Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE

We have officially entered an election year—nationally, and at the state and local levels. We will be selecting the people who will have tremendous power over health care policy, and pharmacy has and will continue to play a significant role in the ever-important political arena.

	As pharmacists continue to work collaboratively with other health care professionals and providers, we know that pharmacy is already playing a pivotal role in the future of health care. We also know that the future of pharmacy rests—in large part&mdash;in the hands of pharmacy students.

	As pharmacy continues to evolve amid the changing health care landscape, there are both incredible opportunities and significant challenges on the horizon. To meet these challenges, we need to create a culture in which the pharmacist becomes a pharmacist advocate. Not only is a pharmacist advocate armed with the practical knowledge and expertise to counsel patients on taking their medications properly, but this individual also understands the industry’s challenges and can communicate them to their elected officials.

	One of the best ways for students to engage and become pharmacist advocates is through the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) RxIMPACT program. The purpose of RxIMPACT is to engage pharmacy advocates to become more involved in public policy on behalf of pharmacy. NACDS established this grassroots advocacy program in 2009, and the initiative has since grown exponentially, with a number of components designed to advance pro-patient, pro-pharmacy issues. 

	Earlier this year, NACDS announced its 2016 RxIMPACT Votes program, which is the get-out-the-vote arm of our initiative. This program is designed to help pharmacist advocates engage even more completely in the electoral process—according to their own candidate and party preferences&mdash;for the purpose of demonstrating the political activism of NACDS members. The program will help pharmacist advocates learn more about volunteering on campaigns, registering to vote, and helping to get out the vote on election day.

	The annual NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill aligns pharmacy students with pharmacy executives, state pharmacy association leaders, white-coated pharmacists, and others to promote pro-pharmacy legislation on Capitol Hill. 

	The popularity of this program among students is on the rise. This year’s RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill will take place March 16—17, 2016, and will include more than 50 students from 44 schools and colleges of pharmacy nationwide—a 5% increase over schools represented in 2015. In total, more than 450 congressional meetings are expected to be conducted during this annual 2-day advocacy event.

	During the  event, students will have an opportunity to participate in the NACDS RxIMPACT “U” Academy to train to become part of the next generation of pharmacy leaders and advocates and to drive home the pro-patient, pro-pharmacy message during congressional meetings. The academy provides student pharmacists with a half-day of training with experienced advocates 1 day before going “up to the Hill.” This interactive education reviews the policymaking process, the role of congressional committees in policymaking, how to use strategic communications to influence policy outcomes, the power of networking and relationship building, key pharmacy issues, and incorporation of advocacy into pharmacy practice. 

	Students who are unable to attend the event in Washington and those looking for year-round training will find other important resources within the NACDS RxIMPACT program.

	In addition, the RxIMPACT Training Program brings grassroots training to pharmacy schools. This year, training will include challenges to inspire on-campus NACDS RxIMPACT vote activities, such as voter registration and other opportunities to encourage others to vote. 

	Social media is also an incredibly important way to share your message about pharmacy. We urge students to join the NACDS RxIMPACT Pharmacy Advocates 

on LinkedIn. This exclusive online network of pharmacy advocates has access to the latest information on policy issues impacting pharmacy, as well as the inside scoop on the effects of advocacy in politics. Action is necessary when critical issues arise in Congress, in the administration, or in the states, and NACDS will reach out to this group to help get pro-pharmacy, pro-patient messages to lawmakers.

	Students are naturally motivated and empowered to make a difference. That energy is contagious; it motivates and inspires others to get involved, including those who have been involved in the pharmacy profession for decades. This is a great time to be joining the ranks of America’s pharmacy community. 

	We look forward to seeing you in your white coat next month, and for many years to come, at a future NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill, because together we will position pharmacy for the future. 

Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE, is the CEO and president of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

Articles

We know that the future of pharmacy rests in large part in the hands of pharmacy students.

Students' Engagement Key to Making an Rximpact for Pharmacy

Mr. Anderson is president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS).

This is a great time to be joining the ranks of America’s pharmacy community. With policymakers in Washington, DC, set on reforming our nation’s health care system, the time is right for pharmacy to get engaged, and as you look to your future, we look to you to continue to advance the industry and our trade.

Pharmacies are the face of neighborhood health care, providing accessible and convenient health care services throughout America’s communities. Patients view pharmacists as one of their most trustworthy health care providers. From performing immunizations and health screenings to medication therapy management, pharmacy is indeed trusted and respected. Pharmacy must also stand ready, however, to meet the challenges of a health care system that is in need of reform.

