Rachelle “Shelly” Spiro, RPh, FASCP
Las Vegas, Nevada

Current Employment:
President, Spiro Consulting, Inc.  Expert consulting, lecture, and briefing services to the long-term care industry's professional and trade associations, private industry, investment firms, and government agencies.

Former Employment:
Corporate Senior Director KPS (currently PharMerica), long-term care pharmacy manager and consultant pharmacist; hospital pharmacist.

Education:
BS pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy

ASCP Involvement:
Fellow since 1988; Region III Director 2002-2004, 2004-2006; Government Affairs Committee 2000-2001, chair 2007-2008, 2001-2002; Pharmacy Service Technical Advisory Coalition 2003-2008; National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) representative 2004-2008; Health Information Technology Standards Panel 2006-2008; National Association of Boards of Pharmacy-Drug Enforcement Administration (NABP-DEA) Task Force Chair 2006-2007; Policy Council 1999-2000; MDS-Med Guide Advisory Board 1999; DEA Task Force; Executive Director Search Committee.

Awards:
“Pharmacist of the Year” Nevada Society of Hospital Pharmacists, 1993; “Work Group 1 MVP” National Council for Prescription Drug Programs, 2007.

Other Organization Involvement:
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (CMS-AHRQ) long-term care ePrescribing pilot consultant 2005-2006; NCPDP co-chair LTC Work Group 14 2003-2008; NCPDP Strategic Planning, Education and Annual Meeting Committees 2005-2008; NCPDP Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) representative 2008; Nevada Society of Hospital Pharmacists president 1993; Nevada Society of Health-System Pharmacists (NVSHP) legislative chair 2008.

Contributed to Publications:
Authored several articles in The Consultant Pharmacist, Assisted Living Consult, and other journals.

QUESTION 1: While it has been almost seven years since the publication of the Institute of Medicine’s “To Err is Human,” there is still much progress that needs to be made regarding medication safety and medication errors. What path should the Society take in fostering and promoting safe medication use and administration? What skills and/or new ideas would you bring to the issue?

ANSWER:  Since the Society’s beginning, our members have been on the right path as it relates to medication safety and medication errors. The role of the consultant pharmacist was founded on the premise of preventing adverse medication events and reductions in medication errors.  The question for the future is how do consultants document and measure their functions.  As pharmacists, we do a good job of documenting and measuring medication errors and our impact within settings. As technology advances in these settings, a standard electronic communication method will be imperative to measure quality performance.  Over the last five years, I have been actively involved in assuring that Consultant Pharmacists will have a place to electronically communicate their actions.  As president-elect, I will bring this expertise of national Health Information Technology (HIT) to the Society to ensure that ASCP remains a leading driving force within the senior care environment.

QUESTION 2: Medication Therapy Management (MTM), in all its forms, has provided pharmacy with an unprecedented opportunity for recognition of the value of pharmacists in the health care system, and the establishment of a system for payment for clinical services. Where do you see MTM going in the next two years? Where should the Society focus its MTM efforts? What skills and/or new ideas would you bring to this issue?

ANSWER:  Since the enactment of Medicare Modernization Act, our profession has been catching up with what the consultant pharmacists have been providing for more than 20 years, MTM services. The key points over the next two years are for the profession to define, standardize and document the MTM process. The Society should focus on standardizing the documentation process so the information can be electronically communicated to payers and documented for payment for performance. Over the last five years, I’ve been actively involved and representing ASCP in obtaining CPT codes for MTM and standardizing the electronic processes that will allow consultants to communicate with payers. As president-elect, I will bring the expertise and skills of a national leader of HIT to ensure that our members are strategically placed to receive payment for our unique MTM services.