Industry News
NASHVILLE, TN - The prevalence of mental health conditions continues to rise across the country. Yet, even with a decrease in the stigma surrounding mental health, many are still not receiving care. More than half of adults with a mental illness do not receive treatment, and 160 million live in a mental health professional shortage area. To better equip other frontline care workers to provide much-needed mental health support, Psych Hub, the leading provider of mental health education, connection, and engagement solutions, announces the launch of curated learning experiences for health and healthcare professionals.
Addressing mental health issues and their detrimental effects on physical health is placing a significant strain on clinical and wellness settings across the care continuum. Psych Hub's new learning experiences are created for critical roles well-positioned to provide mental health literacy and support: nurses and other healthcare clinicians, pharmacists, and behavioral health and health and wellness coaches. Available on-demand on Psych Hub's online education platform, each program includes CE-eligible coursework, shareable supporting resources, and engaging videos on a variety of mental health topics that provide a foundation for empowering these professions with training in evidence-based approaches.
These specific learning programs include the content most appropriate to upskill care and provide mental health support with evidence-based information in alignment with each role's scope of practice. While these professionals do not deliver mental health therapy, their regular interactions with individuals in health and healthcare environments are improved when mental health and wellness components are integrated into care. Psych Hub's evidence-based training empowers them to help create a holistic healthcare model inclusive of mental health support across common patient access points.
- Patients are turning to healthcare clinicians and nurses for help understanding and treating mental health symptoms. Psych Hub's evidence-based courses educate these medical professionals about mental health issues, diagnoses, and treatment pathways so they can offer their patients the most up-to-date and accurate recommendations.
- Pharmacists have become frontline workers when it comes to mental health care. When individuals choose not to or are unable to engage in therapy, they may benefit from less formal conversations with trusted pharmacists they interact with on a routine basis. Psych Hub helps pharmacists discover practical ways to engage with clients around mental health issues in the pharmacy setting.
- Behavioral health and health and wellness coaches can serve as an accessible source of support for individuals experiencing mental health struggles. Whether coaches work with their clients as an extension of therapy or independent of it, Psych Hub equips them with the knowledge and skills to discuss mental health issues and help clients learn effective coping skills.
"Access to mental health care continues to be one of our most pressing healthcare challenges, and the ongoing practitioner shortage makes it difficult to address the growing demand for care and support effectively," said Marjorie Morrison, co-founder and CEO of Psych Hub. "We know that healthcare providers and health professionals can step in to provide this much-needed support, helping patients understand mental health and their options for treating symptoms. But they need evidence-based training and tools to do so efficiently and with maximum impact. We are honored to support healthcare professionals in increasing their practical skills related to mental health by providing these targeted learning opportunities."
The new evidence-based CE learning programs for healthcare clinicians, nurses, pharmacists, and behavioral health and health and wellness coaches are now available through Psych Hub. Visit psychhub.com for more information.
GAITHERSBURG, MD - (NYSE: EBS) today announced the appointment of Neal Fowler and Don DeGolyer to its Board of Directors effective October 1, 2023, with initial terms expiring at Emergent’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Both joined as independent directors and bring more than 70 years of combined biopharmaceutical industry and sales experience.
“Neal and Don bring unique and extensive expertise to Emergent as the company defines its future in this post-pandemic environment,” said Emergent Chairman Dr. Zsolt Harsanyi, Ph.D. “Maintaining our focus on our mission of protecting and enhancing life, these industry veterans add valuable insight and experience as Emergent continues to partner with governments to prepare for public health threats and save lives.”
Mr. Fowler will serve on the Audit and Finance Committee, and Mr. DeGolyer will serve on the Compensation Committee.
About Mr. Fowler:
Currently, Mr. Fowler is the Chief Executive Officer of Pathalys Pharma, Inc., a biomedicines company focused on chronic kidney disease. He previously served as CEO of Liquidia Corporation (Nasdaq: LQDA), transforming the company from an early-stage research platform into a publicly traded biomedicines company. While at Liquidia, Mr. Fowler also co-founded and served as CEO of Envisia Therapeutics (acquired), an ophthalmology company focused on therapeutics. Prior to Liquidia, Mr. Fowler worked for seven years with Johnson and Johnson, serving as President of Centocor, Inc., a global multi-billion dollar subsidiary focused on biomedicines, and President of Ortho-McNeil Neurologics, a company focused on neurological disorders. He started his career with Eli Lilly and Company, working for thirteen years in a variety of sales, marketing and business development roles in both the pharmaceutical and medical device divisions. Mr. Fowler is the current chair of NCBIO and a past chair of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Foundation.
