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Nuclear Pharmacy Designated as Key Focus of APhA2016 Conference
In its ongoing work to maintain the highest standards of nuclear pharmacy practice, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) will focus a series of continuing education sessions on this specialty at its 2016 APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition in Baltimore, March 4 to March 7. Nuclear pharmacy is a specialty area of pharmacy practice dedicated to the compounding and dispensing of radioactive materials for use in nuclear medicine procedures. The sessions are approved by Purdue University for Board Certified Nuclear Pharmacists (BCNP) recertification credit and provide a total of 15 hours of continuing pharmacy education credit.
"Nuclear pharmacy is a unique field and nuclear pharmacists must have the most up-to-date training and education in order to maintain safety in the compounding, preparation and delivery of radioactive materials," said APhA Executive Vice President and CEO, Thomas E. Menighan, BSPharm, MBA, ScD (Hon), FAPhA. "At the heart of public confidence is knowing nuclear pharmacists have the best knowledge and tools to provide for their safety, and this can only be insured through regular and continual recertification."
APhA2016 will feature seven sessions devoted to nuclear pharmacy education and recertification. They include:
Brush Up on Advancing Radiopharmaceuticals, Friday, March 4, 2:00pm to 5:00pm, Baltimore Convention Center, Room 340. This session informs attendees about new positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceuticals in development to diagnose and treat various types of cancers. Martin Brechbiel, PhD, senior investigator and section chief, National Cancer Institute, Suzanne Lapi, PhD, associate professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Serge Lyashchenko, Pharm.D, assistant attending radiopharmacist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Radiochemistry and Molecular Imaging Probes Core will discuss chemistry and radiolabeling techniques, mechanisms of action, application in associated disease states, and current regulatory status of the newest agents.
Updates on Radiopharmaceutical Compounding, Saturday, March 5, 7:00am to 9:00am, Baltimore Convention Center, Room 340. For the first time since 1984, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is producing a new guidance document for radiopharmaceutical compounding. Vivian Loveless, PharmD, FAPhA, BCNP, associate professor, University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy and Alan Kirschenbaum, Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, PC, will talk about what state boards of pharmacy, hospitals and accreditation agencies need to know about the new language and how it will improve safety and efficiency in patient care.
What’s Next in Cardiovascular Imaging, Saturday, March 5, 3:00pm to 5:00pm, Baltimore Convention Center, Room 340. New advancements in nuclear medicine are ushering in powerful options for cardiovascular imaging. Ernest Depuey, Mount Sinai St. Luke's and Roosevelt Hospitals and Albert Sinusas, MD, professor of medicine (cardiology), Yale University will discuss recent developments of novel positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) tracers and new targets for imaging various cardiovascular diseases.
Redefining Radiopharmaceutical Reimbursement, Sunday, March 6, 1:00pm to 3:00pm, Baltimore Convention Center, Room 340. Many argue that radiopharmaceutical reimbursement rates from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) do not reflect the actual value of certain procedures and drugs. Bundling payments in the hospital setting can reduce patient access to some vital procedures. Collaboration is needed among physicians, pharmacists, nuclear medicine (NM) technologists, CMS, and policy makers to clarify the obstacles to reimbursement. Denise Merlino, CPC, CNMT, MBA, president, Merlino Healthcare Consulting Corp and Gary Dillehay, MD, professor, Northwestern Memorial Hospital will lead a discussion about how the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging task force is working toward redefining NM ambulatory payment classifications and proposing policy alternatives that keep payment of radiopharmaceutical packages separate from procedures to better reflect actual costs and stay current with market changes.
Essential Info When Dispensing Radioactive Material, Sunday, March 6, 3:30pm to 5:30pm, Baltimore Convention Center, Room 340. Administering radiopharmaceuticals requires particular care and precision. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and dose calibrator manufacturers work closely to ensure accurate measurements, but calibration settings change. Jeffrey Cessna, BS, physicist, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Mary Anne Yusko, ABR, VP, New Product Development and Regulatory Affairs, Capintec, will discuss how to overcome calibration challenges, inherent measurement errors with primary and secondary NIST sources, and how to adapt NIST geometry parameters to dispensing parameters.
Understanding the Radiopharmaceutical Drug Supply Problem: Session I, Monday, March 7, 7:30am to 9:30am, Baltimore Convention Center, Room 340. Patients worldwide need radioisotopes, but the supply chain is complex and less than reliable. Government agencies are collaborating to predict shortages of radiopharmaceuticals. Kevin Charlton, BSc, senior analyst, OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, Rilla Hamilton, Mo-99 program director, US Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security and Michael Guastella, executive, Council On Radionuclides and Radiopharmaceuticals, will discuss current government programs working to improve the supply of medical radioisotopes, efforts to make medical radioisotopes available for commercial and research applications, production and availability of molybdenum-99, and U.S. obligations under international agreements to sustain non–highly enriched uranium production.
Understanding the Radiopharmaceutical Drug Supply Problem: Session II, Monday, March 7, 10:00am to 12:00pm, Baltimore Convention Center, Room 340. What's being done at the federal level to ensure patient needs are met now and in the future with a reliable supply of radiopharmaceuticals? Building on Understanding the Radiopharmaceutical Drug Supply Problem: Session I, Steve Lynch, project manager, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Daniel Duvall, CMS, and Eric Duffy, medical officer, Centers for Medicare, Hospital and Ambulatory Policy Group, will provide updates on the progress regarding radiopharmaceutical supply, payment options and will also focus on technetium-99m (Tc99m).
The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) requires all board-certified specialists to recertify every seven years. Recertification assures the public and the profession that certified practitioners undergo periodic evaluation. The BPS designated Purdue University College of Pharmacy as the Professional Development Provider for the recertification of BCNPs as of January 1, 2016. A BCNP recertifying through continuing education is required to earn 100 hours over the seven-year certification period.
Purdue University College of Pharmacy’s Office of Continuing Education and Nuclear Pharmacy CE Programs promote the enrichment of a collaborative approach to continuing education and professional development. Purdue is accredited by the ACPE to provide quality continuing education for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, and approved by BPS to provide a quality recertification CE program to pharmacists who hold a BCNP certification.