In This Issue:

MPA CEO Perspective

MPA News

• Now Accepting MPA Executive Board and Practice Section Boards Nominations
• On Rotation with MPA: Owen Eckardt
• Book Your Room Now for ACE 2025!
• Register for MPF Golf Classic June 12 at Timber Trace Golf Club
• Register for 2024 MSHP Annual Meeting
• Register for the UP Division Fall Conference
• MPA Introduces Trauma-Informed Workforce Certificate Training Program

CE Events

• Upcoming MPA CE Offerings

Professional Practice

• Stakeholders Highlight Efforts to Curb Rising Prescription Drug Costs in Michigan
• Change Healthcare Cyberattack Was Due to a Lack of Multifactor Authentication, UnitedHealth CEO Says
• APhA Creates RSV Resource
• May Is Hepatitis Awareness Month

Legislative and Regulatory

• DEA Announces Changes to Quota Allocation Policies to Alleviate Shortages of ADHD Drugs
• Use of the Pfizer Pentavalent Meningococcal Vaccine Among People 10 Years and Older
• House Panel Eyes PBM Reform to Pay for Telehealth Extensions

Upcoming Meetings and Events

The June 1 deadline is approaching quickly if you’re interested in serving in a leadership role with MPA. Positions are open this year on the MPA Executive Board and MSCP, MSPT and MSHP (May 15 deadline) section boards. I strongly encourage members to get engaged and serve your profession’s state pharmacy association! The rewards will enhance your professional development, and the relationships you develop will last a lifetime. Nominate a colleague, or even yourself, today!

Now is the perfect time for you to help grow MPA membership and be rewarded at the same time through the MPA Member Referral Program!

All you need to do is log into your MPA profile and click on “Member Referral.” Complete the form and once that person becomes a member, you receive credit for every member you recruit. How much you ask?

Receive $30 per pharmacist member you recruit.

Receive $20 per technician member you recruit. 

Recruitment rewards will be issued as a credit within your MPA profile. It can be used toward membership or an MPA-sponsored event. 

What a great way to get your friends and colleagues to join MPA and you can benefit as well! Questions? Contact Bryan Freeman at bryanfreeman@michiganpharmacists.org.

Finally, golfers don’t wait. The early bird deadline for the Michigan Pharmacy Foundation Golf Classic is May 19. If you’re thinking of playing and having a chance to win $25,000 in the hole-in-one contest, then lock in your lower fees and register today! Sponsors are welcome, too! Questions? Contact Rick Drabek at 517-377-0227 or RDrabek@MichiganPharmacists.org.

For over three decades, PrimeRx, developed by Micro Merchant Systems, has been at the forefront of providing pharmacy management solutions. Since our inception, we’ve dedicated ourselves to supporting thousands of pharmacies nationwide with innovative, technology-focused solutions, empowering pharmacists in their critical work.

Our diverse team, boasting extensive experience that includes former pharmacy consultants, owners and technicians, is committed to addressing the daily challenges pharmacists face with cutting-edge technology.

Enhance your pharmacy’s efficiency, generate more revenue and reduce operating expenses. Discover how our pharmacy management solutions have improved efficiency, patient care and driven success across various pharmacy settings.

Find out what PrimeRx can do for your pharmacy. Schedule a DEMO today at www.primerx.io/schedule-a-demo.

PrimeRx is a Michigan Pharmacists Association Emerald Annual Sponsor.

The Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) is successful because of the volunteer efforts of engaged pharmacy professionals. MPA is guided by the leadership of its Executive Board as well as practice section and affiliated chapter leadership.

Learn more about each Board and the election process.

Please note that the deadline for Michigan Society of Health-System Pharmacists Board nominations was May 15, 2024.

Submissions for the Executive Board and other practice sections are due June 1, 2024.

On Rotation with MPA: Owen Eckardt

Owen Eckardt is a fourth-year pharmacy student from Ferris State University’s College of Pharmacy. He has been a student member of the Michigan Pharmacists Association since his P1 year. He is passionate about advocating for the pharmacy profession, attending Pharmacy Day at the Capitol this past fall. He is excited to pursue more advocacy opportunities in his career.

Eckardt has attended MPA’s Annual Convention & Exposition for the past two years and is planning on attending more in the future, as well as becoming more involved in the organization. Through MPA he has met many accomplished pharmacists to look up to; he hopes one day to become a pharmacist other students can look up to.

