{"id":3914,"date":"2022-03-04T10:39:28","date_gmt":"2022-03-04T15:39:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/a4pc.org\/?p=3914"},"modified":"2022-04-29T10:40:24","modified_gmt":"2022-04-29T14:40:24","slug":"cc-march-4-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whizkid.com\/a4pc\/2022-03\/cc-march-4-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"CC: March 4, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\"Masthead\"
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The voice for pharmacy compounding | March 4, 2022\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Our<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u27a4 From APC\u2019s President<\/h1>\n

SWOT, Part 3<\/h2>\n


David J. Miller, RPh
APC President<\/p>\n

Last week, I addressed APC\u2019s greatest strength: YOU.<\/p>\n

The "W" in SWOT stands for weaknesses<\/em>. You may remember that strengths and weaknesses are internal factors to which we all contribute. Let\u2019s talk about our weaknesses.<\/p>\n

The greatest weakness APC is currently facing is membership growth and retention. We have gone from more than 2,000 members in 2014 to around 800 today. Even that 800 membership number is a bit inflated because one very supportive, large pharmacy enrolled more than 100 of his technicians. Without this generous enrollment, our membership would be down to about 700 \u2014 only a third of what it was in 2014.<\/p>\n

Membership drives everything we do. The more members we have, the larger the revenue from membership (duh, right?). But other things you may not consider: The more members we have, the more corporate sponsors are willing to support us because they receive more exposure from their sponsorship. The more members we have, the more potential contributors we have to our political action committee (CompPAC). The more members we have, the more potential contributors we have to our Campaign to Save Compounded Hormones. The more members we have, the more potential contributors we have to the Pharmacy Compounding Foundation. You get the idea. Membership growth has a ripple effect through the entire organization.<\/em><\/p>\n

Right now, APC has a staff of five. With our current revenues, that\u2019s all we can afford. We run an extremely lean ship, but we need it to grow. To get the staff he needs to accomplish all of APC\u2019s strategic goals, we need about 750 new members. And the thing is, they\u2019re out there. They just don\u2019t yet choose to be a part of their profession\u2019s trade association.<\/p>\n

My entire platform as APC\u2019s 2022 president is growing membership.<\/em><\/p>\n

A few weeks ago, I wrote a column called \u201cThe Power of One\u201d and asked \u2014 I\u2019m still<\/em> asking \u2014 that each of you make one phone call each week to a fellow compounder and ask if they\u2019re an APC member and if not, to join. I\u2019m also asking that you enroll your technicians and staff pharmacists to become an APC member.<\/p>\n

Last, we are all very busy. Make APC a priority in your day. It is the only thing standing between your ability to serve your patients and government agencies that wish to shut you down. When we contact you for membership renewal, please renew promptly.<\/p>\n

Everyone reading this is passionate about APC or you would not be a member. Please share your passion with others.<\/p>\n

Thank you for all you do and for your help in growing APC\u2019s membership numbers to help address our greatest weakness.<\/p>\n

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\nDavid Miller<\/strong> is APC\u2019s president and the managing co-owner of Keystone Compounding Pharmacy in Grand Rapids, Michigan. You can reach him at drdave@keystonepharm.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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\u27a4 This Week<\/h1>\n

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APC to FDA\u2018s Califf: Engage on compounding<\/h2>\n

APC this week sent a letter to newly confirmed FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, reminding him of the critical role compounding plays for millions of Americans. CEO Scott Brunner pointed out, for example, that Dr. Califf\u2019s patients at Duke University Medical Center likely benefited from some of the half-million doses a year provided by Duke Compounding Facility.<\/p>\n

Our hope is that Commissioner Califf will engage with us on compounding issues \u2014 cBHT access, adverse-event reporting, FDA\u2019s MOU, and more<\/a> in ways that previous commissioners have not always done.<\/p>\n