Mr. Fowler earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy and Master of Business Administration both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
About Mr. DeGolyer:
With over 35 years of healthcare and corporate leadership experience, Mr. DeGolyer was most recently the Founder and Director of Vertice Pharma (a Warburg Pincus company), focused on specialty pharmaceuticals for U.S. institutional use, from 2015 until the company’s sale in 2022. Prior to Vertice, he was Chief Operating Officer of Endo International, a Nasdaq-listed specialty pharmaceutical company, from 2013-2015. Between 2009 and 2013, he served on the Executive Committee of Sandoz AG (a Novartis company), one of the largest global generic companies, as CEO, Sandoz Inc., a $3.5bn generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars company where he was responsible for leading over 3,000 associates in North America.
Mr. DeGolyer started his career with Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Novartis in commercial roles of increasing responsibility. He previously served on the Board of HLS Therapeutics (commercial stage CV/CNS company) and TYME Technologies (development stage cancer company), both publicly traded companies, where he was also Chairman of the Compensation Committees. He also serves on several non-profit boards including Make-a-Wish-NJ and The Strong Women Foundation.
Mr. DeGolyer received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Rochester and earned a Master of Business Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Pharmacolog is initiating a cost-saving program that will significantly reduce ongoing operating costs while streamlining the company organization to support existing customers and external distributors. The implementation of cost-reducing measures will start immediately and will be fully implemented by January 2024. At full effect, the measures will reduce operating costs by at least 35% compared to the operating costs of the full year 2022, this corresponds to a sum of at least SEK 10 million.
The background is that Pharmacolog’s direct sales efforts have not met the expectations of the company and its shareholders. As one of the first steps, Pharmacolog intends to considerably reduce the organization while retaining necessary competencies for driving and increasing sales through Pharmacolog’s distributor network and maintaining first-class support for the existing customer base. At the same time, further measures will be implemented in all areas on the group level, which will lead to overall lower costs.
Necessary steps immediately taken to perform the intended cost reductions may, inter alia, include negotiations with affected trade unions.
“With these measures now being implemented we will align our organization with our strategic direction and simultaneously protect our balance sheet. These are tough decisions to take but necessary in order to remain focused on the commercialization of our solutions for the benefit of our customers, partners, and shareholders.” says Lars Gusch, CEO of Pharmacolog.
This disclosure contains information that Pharmacolog is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation (EU nr 596/2014). The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person, on 02-10-2023 09:35 CET.
Minnetonka, MN – The Alter Pharma Group, a group of generic and pharmacy sales companies, is rebranding all its brands and businesses into A.forall. This change, starting 27 September, represents an important milestone in A.forall’s pursuit of a world where patients can access high-quality, safe and innovative medicines at an affordable price. The move strengthens A.forall’s commitment to #MakingAffordableMedicinesAvailableToAll, offering new synergies and ways to leverage the skills and capacities of its 144 employees around the world.
Alter Pharma started pharmacy sales in 2006. In 2010, it became the Alter Pharma Group after the consolidation of several entities and last year, the group reached an important milestone with its first major acquisition. Its generics business currently markets more than 30 in-house developed added value products that are being sold in more than 60 countries around the globe including US, whereas A.forall’s Benelux Pharmacy House provides medicine shortage services through hospital and retail pharmacies. In 2022 alone, by helping pharmacists to source medicines in shortage, the group managed to bring relief to more than 100,000 hospitalized patients and to supply more than 650,000 months of missing treatments to patients that would otherwise be lacking their medication.
Throughout this journey, the Alter Pharma Group and its brands have always been focused on delivering secure access to high-quality, affordable medicines. The current rebranding will unify businesses and commercial brands of the group*, countless stories and talents, while continuing to make sure that no one is left behind in the pursuit of better health and wellbeing.
Sacramento, CA-The California Pharmacists Association (CPhA) is proud to represent the dynamic community of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians across all practice settings. As members of this frontline health provider community, we stand with our colleagues across the nation who are bravely protesting poor working conditions to preserve and protect patient safety. The Pharmacist’s Oath is not mere words on paper, rather, it calls upon pharmacists to advocate for their patients’ care and safety. When patient safety is compromised, pharmacists must speak up and act.