Eckardt is an intern at Walgreens Pharmacy in Grand Rapids, where he works on MTMs with MPA member Tonino Michienzi. He has been with the company since 2019, first starting with Walgreens in his hometown of Hastings before moving to Grand Rapids. He has a passion for patient care and patient education, and he plans to pursue a career in ambulatory care, a rural hospital setting, or work similar to the MTM hub he currently works at.

Outside of pharmacy Eckardt loves to play recreational soccer, tennis, pickleball and golf. He also loves to watch the Premier League, being a longtime fan of Manchester City. He has a crazy mini goldendoodle named Kevin with quite the personality but lots of love.

Book Your Room Now for ACE 2025!

There is officially less than a year until the 2025 Annual Convention & Exposition (ACE)! ACE will take over the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa just outside of Traverse City from April 11-13, 2025! Information on registration, exhibitors and sponsorships will become available later this year, but it's not too early to block off your calendars as pharmacy's biggest continuing education event in Michigan takes its show on the road.

We encourage our members to make the 2025 ACE their "stay-cation" – golf, water activities and wineries are just a few things you can do in beautiful Traverse City. Get started now and book your room by clicking the button below! Attendees can also call 231-534-6001 and speak with a reservations agent to book their accommodations. They will receive the discounted rate if they mention the Michigan Pharmacists Association

or code MPA2025.

Register for 2024 MPF Golf Classic

June 12 at Timber Trace Golf Club

Time is running out to grab early bird pricing for the Michigan Pharmacy Foundation (MPF) Golf Classic!

Golfers, sponsors and volunteers come together each summer to support MPF at its annual Golf Classic! The format is an 18-hole, four-person scramble at the scenic Timber Trace Golf Club in Pinckney. Men’s, women’s and mixed-team flights are permitted. Golfer packages that include string and drink tickets will be available for purchase at registration for use on the course.

Register now and have a chance to win $25,000 during the hole-in-one contest! Early bird prices will expire on May 19.

Individuals may make up their own teams. Each team must submit a completed registration form listing the players on their team. Individuals signing up to play as a single will be placed in a foursome. Registration includes greens fees and cart, practice range use, continental breakfast, lunch, and awards ceremony.

A $25 administrative fee will be charged for cancellations received on or before June 7. After June 7, refunds will not be granted.

For questions, please contact MPF Executive Director Rick Drabek at 517-377-0227 or RDrabek@MichiganPharmacists.org.

Online registration closes at midnight June 9, 2024. Day of registration is available from 8-9:30 a.m.

“Early Bird” Registration Fees (Ends May 19):

• $85 per Pharmacy Student
• $175 per Individual Registration
• $650 per Foursome**

Registration Fees after May 19th are: 

• $95 per Pharmacy Student
• $190 per Individual Registration and
• $750 per Foursome.**

**Foursome payments must be received at the same time to secure the foursome rate.

MSHP Annual Meeting Oct. 25 in Grand Rapids

Join the Michigan Society of Health-System Pharmacists (MSHP) for its 2024 Annual Meeting Oct. 25 at the Sheraton Grand Rapids Airport Hotel! With registration opening at 7:30 a.m. and your wellness CE promptly at 8:30 a.m., MSHP Annual is the place to be for our health system industry members. In addition to the wellness focus, complete with a conference wellness room, CE will address this years’ theme, “Less Not Loss” with a focus on optimization within pharmacy practice.

In addition, expect required CE like pain and law, as well as important endeavors such as pharmacogenomics, artificial intelligence within electronic scoring systems and the utilization of pharmacy extenders – all planned and facilitated by industry leaders. MPA has set aside additional networking time for attendees and looks forward to creating an atmosphere of learning, engagement and wellness.

Click the buttons below to get started.

Register Now for the UP Division Fall Conference

Oct. 5-6 in Marquette

MPA and its Upper Peninsula Division return to beautiful Marquette Oct. 5-6 for the UP Division Fall Conference. Registration is open now and available by clicking the button below. A detailed agenda will be coming, but topics will include ethics and jurisprudence, cardiovascular health, addiction and the brain, and natural approaches to inflammation.

All this information and more, including pricing, can be found by clicking the registration link. 

MPA Introduces Trauma-Informed

Workforce Certificate Training Program

MPA is excited to launch a new partnership with Dr. Helen Sairany during Mental Health Awareness Month!

