Timely CPE Programs Offer Attendees Up to Nine Contact Hours of CPE Credit at the NABP 108th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy^® (NABP^®) is offering attendees the opportunity to earn up to nine contact hours (0.9 CEUs) of Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education-accredited continuing pharmacy education (CPE) credit at its 108^th Annual Meeting. The meeting will offer timely and exciting CPE sessions that will involve presentations and discussions by some of pharmacy’s most knowledgeable and riveting speakers. Programming includes a pre-meeting CPE session, four joint CPE sessions, and two concurrent sessions: one geared specifically for state board of pharmacy executive officers and members and one geared for compliance officers and staff. The Annual Meeting will be held May 19-22, 2012, at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel in Philadelphia, PA.

Saturday, May 19

From 2 to 4 PM, attendees will hear from Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), who will share the most up-to-date information regarding how he coordinates all aspects of federal drug control programs and implements the President’s National Drug Control Strategy as it relates to combating the prescription drug abuse epidemic. This pre-meeting CPE session titled “ONDCP – National Drug Plan to Combat Prescription Drug Abuse,” provides two contact hours (0.2 CEUs) of CPE credit. The session is sponsored by CVS Caremark.

Sunday, May 20

Returning to the line-up once again is the Educational Poster Session held from 8 to 11:30 AM. This annual favorite will feature various poster displays that relate to this year’s Poster Session theme, “Embracing Knowledge for Public Protection.” One hour of CPE credit will be awarded through interactive participation with presenters for at least one hour during the three and one-half hour offering and completion of the post-session test. This session is sponsored by Pearson VUE.

The last CPE session of the day is from 3:30 to 4:30 PM titled “Where Have All the Drugs Gone? – Who’s Responsible for Drug Shortages and Quotas?” This joint CPE session, which offers one contact hour (0.1 CEUs) of CPE credit, takes a look at the growing number of drug product shortages, which increasingly includes controlled substances. Attendees will hear from a Drug Enforcement Administration expert about how quotas are determined. In addition, a pharmaceutical manufacturer representative will discuss how and why they allocate their active pharmaceutical ingredients. This session is sponsored by Walgreen Co.

Monday, May 21

Whether selling controlled substances without requiring a prescription or peddling counterfeit medications, there is no doubt that rogue Internet pharmacies continue to place the public health at risk and can be extremely difficult for regulators to police. The joint CPE session “Advancing Online Drug Safety: How Public-Private Partnerships Thwart Illicit Online Drug Sales,” investigates this timely issue. From 8:15 to 10:15 AM, attendees will hear from experts from various public and private sectors on ways in which partnerships can stop the illegal operations of the growing number of rogue Internet pharmacies. This session, which is also sponsored by Walgreen Co, will offer two contact hours (0.2 CEUs) of CPE credit.

Tuesday, May 22

The executive officer and board member CPE session, “OIG, NPDB, and HIPDB – What Everyone Should Know,” will be held from 8:45 to 10:15 AM. As questions still remain about the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Exclusion List and the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) and Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank (HIPDB) reporting, meeting attendees will be provided with the information about how board disciplinary actions relate to the OIG Exclusion List. Attendees will also learn about NPDB reporting requirements and utilizing reporting agents. This CPE session will offer one-and-one-half contact hours (0.15 CEUs) of CPE credit.

Held at the same time, from 8:45 to 10:15 AM, the compliance officer CPE session will take place. In this session, “CSI Philadelphia – How to Conduct a Pharmacy Investigation,” attendees will learn from pharmacy inspectors, who are also police officers, how to go about conducting an official pharmacy investigation – collecting evidence to interviewing respondents and witnesses to drafting reports and testifying at hearings. This CPE session will offer one-and-one-half contact hours (0.15 CEUs) of CPE credit.

Following both concurrent sessions, is the last joint CPE session, “Freedom for Consumers or Freedom from Meth – Point-Counterpoint,” which will offer one-and-one-half contact hours (0.15 CEUs) of CPE credit. From 10:30 AM to noon, attendees will discuss the highly debated topic of whether pseudoephedrine, the main methamphetamine precursor, should be scheduled as a controlled substance prescription medication. This session will delve into the issues including the pros and cons of various methods that decrease abuse and what is the best balanced solution for the future.

For more information or to register for the 108^th Annual Meeting, visit the Meetings section of the NABP Web site at www.nabp.net/meetings.

NABP and the NABP Foundation is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. ACPE Provider Number: 205. Participants may earn ACPE-accredited continuing pharmacy education (CPE) credit by completing a Statement of Continuing Pharmacy Education Participation and submitting it to NABP. Full attendance and completion of the program evaluation and learning assessment for each session are required to receive CPE credit and a Statement of Continuing Pharmacy Education Credit.

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Policy: NABP staff will be available to assist attendees on an individual basis to apply for CLE credit for attending CPE sessions. To apply for CLE credit, attendees must initiate the program approval process in their own states by completing and submitting the appropriate application materials and forms. NABP will provide documentation as necessary.

NABP is the independent, international, and impartial Association that assists its member boards and jurisdictions in developing, implementing, and enforcing uniform standards for the purpose of protecting the public health.