NCPA convention: Healthcare industry needs to come together

NEW ORLEANS - Community pharmacists need to make sure they have a “seat at the table” to help reshape health care, says DeAnn Mullins, president-elect of the National Community Pharmacists Association.

The current healthcare system focuses on sick care and a fee-for-service model, and that needs to change. Community pharmacists can help, she said.

“We overtreat and overmedicate and we undervalue what keeps us healthy,” she said during a media call held during the association's 2016 Annual Convention in New Orleans, Oct. 15-19. “We need all healthcare professionals to come together and when that happens, pharmacy must have a seat at the table because we can absolutely improve the value equation.”

Mullins, owner of Mullins Pharmacy, WeCare Wellness, and the WeCare Diabetes Education Program, was installed as president during the convention.

One way for pharmacists to strengthen their place in the healthcare system is with “enhanced services networks,” says NCPA CEO Douglas Hoey.

“There's great buzz around the convention from our members who are starting to form these local networks,” he said. “We encourage members to legally aggregate and work together to provide services to patients, improve delivery and strengthen their position in the marketplace.”

NCPA adopts resolutions

At the convention, the NCPA also adopted resolutions reaffirming its opposition to retroactive reimbursement cuts and its support of enhanced services networks of community pharmacies. The proceedings were part of the House of Delegates session held in conjunction with the convention. In addition to installing Mullins, Michael Kim, who owns multiple independent community pharmacies in the District of Columbia and Maryland, including Grubbs Care Pharmacy, was installed as fifth vice president.

Indie pharmacist of the year named

During the first general session at the convention, Randy McDonough was honored as the NCPA 2016 Willard B. Simmons Independent Pharmacist of the Year award “Randy McDonough is a very deserving recipient of the prestigious award for 2016,” said NCPA President Brad Arthur, RPh, a pharmacy owner in Buffalo, N.Y., in a release. “He is a huge proponent of ensuring that the transformation in the delivery of health care makes room for pharmacies in those efforts to help patients maximize their health outcomes and ultimately reduce costs.”

McDonough is co-owner of three Iowa pharmacies: Towncrest Pharmacy and Towncrest Compounding in Iowa City; and Solon Towncrest Pharmacy in Solon; and is co-founder/co-owner of Innovative Pharmacy Solutions, a consulting and documentation software company.

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica}