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Surviving
the First Six Months of Medicare
– aka: "Help! The Sky is Really Falling"
Please
read through the following information and click continue.
ACPE
Universal Program Number: 207-000-05-125-H03
Release Date: October 18, 2005
Expiration Date: October 18, 2008
Description
Brace yourself! January 1 is coming full speed ahead.
At the beginning of 2006, pharmacists can expect a multitude of
new challenges associated with the new Medicare benefit. Tighter
formularies, prior authorization requirements, and true-out-of-pocket
cost monitoring could become a time-consuming way of life for many
community pharmacies.
Here's a glimpse
of what pharmacists can expect during the first six months of Medicare
Part D:
- All Medicare-eligible
Medicaid beneficiaries will lose their Medicaid coverage at the
end of 2005 and will be automatically converted to Medicare Part
D. For pharmacy, this means new plans, new formularies, and substantial
beneficiary counseling.
- Most Medicare beneficiaries
will encounter tighter formularies with an array of step therapy
and prior authorization requirements. Pharmacists will be in the
position of interacting between the plan, the prescriber, and
the patient to lessen any delays in drug coverage.
- Catastrophic coverage
will need to be monitored, and coordination of benefits will be
handled on a pharmacy level.
Preparation
will be key to minimizing the economic and humanitarian impact of
confused beneficiaries, and to limit any delays in care due to this
new program. This timely program will provide pharmacists with the
tools they need to survive the first six months of Medicare. Additionally,
it will highlight areas of professional and business opportunities
to make the best of the new Medicare benefit for 2006 and beyond.
Learning
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this activity, the pharmacist should be better able
to:
- Discuss the applicable Medicare time lines for beneficiaries.
- Outline staff training tips to triage Medicare questions for the
pharmacist.
- Discuss possible responses for key beneficiary questions.
- Develop a model communication/marketing plan to assist Medicare
beneficiaries enrollment into the Medicare prescription drug program.
Target
Audience
Pharmacists
and Pharmacy Technicians CE
Credit
A score of 70 percent is required to successfully complete
the CE quiz. You will have two opportunities to achieve a passing score.
The
Statement of Credit should be printed upon receipt; a duplicate copy
will be available in the participant's online transcript for further
viewing. Individuals must complete this program by October 18, 2008
to receive credit.
 NCPA
is approved by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a
provider of continuing pharmacy education. This program will provide
1.5 contact hour(s) (.15 CEUs) of continuing pharmacy education credit
under the number 207-000-05-125-H03.
Faculty
Information
Bruce Semingson, R.Ph., FACA
Earning his pharmacy degree from the University
of Arizona, Bruce Semingson's earlier career was spent
managing a chain drug store in Tucson. In 1974, he decided
to strike out on his own and bought Show Low Drug. Several
years later, with a group of like-minded entrepreneurs,
Bruce created an enterprise that could help independent
pharmacy owners. This enterprise grew and became what
we know today as: United Drugs.
He also spent a few years in local government as a City
Manager for two rural Arizona cities and also traveled
across the other side of the globe; serving as a pharmacy
advisor in the former Soviet Union for Project HOPE.
Bruce has been recognized as a foremost expert in the
pharmacy profession. As United Drugs' vice president of
managed care sales, his main responsibility is to negotiate
and administer pharmacy services contracts with managed
care organizations throughout the U.S.
Currently, Bruce serves on the Board of Directors and
executive committee for Community Care Rx, now one of
America's top 5 Medicare discount prescription card programs.
His honors include, NCPA's 2004 Spirit of Independence
Award; the Bowl of Hygeia in 1988; Distinguished Citizen
Award from U of A's College of Pharmacy; and for his dedication
to the cooperative he was honored with the 2002 United
Drugs Chair's Staff Award. Bruce has also served on United
Drugs board of directors for 10 years and was president
of the Board in 1982.
Marsha K. Millonig, M.B.A., R.Ph.
Marsha Millonig is the President of Catalyst Enterprises,
LLC, a health care consulting firm. The company specializes
in projects that help drive pharmacy, distribution and
manufacturing organizations to become more efficient and/or
value-added providers of health care in an effort to improve
patient health outcomes.
Marsha served as VP, Research and Information for HDMA
and headed the philanthropic HDMA Healthcare Foundation
until 2002. Prior to 1991, Marsha worked with chain pharmacy
executives on operations, professional & government
affairs, and education and practice issues for NACDS.
She completed the ASHP Executive Residency in Association
Management in 1983.
Her BS in Pharmacy is from the University of Minnesota
and M.B.A. from the University of Maryland. She is also
a practicing pharmacist, having volunteered at the Whitman
Walker Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Clinic in Washington D.C.
from 1995-2002 and now working relief with Cub Foods and
HealthPro Staffing in the Twin Cities.
Her knowledge of cutting-edge business issues among all
segments of the pharmaceutical supply system is sought
and she has recently published a book with William Tindall
on innovative pharmacists called "Pharmaceutical
Care: Insights from Community Pharmacists" available
at www.amazon.com
or www.crcpress.com.
Faculty
Disclosure Statements
NCPA has a conflict of interest policy that
requires course faculty to disclose any real or apparent
commercial financial affiliations related to the content
of their presentations/materials.
Commercial
Support
This program is supported by an educational grant
from Merck |
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Software
Requirements
PC
Flash Player Plugin 6.0 or above
Windows 98 SE or above
Internet Explorer 5.5 or above
Netscape 7.02 or above
800 x 600 Minimum Monitor Resolution
*Adobe Acrobat Reader |
MAC
Flash Player Plugin 6.0 or above
Mac OS 10.2
Netscape 5.5 or above
800
x 600 Minimum Monitor Resolution
*Adobe Acrobat Reader |
| *REQUIRED
TO VIEW PRINTABLE VERSION OF CE LESSON | |
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