Technician Registration Requirements to Begin October 1st   Florida Pharmacy Today Journal Board Chair Remembered at FSHP Convention Family Pharmacy of Sarasota Awarded PCAB Accreditation Jim and Pat Powers Celebrates 60 Years of Happily Ever After   CDC Request Information Regarding H1N1 Immunization Public-Private Partnerships TIME SENSITIVE MESSAGE   FTC to Delay "Red Flags" Enforcement Until November 1, 2009   Lake County Resident Recognized as Pharmacist of the Year   Health Care Reform Debate in Washington, DC Continues   Dean William Riffee Installed as Speaker Elect   Pinellas County Pharmacist to Lead FPA

 Technician Registration Requirements to Begin October 1st

 

For the past several months the Florida Pharmacy Association has been reporting information on new pharmacy technician registration requirements.  Beginning October 1st 2009 individuals working as technicians in Florida will need to complete an application and register with the Florida Department of Health.  Information that has been posted on the Board of Pharmacy's web site on this issue reads as follows:

 

On-Line Florida Pharmacy Technician Registration will begin on October 1, 2009

Prior to January 1, 2010: Effective January 1, 2010, any person who wishes to work as a pharmacy technician in the State of Florida must register with the Board of Pharmacy. To register with the Board of Pharmacy, an applicant must submit the following items:

1. Pharmacy Technician Registration Application; and
2. $105.00 Fee ($50.00 non-refundable application fee, $50.00 registration fee, $5.00 unlicensed application fee).

Any person who has completed a board approved technician-training program; or has completed 1500 hours of pharmacy technician work experience; or is a certified pharmacy technician may submit proof along with the initial application.

January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010: An applicant who has not met the education, work experience or certification requirements at the time of initial application may utilize January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010 to complete one of the requirements.

1. Must complete a board-approved pharmacy technician training program; or
2. Must complete 1500 hours pharmacy technician work experience under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist; or
3. Must be certified by an agency accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. For example, Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), or Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ICPT).

A pharmacy technician registered prior to January 1, 2011, that fails to submit proof of completing one of the above requirements by December 31, 2010 will be required to re-register as a pharmacy technician, meeting the requirements below.

After January 1, 2011: Effective January 1, 2011, any person who wishes to work as a pharmacy technician in the State of Florida must register with the Board of Pharmacy. To register with the Board of Pharmacy, an applicant must submit the following items:

-Pharmacy Technician Registration Application $105.00 Fee ($50.00 non-refundable application fee, $50.00 registration fee, $5.00 unlicensed application fee)
-Proof of completion of a board-approved pharmacy technician-training program.

 

Members who have questions that have not been answered here should consider attending the Florida Pharmacy Association Law and Regulatory Conference scheduled for September 12-13, 2009 at the Hyatt Bonaventure in Weston, Florida.  For more information visit our web site at www.pharmview.com.

 

The Florida Pharmacy Today Journal Board is sadden to report that Chairman Richard "Dick" Witas passed recently.  Dick has served on the FPA's Legislative Committee for the past several years as well as a distinguished member of the Florida Pharmacy Today Journal Board.  Dick was an active member of the Florida Pharmacy Association and Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists.  Dr. Witas was remembered at a meeting of the FSHP House of Delegates with comments provided by Moffit Cancer Center Director of Pharmacy Phil Johnson.  Dr. Witas was the pharmacy operations manager at Moffit Cancer center.

 

 Family Pharmacy of Sarasota Awarded PCAB Accreditation

 

Family Pharmacy of Sarasota has earned the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board’s Seal of Accreditation for meeting the compounding pharmacy profession’s highest quality and safety standards.  Family Pharmacy is an independent, family-owned, full-service professional pharmacy that has served the Sarasota, FL community for over 35 years. According to PCAB Executive Director, Tom Murray, Esq., "Family Pharmacy is the fourth pharmacy in the state of Florida to earn the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board Seal of Accreditation. PCAB was created by the leading organizations in pharmacy for the purpose of recognizing those compounding pharmacies that have demonstrated their outstanding commitment to quality. Family Pharmacy has been tested against an extremely challenging set of national standards created by the some of the experts in pharmacy compounding today, and Family Pharmacy has passed."  The other three pharmacies with PCAB accreditation include AnazaoHealth of Tampa, Florida, Pensacola Apothecary of Pensacola and Universal Arts Pharmacy of Hialeah.  Congratulations to all these pharmacies on achieving this milestone.

 

 

CDC recognizes that community immunization providers (CIP) (e.g., medical services firms, retail based clinics, urgent care clinics, and pharmacies) are an integral part of the immunization system. During the upcoming 2009-2010 influenza vaccination season, this system will face unprecedented challenges because of the anticipated need to vaccinate much of the population against both seasonal influenza and the new pandemic novel influenza A (H1N1) virus. To address these challenges, CDC anticipates that some local public health departments may develop agreements or contracts with CIP to conduct clinics.

APhA has been asked to assist CDC in gathering information from pharmacists regarding requirements for agreements between CIP and public health departments. Your responses will assist CDC in providing guidance for vaccination plans being developed at the state and local level. Please note, CDC will not be endorsing any specific CIP, or soliciting business.  Complete the survey by July 31, 2009.