To meet those challenges, we need to create a culture in which the pharmacist becomes a pharmacist-advocate. A pharmacist-advocate is armed with the practical knowledge and expertise of counseling patients on taking their medications properly, while also understanding the industry’s challenges, and communicating them to their elected officials.

Just this past June, NACDS hosted its inaugural RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill. Pharmacy executives, retail pharmacists, pharmacy deans, and pharmacy students gathered in Washington to urge policymakers to support pro-patient, pro-pharmacy provisions in health care reform, including Medicaid reimbursement reform, and the enhancement of medication therapy management services. I am happy to say that more than 150 pharmacy advocates in white coats from more than 30 states held meetings with lawmakers—making a lasting impression that pharmacists are ready to meet tomorrow’s challenges.

Just as these NACDS pharmacy-advocates stormed the halls of Capitol Hill, I urge you to get involved, and get engaged in the future of pharmacy—be it with NACDS RxIMPACT, joining a social or business association on campus, writing an op-ed in your newspaper, or even attending a legislative town-hall meeting.

We look forward to seeing you in your white coat next year, and for many years to come, at a future NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill—because, together, we will position pharmacy primed for the future.

Pharmacy Advocates Primed for the Future

&#8212;Mr. Anderson is presidentand chief executive officerof the National Associationof Chain Drug Stores(NACDS).

With the presidential election just a couplemonths away, there has been a lot of talk onboth sides about "change." And when thenext president and new Congress take office inJanuary, one of the top issues on their agendawill be health care reform. Pharmacy is poisedto play a significant role in shaping the futureof patient care in America, and pharmacy studentswill be a large part of the future of ourprofession and industry.

For the past several years, NACDS hasworked together with numerous pharmacyrelatedstakeholders to develop new modelsfor pharmacy care. Medication therapy management(MTM) is one example that canimprove outcomes for patients with chronicdiseases and reduce health care costs. Pharmacypractice models such as MTM offer rewardingopportunities for pharmacists, while creatingmore value for the profession.

Think about the impact that pharmaciescan have. Failure to take medicines properlycosts an estimated $177 billion annually,and poorly managed chronic diseaseshave a staggering human and economicprice. A recent government report showeda dramatic rise in emergency departmentvisits from 1996 to 2006. If we "unleashthe power of pharmacy," however, we canimprove adherence, control costs, and helpreduce the need for emergency visits andcatastrophic care. As health care costs spiralupward, innovative approaches that utilizethe expertise of pharmacists are essential tocreating genuine reform.

NACDS is sounding the drumbeat todemonstrate and quantify the value of pharmacy.This summer, we introduced NACDS?"Principles for Healthcare Reform." Theprinciples highlight pharmacy?s ability tohelp improve the accessibility, affordability,and quality of patient care.

Without a doubt, "change" is coming.Now is a great time to embark on a careeras a community pharmacist. Pharmacists,already critical to our health care system,can look forward to an even bigger andmore fulfilling role.

Shaping the Future of Patient Care

COULD IT BE THAT JACK E. FINCHAM, PhD, has fired a shot heard around pharmacy and around the world? 

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 

the University of Missouri?Kansas City faculty member issued a challenge: ?Administrators at our universities and within our collective colleges and schools of pharmacy need to invest in the continuing viability of community pharmacy.... Our programs cannot survive academically if the community pharmacy providers within our experiential realms fail due to inadequate reimbursement from payer programs or from lack of support from our colleges and universities.?We could not let this bold call stop there.We bestowed on Dr. Fincham the honorary title of ?Community Pharmacy Great Communicator? and publicized his article. 

His words relate directly to the work of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS). Our members include chain community pharmacies and suppliers, and we advocate on the industry?s behalf before legislators and regulators at the federal and state levels. Reimbursement from programs like Medicaid and Medicare are among our top issues.

For this important work, we are organizing an ever-broader grassroots force of pharmacists, students, company  representatives, and other allies.We need to establish the role of community pharmacy in reducing health care costs and enhancing access to health care.

More than ever before, NACDS will ask everyone in community pharmacy to write to members of Congress and state legislators, enter comments on regulatory proceedings, submit letters to the editor, and more. If we embrace Dr. Fincham?s call, elected officials will hear from this industry like never before. The results for community pharmacy and for consumers will be worth the effort.

Mr. Anderson is president and chief executive officer at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.