In California, CPhA continues to take action to improve patient safety and to preserve the professional status and clinical judgment of our pharmacists. In 2021, CPhA sponsored Senate Bill 362 which became law in 2022, banning the use by chain stores of any prescription, vaccination or sales quotas to measure a pharmacist’s performance. As a result, the California State Board of Pharmacy is actively taking enforcement action against stores when such quotas are reported. It is also notable that in response to California law, Walgreens announced in October of 2022 that they will cease to use these quotas nationally. There are pharmacies that do recognize that it is essential for pharmacists to have sufficient time and support to perform medication safety checks, to provide important patient counseling and to render clinical services to ensure the best outcomes for their patients. In stark contrast, CVS is mired in massive prescription backlogs of its own making, in large part due to aggressive patient-steering tactics driven by its Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) company, CVS Caremark. Due to these practices, patients are increasingly being denied access to other community and independent pharmacies where their pharmacy needs could be met. This cherry-picking of patients away from other pharmacies, coupled with persistent understaffing at its own pharmacies, along with unreasonable workloads, has caused the untenable situation that its pharmacists and patients face today.
Currently, Assembly Bill 1286, sponsored by the California Board of Pharmacy and strongly supported by CPhA, is sitting on the desk of the Governor awaiting signature. AB1286 aims to address patient safety by instituting mandatory reporting of medication errors while empowering the Pharmacist in Charge (PIC) to make staffing decisions to ensure that the work environment does not contribute to increased errors. The reporting is done in aggregate, without punitive measures against individual pharmacists, thus fostering an atmosphere of transparency and continuous improvement. The goal is to create an environment in which pharmacists may openly report errors while working collaboratively to identify and correct them. Using the professional judgment of a pharmacist in staffing decisions will ultimately create a safer work environment and thus improve patient safety.
We firmly believe that pharmacists need proper resources and support to maintain healthy and safe working conditions. As the demands of our profession are substantial and ever-increasing, it is incumbent upon us to advocate for the well-being of our members. As an association, we are committed to addressing these challenges, ensuring that pharmacy professionals have access to the resources, support and the advocacy required to thrive in their roles as essential health care providers.
The California Pharmacists Association is here to stand with you, united with your colleagues across all practice settings as One Profession, One Voice. We will work tirelessly to protect the integrity of our profession, the well-being of our members, and the communities they serve.
Resources:
AB 1286 Call to Action
http://cpha.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0yODQ2MjY0JnA9MSZ1PTUyNTQxNzE4MyZsaT0zMDgwMDUwOA/index.html
Reporting Pharmacy Quotas Violations
https://www.pharmacy.ca.gov/consumers/complaint_phy_performance_quotas.pdf
Founded in 1869, the California Pharmacists Association (CPhA) represents pharmacy professionals across all pharmacy practice settings. Our mission is to advance the practice of pharmacy for the promotion of health. We are One Profession, One Voice.
Oregon & SW Washington – UFCW Local 555 has just notified Kaiser Permanente that our members working under the pharmacy contract will be conducting an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike beginning on Sunday, October 1, 2023, through Saturday, October 21, 2023.
The ULP strike was authorized by the membership in ULP strike authorization votes last week, which were near unanimous at 99.6%.
Kaiser has committed numerous Unfair Labor Practices (ULPs), including failing to provide information regarding bargaining and grievances, attempting to directly deal with our members, and attempting to dictate to the Union who may serve as its representative.
The vote comes after months of negotiations between Kaiser Permanente and UFCW 555, as well as with the Coalition of Kaiser Unions. Local 555’s bargaining team has pushed for first-year wage adjustments, increased wage differentials such as for nights and weekends, and increased staffing.
“The number one issue at Kaiser is the lack of staffing. Workers are burning out, patients are having to wait months to receive care, and the problem is only getting worse. We were prepared to work on a deal that’s sustainable for the patients, our healthcare professionals, and the company, but Kaiser has been completely unwilling to accept the real impact of underpaying healthcare professionals and understaffing job sites.” – Dan Clay, President, UFCW Local 555.
Washington, DC – The Healthcare Supply Chain Association (HSCA), which represents the nation’s leading healthcare group purchasing organizations (GPOs), today announced that Children’s Hospital Association Vice President of Pharmacy Terri Lyle Wilson will serve on HSCA’s Board of Directors. The appointment comes after the departure of Children’s Hospital Association Vice President Jennifer Gedney, who served as Board Chair. TPC President and CEO Roger Nolan will replace Gedney as Immediate Chair.
