Collaboration Between Retail Clinics, Providers and Pharmacists Focuses on Improving Healthcare Access and Delivery

PLAINSBORO, N.J. (July 14, 2015) — Providers in the retail healthcare industry have an unprecedented opportunity to work together toward the common goal of expanding access to affordable, high-quality healthcare next month at the 1st Annual Convenient Healthcare and Pharmacy Collaborative. The conference, co-hosted by the Convenient Care Association and Pharmacy Times, an industry-leading medical education provider for pharmacists, will take place August 6-7 in Kissimmee, Fla. It is the first of its kind to bring together in a classroom setting nurse practitioners, physician assistants and pharmacists, providing an interdisciplinary approach to further enhancing the means by which retail clinics can address gaps in care and improve the healthcare landscape. Physician assistants, pharmacists and nurse practitioners in attendance will be eligible for continuing education credits in their respective fields.

“Even though these clinicians work together on a regular basis at convenient care clinics, interdisciplinary learning opportunities are not that common, so this conference fulfills a real need,” said Dave Heckard, head of the Pharmacy Times Office of Continuing Professional Education.

Retail clinics, also known as convenient care clinics, have rapidly expanded in the last 15 years to more than 1,900 in the nation. They provide a valuable service to patients by offering affordable and high-quality basic primary healthcare at convenient locations outside of the traditional doctor’s office. Clinicians within this setting, including nurse practitioners, physician assistants and pharmacists, are highly trained and skilled professionals who can offer services ranging from primary, preventive care to the management of some chronic illnesses. To date, retail care clinics have logged more than 35 million patient visits, and the need for quality convenient care is expected to grow.

“The upcoming conference emphasizes collaboration among interdisciplinary providers because of the growing role convenient care clinics are playing in providing care, counseling and preventive services for the nation’s populations,” said Tine Hansen-Turton, executive director of the Convenient Care Association. “Collaboration among providers on best practices is necessary for continuing to provide high-quality care to patients and also for exploring innovative ways of reaching patients who may not have access to more traditional healthcare settings at affordable costs.”

The conference keynote address will be delivered by Dan Haley, athenahealth’s assistant general counsel and vice president of government and regulatory affairs. He is a frequent blogger, speaker and commentator on health IT and related issues and a member of the board of directors of the eHealth Initiative.

The conference was planned in accordance with the American Association of Physician Assistants’ (AAPA’s) Continuing Medical Education Standards for Live Programs and for Commercial Support of Live Programs. It has been reviewed and is approved for a maximum of 10.00 hours of AAPA Category 1 CME credit by the Physician Assistant Review Panel. The program is also approved for 10.0 contact hours of continuing education (which includes 3.0 hours of pharmacology) by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (Program ID 1506298). This program was planned in accordance with AANP CE Standards and Policies and AANP Commercial Support Standards.

“We have a great lineup for the conference, and when the last session concludes, attendees will have ideas and tools to advance care delivery in their own clinics,” said Tighe Blazier, executive vice president of Michael J. Hennessy Associates, Inc., whose portfolio of research, education and healthcare media and communications includes Pharmacy Times.

For more detailed information about the conference agenda, in addition to information regarding registration, please visit https://www.pharmacytimes.org/chpc15.

About Pharmacy Times

Pharmacy Times is the industry’s leading media resource, providing practical clinical information pharmacists can use in their everyday practices when counseling patients and interacting with physicians. Each issue contains articles and features covering medication errors, drug interactions, patient education, pharmacy technology, disease state management, patient counseling, product news, pharmacy law and specialty pharmacy. The Pharmacy Times Office of Continuing Professional Education is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. Learn more at www.PharmacyTimes.com, write to info@pharmacytimes.com, call 609-716-7777 or visit us on Facebook or Twitter. Pharmacy Times is published by Michael J. Hennessy Associates, Inc., a leading provider of healthcare media resources, research, information and education.

About Convenient Care Association

Convenient Care Association is the national trade association of companies and healthcare systems that provide consumers with accessible, affordable, quality healthcare in retail-based locations. CCA works primarily to enhance and sustain the growth of the Convenient Care industry through sharing resources, best practices and common standards of operation.

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Media contacts

For Pharmacy Times: Becky Taylor, 609-240-6886 or becky@btaylorpa.com

For Convenient Care Association: Tine Hansen-Turton, 215-731-7140 or tine@ccaclinics.org