Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training

Target Audience: Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians

Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialists (CTTS) are professionals specializing in the science of tobacco addiction and ways to treat it. This CTTS training program is accredited by the Council for Tobacco Treatment Training Programs (CTTTP), and participants who successfully complete this training will earn the designation of CTTS. They will be experts in providing tobacco cessation services and able to help meet the demand of assisting smokers with quitting tobacco use for good.

This CTTS program is delivered in a live, didactic format consisting of a hands-on workshop component. Participants can expect to be engaged throughout the training through role-playing scenarios, case studies, and hands-on experience with various types of tobacco cessation monitors and tools. The training provides the participant with an in-depth understanding of tobacco cessation monitors and tools, tobacco dependence, as well as the essential science-based treatment tools necessary to help patients achieve freedom from tobacco use. The curriculum provides knowledge of evidence-based treatment methods and provides participants with necessary skills to assess and treat smokers in multiple settings.

Presenters:

Jamie L. McConaha, PharmD, CTTS, BCACP, CDE, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Duquesne University School of Pharmacy

Dr. Jamie McConaha is an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Duquesne University School of Pharmacy in the division of Clinical, Social and Administrative Sciences. After graduating from Duquesne, she completed a two-year academic and teaching fellowship with the school. Upon completion of this fellowship, Dr. McConaha joined the school of pharamcy’s clinical faculty. Dr. McConaha became certified as a Tobacco Treatment Specialist in 2013, and started the TTS training and certification course at Duquesne the following year. Dr. McConaha’s clinical practice site is with Preferred Primary Care Physicians, an accredited patient-centered medical home and accountable care organization in Pittsburgh, PA. In this setting, Dr. McConaha offers a variety of clinical services for her patients including medication therapy management appointments, transition of care consults, and group tobacco cessation classes.

Suzanne K. Higginbotham, B.S., PharmD, CTTS, BCACP, Director of Center for Pharmacy Care and Duquesne University Pharmacy

Suzanne K. Higginbotham is the Director of the Center for Pharmacy Care and Duquesne University Pharmacy and is a board certified pharmacist in ambulatory care.  She received her Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and biology from The Ohio State University prior to completing her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Duquesne University.  She went on to complete a two year Academic and Research Fellowship at Duquesne University with a focus in ambulatory care.  Upon graduation from the fellowship program, she was hired as the Director of the Center for Pharmacy Care, an ambulatory care center located on Duquesne University’s campus.  Dr. Higginbotham’s clinical responsibilities at her site involve the implementation of various programs including employee wellness and disease state management, student wellness and preventative care services, full service immunization and travel medicine activities, and other medication and disease state therapy management.  Dr. Higginbotham’s current areas of research are in pharmacist directed immunization practices along with implementation of comprehensive medication therapy management in various group settings.  Dr. Higginbotham currently teaches advanced pharmacy practice skills in the School of Pharmacy as well as serving as the Director of Residency Programs and Certificate Programs at Duquesne University.

Program Objectives: At the completion of this activity, the participant will be able to:

Objectives for Pharmacists:

1. Explain the biological, psych-behavioral, and social causes of tobacco dependence

2. Apply tools to assess tobacco users’ level of nicotine dependence

3. Select appropriate pharmacotherapy for a smoker motivated to quit

4. Justify pharmacotherapy selection based on anticipated effects in patients with select medical conditions

5. Demonstrate, through role-playing scenarios, the basic principles of motivational interviewing and stage-informed counseling

6. Describe the key components of a comprehensive intake process

7. Identify strengths and potential barriers to treatment

Objectives for Technicians:

1. Explain the biological, psych-behavioral, and social causes of tobacco dependence

2. Apply tools to assess tobacco users’ level of nicotine dependence

3. Describe the key components of a comprehensive intake process

4. Demonstrate how to use a carbon monoxide monitor

5. Select appropriate over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy, including dosages based on the amount that the patient smokes

6. Describe the primary components of motivational interviewing

UAN: 0159-0000-17-500-L04-P & 0159-0000-17-500-L04-T

Activity Type: Application-based

Pennsylvania Pharmacists Care Network Patient Care Training

Target Audience: Pharmacists enrolled in the CMMC

The Pennsylvania Pharmacists Care Network (PPCN) has been developed to serve as the structure for pharmacists in Pennsylvania to work together to care for individual medication-related needs in local communities. The focus of the PPCN will be to connect pharmacists, payers and health care practitioners in order to deliver medication management services to patients in the Commonwealth. The goal of the PPCN is to improve patient outcomes, enhance quality, and reduce overall healthcare costs. This live training session is designed to reinforce the concepts covered in the online training modules in an active learning environment through a patient case, documenting and billing encounters, and implementing patient care services in your practice setting.

Presenter:

Brandon Antinopoulos, PharmD, Trainer, Pennsylvania Pharmacists Care Network

Program Objectives: At the completion of this activity, the participant will be able to:

1. Identify drug related problems associated with Medication Therapy Management Case

2. Provide clinical rationale for each drug related problem

3. Create a detailed plan to address each drug related problem

4. Discuss required components of documenting a MTM encounter

5. Describe strategies for reimbursement of MTM services

6. Identify methods showcased in "successful stories" video snippets

7. Share common questions/concerns you have about getting started

8. Identify implementation strategies for specific key stakeholders in your local community

9. Describe PPCN's role in connecting your practice with payers and additional resources (i.e. Providing ongoing training & mentorship, etc.)

10. Create your own implementation plan

UAN: 0159-0000-15-059-L04-P

Activity Type: Application-based

Proton-Pump Inhibitors: Navigating the Jungle of Risks and Benefits

Target Audience: All pharmacists

There has been an increased volume of alerts regarding the risks associated with use of proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs). This program will provide guidance on balancing the risks and benefits associated with chronic PPI therapy. It will also offer tools to evaluate the appropriateness of PPI therapy.  Patient cases will be utilized to demonstrate the concepts and aid in the application of said concepts to future patients.

Presenter:

Chelsea Bombatch, PharmD, BCPS, Clinical Pharmacist, Washington Health System

Dr. Chelsea Bombatch is a board certified clinical pharmacist with the Washington Health System in Washington, Pennsylvania. In her clinical practice, she focuses on in-patient care where she collaboratively works with teams of physicians and nurses to determine best courses of treatment. In addition, she has authored and contributed to a number of scholarly publications regarding a wide variety of topics, including herpes zoster vaccine in patients with HIV, pediatric asthma and cystic fibrosis, and Prader-Willi syndrome. Prior to working at the Washington Health System, she completed a PGY1 residency at UPMC Presbyterian followed by a PGY2 residency in ambulatory care at the Cleveland Clinic.

Program Objectives: At the completion of this activity, the participant will be able to:

1. Discuss indications, pharmacokinetics, and adverse effects of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)

2. Recognize potential risks of chronic treatment with PPIs

3. Evaluate the appropriateness of PPI therapy in a patient scenario

UAN: 0159-0000-17-502-L01-P

Activity Type: Application-based

Penetrating Through the Density of Care Post-Discharge: Opportunities for Community Pharmacists in Transitions of Care

Target Audience: All pharmacists

Transitioning a patient from inpatient care to community care is difficult and often involves a tangle of healthcare providers and “navigators”.  Although generally community pharmacists are the most frequently encountered healthcare provider by patients, they are typically unaware of hospitalizations, lack insight into the hospitalization, and are not empowered or compensated for directed care post-discharge limiting the potential impact community pharmacists could have on readmissions.  Many hospitals are partnering with community pharmacies to assist with post-discharge care.  This program will discuss examples of programs integrating pharmacists into transitional care roles and provide an outline of resources available for community pharmacists interested in developing care processes for patients in the post-discharge care environment.

Presenter:

Eric Wright, PharmD, MPH, Co-Director and Professor, Geisinger Center for Pharmacy Innovation and Outcomes

Eric Wright is Senior Investigator and Co-Director of the Center for Pharmacy Innovation and Outcomes (CPIO) at Geisinger. Dr. Wright is an active member of PPA, serving on the research collaboration for the PPCN, and is leading the development of a PPA toolkit for pharmacists within Pennsylvania to improve transitions of care. Dr. Wright’s research focuses on medication use behaviors and medication adherence. He is an advocate for transparency of medical information to patients and all health providers and is principal investigator on an NACDS Foundation sponsored study evaluating the impact of sharing hospital discharge information to community pharmacists on medication adherence and rehospitalizations. He will be sharing some of the insights from this study with us including practical considerations and resources for those interested in providing pharmacist-facilitated transitional care.