“Terri is an industry leader in supporting the collaborative efforts of hospitals and health systems to improve healthcare through pharmacy, group purchasing, and clinical quality initiatives,” said HSCA President and CEO Todd Ebert. “Terri’s experience in patient care, hospital sustainability, and comprehensive pharmacy strategy will help HSCA and its member GPOs as they continue to confront issues such as ongoing drug shortages and work to strengthen the healthcare supply chain.
“HSCA and its members are grateful to Jennifer Gedney for her service as Board Chair. Her leadership, expertise, and guidance have been invaluable to HSCA, and we wish her the best,” added Ebert.
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), in partnership with the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), released the following statement on establishing Pharmacy Workforce Suicide Awareness Day to be recognized annually on September 20 as part of September's Suicide Prevention Month.
According to the latest available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide was the eleventh leading cause of death for Americans as of 2021. Further, a recent study published by JAPhA showed that pharmacists are at an increased risk of death by suicide when compared to the general public. According to that study, the suicide rate among pharmacists in the United States is 20 per 100,000, which is higher than the general population rate of 12 per 100,000.
Establishing a Pharmacy Workforce Suicide Awareness Day is an effort to increase awareness and discussion around a highly stigmatized topic that disproportionately affects healthcare professionals, including the pharmacy workforce. Recognizing this day will support pharmacists, pharmacy residents, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians by providing resources to prevent suicide and manage mental health conditions.
"Members of the pharmacy workforce encounter unique stressors throughout their education, training, and careers, which places them and other healthcare professionals at higher risk of experiencing occupational burnout, moral injury, and mental health crises," said Paul W. Abramowitz, PharmD, ScD (Hon), FASHP, CEO of ASHP. "Death by suicide is a tragic but preventable loss to individuals, organizations, and our profession. By collectively raising awareness of this grave issue, we are calling on members of our profession to support each other by urging conversation, decreasing stigma, recognizing warning signs, and intervening when necessary. ASHP is proud to partner with APhA and other pharmacy organizations on establishing Pharmacy Workforce Suicide Awareness Day and stands committed to supporting our colleagues and the future of our profession by working together to reach zero deaths by suicide."
"I am delighted that we have been able to partner with ASHP to mark this day and bring recognition to this critical problem. Death by suicide among pharmacists occurs at nearly twice the rate as non-pharmacists, a statistic that is wholly unacceptable and completely heartbreaking," said Michael D. Hogue, PharmD, FAPhA, FNAP, FFIP, executive vice president and CEO of APhA. "I'm proud of the work we have been able to do together to establish this day of recognition and to partner with so many other organizations who recognize the pressing need to address the root causes of work-related burnout and hopelessness resulting in suicide. Everyone at Team APhA is committed to recognizing mental health concerns and having the conversations that will help prevent additional deaths by suicide and end the well-being crisis."
More information and resources to raise awareness of, prevent, and respond to suicide can be found on ASHP's website here and on APhA's website here.
Organizations that are interested in supporting these efforts are encouraged to sign up to be acknowledged as an organizational sponsor of Pharmacy Workforce Suicide Awareness Day.
If you are feeling alone and having thoughts of suicide—whether or not you are in crisis—or know someone who is, talk to someone you can trust by calling or texting "988," the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
In 2019, Sutter Coast Hospital's compounding pharmacy in Crescent City, California, came under scrutiny by the California State Board of Pharmacy, resulting in a recent imposition of a three-year probation. This development followed a routine inspection conducted in January 2019, during which a board investigator identified what were described as "major deficiencies" concerning staff training and knowledge in the field of compounding pharmaceuticals.
The investigation brought to light a range of concerns related to the training of pharmacy personnel. It was discovered that the pharmacist in charge, along with her team, had not completed the necessary training required prior to engaging in compounding activities. These deficiencies extended to critical areas such as aseptic hand washing, garbing, proper cleaning of controlled environments, and the accurate documentation of drug compounds. Inspectors were particularly alarmed by the lack of knowledge demonstrated by employees in these fundamental regulatory aspects.
