NCPA 2024 Meeting Recap

This year’s National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Annual Convention and Expo took place from October 26 to 29 in Columbus, Ohio. Over the course of the 4 day meeting, attendees had the chance to sit in on a variety of educational sessions, panel discussions, and workshops about important topics that are impacting pharmacists today.

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From updated vaccine recommendations from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and tips for surviving a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) inspection, to tools for identifying metabolic roadblocks to weight loss and increasing your pharmacy’s online presence, there was no shortage of information that pharmacists could take back home and implement in their businesses.

This year’s theme—Growth. Performance. Success.—aimed to help pharmacy teams navigate the many obstacles and opportunities in today’s complex pharmacy landscape. The Drug Topics team was on-site at the Greater Columbus Convention Center reporting on the latest news and updates from NCPA’s business education sessions and conducting video interviews with leading experts in the field.

Catch up on some can’t miss stories and interviews from NCPA 2024 below.

Session Coverage

Hormonal Contraceptive Prescribing Benefits Patients, Pharmacies

Brittany Sanders, PharmD, works in Arkansas, which ranks first in the country in teen pregnancy. Sanders, owner of The Pharmacy at Wellington in Little Rock, led a session on incorporating hormonal contraceptive prescribing in pharmacy workflows.

Finish The Fight: Patients Can Push PBM Reform Legislation Over the Finish Line

Bil Schmidtknect, Anne Cassity, JD, senior vice president, government affairs, at NCPA; Jack Mozloom, senior vice president, communications, at NCPA, and Carter High, PharmD, RPh, owner of Best Value Pharmacy, hosted a session about NCPA’s Finish the Fight campaign, launched earlier this year with the goal of getting PBM reform across the finish line.

2024 NCPA Digest Highlights Challenges in Independent Pharmacy

NCPA released the 2024 NCPA Digest, providing the organization’s annual overview of independent community pharmacy. Data from this year’s digest show that independent pharmacies “represent 35% of all retail pharmacies in the United States,” per an NCPA news release.

Preparation, Cooperation Keys to Surviving a DEA Inspection

Jim Schiffer, RPh, Esq. and Carlos M. Aquino, shared dozens of examples of theft and violations during their presentation on surviving DEA inspections. Schiffer and Aquino have seen dozens of cases where pharmacists ended up on the wrong side of a DEA investigation. When that happens, the most crucial part of any response is to be prepared.

Video Interviews

Effective Ways Pharmacists Can Educate, Encourage Patients to Get Flu Vaccines

Lauren Angelo, PharmD, MBA, associate dean of academic affairs and an associate professor of pharmacy practice at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science College of Pharmacy, discusses the recommended timing for flu vaccination, how pharmacists can help ensure patients receive vaccines at the optimal time, and effective ways pharmacists can educate and encourage their communities on the importance of flu vaccination.

Best Practices for Educating Patients on Holistic Weight Management Approaches

Melody Hartzler, PharmD, clinical pharmacist and CEO of PharmToTable and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Findlay College of Pharmacy, discusses some best practices pharmacists can use to educate patients on holistic approaches to weight management.

Independent Pharmacies Should Expand Their Vaccination Programs

David Ha, PharmD, BCIDP,an infectious disease and antimicrobial stewardship pharmacist and PGY2 Infectious Disease Residency Program Coordinator at Stanford Health Care, discusses the critical need for pharmacists to expand their immunization programs.

Importance of NCPA’s Annual Conference to the Independent Pharmacy Community

Erin Rexroth; Lauren Angelo, PharmD, MBA; Sean Jeffery, PharmD, BCGP, FASCP, AGSF; Melody Hartzler, PharmD; and Trent Thiede, PharmD, MBA, discuss the importance of NCPA’s annual meeting to the independent pharmacy community.

Coverage of the National Community Pharmacists Association 2024 Annual Convention and Expo was supported by Red Sail, with independent editorial content creation on-site by the Drug Topics team.