Program Objectives: At the completion of this activity, the participant will be able to:

1. Discuss current healthcare trends and the need for quality improvement in transitions of care

2. Describe novel and effective mechanisms for community pharmacists to contribute to the care of discharge patients

3. Explore resources and toolkits available to equip community pharmacy start-up of post-discharge care

UAN: 0159-0000-17-505-L04-P

Activity Type: Knowledge-based

Starting Medication Synchronization with Clinical Services: Tackling the Elephant Sized Task

Target Audience: Community pharmacists and community technicians

Whether you are looking to launch your med sync service or looking to grow an already successful program, join us in tackling this elephant sized task!  We will discuss the steps needed to launch a new medication synchronization service within a community pharmacy and promote the integration of med sync with existing clinical services. Obstacles and resistance to launch or sustainability of the service will be addressed with group brainstorming of solutions.

Presenter:

Ashley Firm, PharmD, Clinical Coordinator, Asti’s South Hills Pharmacy

Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh Physician Assistant Studies

Dr. Ashley Firm is a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. After graduation, she completed a community pharmacy residency with the University of Georgia and Barney's Pharmacy in Augusta Georgia where she focused in community outreach and pharmacy operations, including medication synchronization. Once completing her residency, Dr. Firm returned to the Pittsburgh area and started at Asti's South Hills Pharmacy as the Clinical Pharmacy Coordinator. Since that time, her role at Asti's has expanded to include managing the Long Term Care Pharmacy and co-managing the adherence packaging program. Asti's Pharmacy started many clinical services  under Dr Firm including Point of Care Testing, Disease State Educations, and Medication Synchronization.

Program Objectives: At the completion of this activity, the participant will be able to:

1. Describe the startup materials, staffing, and work flow modifications needed to launch a medication synchronization service

2. Identify opportunities to link current clinical services to medication synchronization and design and integration process

3. Develop strategies to overcome obstacles and resistance to medication synchronization launch and sustainability

UAN: 0159-0000-17-506-L04-P & 0159-0000-17-506-L04-T

Activity Type: Application-based

Navigating Safely Through Uncharted Waters: Overcoming the Challenges of Oral Oncolytic Therapies with a Specialized Crew

Target Audience: Community and health-system pharmacists

The concentrated development of oral oncolytic therapies available to patients with cancer have steered pharmacists towards unique challenges. Unlike chemotherapy administered by infusion, there is little available literature describing best practice for checking oral oncolytic agents. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the implementation of an oral oncolytic taskforce, in the retail and ambulatory setting, as a method to enhance medication safety, improve vigilance of these high alert medications, and discuss a real world experience to the challenges associated when dispensing oral oncolytic agents.

Presenter:

Mitchell E. Hughes, PharmD, Hematology/Oncology Clinical Pharmacist, The Abramson Center for Advanced Medicine at Penn Medicine

Mitchell is a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and completed a PGY-1 pharmacy practice residency and PGY-2 hematology/oncology pharmacy residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.  As a board certified pharmacotherapy and oncology pharmacist, he currently works at the Abramson Cancer Center in Philadelphia as an ambulatory hematology/oncology clinical pharmacy specialist, focusing on Lymphomas and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Program Objectives: At the completion of this activity, the participant will be able to:

1. List risks associated with dispensing oral oncolytic agent

2. Recognize potential barriers to implementation of a vigilance program for oral oncolytic agents

3. Discuss strategies to improve safety and communications involved with dispensing oral oncolytic agents

UAN: 0159-0000-17-509-L05-P

Activity Type: Knowledge-based

Taming the Jungle:  Completing an Assessment of Risk in a Community Pharmacy to Comply with USP <800>

Target Audience: Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians

USP <800> becomes official and enforceable on July 1, 2018.   Prior to that, and at least every 12 months thereafter, pharmacies that handle hazardous drugs must complete an Assessment of Risk for the drugs and dosage forms on the NIOSH List of Antineoplastic and Other Hazardous Drugs.   These drugs are not limited to antineoplastics, but include a wide variety of commonly-dispensed drugs that have properties that can be hazardous to personnel.    This session will provide a framework for developing a pharmacy’s Assessment of Risk, and include practical tips to use during the process.

