On this episode, it’s Part 2 of our roundtable discussion with the clinical pharmacists of Diamond’s Office of Pharmacy Therapeutics and Integrated Clinical Services, or OPTICS. On this side of the discussion, we get a bit personal to learn why the OPTICS team chose careers in clinical pharmacy and what OPTICS has done for their professional growth so far. And then we talk about the future of OPTICS and how the group plans to expand their clinical services and their reach overall.

Special thanks to the OPTICS team:

Zane Gray, Pharm. D., BCACP

Stephen Ford, Pharm. D., BCGP

Christopher Bender, Pharm. D., BCACP

Henry So, Pharm. D., BCPS, BCACP

Nancy Chia, Pharm. D., MBA

Learn more: www.diamondpharmacy.com/opticsteam

In late 2021, Diamond Pharmacy’s Drug Information Center was renamed the Office of Pharmacy Therapeutics and Integrated Clinical Services, or OPTICS. Since 2015, the clinical pharmacists of the Drug Information Center had been an invaluable resource to healthcare providers looking for answers to difficult medication questions.

But in recent times, it became clear that these pharmacists had more to offer than just drug information, and that they could play a vital role in active patient care for Diamond’s facilities. It was out of these realizations that OPTICS was born.

In December of 2021, we were lucky to get the clinical pharmacists of OPTICS in one room for a roundtable discussion about their mission, their history and their goals for transforming clinical pharmacy in a correctional setting. And we also got to talk about the many unique opportunities OPTICS has presented these pharmacists, both in terms of practice and professional growth.

For easier listening, we’ve broken this discussion into two episodes. In part 1, we cover the formation of OPTICS, how they’re moving into patient care, how they’re improving the perception of pharmacy, and how OPTICS is also making a difference internally at Diamond.

Special thanks to the OPTICS team:

Zane Gray, Pharm. D., BCACP

Stephen Ford, Pharm. D., BCGP

Christopher Bender, Pharm. D., BCACP

Henry So, Pharm. D., BCPS, BCACP

Nancy Chia, Pharm. D., MBA

Learn more: www.diamondpharmacy.com/opticsteam

PodcastRx listeners- we’d like to thank you all for another year of continued support. It’s very encouraging to see our listenership continue to grow. In fact, we’ve noticed people tuning in from new states and new countries with each episode. For this little show out of Indiana, Pennsylvania, that’s really exciting. And of course we hope that number and reach continues to go up in the coming year.

We’re in the midst of a holiday break now, but we’re anxious to bring you new episodes in 2022. If you really like what we do on this show, please make sure you leave us a rating and/or a review where you listen. And if you’d like to engage with us directly with your feedback or ideas for new episodes, feel free to email [email protected]

From all of us at Diamond Pharmacy Services, we wish you a happy, festive, and joyous holiday season and terrific start to 2022.

On this episode, Dr. Deborah Milito, director of skilled and consultant services for Diamond’s skilled division, returns to answer a fresh round of frequently asked COVID-19 vaccine questions. We delve into common queries about boosters, children’s vaccines, natural immunity and more. And we also briefly chat about her recent experiences leading the Diamond Strike Force immunizers, along with her appearance at the ASCP annual meeting.

If your job is to sell pharmacy service to long-term care facilities, how do change your approach when your clients suddenly aren’t accessible to you? And on top of that, how do you adapt your pitch when those same clients are facing one of the biggest crises to ever hit their industry? These are questions that Nick McFerron, regional healthcare sales executive for Diamond, was faced with for the better part of a year. He joins us for a look back at his pandemic experiences in sales and long-term care. We talk the importance of improvisation, customer service, and being a resource instead of a provider. And we also discuss the ways Diamond has stepped up service to long-term care facilities in the wake of the pandemic.

On this episode, we welcome back Judy Tomayko, senior respiratory therapist and infection control coordinator for Diamond Medical Supply. The fall of 2021 has been a trying time for Judy and her respiratory care team, as they’ve taken on an unprecedented surge in respiratory patients and dealt with various respiratory equipment shortages, all thanks to COVID-19. We discuss these and other difficulties, along with her outlook and advice for patients in the coming months. And we also learn about the recent expansion of Judy’s respiratory care department and what she and her fellow therapists hope to achieve moving forward.

On this episode, we welcome back Deborah Milito, Pharm. D., Director of Clinical and Consultant Services for Diamond’s Long-Term Care division, to revisit some frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. You might remember our special bonus episode from February featuring a vaccine town hall Q&A she gave for one of our nursing home clients. Dr. Milito goes over many of the questions from this first town hall, along with plenty of new ones.

Why do another Q&A, you might ask? Well, with falling vaccination rates among the population, and with (in Deborah’s world) recent CMS rules requiring COVID vaccine education for long-term care residents and staff, it’s important to reiterate the facts about these vaccines to relieve any concerns, fears or misunderstandings about them. And because vaccination is crucial to lifting us all completely out of pandemic life, we feel this is information well worth repeating.

EDITOR'S NOTE: At 10:49, Deborah incorrectly stated the duration between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine doses. Pfizer doses are separated by 21 days while Moderna doses are 28 days.

Frequent contributor Chris Bender from the Diamond Drug Information Center is back - again- this time to talk about treating asthma in the correctional setting.

According to a 2015 report from the US Department of Justice, the prevalence of asthma among correctional patient population was 15-20%, compared to just 10% among the general population. It should be no surprise then that Chris and his Drug Info Center colleagues field many asthma questions from providers.

Because of this, and because major asthma treatment guidelines have been updated in the past few years, Chris felt asthma would be a timely presentation topic for this year’s Spring NCCHC Conference- and ultimately, this podcast.

Chris treats us to a broad overview of asthma symptoms and therapies, before taking us deeper into the treatment issues found in jails and prisons. Along the way, we also talk about the relationship between asthma and COPD and what effect COVID-19 has had on asthma management.

Resources we discuss in the episode:

US Department of Justice Report- "Medical Problems of State and Federal Prisoners and Jail Inmates, 2011–12"

https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5219

National Asthma Education and Prevention Program - 2020 Focused Updates to the Asthma Management Guidelines

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/all-publications-and-resources/2020-focused-updates-asthma-management-guidelines

Allergy and Asthma Network - Inhaler Chart

https://members.allergyasthmanetwork.org/store/viewproduct.aspx?id=16386141

Be honest- When you saw the title of this episode, did you let out a sigh, or maybe roll your eyes and think “They’re talking about COVID again?” Well, we understand. No matter what degree the pandemic has affected your life in the past year, it’s more than safe to say that you’re tired of it. You’re sick of it. And you probably felt that way just weeks into the pandemic, let alone months.

Of course, pandemic fatigue is more than just annoyance or inconvenience. It’s a phenomenon that can have serious effects on public health.

Diamond infection control coordinator Debbie Yackuboskey returns to talk about pandemic fatigue, how it makes us feel, the toll it’s taken on healthcare workers, and a few practical tips for living with it. And we also talk about what the future holds and when, perhaps, we can all rest a little easier.

Regular contributor Chris Bender from Diamond’s Drug Information Center gives us a much needed break from all the COVID talk to discuss another serious, if understated, problem in healthcare- polypharmacy. Chris breaks down what exactly polypharmacy is, its negative effects on patients and health care as a whole, and what pharmacists can do to stop it. Along the way we also talk about the prescription cascade, deprescribing, and managing polypharmacy in corrections and long-term care settings.

Clinical resource mentioned in the show:

Epocrates

www.epocrates.com