Celebrating 40 years of serving seniors, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists kicked off its 40th Annual Meeting this morning at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.  Highlighting the opening session were award presentations to several distinguished ASCP members, presentations by ASCP President Judy Beizer and ASCP Foundation Chair Nancy Losben on the Society's and the Foundation's achievements during the past year, and a keynote address by Dr. Carolyn Clancy, Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

The following awards were presented during the session:

• Micah J. Sobota of Lima, Ohio, received the Commission for Certification in Geriatric Pharmacy (CCGP) Excellence in Geriatric Pharmacy Award.  This award recognizes the Certified Geriatric Pharmacist (CGP) who fosters the principles of good pharmacy practice, demonstrates excellence in geriatric patient care, and promotes the value and rigorous standards established by CCGP.
• Dean R. Schmiedt of Ft. Ripley, Minnesota, received the ASCP Foundation Practice Innovation Award.  This award recognizes and promotes successful innovative practice models that demonstrate improvements in patient safety, quality of care, medication therapy management, collaborative practice, or service delivery.
• Stephen M. Feldman of Boston, Massachusetts, received the Richard S. Berman Service Award.  Named in honor of ASCP’s first president, this award is conferred annually to an ASCP member who has made significant and sustained contributions to consultant pharmacy and the goals and activities of the Society.
• Marie E. Gardner of Mountain Rest, South Carolina, received the George F. Archambault Award.  Named in honor of the man considered the "father of consultant pharmacy" and who first coined the term “consultant pharmacist,” this award is conferred annually in recognition of an individual's outstanding contributions to consultant and senior care pharmacy.

ASCP President Judy Beizer's presentation summarized the Society's many accomplishments in the past year in the areas of five "hot topics" she identified at her installation as ASCP President last November:

• Medication therapy management (MTM) across the spectrum of care
• Transitions in care
• The shortage of adequately trained geriatric health professionals
• Promotion of healthy aging and wellness
• Health information technology

ASCP Foundation Chair Nancy Losben shared with the audience some of the exciting projects the ASCP Foundation has worked on the past year, including:

• The launch of the website for the Center for Medicines and Healthy Aging, a free resource to help older adults and their caregivers make the best use of medicines
• Monitor-Rx, a web-based clinical software program to help pharmacists and other health professionals evaluate complex medication regimens of older adults to identify and prioritize those who are at greatest risk for medication-related problems
• A comprehensive tool kit for long-term care facilities to prepare for and manage an influenza outbreak
• The development of a white paper on the use of follow-on biologics for treatment of diseases and conditions in older adults

In her keynote address "Health Care Reform: Implementing Technology, Improving Quality, Enhancing Access," Carolyn Clancy provided an informative and inspiring summary of AHRQ's efforts to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for America's seniors.  Highlights of her remarks included the following:

• The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes $1.1 billion for Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) designed to inform health care decisions by providing evidence on the effectiveness, benefits, and harms of different treatment options.
• AHRQ is investing $260 million in research to examine the impact of Health Information Technology implementation and use on quality, safety, and other health care outcomes.
• AHRQ's Accelerating Change and Transformation in Organizations and Networks (ACTION) Program includes demonstration projects designed to promote innovation in health care delivery and the rapid application of research into practice.
• Citing the need to reduce the amount of time it takes to adopt new products and technology applications to ensure high quality care for all Americans, we need to "figure out how to accelerate important scientific discovery into common practice."

Dr. Clancy concluded her remarks praising the work of ASCP and acknowledging the opportunities for collaboration with AHRQ to drive improvement and support health care reform.