We anticipate there will be some policy changes and important issues to watch with the inauguration of the 47th president of the United States. Vizient’s office of public policy and government relations monitors, educates and advocates on key items of interest. They share informative updates, comment on proposed rules from agencies like the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and work with Congress on legislative priorities. Jenna Stern, Associate Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Public Policy at Vizient joins Program Host Carolyn Liptak to discuss the change over.

Guest speakers: 

Jenna Stern

Associate Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Public Policy

Vizient

Host:

Carolyn Liptak, MBA, RPh

Vizient

Show Notes: 

[00:56-01:15] Jenna’s background 

[01:16-02:38] Anticipation in DC since November

[02:39-04:26] What we should anticipate with the new Congress

[04:27-08:10] Trade and Tariffs

[08:11-10:37] What we should anticipate with the Executive Branch

[10:38-12:48] Policies to watch during transition

[12:48-13:34] Where listeners go for more information

[13:34-16:12] What issues are important to the new Congress

Links | Resources: 

Vizient Public Policy and Government Relations 

Vizient advocacy letters and Congressional statements 

Legislative and regulatory summaries 

China Tariffs document

Subscribe Today!

Apple Podcasts

Amazon Podcasts

Spotify

Android

RSS Feed

The pharmacy infusion market continues to shift administration of biologics and specialty medications to the home or other lower-cost sites of care. Much of this is driven by payers. This change brings clinical, patient, economic, and information system considerations. Dr. Steve Kennedy, Senior Consulting Director at Vizient Pharmacy Advisory Solutions joins Program Host Gretchen Brummel to discuss sites of care.

Guest speakers: 

Host: 

Show Notes: 

[00:44-01:25] Steve’s background 

[01:26-02:18] How has the industry evolved over your career

[02:19-03:51] Why there is a shift in where these medications are administered

[03:52-06:36] Who’s watching these patients at home or in other non-hospital-based infusion settings 

[06:37-7:34] How patients respond to change in site of care

[7:35-8:19] Is this shift realistic in rural areas where care outside of a hospital setting might not be consistently available

[8:20-9:30] Advocating or negotiating for patients when it doesn't align with the payer's interest

[9:31-10:23] How white bagging factors in

[10:24-11:32] What front line pharmacy staff needs to know

Subscribe Today!

Apple Podcasts

Amazon Podcasts

Spotify

Android

RSS Feed

Human rabies cases are fortunately rare in the US. Access to pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis, and domestic animal vaccination programs, drive this public health success. This comes at a financial and human resources cost. Dr. Kyle Weant, clinical assistant professor and an emergency medical clinical pharmacy specialist at the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy and Dr. Philippe Mentler, senior consulting director, join host Gretchen Brummel to discuss the use of rabies immune globulin and rabies vaccine in patients who have been exposed and provide treatment pearls for frontline pharmacy practioners.

Guest speakers:

Kyle Weant, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, FCCP

Clinical Assistant Professor and an Emergency Medical Clinical Pharmacy Specialist

University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy

Philippe Mentler, PharmD, BCPS

Senior Consulting Director

Vizient

Host: 

Gretchen Brummel, PharmD, BCPS

VerifiedRx Host

Show Notes: 

[00:54-01:17] Kyle’s background information 

[01:18-03:31] Rabies as a disease

[03:32-05:13] Public Awareness

[05:14-07:06] Options right now for post-exposure prophylaxis

[07:07-10:01] Thoughts on dose rounding

[10:02-10:13] Is rabies immunoglobulin considered an essential medication that everyone should stock in their hospital pharmacy

[10:14-11:30] Who should be administering these drugs? And who's ensuring follow up of these patients?

[11:31-14:31] Potential pitfalls in patient management

[14:32-18:12] What should our frontline pharmacy staff know about post-exposure prophylaxis

Subscribe Today!

Apple Podcasts

Amazon Podcasts

Spotify

Android

RSS Feed

Data dominate nearly every sector and drug shortages are an area to leverage data solutions. Stephen Colvill, Senior Policy Advisor for Medical Supply Chains, The White House Domestic Policy Council and Dr Nikola Markoski, Vizient Manager of Pharmacy Analytics and Clinical Insights, join host Gretchen Brummel to explore novel approaches and future implications for data use cases in drug shortages.

