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The voice for compounding pharmacy | November 1, 2019
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From IACP's President...
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Money.
I
hate talking about it. Maybe you do, too. Maybe the very fact that it's the first word of this column makes you want to skip ahead. Because talking about money is seldom pleasant. Start talking about money and the next thing you know you're being asked to give up some of yours, right?
But for an organization like IACP, it's essential. You should not be surprised to hear that it takes money to be effective, to be your voice in Washington, working with Congress, FDA, USP, and other agencies to protect your practice and patients.
No one can deny IACP is having a good run this year. We've met with FDA and proposed a "middle way" on the long-awaited MOU (Jury's still out on that one, but we stepped up to offer ideas that can help FDA avoid litigation that is sure to follow if they proceed with the MOU in its current proposed form). We appealed USP beyond-use-date restriction in the new <795> and <797> chapters, and that appeal has resulted in the indefinite postponement of those chapters. We led in encouraging NASEM to seek more balanced input for its study of cBHRT, resulting in the scheduling of a new November 12 public session for that purpose. And even now we're working on possible dietary supplement monograph legislation and on providing informed input to FDA on their proposed bulks lists exclusions.
But that's not all. We also do an extraordinary amount of coalition-building, collaborating and influencing behind the scenes with a range of sister organizations and other groups, from NCPA, NABP and NHIA to groups like the Pew Charitable Trusts, with whom we've met twice this year. There's no doubt those efforts grease the skids for success.
So if you ever wonder how your IACP dues dollars are being spent, just look back at that list of accomplishments.
Unfortunately, dues dollars aren't enough. That's why we have OneFund. It's a major source of advocacy revenue for IACP, and it's funded by voluntary investments from members like you who value our advocacy work and want to see us succeed ... so that your compounding business can succeed as well.
The fact is, our funding is running low, and we desperately need your investments to continue this good run we're on, to do what we need to do to make sure you can serve your patients.
So do this: Think about what I've said here. Then think about how much our success is worth to you. And if you're persuaded that IACP's advocacy efforts do benefit your business, commit to investing now. I invest $375/month in OneFund. It's that important to me. Your $500 or $1000 or even a recurring monthly investment like mine WILL make a difference.
Here's how to invest. It's quick and easy, and you'll be doing right by your compounding practice - and the entire profession. I thank you sincerely for your leadership.
Enough talk of money. On to the news of the week (and there's a lot of it) ...
Cheers!
Jennifer Burch, PharmD, RPh, CDE
President
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New IACP benefit covers workflow risks in your pharmacy
Do you know how many medication incidents occur in your pharmacy? Do you have tools to effectively manage and reduce them? Do you have a policy in place for when medication errors occur? Do you know how to do a root cause analysis? Do you have access to CE and training for your pharmacists to help them with risk management?
IACP's new partnership with the Alliance for Patient Medication Safety can help.
The APMS® Patient Safety Organization helps you put safety at the center of your pharmacy operations. Get a handle on the inherent risks in your pharmacy's workflow and discover opportunities for improvement in a legally protected environment.
- APMS' secure, web-based portal provides an easy way to collect your patient safety data.
- Charts and graphs make analyzing your data fast and efficient.
- Opportunities to learn from past mistakes and adopt best practices in a safe environment
- Expert advice and resources to improve your pharmacy workflow along with newsletters with aggregate trends and best practice recommendations
- Patient Safety Expert consults with Root Cause Analysis and deep dives into your collected data
- Free continuing education credit opportunities.
- Proof of using a continuous quality improvement program for accreditation or state requirements.
For less than a dollar a day you can access tools to improve workflow, enhance patient safety, and reduce risk. Best of all: IACP members get 10% off your APMS membership fee.
Join here.
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VOTING: Have you weighed-in on our name change?
Voting on 2020 IACP Board of Directors and proposed bylaws amendments continues through November 22. IACP members have received an email allowing them to access our voting portal. If you've not yet voted, get going!
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IACP member named Indie Pharmacist of the Year by NCPA
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The USP appeal: Maybe a hearing in late November?
USP in August rejected three appeals by compounding pharmacy groups, including one to which IACP was a party, regarding beyond-use date restrictions in the new <795> and <797>
chapters. IACP and
its partners then formally requested a hearing by a USP panel whose appointees are outlined in the USP Bylaws. We learned this week that a November hearing date may be forthcoming from USP. We'll share more about that when we know more.