Presenter:

Patricia C. Kienle, RPh, MPA, FASHP, Director, Accreditation and Medication Safety, Cardinal Health Innovative Delivery Solutions

Patricia Kienle is the Director of Accreditation and Medication Safety for Cardinal Health Innovative Delivery Solutions. She received her pharmacy degree from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, and a Masters in Public Administration from Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania.  She completed an Executive Fellowship in Patient Safety from Virginia Commonwealth University and is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She has served on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and as President of the Pennsylvania Society of Hospital Pharmacists.  She is a Fellow of ASHP, was named Pharmacist of the Year by PSHP, and the recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award in Hospital and Institutional Practice from the American Pharmaceutical Association Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management, and the Distinguished Leadership Award from ASHP.  She has served on the Pharmacotherapy Specialty Council of the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties, the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, the Hospital Professional and Technical Advisory Committee of The Joint Commission, and on the Board of Governors of the National Patient Safety Foundation.  She is a current member of the USP Compounding Expert Committee and chairs the Subcommittee on Hazardous Drugs. Patti is the author of Compounding Sterile Preparations: ASHP’s Visual Guide to Chapter <797> video and Companion Guide, co-author of Assuring Continuous Compliance with Joint Commission Standards: A Pharmacy Guide, 8th edition, and author of The Chapter <800> Answer Book.  She edited Understanding JCAHO Requirements for Hospital Pharmacies. She is a frequent presenter to professional groups, with special interests in promoting medication safety, compounding sterile preparations, accreditation, and regulatory issues.

Program Objectives: At the completion of this activity, the participant will be able to:

1. Cite the document that defines drugs that are hazardous to personnel

2. Identify the drugs and dosage forms eligible for an Assessment of Risk

3. Describe elements of an Assessment of Risk

4. List examples of alternative containment strategies and work practices that could be incorporated into an Assessment of Risk

UAN: 0159-0000-17-512-L07-P & 0159-0000-17-512-L07-T

Activity Type: Knowledge-based

Pandemic Vaccine Planning: Creating a Sanctuary in the Middle of the Jungle

Target Audience: Community and health-system pharmacists, pharmacy management

This educational session will discuss the keys to developing an implementation plan for pandemic vaccinations in Pennsylvania community pharmacies. Learnings from the strategic planning meeting with our state and local partners will be shared. Topics to be covered include: 1) partnering with state and local agencies for pandemic vaccine planning; 2) considerations for establishing an MOU, 3) utilizing PA-SIIS, 4) training, and 5) implementing pandemic vaccinations in community pharmacies. The overarching goal of this presentation is to prepare Pennsylvania community pharmacists to fully participate as vaccine providers during future pandemic scenarios.

Presenters:

Deanne Hall, PharmD, CDE, BACAP, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy

Deanne Hall is Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and Ambulatory Care Clinician at UPMC Presbyterian. She has practiced in a variety of clinic sites since starting in 2000 and works to implement pharmacist patient care programs. Her current practice site is within the Heart and Vascular Institute and is the program director for the PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency at UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside.  Deanne created and oversees the influenza immunization program at Falk Pharmacy, which provides onsite vaccinations as well as mobile clinics for the UPMC and University of Pittsburgh communities.  She has experience in pandemic vaccine planning through assisting in coordinating 2009 H1N1 efforts at UPMC.

Chiara Gessler, PharmD, Clinical Coordinator, Pittsburgh South, Giant Eagle, Inc

Chiara Gessler is a Clinical Coordinator with Giant Eagle Pharmacy in Pittsburgh.  In her role, she provides direct patient care, as well as regional and corporate support for clinical programs.  She has been working with the team at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy as a co-investigator on the CDC-sponsored grant entitled: “Improving Vaccination Rates through Community Partnerships and Technology“ over the past year.   

Program Objectives: At the completion of this activity, the participant will be able to:

1. Describe the current pandemic vaccine planning process within Pennsylvania

2. Identify key partnerships and steps toward developing an MOU within the state for pandemic vaccine planning

3. Evaluate your pharmacy’s ability to incorporate aspects of a pandemic plan in order to administer vaccines during an emergency situation

UAN: 0159-0000-17-513-L06-P

Activity Type: Application-based