 

 

Moving an Aug. 1st deadline, the Federal Trade Commission will wait until Nov. 1 to enforce a provision of the "red flags" rule that requires pharmacies, physicians and hospitals to adopt written plans for tracking and responding to indicators of identity theft in their billing operations. To assist small businesses and other entities, the Federal Trade Commission staff will redouble its efforts to educate them about compliance with the "Red Flags" Rule and ease compliance by providing additional resources and guidance to clarify whether businesses are covered by the Rule and what they must do to comply. To give creditors and financial institutions more time to review this guidance and develop and implement written Identity Theft Prevention Programs, the FTC will further delay enforcement of the Rule until November 1, 2009.  For more information on this you may want to visit http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/07/redflag.shtm.

The FTC has created a Web site dedicated to informing businesses about their obligations under the rule.  See http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/redflagsrule/index.shtml.

 

Lake County Resident Recognized as Pharmacist of the Year 

 

Lee Fallon (R), Norman Tomaka (L)

Lee Fallon of the Villages, Florida was honored by the members of the Florida Pharmacy Association as Pharmacist of the Year.  This award is the most prestigious recognition given by the Association to a Florida Pharmacist.  Lee has served the Association and his community for a number of years.  He was past president of the Florida Pharmacy Association and past treasurer.  He was also active on various committees and councils and was involved in the development of FPA's first midyear clinical conference.  The Wal-Mart pharmacist is a graduate of Duquesne University College of Pharmacy.

 

 

The Florida Pharmacy Association continues to monitor efforts to reform health care in Washington, DC.  Many changes sought by our national associations include efforts to address durable medical equipment accreditation requirements, average manufacturer pricing issues and pharmacist provided medication therapy managment services.  Until Thursday the proposed legislation was slated for delay until after the August recess.  We understand that the following are agreements pending to move the legislation forward:

 

Under the new agreement, businesses with $500,000 or less in total payroll will be exempt from the employer mandate. Businesses with payrolls between $500,000 and $750,000 will be subject to a sliding scale tax, while those above $750,000 will have to pay 8 percent of total payroll if they do not provide health insurance.

 

Leaders and Blue Dogs agreed that individuals paying at least 12 percent of their income for health insurance would be eligible for subsidies.

 

The current bill allows anyone who contributes at least 11 percent of their income to receive subsidies.  Under the new plan, states would be required to pick up some of the cost for the bill's expansion of Medicaid. States would have to pay 7 percent of the cost of the additional Medicaid coverage, a provision that would be phased in over an unspecified period of time.

 

The agreement strengthens language allowing states to create health insurance cooperatives. While that was mentioned in the original bill, Blue Dogs wanted the language allowing co-ops to be more explicit.  CBO (Congressional Budget Office) has not released a final score for the House bill.  Representative Mike Ross (D-Arkansas) said the final score would be available before the overhaul is brought to the House floor for a vote and suggested he might oppose it if the price tag were not below $1 trillion.

 

The Association has also learned that a number of national business and consumer organizations have issued their support of the DMEPOS accreditation exemption for pharmacies.  We will continue to monitor this.  In the meantime you are urged to continue talking to members of Congress on these issues.

 

 

Dean Riffee (R), Alex Pytlarz (L)

Dr. Riffee, Dean of the University of Florida College of Pharmacy has accepted the post of Speaker-Elect of the Florida Pharmacy Association.  Dean Riffee was endorsed by the FPA House of Delegates at their annual meeting this summer in St. Augustine, Florida.  The post also gives Dean Riffee a seat on the FPA President's Committee as well as the Board of Directors.  Dr. Riffee will be installed as Speaker of the House at the annual meeting next year in Marco Island.

 

 

Karen Whalen (R) Ed Hamilton (L)

Dr. Karen Whalen has been installed as the 2009-2010 president of the Florida Pharmacy Association.  During her presidential address on Sunday, July 12, 2009 President Whalen outlined the strategic planning principles developed at an FPA leadership retreat on May 30, 2009 at the Innisbrook Resort in Tarpon Springs, Florida.  These principles include but are not limited to the growth of members and assuring the financial viablility of the FPA.  Dr. Whalen will also be representing the FPA at various meetings.

 

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26th Annual Southeastern Gatherin The Grand Complex of Village at Baytowne Wharf Sandestin, Florida August 9-12, 2009 (800) 320-8115 Pre-registration has now closed Please register on-site.   Offering: Consultant and general continuing education. Hotel information: All room rates include complimentary on-property tram service; four hours of bicycle usage daily; fitness center usage; one hour per day of tennis court time (based upon availability); one hour per day usage on either a canoe, kayak or boogie board. All rates are subject to applicable state and local taxes and fees in effect at the time of check-in. Sheraton Orlando North 600 North Lake Destiny Drive Maitland, Florida 32751 (407) 660-9000 Florida Pharmacy Association Mid-Year Clinical Conference Sheraton Orlando North October 10-11, 2009Offering: Consultant recertification, General and Technician continuing education. Also offering nuclear continuing education and medication error CE. Hotel Information: Room rates are $109 plus tax and are available until September 18, 2009 or until the room block is full.     Pharmacy CE at SEA on Board Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas Pharmacy CE at SEA Departing the Port of Canaveral and sailing the Eastern Caribbean. September 20, 2009 and returning September 27, 2009Offering: 10 hours of live continuing education In Partnership with: Alaska Pharmacists Association, Georgia Pharmacists Association, Kentucky Pharmaicsts Association, Delaware Pharmacists Association, Ohio Pharmacists Association and the South Carolina Pharmacists Association   For more information visit our web site at http://www.pharmview.com/

Florida Pharmacy Association: Serving Pharmacy Since 1887. www.pharmview.com