The Trauma-Informed Workforce Certificate Training Program is a catalyst for personal transformation, enabling you to forge deeper connections with yourself, your work and your team. Embark on this trauma-informed journey to sustain your practice.

Participants will:

• Bid goodbye to burnout and toxic patterns.
• Explore the potential of your workplace. 
• Be mentored by an expert facilitator. 
• Gain mastery in conscious decision-making. 

Held four times each year, the first live session offerings are quickly approaching in July and August.

Participants can take the training in its entirety or a la carte. Detailed information can be found at the links below. Please feel free to email or call the MPA Education and Events team with any questions or needs you may have!

Trauma-Informed Workforce: Full Certificate Training Programs

(Home study with live courses)

Trauma-Informed Workforce:

All Home Study Offerings

APhA Pharmacy-based

Immunization Training

Live Webinar:

June 4, 9-11 a.m.

Self Study Must

Be Completed

Before Live Date

Pharmacy Technician Immunization Administration

Live Webinar: July 7, 10-11:30 a.m.

Self Study Must

Be Completed

Before Live Date

Michigan Pharmacy

Law Update, Q3

Live Webinar:

July 10, 9-10 a.m.

Pharmacy Technician Immunization Administration

Live Webinar: July 27, 10-11:30 a.m.

Self Study Must

Be Completed

Before Live Date

Point of Care Test

and Treat, Q3

Live Webinar:

Aug. 14, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Self Study Must Be Completed

Before Live Date

IBT Home Studies

Couldn't make it to a live implicit bias training (IBT) session? Not to worry, our IBT home studies could be right for you! MPA currently offers two IBT home studies. Both meet all current Michigan licensing requirements. Click the buttons below to get started!

Looking for Something Else? Try MPA's Home Studies.

In addition, MPA offers other home study pharmacy CE on a variety of topics that can be accessed 24/7/365 on its website. Click the button below to view our catalog of programs.

MedZoomer is the nation’s fastest growing same-day prescription delivery service. We can deliver to your patients, facilities, group homes and more.

We offer a wide range of deliveries: contactless, controlled, temp-regulated and over-the-counter drugs, all within a 25 or 50-mile radius of the pickup location.

MedZommer is a Michigan Pharmacists Association Preferred Business Partner.

MPA Director of Government Affairs Eric Roath, left, participated as a panelist at the 2024 Michigan State of Reform Health Policy Conference in April.

Stakeholders Highlight Efforts

to Curb Rising Prescription Drug Costs in Michigan

Americans pay twice as much for prescription drugs as the rest of the world, and stakeholders discussed efforts to curb rising costs at the 2024 Michigan State of Reform Health Policy Conference last month. 

Michigan Association of Health Plans Executive Director Dominick Pallone said the association represents 11 health insurance companies in the state, which cover more than three million residents who are predominantly Medicaid members. 

“As we address cost affordability and access, we’re trying to find balance in the pharmaceutical world,” Pallone said. “It’s becoming increasingly more difficult for our members to find that balance. We have scenarios where employers are seeing their costs rise, and they’re asking plans to shift costs to their employees. Now those costs continue to rise, and shift more costs to employees.”

Panelists discussed the impact pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have on prescription drug costs. Michigan Pharmacists Association Director of Government Affairs Eric Roath noted that the PBM Licensure and Regulation Act went into effect on Jan. 1. The act provides new licensing obligations and regulatory standards for Michigan PBMs.

“Provisions (of it) go into how they treat pharmacies when it comes to reimbursement,” Roath said. “These are patient protective as well. The act says that after a drug has been dispensed, you can no longer change that (price). The patient should not be responsible for more than the final reimbursement received by the pharmacy. We’ve taken a step in the right direction with this act. However, we also need to be making sure that the provisions in there are enforced. Now that we have the correct policy on the books, it’s just a matter of making sure the patient actually sees the benefit of (it). It’s a misconception to think that some of the problematic behaviors of PBMs are just a pharmacy problem. It is very much a patient cost problem.”

Change Healthcare Cyberattack Was Due to a Lack of Multifactor Authentication, UnitedHealth CEO Says

The Change Healthcare cyberattack that disrupted health care systems nationwide earlier this year started when hackers entered a server that lacked a basic form of security: multifactor authentication.

UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty said Wednesday in a U.S. Senate hearing that his company, which owns Change Healthcare, is still trying to understand why the server did not have the additional protection.

His admission did not sit well with Senate Finance Committee members who spent more than two hours questioning the CEO about the attack and broader health care issues.

