"Electronic prescribing improves efficiencies while helping to eliminate potentially harmful drug interactions and other medication problems," stated Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt in a report to Congress in April. Secretary Leavitt's press release also noted that with some adjustments, e-prescribing can work successfully in long-term care settings. 

Last year, Achieve Healthcare Technologies, a leading provider of software systems for the long-term care industry, received a grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to study the viability of electronic prescribing in long-term care. The ASCP Foundation secured additional funding to expand the study to include potential prior authorization standards for long-term care.

According to ASCP Foundation Executive Director Lisa Gables, the long-term care portion of the study was initiated as a result of reports of onerous paperwork that surfaced in conjunction with compliance for Medicare Part D. "By helping to set standards for electronic prescribing and prior authorization, we can progressively alleviate the encumbrance felt by long-term care and pharmacy staff," she stated. 

On May 1, Shelley Grace, Achieve's vice president of professional services, testified before Congress on the findings of the pilot study. The findings demonstrate that e-prescribing can be implemented in long-term care facilities with some modifications to the standards, and an electronic prior authorization process is feasible and practical. The complete report is available on AHRQ's Web site.

The other organizations awarded grants to conduct e-prescribing pilot studies were Brigham and Women's Hospital, Ohio KePro/UMHP, RAND Corporation, and SureScripts. 

Join us for an educational session about the findings of this research on Tuesday, May 22, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm at ASCP's Midyear Conference and Exhibition in Hollywood, Florida. Industry experts will outline the issues, including medication management, software and technology, and the next steps that will facilitate nationwide use of electronic prescriptions in long-term care.

May 20 ~ It's the 2007 Tim Webster Classic ~ an afternoon of golf with fellow ASCP members. A few player spots are still available. 

May 21-23 ~ Visit us at our booth in the exhibit hall and check out one of the prizes you could choose in our 2007 Raffle. Then purchase your tickets. For every 10 you buy, we'll give you one more free.

May 21 ~ Join us in congratulating the recipient of the 2007 Leadership in Education Award, sponsored by sanofi-aventis, at the opening general session. 

May 21-23 ~ Make a charitable gift to the Foundation during the conference and our long-time corporate partner Innovatix will match it. 

May 21-23 ~ Stop by the Johnson & Johnson Health Care Companies exhibit booth and sign the "Signatures That Care" wall. For each signature, the Johnson & Johnson Long Term Care Group will donate $5 to the Foundation.

What models might work in senior congregate housing to assure that seniors receive safe and effective medication? The state of Vermont asked that question, and the ASCP Foundation, working with the internationally known public health consulting firm John Snow, Inc., answered it. 

In her report to the state, ASCP Board Member Penny Shelton, PharmD, CGP, outlined three scenarios as models of best practices. Tier 1 is an awareness, education and preparedness recommendation. Tier 2 recommends "health partners" ~ specially trained residents from the community who could coach residents on medication adherence. Tier 3 involves a more in-depth assessment along with the likelihood of direct assistance with medications. 

"Wow," wrote Richard Moffi of the Vermont Department of Aging and Independent Living in an email. "Your team really pushed the project forward with an intensive and well-structured presentation." 

Dr. Shelton is an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Campbell University and Clinical Manager of Research and Geriatric Affairs for the Physicians Pharmacy Alliance in Cary, North Carolina

Sandra L. Panther, CFRE, has been a chief operating or chief executive officer with the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation since 1997. The Foundation is the nonprofit affiliate of the Academy, which has more than 94,000 family practice physicians as members, many of whom have become supporters of the Foundation. She retired from the Foundation in March. 

During Ms. Panther's tenure, the Foundation grew from an organization with an annual budget of $1.1 million and no endowment to one with an annual budget of $2.4 million and nearly $9 million in endowment assets. The strategy used to develop the endowment fund was aggressive annual fund-raising that combined annual operating support with longer term endowment giving, rather than separate campaigns for annual operating support and endowment support. 

"This model allowed us to keep annual unrestricted support in front of donors as a priority, with any excess in revenue designated to the endowment by the Board at the end of the year," Ms. Panther explained. "The result meant we were not competing with ourselves in our fund-raising priorities." 

Programmatically, Ms. Panther cites an international humanitarian relief initiative as the greatest source of personal pride. Physicians with a Heart was a partnership between the Foundation, the Academy, and Heart to Heart International. Its mission was to mobilize resources to improve health, provide medical education, and foster the development of family medicine worldwide. A typical project was an airlift to Tajikistan, a former republic of the Soviet Union, in 2005. More than 20 American family physicians delivered more than $8 million of medicine and supplies. The educational component of the trip included instruction on the use of the supplies, medical symposia for more 200 Tajikistan physicians and physician trainees, an advanced life support in obstetrics provider and trainer course, and The Children's Project, a humanitarian effort at two children's institutions that received clothing, beds/bedding, vitamins, food and education equipment. 

Ms. Panther has served on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Family Physicians, Heart to Heart International, and the Professional Bowling Proprietors Association. She has been a volunteer for Head Start, the Gillis Home for Boys, and the Johnson County Mental Health Association. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Council on Philanthropy. She received her bachelor's degree from Ottawa University