Guest speakers: 

Stephen Colvill

Senior Policy Advisor for Medical Supply Chains, Domestic Policy Council The White House, Domestic Policy Council

This podcast was recorded in December 2023 prior to Stephen joining the federal government. The opinions expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of  the United States government or any agency thereof.

At the time of recording, Stephen was Executive Director of RISCS and Assistant Research Director at the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy.

Nikola Markoski, PharmD, MBA, DPLA

Manager of Pharmacy Analytics and Clinical Insights

Vizient

VerifiedRx Host: 

Gretchen Brummel, PharmD, BCPS

Show Notes: 

[00:36-02:23] Guest’s background information 

[02:24-05:44] How using data can change the discussion of drug shortages

[05:45-09:23] Approaches that have been attempted so far in the data space

[09:24-12:01] Where things are going in the future

[12:02-15:23] How we get everybody on the same page

Subscribe Today!

Apple Podcasts

Amazon Podcasts

Spotify

Android

RSS Feed

Chemotherapy is a vital treatment for cancer patients, but high medication prices often cause issues and may even prompt patients to skip therapy. Various factors influence the cost of chemotherapy drugs, including research and development, manufacturing complexity, and regulatory compliance. Limited use implications further complicate the market. Dr. Michele Rice, Senior Pharmacy Executive with Vizient Pharmacy Advisory Solutions, joins us today to discuss these factors in depth.

Guest speaker: 

VerifiedRx Host: 

[01:32-03:41 ] What’s happening in the industry now

[03:42-05:15] How this ultimately affects patients

[05:20-06:26] How pharmacists can assist patients with this difficult to navigate scenario or situation

[06:27-07:35] What patients should know about this issue

[07:36-08:09] How to improve the system

[08:10-08:44] What does the future hold

Subscribe Today!

Apple Podcasts

Amazon Podcasts

Spotify

Android

RSS Feed

Baxter's Intravenous Fluids North Cove Plant was impacted in September by Hurricane Helene. Although Baxter implemented a hurricane preparedness plan, a levy breach and bridge collapse forced a complete shutdown. Intravenous fluids are now on allocation as the plant remains shuttered. Multiple actions by the FDA and Baxter are in effect to improve supply for these fluids. Vizient colleagues Katie Korte, VP Assurance and Continuity Team and Kyle Hoelting, Senior Clinical Manager of Drug Information and Shortages join Stacy Lauderdale, Associate Vice president of Evidence-based Medicine today to discuss lessons learned from this and past supply disruptions, ongoing efforts by the FDA to improve supplies and the supply outlook for the next four to eight weeks

Guest speakers: 

Katie Korte, PharmD, MHA

VP Assurance and Continuity Team

Vizient

Kyle Holting, PharmD, BCPS

Senior Clinical Manager of Drug Information and Shortages

Vizient Center for Pharmacy Practice Excellence

Host: 

Stacy Lauderdale, PharmD, BCPS

Associate Vice president of Evidence-based Medicine

Vizient Center for Pharmacy Practice Excellence 

Show Notes: 

[00:57-01:27] Guest’s background information 

[01:28-04:33] Recent supply disruptions

[04:34-05:54] What Vizient has learned from past disruptions

[05:55-09:30] What providers have learned from these shortages

[09:31-13:42] What the FDA is doing to assist with this shortage

[13:43-18:23] What the trajectory of this shortage looks like over the next four to eight weeks

[18:24-19:45] Most important thing to emphasize to our listeners as they continue to handle this fluid shortage

Links | Resources: 

Vizient’s IV push list: Click here

Vizient’s IV fluid conservation strategies: Click here

Baxter’s North Cove facility website: Click here

FDA’s Baxter North Cove facility website: Click here

Subscribe Today!

Apple Podcasts

Amazon Podcasts

Spotify

Android

RSS Feed

The Pharmacy Vision Awards at Vizient celebrate values and achievements of our program participants. Elham Amiri, pharmacy informatics project manager at UCSF Health, is a recipient of the professional excellence award, given to an individual who demonstrates leadership, strategic contribution and commitment to ongoing learning and development. Elham and Dr. Noelle Chapman, vice president, chief pharmacy officer and COO at UCSF Health, join us today to discuss their award-winning program.