“This hack could have been stopped with cybersecurity 101,” Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden told Witty.

APhA Creates RSV Resource

The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) has created a free resource for pharmacists to download to help educate adult patients about respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

"The Focus on RSV in Adults resource was created to help you stay at the forefront of RSV prevention in adults. This free resource, sponsored by Pfizer, provides a brief guide on what you need to know about RSV and the RSV vaccine in adults, including sample scripts and an FAQ to use with patients," APhA said.

Click the button below to download the resource.

May Is Hepatitis Awareness Month

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and public health officials work to raise awareness, every May, about viral hepatitis and encourage vaccination and now that respiratory season has finished, this has always been the best time to shift to other vaccine-preventable diseases. Viral Hepatitis B is a vaccine preventable disease that has no cure.

The CDC has made adult Hepatitis B a universally recommended vaccine for all patients 19 to 59 years of age, and as health systems around the country implement this new recommendation, as well as refocus and reset their efforts, a successful approach is to pull baseline reports. Below are three EHR reports that will be a great starting point for not only the identification of eligible patients but also to serve as a baseline. This baseline can be used to measure the success at implementing this huge CDC change.

1. Number of eligible adult patients 19-59 that have yet to be vaccinated or have no vaccination status on file.
2. Number of eligible adults 19-59 that have not completed any adult Hep B vaccination series (2 or 3 doses).
3. Missed Opportunities vaccine report.

View the CDC Vaccine Information Sheet, that highlights the change. In addition, there is helpful information that can be found on www.heplisavbresources.com that can aid in the implementation.

DEA Announces Changes to Quota Allocation Policies

to Alleviate Shortages of ADHD Drugs

The shortage of ADHD drugs has been a continual issue in the United States for more than 18 months and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) has consistently urged the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to closely examine the legitimate need and demand in the marketplace for ADHD drugs and increase quota allocations in order to efficiently and effectively bring back stability and availability of these medications on pharmacy shelves.

"We believe DEA's previous policies failed to take into account the complexity, processes, and timing of drug manufacturing, which led to perpetual drug shortages," said Ilisa Bernstein, APhA's senior vice president of practice, policy and partnerships. "The new policy will hopefully provide greater predictability for manufacturing."

Use of the Pfizer Pentavalent Meningococcal Vaccine

Among People Aged 10 Years and Older

On Oct. 25, 2023, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that a pentavalent meningococcal vaccine may be administered to people 10 years and older when both a quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY) vaccine and meningococcal B (MenB) vaccine are indicated at the same visit for the following groups:

• Healthy persons aged 16–23 years (routine schedule) when shared clinical decision-making favors administration of MenB vaccine
• Persons aged 10 years and older who are at increased risk for meningococcal disease (e.g., because of persistent complement deficiencies, complement inhibitor use, or functional or anatomic asplenia)
• As a reminder, MenB vaccines are not interchangeable; when Penbraya is administered, subsequent doses of MenB should be from the same manufacturer (Trumenba-Pfizer Inc.).

The above ACIP recommendation was published on April 18, 2024, in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Please refer to this report and Meningococcal Vaccine Recommendations | CDC for additional guidance.

House Panel Eyes PBM Reform to Pay for Telehealth Extensions

Legislation in the House proposes to continue telehealth options for Medicare enrollees for another two years, with pharmacy benefit mangager (PBM) reform footing the bill for the renewal.

Congress increased access to remote care during the COVID-19 pandemic, but use within the Medicare population has remained high even though the public health emergency has officially ended. With a previous extension lapsing at the end of 2024, supporters would have preferred a push to permanently allow telehealth. However, sources have said that paying for an extension is easier and, therefore, more likely to pass.

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the cost at $4 billion, which the Ways & Means Committee aims to address through policies that would restrict how PBMs can receive industry rebates and also subject them to transparency requirements. Those proposals would be attached to the telehealth extension, which potentially will be included in a year-end appropriations package. (Read More - Paid Subscription Required)

May 21: MSCP Board of Directors

June 6: MSHP Board of Directors

June 12: MPF Golf Classic

July 8: MPA Executive Board Meeting

Aug. 9: MSPT Board of Directors

Aug. 29: CSPM Board of Directors

Sept. 5: MSHP Board of Directors Meeting & Retreat

Sept. 10: Pharmacy Day at the Capitol

Sept. 10: MPA Executive Board Meeting