One Step Ahead of the Curve

The careless actions of the New England Compounding Center (NECC) in Massachusetts have recently put compounding pharmacies in the media spotlight. It is alleged by regulators that NECC skirted existing state and federal laws resulting in a meningitis outbreak.


Every pharmacist in the United States is trained to compound medicines. More than half of all local pharmacies provide specialized compounding services. Approximately 7,500 local pharmacies and 8,200 hospital and health institution pharmacies in the United States engage in compounding.

Oklahoma compounding pharmacists prepare drugs for people who can’t take conventional medications. They customize cancer medications, produce specialized drugs for children with autism and make intravenous solutions.

In short, compounding pharmacists fill the needs of patients that can’t be met by off-the-shelf, manufactured medications. These prescribed medications are prepared under strictly controlled conditions by specially trained compounding pharmacists.

Oklahoma has rigorous state laws governing the practice of pharmacy.

The Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy is an advocate for patient safety and regulates over twelve hundred pharmacies in Oklahoma. Three years ago, the Board took far-reaching measures to further protect our citizens by adding extensive new product rules to Oklahoma’s Pharmacy Practice Act. The amended rules require that all compounding pharmacies in Oklahoma adhere and follow strict regulations set forth by the Board. I remain confident this will continue to ensure patient safety and efficacy for all prescription products compounded by pharmacies in Oklahoma.

The national media attention has increased calls for the Food and Drug Administration to step up regulations of pharmacies. Fortunately, Oklahoma has taken proactive steps by implementing increased state regulations and adopting the professional standards issued by the United States Pharmacopeial Convention.

Oklahoma remains ahead of the curve in protecting the safety of our citizens and will continue to work with state and federal officials to insure the strength, quality and purity of all medications.

Phil Woodward, BSPharm, Pharm.D

Executive Director

Oklahoma Pharmacists Association

Forced to Use Mail Order for Your Prescriptions!

OSEEGIB voted on August 19, 2011 to change the pharmacy benefit for maintenance drugs dispensed in 90 day supplies. Participants must use the plan’s PBM – Medco mail order facility or select retail maintenance network pharmacies or experience a severe copayment penalty. The average copayment penalty is over $40.00 for maintenance brand name drugs after the third fill of the prescription.
Our pharmacies were given the opportunity to participate in the 90 day retail maintenance contract, but at rates below our acquisition costs to provide the drug. This, in effect, became a defacto mail order mandate. OSEEGIB’s Medco claims this will save $8.8 million dollars which is needed to enable the plan to maintain the same premium levels.
PPOk, which is a provider organization and represents over 450 pharmacies in Oklahoma, has proposed a plan that will save significantly more than $8.8 million, maintains access to the pharmacy of your choice, provides a comprehensive network that will effectively eliminate copayment penalties, and allow OSEEGIB to maintain premiums for state teachers and state employees. The plan provides significant discounts for brand name and generic drugs for all prescriptions, not just for maintenance drugs.
The implementation of the current plan will drastically impact our businesses and will have a negative economic impact of over $75 million annually to the state of Oklahoma. It is estimated that over 89 rural retail pharmacies will be at a high risk of going out of business. For others, it will result in lost jobs, lost wages and lost taxes.
Local community pharmacies have a long history of supporting their communities by donating to education projects, team sports, year book sponsorships, and other community organizations. We most likely will not be able to continue this financial support to our communities. When is the last time communities received a check from the Mail Order pharmacy in New Jersey!
We ask – why would OSEEGIB intentionally do something to hurt our communities and businesses? Sending business to out of state mail order is bad business for the state of Oklahoma. We have a “Community Pharmacy Proposal” that will solve the problem.
We urge our legislators and OSEEGIB representatives to support the “Community Pharmacy Proposal” and allow us to continue providing the services that our patients seek and deserve.

OPhA Convention Silent Auction

Silent Auction Donations
Oklahoma Pharmacists and Strategic Partners: BIG or small your donation is appreciated. Countdown to "An AMAZING RACE to Pharmacy Excellence" is less than 35 days away.

OPhA/PPOk Annual Conference - June 9 -12, 2011 at the Chateau on the Lake Resort and Conference Center, Branson, Missouri
The 2011 Auction Committee would like to ask for your support of the (OPEF) Oklahoma Pharmacy Educational Foundation. This year, OPhA will be hosting a silent auction during the annual conference. For your donation, you will be recognized in the 2011 annual conference program, as well as the 'advertisement' of having over 200 people view your products or services. When you contribute to the OPhA Educational Foundation, you invest in our industry's future. The OPhA Educational Foundation uses the money generated from the silent auction to further a lifelong process of learning through pharmacy student support, professional development, networking, and research.

