Registration Open for National Association of Specialty Pharmacy's 5th Annual Meeting and Educational Conference

ALEXANDRIA, VA (May 8, 2017) — The National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP), a nonprofit organization representing all stakeholders in the specialty pharmacy industry, including the nation’s leading specialty pharmacies, pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacturers, health plans and integrated delivery systems opened conference registration today for the NASP 5th Annual Meeting and Educational Conference, Sept. 18-20, 2017. The event will take place at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C. and will feature the Second Annual Specialty Pharmacy Law Conference and First Annual Specialty Pharmacy Certification Preparation Course, Sept. 18. Registration for all events can be found at naspmeeting.com.

“At its core, NASP is dedicated to providing continuing education programs to pharmacists and other health care professionals working in specialty pharmacy, one of the fastest growing and evolving health care industry segments,” said Rebecca Shanahan, NASP president. “Our annual meeting format has grown to include specific education around legal issues, as well as helping our members prepare for or maintain their specialty pharmacist certification. We are excited to provide our attendees with rich opportunities to extend their clinical and practical pharmacy knowledge, with the ultimate goal of positively impacting patients.”

The NASP annual meeting hosts over 1,000 specialty pharmacy professionals such as senior executives, pharmacy directors, staff pharmacists, consultants, and other management- level personnel from specialty pharmacy providers, infusion pharmacies, pharma/biotech manufacturers, institutional pharmacies, managed care organizations, GPOs, distributors, and suppliers to the industry.

The annual meeting also provides pharmacist continuing education credit through its accredited NASP University program, the official continuing education resource of NASP. NASP University was developed by and is managed through a partnership with ProCE, a nationally recognized provider of continuing education for health professionals. NASP University is guided by an advisory board composed of individuals nominated by member companies of NASP.

NASP Offers Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits

NASP will also be hosting its second annual Specialty Pharmacy Law Conference the day before the annual meeting begins. This unique, one-day conference was designed by Rebecca Shanahan, JD, CEO of Avella Specialty Pharmacy and NASP president, and Abby Kaplan, JD, general counsel and chief compliance officer, Avella Specialty Pharmacy. It is intended for general counsel and in-house counsel for national and regional specialty pharmacies, practicing attorneys in health care law, compliance officers or executives concerned with the legal and regulatory requirements and the extraordinary complexities of operating a specialty pharmacy. Last year’s inaugural event drew more than 250 practicing lawyers who attended presentations on antitrust laws and enforcement, compliance, provider networks, employment law, legal and regulatory aspects of compounding, state pharmacy licensure and crisis management. Attendees can receive Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits.

NASP Provides Specialty Pharmacy Certification Exam Preparation Course

Further demonstrating its commitment to education, NASP is hosting a one-day preparation course for pharmacists studying for the October examination administered by the Specialty Pharmacy Certification Board for Certified Specialty Pharmacist certification. The course will cover aspects of clinical, fulfillment, intake and outcomes that might be expected on the exam. Expert faculty will address the fundamentals and considerations for the patient intake process, as well as fulfillment workflows, quality assurance and dispensing channels. They will also review outcomes measures and standards, clinical modules persistence and adherence, specialty drug classes, indications, interactions, and more.

NASP Exhibit and Sponsorship Opportunities Available

Michael J. Hennessy Associates, Inc. (MJHA), a full-service health care communications company, is the exclusive corporate management company for the NASP 5th Annual Meeting and Educational Conference. Working closely with the NASP planning committee, MJH Associates’ leading business units, MJH Live Events, Specialty Pharmacy Times^® and MJH Healthcare Communications^®, are managing all aspects of the annual meeting, including implementing and executing sponsorship sales, marketing, hotel and logistics management, faculty recruitment, onsite management of the meeting and attendee recruitment. For registration information, exhibit or sponsorship opportunities, please visit naspmeeting.com.

Specialty Pharmacists

Specialty pharmacists largely provide medications for people with serious health conditions requiring complex therapies. These include conditions such as cancer, hepatitis C, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, organ transplantation, human growth hormone deficiencies, and hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. Specialty pharmacists connect patients who are severely ill with the medications that are prescribed for their conditions, provide the patient care services required for these medications, and support patients who are facing reimbursement challenges for these highly needed but also frequently costly medications.

For more information on the Annual Meeting, please visit naspmeeting.com.

About National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP)

NASP is the only national association for all stakeholders in the specialty pharmacy industry. The core mission of NASP is to provide continuing education programs to pharmacists and other healthcare professionals working in specialty pharmacy, a growing pharmacy discipline that dispenses and manages specialized medications for chronic, rare, and/or complex conditions. NASP members include specialty pharmacies, integrated health systems, pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacturers, healthcare payers, GPOs, wholesale drug distributors, and technology and other vendors. To learn more, please visit naspnet.org.