Guest speakers: 

Noelle Chapman, PharmD, MBA

Show Notes: 

[00:52-02:07] Guest’s background information 

[02:08-03:32] Their great work at UCSF Health

[03:33-05:49] How their work contributed to the Pharmacy Value Improvement Program

[05:50-07:27] Taking a roll and running with it

[07:28-09:25] How UCSF supports professional development

[09:25-10:24] How patients benefit from this model

[10:25-13:45] What does the future hold

Subscribe Today!

Apple Podcasts

Amazon Podcasts

Spotify

Android

RSS Feed

We emerged from the COVID -19 pandemic in 2022 to headlines about unseasonably early spikes in respiratory syncytial virus and concerns and threats of a triple pandemic of CV19, influenza, and RSV.  Fortunately, there’s been no triple pandemic, but what has emerged is multiple first-time vaccine approvals for RSV. Dr. John Schoen, Senior Manager of Drug Information at The Vizient Center for Phamacy Practice Excellence joins his colleague and Program Host Stacy Lauderdale, Associate Vice President of Evidence-Based Medicine to discuss the use of the RSV vaccines.

Guest speakers: 

Host:

Show Notes: 

[00:55-01:46] John’s background 

[01:47 -03:15] The RSV disease burden in older adults, and risk factors

[03:16-04:42] The relative disease severity of RSV versus influenza

[04:43-07:04] Vaccine uptake during the last RSV season

[07:05-8:35] Efficacy of the RSV vaccines in observational data compared to the clinical trials

[8:36-11:22] Changes in ACIP recommendations

[11:23-13:14] Potential benefits of RSV vaccination for ages older than 75

[13:15-15:32] Potential adverse reactions of RSV vaccines

[15:33-18:31] Comparisons of the RSV vaccines

[18:32-20:46] Are patients going to need more than one RSV vaccine?

Subscribe Today!

Apple Podcasts

Amazon Podcasts

Spotify

Android

RSS Feed

The Pharmacy Vision Awards at Vizient celebrate values and achievements of our program participants. The innovation award is granted to an individual or group who works with others to implement an innovative approach to a challenging patient care or operational practice issue. The 2023 winner, Ochsner Health, represented by Dr. Lisa Boothby, Director of Pharmacy at Ochsner Medical Center - West Bank Campus, Dr. Johlee Odinet, System Medication Safety Officer and Veronica Theriot, Director of MedSurg/Tele Stepdown Unit discuss with host Gretchen Brummel their program aimed at expanding pharmacists’ responsibilities to include medication administration.

Guest speakers: 

Lisa Boothby, PharmD, MBA

Director of Pharmacy

Ochsner Medical Center West Bank Campus

Johlee Odinet, PharmD, BCPS, CPPS

System Medication Safety Officer

Ochsner Medical Center West Bank Campus

Veronica Theriot, RN

Director of MedSurg/Tele Stepdown Unit

Ochsner Medical Center West Bank Campus

VerifiedRx Host: 

Gretchen Brummel, PharmD, BCPS 

Show Notes: 

[00:55-02:02] Guest’s background information 

[02:03-03:17] Ochsner Information

[03:18-05:30] People not mentioned who were contributors to their success

[05:31-07:47] Need for pharmacists' expanded role in administering medications in the inpatient setting

[07:48-18:06] How Ochsner accomplishes pharmacist expanded role

[18:07-23:02] Other outcomes from their work

[23:03-26:00] What surprised them about the process

[26:01-28:42] Advice for others wanting to implement this innovative practice

Subscribe Today!

Apple Podcasts

Amazon Podcasts

Spotify

Android

RSS Feed

Clinical pharmacy optimization opportunities abound, and executing on them can be enhanced when collaborating with external partners. Dr. Nikolai Dahl, program manager for medication utilization and formulary at John Muir Health, and Dr. Tony Huke, senior consulting director at Vizient, join host Gretchen Brummel to share their partnership experience and the resulting successes.

Guest speakers: 

Tony Huke, Pharm D, BCPS, FASHP

VerifiedRx Host: 

Show Notes: 

[00:44-01:16] How partnership came about

[01:17-02:31] Nikolai’s and Tony’s initial thoughts about the partnership

[02:32-03:24] How their work together started

[03:25-3:49] Prioritizing a to-do list

[03:49-4:21] Early wins

[04:22-4:38] What surprised them about the engagement

[04:38-6:18] Positive stories

Subscribe Today!

Apple Podcasts

Amazon Podcasts

Spotify

Android

RSS Feed