

CENTRAL | Tim Ekola | (734) 845-3418 | VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System

NORTHERN | Miranda Maitland | mirandapmaitland@gmail.com | My Michigan Medical Center, Sault Ste. Marie

SOUTHEASTERN | Jessica Jones | (313) 982-5737 | Beaumont Health, Detroit

WESTERN | Shelby Kelsh | shelbyKelsh@ferris.edu | Ferris State University, Big Rapids

MANAGING EDITOR | Ryan Weiss | (517) 377-0232 | Michigan Pharmacists Association, Lansing