Another noteworthy issue that came to light was the inadequacy of the facilities themselves. In accordance with pharmacy law, a sink with running water is required within the "parenteral solution compounding area or adjacent to it." However, the sole sink available was located in a restroom, falling short of these legal requirements. Furthermore, the inspectors observed staff members failing to adhere to appropriate clothing standards and noted unsanitary conditions within the pharmacy.
As a consequence of these findings, Sutter Coast Hospital's compounding facility was placed on probation starting from July 23. This disciplinary action imposes certain obligations on the hospital, including unannounced visits by the pharmacy board and quarterly reporting to the state. Additionally, the hospital is required to provide five hours of compounding education for pharmacy technicians and pay an undisclosed fine as part of the probationary measures.
It is worth noting that subsequent to the inspection, the pharmacy has worked closely with the California Board of Pharmacy to address and rectify the violations identified. A spokesperson for Sutter Health, based in Sacramento, expressed their commitment to the highest standards of patient care and community health.
"We have partnered with the California Board of Pharmacy and have made significant investments at Sutter Coast's compounding facility," the spokesperson stated. "These recent upgrades exceed all sterile compounding standards for hazardous drugs, which provide protections for employees and patients. Sutter Health remains committed to providing our patients excellent and quality care and supporting overall community health."
In light of these corrective measures and the hospital's commitment to compliance, it is anticipated that the probation period will serve as an opportunity for Sutter Coast Hospital to enhance its compounding pharmacy operations and ensure the highest level of safety and quality in pharmaceutical compounding.
Substance use disorder has far-reaching impacts across society, and healthcare workers are not immune. In some cases, healthcare worker addiction can lead them to use prescription drugs intended for patients or steal them to be sold for personal benefit. A recent survey sponsored by Invistics, acquired by Wolters Kluwer Health earlier this year, found that despite 98% of healthcare executives agreeing that drug diversion occurs in hospitals, nearly four in five healthcare executives surveyed (79%) believe that most drug diversion goes undetected.
The International Health Facility Diversion Association estimates that at least 37,000 diversion incidents occur in U.S. facilities each year, and this number is likely underreported.1 According to the Wolters Kluwer Invistics survey, “The State of Drug Diversion 2023 Report,” only 40% of executives are very confident in the efficacy of their drug diversion detection programs, with a majority (67%) of executives planning to strengthen their drug diversion efforts in 2023.
Improving inconsistent drug diversion processes
Drug diversion detection has historically been a manual and time intensive process, with 71% of respondents reporting that their team spends eight or more hours on each investigation. Hospitals and ambulatory settings also struggle with consistency when it comes to managing detection programs. When questioned about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their drug diversion programs, 69% of respondents pointed to the increased presence of floating staff or contract workers as the primary factor that made drug diversion detection more challenging.
“With staff shortages and use of contract workers at an all-time high, hospitals may see inconsistency in their drug diversion detection efforts,” said Karen Kobelski, Vice President and General Manager of Clinical Surveillance Compliance & Data Solutions, Wolters Kluwer, Health. “Given the risks to patient safety and clinical teams, as well as the potential reputational and financial impact on the hospital itself, hospital leadership should consider how sophisticated technology can keep these programs running smoothly. As one of our respondents commented, ‘If you do not have any drug diversion, then you are not looking hard enough.’
Artificial intelligence (AI) represents a significant opportunity to improve drug diversion detection efforts across a hospital or health system. By monitoring patterns in data over time and across multiple hospital systems, programs incorporating advanced technologies can support increased hospital detection of diversion and improved patient safety.
Embracing AI for drug diversion detection
Recognizing the significant benefits of AI in diversion detection, more organizations have taken the next step forward in leveraging the latest cutting-edge technology to tackle their institutions’ diversion detection gaps. Since the initial survey in 2019, hospitals that report using machine learning to detect patterns of diversion and automatically flag potential cases have nearly doubled (29% to 56%). These facilities are also more confident in their drug diversion programs, with more than half of executives who use AI tools (53%) reporting they are very confident in the efficacy of their diversion detection efforts.
“Hospitals don’t always have the staff to dedicate to an ongoing diversion detection program as they balance more acute patient needs. AI-powered tools continually running in the background enable healthcare providers and leaders to feel more confident they are able to keep their patients and staff safe from diversion,” Ms. Kobelski continued. “AI-based diversion detection programs can do the hard work of sifting through mountains of data to find suspect cases so resource-strapped hospitals can run an effective program and ensure diversion is detected.”