For now, here are quick links to documents and other info about the appeal and USP's postponement:
- IACP's initial reporting on the BUD date restrictions in <795> and <797>
- IACP's Appeal (with Wedgewood and Innovations Compounding)
- USP Compounding Expert Committee's notification of rejection of the appeal
- IACP's (and partners') request for hearing on the appeal
- USP's announcement of indefinite postponement of the chapters
- IACP's briefing paper for members and state boards of pharmacy
- IACP's CALL TO ACTION to members to urge state BOPs to express concerns to USP
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60+ attend IACP-sponsored CE session at NCPA Convention
With support from PCCA, IACP sponsored two CE sessions during the recent National Community Pharmacists Association Annual Convention in San Diego. More than 60 attended the sessions focused on USP compliance for small-volume compounders and led by PCCA's Bryan Prescott, Dylan Herr, and AJ Day. Also, PCCA's hospitality reception at the convention featured remarks from Georgia Congressman and pharmacy champion Buddy Carter and from IACP's Scott Brunner. Brunner asked attendees to urge their pharmacy team members to join IACP and help amplify our voice. We're grateful to PCCA for that opportunity and its support of IACP.
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In hearing, Carter questions FDA official about MOU
This week in a House Energy & Commerce Committee hearing, Congressman Buddy Carter asked the FDA's Dr. Janet Woodcock about the status of the MOU with states. Watch here at the 2:24:00 mark.
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Don't miss these members-only compounding policy resources:
- Compilation of State-Adopted USP 8=795-797-800 Rules
Need to know which states have adopted which parts of USP chapters <795>, <797> or <800>? You'll find answers in our new "Compilation of State-Adopted USP 795, 797, 800 Rules,"
an IACP members-only tool created in collaboration with the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations and funded by a generous grant from the IACP Foundation.
Click here to access the resource.
- 'State Compounding for Office Use and Veterinary Office Use' Resource
Need to know what a particular state's law or regulation has to say about office-use or veterinary compounding? You'll find answers in our
'State Compounding for Office Use and Veterinary Office Use' Resource,
available at
www.iacprx.org/StateCompoundingLaw
.
Both resources were created in collaboration with the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations and funded by generous grants from the IACP Foundation.
Because both resources are for IACP members only, you are required to log-in to access them
.
If you need to renew your membership or are interested in joining IACP,
here's where to do that
.
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Factoid o' the week ...
How many prescriptions per day are America's compounders dispensing? Here's a snapshot based on responses to IACP's summer 2019 survey of more than 4,000 compounders, conducted in partnership with Letco Medical:
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Free compounding briefing for student groups
IACP is offering pharmacy schools student groups a free hour-long Skype briefing called "Public Policy and Pharmacy Compounding"
if the schools are willing to promote student memberships in IACP. Student dues are only $5. The briefing covers the regulatory framework for pharmacy compounding and then dives into a handful of current policy issues that are impacting the practice, from USP <797> and <800> to FDA's regulation of interstate shipments of compounds to proposed new prohibitions on what substances can be compounded. Contact
scott@iacprx.org
for details or to schedule a briefing.
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Compounding social media posts ready for you to like and share
Did you know that Partnership for Personalized Prescriptions (P3) regularly posts positive compounding messages for patients on
Facebook,
Twitter, and
Instagram that make it easy for you to like and share? Don't forget to sign up to receive the once a month email on a different compounding topic. You can also direct your patients and practitioners to the P3 website to
share testimonials here. These are important to IACP's advocacy efforts on the Hill.
Search for @P3info1 on all three platforms.
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IACP member benefits more than cover your dues (!!!)
Are you taking advantage of our
members-only discounts
on a range of products and services that more than cover the costs of your annual IACP dues? Here's a short list:
- NEW: 10% off Alliance for Patient Medication Safety subscription. The APMS® Patient Safety Organization (PSO), helps you put safety at the center of your pharmacy operations. Get a handle on the inherent risks in your pharmacy's workflow and discover opportunities for improvement in a legally protected environment.
- Get $500 off the cost of PCAB accreditation, the gold-standard certification for compounding pharmacies.
- Get a no-cost, no obligation gap analysis of your business and liability insurance coverage via RiskAlert-Rx - a service specially designed to help IACP member owners better understand risks of loss, plus you'll get step-by-step solutions to address any deficiencies.
- Save $200 on the registration for CBI's upcoming West Coast Compounding Compliance Conference. Details here.
- Get 10% off $500 or more of marketing services from Storey Marketing. (Valid one time per pharmacy owner.)
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Other stuff worth reading
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Upcoming LIVE Webinar:
Facility and Engineering Controls Using USP <800> Guidelines
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
2:00 - 3:00 p.m. CST
Owner - Lab Red Pharmacy Consultants LLC
This presentation walks through the facility and engineering controls necessary for achieving a USP 800 compliant compounding room. There will be visual illustrations and case studies to help the pharmacy owner understand the importance for everyone on the project team (contractors, architects, engineers,etc) to be on the same page for the project goal.
And don't miss these pre-recorded
webinars, ready when you need them, from IACP:
These are perfect for self-paced learning. Click title for details.
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