National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA)

Today we're releasing our new TV ad — "PBM Career Day" — highlighting the position PBMs have carved out for themselves as drug middlemen and their illogical and confusing role in health care. It's part of our #FinishTheFight campaign, which is designed to shed light on harmful PBM practices, mobilize the public to demand change, and push policymakers to finalize PBM payment reforms, NCPA CEO Douglas Hoey says. “It is time for transparency and accountability in the health care system.” For assets you can download and use in your own pharmacies and social media to help spread the word, click here: https://bit.ly/3Vl1oyZ Let's finish the fight!

💪 Empower your pharmacy team to provide compassionate, patient-centered care for pregnant patients! 🤰💉 Equip your staff to address the unique concerns of expecting parents with “The Community Pharmacy Guide to Providing Vaccines During Pregnancy,” a free resource developed with support from Pfizer. Build trust with patients by equipping your team with tools like flowcharts for decision-making based on patient history and gestational age and quick reference guides to simplify reimbursement procedures. Stay up to date with the latest ACIP recommendations and develop motivational interviewing techniques to approach vaccine hesitancy with sensitivity and understanding. Click below to download and begin training your staff to lead with empathy and expertise, all while boosting your maternal vaccine program. 👩⚕️ https://lnkd.in/efrjK2-R #Pharmacy #vaccinations #MaternalHealth #womenshealth

👩🔬 Pharmacists are well positioned to play a vital role in raising awareness about the importance of maternal vaccines as well as addressing patient concerns with compassion. “The Community Pharmacy Guide to Providing Vaccines During Pregnancy” offers strategies to educate patients and collaborate with health care partners. 🤰💉 Here are a few examples: ▫️ Use tools like shelf signage and bag tags to remind patients about essential prenatal care. ▫️ Partner with local parenting groups for referrals. ▫️ Stock vaccines that OB/GYNs may not carry, like RSV. ▫️ Explore programs to support uninsured patients. Expecting parents may have heightened concerns about what they put into their bodies. Approaching these conversations with empathy is key, and this guide can help you do just that. Download the guide and become a trusted partner in maternal health. https://lnkd.in/efrjK2-R #Pharmacy #vaccinations #MaternalHealth #womenshealth Pfizer

Chip and Mandy Whitaker, featured in the September 2024 America’s Pharmacist®, have expanded their business by acquiring a fourth pharmacy. They recently took ownership of Family Medicine Pharmacy & Gifts in Thomasville, Ala., originally opened by Mark and Angie Wise in 1984. The Whitakers aim to continue the Wises’ legacy, ensuring a smooth transition for the community. Chip feels especially connected to the pharmacy –– his mother, Carolyn, was formerly a pharmacist there. “This is family at its core for us. We are thankful and we look forward to carrying on the tradition that Mark and Angie and their family started many years ago.” “We are very honored to have the opportunity to continue to make Family Medicine Pharmacy & Gifts the best family-owned and operated independent pharmacy in Thomasville and the surrounding areas,” said Chip. Thanks to the Whitakers and all who continue to invest in #communitypharmacy! If you missed the featured article "Filling the Gap" in the September issue, you can read it at https://bit.ly/4gCqsuG.

🌟 If one of your goals in 2025 is to improve the well-being of your employees while enhancing their patient interactions, we’ve got you covered! Sign your staff up for a virtual, one-day Mental Health First Aid training with NCPA’s Hannah Fish on Feb. 26. This eight-hour course, with two hours of home study and six hours of live online programming, will increase their understanding and empathy when interacting with patients experiencing mental health episodes. Learn more at https://bit.ly/4fXVbkR. 🙌🏽 Thanks to the support of the Cardinal Health Foundation, we are able to offer a $50 discount on all registration fees.

Building on learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic, NCPA’s Innovation Center today announced a groundbreaking consortium that will enhance readiness and enable cooperation between public health agencies and the nation’s nearly 19,000 independent pharmacies. “Our independent community pharmacies are an indispensable part of the health care and public health infrastructure, providing essential services to those who need them most,” said NCPA Innovation Center President Kurt Proctor. “Through this innovative partnership, we are reinforcing our commitment to the nation’s readiness by ensuring that we can rapidly respond as a sector when the need arises.” Learn more in our news release: https://bit.ly/4heePdl

Last call! Join OUD treatment experts today at 2 p.m. ET for “Promoting the Ethical Care of Persons With Opioid Use Disorder: Considerations to Maintain Patient Privacy and Autonomy.” 🔗 Get details and register at https://bit.ly/3Nl1YJy.

Are you fully utilizing the potential of your support staff? In this episode of the Independent Rx Forum, guests Meredith Ayers, CPhT-Adv, CHW, and John 'Jake' Galdo, PharmD, share how expanding technician roles can maximize your pharmacy's profitability and boost job satisfaction and employee retention. 🎧 Add "ICYMI #NCPA2024: ROI on Support Staff" to your podcast queue for great advice that could help take your support staff to the next level. https://bit.ly/3tUJsS5

⚠️ Last call – join us today at 2 p.m. ET for part two of “How to Succeed in Long-Term Care Pharmacy,” presented by NCPA and SoftWriters. This webinar will focus on expanding into LTC or growing your current LTC practice. Register at https://bit.ly/42aRViG.

‼️The FTC's second interim staff report on PBMs, which was released today, focuses on their influence over specialty generic drugs. It reveals dispensing patterns suggesting that the big PBM-insurers steer highly profitable prescriptions to their affiliated pharmacies and away from others. "This is just the latest obvious signal to policymakers that they must pass PBM reform that would include paying for prescriptions based on the cost of the drug plus a transparent pharmacist professional dispensing fee,” said NCPA CEO Douglas Hoey. "Congressional leaders should see this second interim report as an imperative to action.” https://bit.ly/3DUWu6M