On Tuesday, July 19, 2016, ForwardHealth sent each pharmacy that is accredited by the Wisconsin Pharmacy Quality Collaborative (WPQC) and has a secure ForwardHealth Portal account a monthly list of current members who visit their pharmacy and may be eligible to receive Comprehensive Medication Review and Assessment (CMR/A) services.  The CMR/A-eligible member lists are customized for each pharmacy based on claims data from the ForwardHealth portal and prioritize patients with the greatest medical need. The customized list of CMR/A-eligible members is based on historical prescription and medical claims data that ForwardHealth has on file. The member list will be updated and available the second Wednesday of every month beginning in August 2016. Each WPQC-accredited pharmacy with potentially eligible members will receive a monthly email with more details about how to access the list. These pharmacies should share the list with WPQC-enrolled pharmacists in their organization who provide CMR/A services.  Pharmacies still need to contact the Drug Authorization Policy Override (DAPO) Center at 800-947-9627 prior to providing services to these members.  It is possible that additional members who visit the pharmacy are also eligible for CMR/A services and do not currently appear on the list. To obtain a list of additional members who may be eligible for CMR/A services, pharmacies can also contact the Drug Authorization Policy Override (DAPO) Center at 800-947-9627. We hope this will assist your pharmacies in quickly identifying patients that may benefit from CMR/A services and allow the WPQC program continued growth! Find more information about the push lists here.
 
Pharmacies must be logged in to their MedicaidPortal account in order to view their member list. Pharmacies with separate Portal accounts for other programs (e.g., Wisconsin Chronic Disease Program and Wisconsin AIDS Drug Assistance Program), will not be able to view their member list when logged in to those Portal accounts.
 
To access member lists from their Medicaid Portal account, pharmacies must:

1. Click on Trade Files.
2. Click on File Download to access the File Download Search screen.
3. Click the Search button to view a list of linked files available for download.

 
The links to the list of members eligible to receive CMR/A services contain MTM in their file name and are date-stamped.
 
Pharmacies that have problems accessing their member list should call the ForwardHealth Help desk at 866-908-1363.

PSW is pleased to announce that Dr. Amanda Margolis will take onthe expanded role of Editor for the Journal of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (The Journal) working side-by-side with other PSW staff and member volunteers to produce the country's finest state pharmacy association publication. For the past three years, Dr. Margolis has made significant volunteer contributions to The Journal, including a role as Peer Review Coordinator and as a member of the Editorial Advisory Board. With Dr. Kevin Look, she worked to develop the popular "stats series" (which ran for 13 issues and for which the two received the PSW 2015 Curtis A. Johnson Award). She is also the developer of the "precepting series" which is currently being featured in The Journal. "As the incoming Editor of JPSW, I am looking forward to hearing from members about what aspects of The Journal are working well and where improvements could be made. I am excited to collaborate with members of PSW to continue publishing quality articles that promote professional development and advance pharmacy practice." Dr. Margolis is a Lecturer for the University of Wisconsin - Madison School of Pharmacy and a Staff Clinical Pharmacist at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital.

PSW is pleased to announce the promotion of Megan Grant to Managing Editor & Creative Content Director for The Journal. Megan has served as Manager of Marketing, Communications & Design since joining the PSW staff in 2014. In her expanded role, Megan supervises all of the day-to-day operations for The Journal, securing content, leveraging the input of the Editorial Advisory Board, PSW staff and other key leaders. In addition, Megan is responsible for all of the design elements, production schedule, and oversee the editing process.
 
To contact Megan or Amanda, members are encouraged to email thejournal@pswi.org. To learn more about contributing to The Journal, click here.

 
A recent story in Pharmacy Practice News spotlights the efforts of PSW members working with William S. Middleton VA primary care providers (PCPs) to serve veterans. "With creative restructuring of staff, including hiring additional clinical pharmacy specialists to help manage patients with chronic diseases, the clinic has improved employee satisfaction and opened up same-day access for new and existing patients." The pharmacists in this program are working autonomously within a team to the top of their scope - with prescribing authority-and are managing patients with chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, gout, thyroid disease, vitamin deficiencies, osteoporosis, high cholesterol or benign prostatic hyperplasia.
 
This program will be featured during the PSW Annual Meeting next month during a keynote presentation by Dr. David Shulkin, the highest ranking physician within the national VA system. In addition Dr. Ellina Seckel, the project's manager, will address student attendees at the conference.

Legislation signed by President Obama last Friday includes "a proposal to provided funding for addiction treatment and reforms to the prescribing practices at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs." according to a recent article from Wisconsin Health News. Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Menomonee Falls) was the lead sponsor on a bill incorporated into the final legislation that provides grants to state, local and tribal governments to treat opioid abuse. Representative Ron Kind (D-La Crosse) was a lead co-sponsor on a proposal named after Jason Simcakoski, a veteran who died from mixed drug toxicity at the Tomah VA in 2014. U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) included similar provisions in a Senate bill named after Simcakoski.
 
To learn more about PSW engagement in the statewide and national discussion regarding prescription drug abuse, please join your colleagues at the PSW Annual Meeting on Saturday, August 27 for the general session entitled "Battling the Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic: Panel of Perspectives".

 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that the influenza Vaccine Information Statements (VIS) will remain the same for the 2016-2017 influenza season. Healthcare providers do not need to wait for new publications of influenza VIS as they have in previous years. Current VIS can be found on the CDC website at as well as on the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) website.

The content in the existing influenza VIS was designed to remain valid for multiple years. Even with changes to the 2016-2017 influenza recommendations (for example, regarding egg allergy or LAIV use), the current VIS are still accurate.

FDA announced Tuesday that it has approved new safety labeling changes for fluoroquinolone antibiotics to increase warnings about their association with disabling and potentially permanent adverse effects and to limit their use in patients with less severe bacterial infections. An FDA review found an association between oral and injectable fluoroquinolones and disabling adverse effects involving tendons, muscles, joints, nerves, and the central nervous system. The agency noted that the risk of these serious adverse events is generally greater than the benefits for patients with acute bacterial sinusitis, acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections; and it said the drugs should be reserved for use in patients with these conditions who have no alternative treatment options. In the case of some serious bacterial infections-such as anthrax, plague, and bacterial pneumonia-fluoroquinolones' benefits outweigh the risks. Read More

 
More than half of adults and 44% of children misused prescription medications, according to a study by Quest Diagnostics. Misuse represented either taking too much, too little or none of prescribed medications. "These are situations where the patient is placing their life at risk," said Leland McClure, a director with Quest. The Washington Post

 
The UW-Madison School of Pharmacy Kappa Psi graduate chapter is hosting a golf event at The Oaks, Cottage Grove, Wisconsin on Sunday, August 14.  The event raises money for scholarships.