The voice for pharmacy compounding | May 13, 2022

From APC’s President
Jolly good APC Fellows
One of the proudest moments of my professional career was being recognized as an IACP Fellow, which of course is now referred to as an APC Fellow.
 
For the past several years, the APC Fellows Program has been…quiet. It was one of my goals as APC president to reinvigorate it. I am pleased to report that our Fellows Committee—composed of Fellows, of course—is re-launching the program, albeit with a few minor tweaks.
 
The most important change is that technicians may now apply. Technicians, you are so vitally important to the compounding profession and your ability to be recognized as Fellows is long overdue.
 
Below you’ll find a link to apply. Please note the deadline for application is June 30.
 
In order to be considered for this exclusive recognition, candidates must be nominated by at least one current Fellow and submit a letter of recommendation. You’ll also need to start collecting several items to include with your application, including your compounding-related continuing education, leadership positions held on a state and national level, and publications (peer reviewed, newsletters, etc).
 
All new fellows for the 2022 class will be inducted during a ceremony at APC’s Compounders on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on September 14, 2022.
 
I look forward to welcoming you to our ranks as APC Fellows in the alliance.
 
• • •
 
David Miller is APC’s president and the managing co-owner of Keystone Compounding Pharmacy in Grand Rapids, Michigan. You can reach him at drdave@keystonepharm.com.


 
This week
APC Fellows Program gets reboot
Established in 1997, the Fellows Program distinguishes pharmacists—and, new this year, pharmacy technicians—who are exemplary in their professionalism and commitment to the practice of pharmacy compounding.
 
This is the highest distinction awarded by APC. Since the program’s inception, 99 compounding professionals have been honored as members of this elite group.
 
All interested candidates must be registered pharmacists or pharmacy technicians who are APC members and who have practiced pharmacy for at least five years and practiced in the compounding pharmacy profession for at least three years.
 
Don’t lollygag too long: the application deadline is June 30, 2022.
 
Click here to learn more about the requirements and to submit an application.
Coming soon: Compounding Pharmacy Compliance
Registration is open for Informa Connect’s hybrid conference, Compounding Pharmacy Compliance, June 21-22, 2022, at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Alexandria, VA.
 
This hybrid conference will provide insights into best practices for processes, protocols and facility improvements, sterility and stability testing and data analysis through informative presentations, panel discussions, case studies and breakout discussions.
 
Reserve your spot by May 20 to save $100. For more details and to register, click here.
*But wait, there’s more!
Registration is still open for these upcoming APC webinars:
May 19: Compounding for Long Covid (lessons from research and the trenches). Details and registration here.
May 24: Pharmacist Mutual’s Most Popular Insurance Claims in Compounding (and how now to be one of them). Click here for details and to register.
PFM Benefit Spotlight: HealNow
 
A Pharmacy/Facility Membership provides many benefits, including fee waivers with HealNow, a HIPAA-compliant online payment solution for pharmacies.
 
HealNow enables pharmacies to offer online payments of prescriptions for a faster on-boarding and payments process, in a frictionless way. Become a PFM and offer your customers a new and improved pharmacy experience today.
Not a PFM yet? Click here for details or you can contact APC’s Jason Dunn at jason@a4pc.org or 918.770.6333.


So long, farewell: Andrew Kantor
APC bids a fond farewell to our outgoing director of communications, Andrew Kantor, whose last day was Thursday.
 
Andrew’s new chapter will include doing odd jobs on his farm in Upstate New York while continuing his freelance writing career.
 
Lucky for APC, Andrew will remain with us as an occasional consultant, offering pearls of wisdom such as, “I think Helvetica would look nice.”
 
His insight, expertise and wit have made our time working together a delight, and we wish him the best.
 
*Andrew’s very large shoes (size 12½!) have been filled by Betsy Keck. Moving forward, please contact her for any communications-related business.
One big aim for 2022 focusing on educating prescribers of compounded hormones about the threat — and through those prescribers, reaching a patient base that doesn’t yet know that FDA may be planning to restrict their compounded hormone therapy.
 
You and your relationships with prescribers will be key to that effort.
 
But we can’t do it without funding. Make your investment NOW.
 
And don’t forget: You’ll find all sorts of useful tools and resources for engaging patients and prescribers in this effort at A4PC.org/cbhttools.
 
Thanks. Together, we’ll save compounded hormone therapy and enrich the lives of millions of patients who benefit from it.
Save these dates
September 14–15: APC’s Compounders on Capitol Hill 2022, Hilton National Mall, Washington, DC

Short Takes
Sprinkles really are only for winners: According to this article on the University of California, Riverside’s news website, a spoonful of sugar not only helps the medicine go down, it also squashes the efforts of would-be drug counterfeiters.
 
BYOPO (Bring Your Own Pulse Oximeter): Why bother carrying around a pesky pulse oximeter when you can get a tattoo that shows your blood-ox level anytime and anywhere? Luckily, engineers at Tufts University have created tattoo-like sensors that reveal blood oxygen levels, among other things. Alas, this tattoo technology isn’t permanent and is broken down by the body within a year or less.


 
APC is committed to addressing any concerns or complaints within one business day. Please send them — and, of course, any compliments — to info@a4pc.org.
 
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