ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition - American Society of Health System Pharmacists Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition

Specialty pharmacy presents itself as both a challenging business model and a significant financial opportunity under the right circumstances, especially for health systems. Kevin Colgan, MA, FASHP, of Rush University Medical Center and Kyle Skiermont, PharmD, of Fairview Pharmacy Services provided an overview of specialty pharmacies and presented strategies for building a successful specialty pharmacy business.

Quality and performance measurement has become an integral part of the health care system. As pharmacists continue to increase their role and exposure as health care providers, they are well positioned to assist in identifying ways to improve the quality of care delivered and to play an integral role in the development of quality measures, according to Curtis Collins, PharmD, MS, BCPS (AQ-ID), FASHP, who spoke at the ASHP Midyear Meeting.

As the prevalence of obesity continues to increase and treatment strategies evolve, pharmacists are not only in a position to advise on appropriate use of pharmacotherapy for obesity, but also to assist in improving outcomes from gastric bypass surgery.

Genomic sequencing is rapidly increasing its value as a clinical tool in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, including cancer. In his presentation, Justin M. Balko, PharmD, PhD, from Vanderbilt University, provided a background on the current state of next-generation genomic sequencing (NGS), and the potential role that pharmacists play as this science continues to evolve.

Retired general and former secretary of state Colin Powell discussed his thoughts on the US health care system and the role pharmacists play within it during his keynote address at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting.

In this session, a sustainable business model for pharmacists practicing in an accountable care organization environment was described by Kelly Boesen, PharmD, BCPS, and Sandra Leal, PharmD, MPH, CDE, FAPhA, of the El Rio Health Center in Tucson, Arizona.

New and experienced pharmacists are always on the lookout for ways to improve their careers. This presentation focuses on some key strategies for identifying new opportunities that allow new and experienced pharmacists to develop and apply their clinical skills.

Illicit drug use continues to be a prevalent and growing problem in the United States, and the use of newer substances is on the rise. Because of the increasing prevalence and "tweaking" of compounds to avoid detection, the identification of drug abuse by practitioners often relies on signs and symptoms. In this session, presenters reviewed some of these agents, including their history and their impact on those abusing them.

The editor of the Pharmacy Times Health-System Edition offers pointers on getting as much as you can out of the 2013 ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting.