AMCP's 2009 Educational Conference In San Antonio, Texas

Main Category: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 09 Oct 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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Health care reform, generic drug availability, transparency in medication formulary management and Wall Street's take on the pharmaceutical industry are just some of the many topics that will be highlighted at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy's (AMCP's) 2009 Educational Conference in San Antonio, Texas, Oct. 7-9, 2009.

Health care reform, and what it means for the managed care pharmacy profession, will be the focus of the two general sessions at the annual AMCP event, which is expected to draw more than 2,000 managed care pharmacists and other health care stakeholders. The Educational Conference this year takes place at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in downtown San Antonio.

The opening general session on Thursday, Oct. 8 will feature a provocative joint presentation by former Republican Senate Majority Leader William Frist, M.D., from Tennessee, and former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, M.D., the most recent chairman of the Democratic National Committee. These two physicians/politicians have been leading voices for their respective parties in the health care reform debate and will offer a lively and thought-provoking discussion in their conference address, "Reinventing Health Care in America."

The keynote speaker for the general session on Friday Oct. 9 will be Gail Wilensky, Ph.D., former head of the federal agency operating the Medicare and Medicaid programs and currently senior fellow at Project HOPE, an international health education foundation. Her address, "An Insider's Look at Health Care Reform," will focus on what the proposed reforms may mean to the professionals who manage pharmacy benefits for the vast majority of Americans.

AMCP's 2009 Educational Conference also will feature a wide array of programming on topics of key importance to managed care pharmacy and its place in the overall health care arena. Sessions will focus on the latest developments and trends in the profession, including:

- Quality Initiative to Improve Physician Prescribing Practices;
- Specialty Pharmaceutical Pipeline Outlooks and Trends;
- Medicare Part D Session
- Wall Street Look at the Pharmaceutical Industry for 2010;
- Health Information Technology and e-Prescribing Update;
- Drug Pricing;
- Comparative Effectiveness Update;
- Value Analysis of New Medications;
- How to Influence Member Behavior through Optimal Plan Design: What Works, What Doesn't and Why;
- The Inner Workings of the Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T) Committee;
- Payers and Brand Drug Manufacturers Working Together for Appropriate Pharmaceutical Care;
- Facing the Managed Care Challenge for Determining Appropriate Pharmaceutical Utilization: A Case Study in Asthma; and
- Implementation and Evaluation of a 90-Day Retail Benefit Addition and Rx Coupon Program.

On Friday, Oct. 9, the conference center's exhibition hall will become the site of The Managed Care Industry Forum, where more than 40 companies will present information about their latest drug therapies, technologies, innovations and services to assist the practice of managed care pharmacy.

The San Antonio event also includes a pre-conference, evidence-based medicine (EBM) workshop on Oct. 7 and 8 titled, EBM Demystified: A Practical, Simplified Approach for Evaluating the Medical Literature - What You Don't Know Can Hurt You. In addition, the conference will once again host a series of "round tables," where attendees may engage with faculty and colleagues in a series of 30-minute, interactive discussions. Topics of the round tables include:

- Medicare Part D Claims: Breaking Through the Reimbursement Obstacles for Medicare Advantage Organizations;
- Estimating Generic Availability: Tips and Projections for Managed Care Pharmacists; and
- From Evidence to Access: A More Transparent Formulary Decision Making Process.

Student pharmacists in attendance will gain valuable insights into the profession through events especially designed for them. This programming includes a networking and orientation luncheon along with sessions on what exactly is specialty pharmacy and how to apply managed care principles across practice settings.

For more information about the AMCP 2009 Educational Conference or to register, visit http://www.amcp.org.

Source
Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy