Texas Pharmacy Today - Texas Pharmacy Association

Advocacy
TPA Attends Final MTM Medicaid Managed Care Stakeholder Meeting
TPA’s Kim Roberson, Director of Pharmacy Practices, and Justin Hudman, Director of Public Affairs, attended the final Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) MTM Medicaid Managed Care Stakeholder meeting held at the Vendor Drug Program Headquarters in Austin. The stakeholder group was composed of several pharmacy organizations, managed care organizations (MCOs), pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and the medical association and was established to create recommendations for the inclusion of a quality MTM Program for Medicaid Managed Care patients.

The meeting ended without the group coming to a consensus on a number of issues including, how much community pharmacist participation should be leveraged in providing MTM services, and what measurable goals should be used to validate the MTM program.

TPA and Alliance of Independent Pharmacists stressed the importance of using community pharmacy to perform the face-to-face medication reviews, and the use of telephonic follow-up for the best results to a patients outcomes.

Next step in moving forward with the MTM concept, is that TPA will provide comments on the report being generated by HHSC to reflect the stakeholders meetings. Once HHSC moves beyond the stakeholders report, they will begin to review modifying the MCO contracts in order to facilitate the health plans' implementation. This will include recognizing the initial increase in administrative costs as the MTM moves forward. Internally, HHSC will examine whether the MTM expense is more appropriately defined as an administrative or medical expense. For those MCOs that chose not to participate, HHSC would look to mandate their participation to begin in 2016.

As always, TPA will continue to be an advocate for incorporating the use of MTM through community pharmacists for the purpose of improving the health of our patients.

Governor Perry Announces January 6 Special Election for Three Districts
Governor Rick Perry set Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, as the special election date to fill three legislative seats that are being vacated: Senate District 26 (Sen. Leticia van de Putte), House District 17 (Rep. Tim Kleinschmidt) and House District 123 (Rep. Mike Villarreal).

Candidates for all three seats must file applications with the Secretary of State no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 22, 2014. The early voting period begins Monday, Dec. 29, 2014.

National News
Compounding Pharmacy Owners Arrested in 2012 Meningitis Outbreak
The fungal meningitis outbreak last year that killed 64 people across the country, and that caused multiple repercussions in the compounding pharmacy profession, continues to make news. The outbreak was tied to tainted steroids manufactured by the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Mass.

On Wednesday, December 17, according to Christina DiIorio-Sterling, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Boston, Gregory Conigliaro and Barry Cadden—co-founders of the New England Compounding Center in Framingham—were among 14 people arrested at their homes around the state.

One of those arrested was Glenn Adam Chin, a former supervisory pharmacist, who had been charged with mail fraud in September.

The 2012 outbreak caused about 750 people in 20 states to develop meningitis or other infections after receiving the contaminated steroids. The pharmacy allegedly made steroid injections that were contaminated with black mold.

New England Compounding Center, which was founded in 1998 by brothers-in-law Cadden and Conigliaro, has since given up its license and filed for bankruptcy protection.

Around Texas
Governor Perry Helps Announce Acquisition of Texas Biotech Firm
Governor Rick Perry this week helped announce the acquisition of Kalon Biotherapeutics LLC by FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies U.S.A. Inc., a subsidiary of FUJIFILM Corp. Kalon, a biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing organization owned by the State of Texas and the Texas A&M University System, is an important part of the growing biotechnology industry in Texas. Read the full story here.

Association News
In Memoriam
Harold Douglas "Chick" Eakman, who served as TPA president in 1972, passed away peacefully Dec. 16, 2014, at his home on his 91st birthday.

In addition to his service with TPA, Chick was active in a number of other organizations.

He served two terms as president and four terms as convention chairman for the Concho Area Pharmaceutical Association. In 1965, he served as president of the West Texas Pharmaceutical Association, as well as the Texas Pharmaceutical Association. In 1986, Governor Mark White appointed Chick to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. He served in his capacity as a board member until 1990, and as board president in 1989.

A World War II veteran, Chick is remembered fondly by TPA colleagues.

"Chick was an effective leader and colleague, serving pharmacy with smarts and integrity, and was a friend to all...he and his wife Ouida made the conventions fun and happy times,” said former TPA president Barry Coleman.

He is survived by his wife, Carol Eakman; a daughter, Ava Kahl; a son, Doug Eakman and wife Mary; and one stepdaughter, Michele Beckham. Also surviving are three grandchildren, Chad Houston and wife Jennifer, Chase Houston, and Leslie Eakman Breeland and husband Matt; plus four great-grandchildren; and one niece, Jonetta Cobb of California.

Cereceres Takes Gavel as Incoming Bexar County Pharmacy Association President
Bexar County Pharmacy Association had a change-of-the-gavel ceremony as Chris Alvarado stepped down as the President and welcomed Ramon Cereceres Jr., a pharmacy manager at Walgreens in San Antonio, as the incoming president.

"It’s been an honor to lead this local organization. I welcome Ramon as our new president—I know he will do a fantastic job,” said Alvarado, who is chair of TPA’s PharmPAC. "My role was to increase membership—we’re close to 200 now, and Ramon will bring some new ideas and technology to the Association.”

Right: Ramon Cereceres (with gavel) and Chris Alvarado

Member Spotlight: Lanh Tran, H.E.B. Pharmacy (Houston)
For new practitioner Lanh Tran, becoming a pharmacist grew out of a need to know more about medications and how to care for people.

"My grandmother is the reason I wanted to become a pharmacist,” says Tran, who graduated from Xavier University College of Pharmacy in New Orleans with a Pharm.D. in May of 2014.

"She had a blood clot, diabetes and high blood pressure, and I was taking care of her,” says Tran. "I remember her asking me, ‘what do those medication do?’ and I realized I was clueless. That’s when I knew that healthcare was what I wanted to learn more about—that was my magic moment.”

At that time Tran was attending Lamar University in Beaumont, near her native Port Arthur. She graduated in 2009, earning a bachelor’s degree in biology, with a minor in chemistry.

Realizing she wanted to know more about pharmacy and medications, Tran enrolled in Xavier University College of Pharmacy (New Orleans) in 2010.

"Xavier’s pharmacy program appealed to me, and I have a sister in New Orleans,” says Tran. "It was a hard transition at first, being away from home and all. But after I got acclimated, things started to go better. One of the courses that I really enjoyed was pharmacology— the mechanism of various drugs. Pathophysiology was a tough course. It involved anatomy and how disease states affect various body systems. It was a hard course, but I earned a B.”

"I really loved Xavier by the time I finished,” she says. "I feel like what you put in to it is what you get out it. During rotations, I was very involved, and my preceptor really helped. I did not have a problem passing my board exam.”

Tran found that she liked ambulatory care, which could include working with diabetes or Coumadin clinics.

"You get more time with patients, and you see how medications and diet affect them,” she says. "Diet is very important. For example, with patients on Coumadin too many green, leafy vegetables can throw off your International Normalized Ratio (INR) levels. The goal is to keep blood levels in the therapeutic range.”

Tran, who had worked for H.E.B. as a pharmacy technician while taking her undergraduate courses, is now working as a pharmacist for H.E.B. in Houston.

"It feels very accomplished to be a Pharm.D.,” says Tran. "I wanted to stay with H.E.B., because they have a lot to offer. Their environment offers a balanced workload, which helps reduce stress.”

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