CLICK HERE to view the Auction Commitment/Donation Form. We hope you choose to support our efforts and complete this form and return it by fax or email. Thanks for helping us achieve our promise to fund OPEF in the "Amazing Race to Pharmacy Excellence!" For additional information, please contact Kim Spitz at kspitz@opha.com

POISONING, WARNS OKLAHOMA POISON CONTROL CENTER

- More than 53,000 calls were received in 2010 by the Oklahoma Poison Control Center, with approximately 55 percent involving children under the age of 6. Unintentional poisonings happen in a matter of seconds and often come in innocuous and unexpected forms. To raise statewide awareness of the dangers Skyler Thurman 1st Place Winner Poison Prevention Poster 2010
of poisoning, National Poison Prevention Week is scheduled for March 20 through 26. The Oklahoma Poison Control Center, the host of Oklahoma's Poison Prevention Week, will partner with the Oklahoma SAFE KIDS Coalition and the Oklahoma Department of Education in the National Poison Prevention Week Poster Contest. The contest is open to children in grades one through five, with a first-, second- and third-place winner in each grade. Winning posters from the Oklahoma contest are sent on for national judging. The posters selected as national winners become part of the National Poison Prevention Week media campaign for the following year. The winning posters are viewed across the country in schools, state capitols, hospitals, daycare facilities and many other locations. Oklahoma has produced 10 national winners in the past nine years, including last year's winners, Skyler Thurman and Kayla Handle of Maryetta Schools, who took first and second place in the younger division of the National Poison Prevention Poster Contest. The Oklahoma poster winners will be invited to the state Capitol on Thursday, March 24, for an awards ceremony in their honor. They will be presented with a certificate of achievement and a citation by their district senator and/or legislator. Pictures will be taken to commemorate the event. After the event, winners, families and special guests will return to the Oklahoma Poison Control Center for a pizza party, where they will be honored with certificates and prizes. For more information on National Poison Prevention Week and the Oklahoma Poison Prevention Poster Contest, please call Shannon Holcombe or Shirley Christie at (405) 271-5062. Pharmacists and registered nurses at the poison center are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call the Poison Help-line at (800) 222-1222. Do not e-mail the poison center or a member of the poison center staff, as poisoning emergencies are not handled through e-mail. The Oklahoma Poison Control Center is a program of the University Of Oklahoma College Of Pharmacy at the OU Health Sciences Center. For more information, please visit

JOIN THE OKLAHOMA PHARMACISTS ASSOCIATION FOR 2011

A pharmacists’ involvement as a member in professional organizations is one of the most valuable career tools available to you, no matter the stage of your career. Your pledge to support OPhA as a member in 2011 underscores the importance of a strong professional association which continues to represent the best interests of its members. Advocating for our members and promoting the value of the pharmacy profession to legislators and policymakers is an important priority for OPhA. To accomplish this, we continue our efforts to address legislative and regulatory issues that affect our profession. We also strive to keep our members informed about state legislative and regulatory activities through action alerts and newsletters. Moreover, your membership in the association is vital in our efforts to development professional educational programs, which improve your ability to deliver quality patient care. The people that you meet and the friends that you make through membership are some of the biggest benefits and your closest allies as we fight to keep pharmacy a rewarding, stable and lucrative career path in Oklahoma. Notably, your financial support through membership will play a vital role in our efforts to pass significant Pharmacy AUDIT reform language during the 2011 Oklahoma legislative session.

Please stand with us in 2011 by renewing INDIVIDUAL memberships today!

Voting For or Against SQ 744 - It's your Call!

State Question 744 would require Oklahoma to fund common education at the regional average. Estimates are that if SQ 744 passes, it could cost an additional $1 billion or more per year out of the state’s current $6 billion budget. This could be disastrous for funding other state programs such as healthcare, transportation, higher education, and corrections - - every program receiving state funding. However, current polls show it ahead by a margin of 60% to 40%. More Information on SQ744

Senate action on Elimination of 1099 Tax Requirements:

The National Community Pharmacists Assn. (NCPA) continues to work closely with NFIB and its coalition stakeholders to repeal or narrow the expanded 1099 reporting requirements for small business under the new health care reform legislation. The provision would require businesses to provide a 1099 form to any entity from which they purchase more than $600 in goods and services, starting in 2012.

Two bills were introduced earlier this year that would eliminate the new 1099 requirement. The Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act has 23 cosponsors in the Senate (S. 3578, introduced by Senator Johanns, R-NE) and 160 cosponsors in the House (HR 5141, introduced by Representative Lungren
R-CA).

Senator Johanns’ legislation will be voted on as an amendment to a Small Business Jobs Bill when the Senate returns in mid September. Another amendment offered by Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) will also be voted on. This amendment would exempt payments made by credit or debit card. It also increases the payment threshold to $5,000 (up from $600) for the year for payments made for property (i.e. goods). Second, small businesses with 25 or fewer employees would not have to issue a form 1099 for payments made for property, regardless of the payment amounts.

The efforts to repeal this requirement appear to be picking up steam as Senate Democrats acknowledge this issue will have to be addressed when Congress returns in the fall. CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSMAN... NCPA is supporting a repeal of the 1099 requirements because of the burdens they will place on small pharmacies.