To that end, Brunner reiterated APC\u2019s desire to find common (or at least middle-) ground where APC can help FDA “achieve some of its patient safety-focused policy aims regarding compounding, while also elevating the practice of pharmacy compounding and its rightful place in the drug supply chain and American healthcare system.”<\/p>\n

You can read the full letter<\/a> (2-page PDF) here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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APC workgroup hosts call with TRICARE officials<\/h2>\n

\nOn Thursday, an APC workgroup continued a dialogue begun by the Board of Directors in November with chief of the Pharmacy Operations Division at the Defense Health Agency \"\"Colonel Markus Gmehlin, and his team. Chaired by Michelle Moser of Makers Compounding Pharmacy in Mt. Vernon, Wash., the workgroup was appointed by APC Board Chair Michael Blaire to explore with TRICARE how APC can assist the agency in preventing fraud, waste, and abuse while also expanding TRICARE coverage of compounded therapies for servicemen and -women.<\/p>\n

From APC\u2019s invitation letter to Col. Gmehlin:<\/p>\n

There is no avoiding the truth that some pharmacy compounders engaged in TRICARE billing irregularities over the past decade and that our profession has earned a black eye because of those unethical practices. The reason for our interest in an ongoing dialogue with you and your team is to demonstrate our commitment to ethics and professionalism in pharmacy compounding by working with you to develop best practices and implement training to prevent those abuses going forward. We understand that until our industry can demonstrate high integrity in billing practices, TRICARE is unlikely to embrace compounded therapies for servicemembers, despite the positive patient outcomes they can produce and how cost effective they are.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On this week\u2019s call, workgroup members presented the following rough plan of work to TRICARE leaders and asked that this plan be the focus of an ongoing dialogue with the agency: <\/p>\n

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  1. Develop best practices and training tools for reducing FW&A by compounding pharmacies.<\/li>\n
  2. Demonstrate compounders\u2019 commitment to quality, safety, effectiveness, and<\/em> cost containment. <\/li>\n
  3. Demonstrate efficacy of compounded therapy options for major health conditions involving active duty and veteran servicemembers \u2013 Traumatic Brain Injury, PTSD and Anxiety Disorder, Non-Opioid Pain Management, and more.<\/li>\n
  4. Propose clinical protocols for therapy, labs, patient follow-up, and patient outcome reporting. (Ongoing over the next 12 months)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    TRICARE leaders were receptive to the plan and committed to a monthly conversation with APC\u2019s workgroup.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    APC-ACHC partnership means $1,000 discount<\/h2>\n

    APC and ACHC \u2014 the Accreditation Commission for Health Care \u2014 have renewed their partnership, pledging a commitment to advancing the role compounding pharmacies play in communities across the country. <\/p>\n

    \u201cWe continue to see PCAB accreditation as the gold standard for compounding pharmacies,\u201d said APC CEO Scott Brunner, cae<\/span>. \u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re delighted to partner with
    \nACHC to encourage compounders to undertake accreditation as a means of demonstrating
    \nintegrity and adherence to the     Compounder Code of Ethics<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

    The main benefit of the partnership is a $1,000 discount on PCAB accreditation for APC Pharmacy\/Facility members<\/em>. That new member type will be launched at the Owner Summit in Scottsdale<\/a> later this month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Medisca to match contributions to save cBHT!<\/h2>\n
    \"\"Thanks to our friends at Medisca, we\u2018ve got another easy way to double your support for the Campaign to Save Compounded Hormones. For the month of March, Medisca will match any new contribution to the campaign, dollar-for-dollar, up to $100,000<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

    ThANK yoU, Topi-CLICK!<\/h4>\n

    For the month of February, Topi-CLICK matched the first $10,000 of new contributions to the Campaign to Save Compounded Hormones. But APC members did even better: During the month we received new support to the tune of $30,530<\/strong> from 27 individuals! Thank you all, and thank you Topi-CLICK!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    The Owner Summit is just three weeks away!<\/h2>\n

    APC\u2019s Compounding Pharmacy Owner Summit is coming up fast, but there\u2019s still time to register<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    The latest:<\/p>\n