Vizient and Member Pharmacy Experts to Share Insights on Drug Shortages at the 2019 ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition

December 3, 2019 |

4 min read

Vizient, Inc. announces it will participate in an educational session on medication costs and drug shortages as well as host a series of informal question-and-answer sessions with pharmacy experts at the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists 2019 Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition

IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vizient, Inc. announces it will participate in an educational session on medication costs and drug shortages as well as host a series of informal question-and-answer sessions with pharmacy experts at the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists 2019 Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition. With its focus on improving medication safety and patient care, the ASHP event, scheduled Dec. 8-12 in Las Vegas, is expected to be attended by more than 25,000 pharmacy professionals from around the world.

“It is exciting to participate at ASHP’s midyear event and to help fellow pharmacy practitioners advance their understanding of critical issues such as drug shortages, high-cost therapies and new regulations,” said Steven Lucio, Pharm.D., B.C.P.S., vice president of pharmacy solutions at Vizient. “It is also a great environment in which to feature the unique perspectives and innovative work by Vizient member organizations.”

Lucio will serve as moderator for the session, Ethical Prescribing in the Era of Expensive Medications and Drug Shortages, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at the Mandalay Bay South Convention Center. The session will focus on the characteristics of high-cost drugs, the infrastructure necessary to make ethically appropriate treatment decisions for these drugs and the allocation of limited medications during shortages. The panel will include:

Yoram Unguru, M.D., M.S., M.A., attending physician and assistant professor, The Herman & Walter Samuelson Children’s Hospital at Sinai and Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics.
Andrew Shuman, M.D., F.A.C.S., assistant professor, University of Michigan.
Holly Meadows, Pharm.D., B.C.P.S., clinical pharmacy coordinator, Medical University of South Carolina.

Vizient will also host six informal Q&A sessions featuring pharmacy experts from member hospitals. The 30-minute sessions will include a 15-minute presentation followed by 15 minutes of audience questions. The sessions are no cost to attendees and will be held in the Vizient booth, No. 1319. The schedule for the Q&A sessions is:

Dec. 9

11:30 a.m. to noon: “The Value of Data Visualization in Managing Drug Spend and Clinical Utilization” featuring John Grubbs, M.S., M.B.A., RPh, chief pharmacy officer, U.C. Davis Health, moderated by Jered Bauer, vice president, pharmacy analytics for Vizient.
1:30 to 2 p.m.: “Measuring the Hidden Impact of Drug Shortages” featuring Kevin J. Colgan, M.A., RPh, F.A.S.H.P., vice president and chief pharmacy officer for the University of Chicago Medical Center, moderated by Jim Cummins, vice president, pharmacy services for Vizient.

Dec. 10

11:30 a.m. to noon: “The Impact of Drug Shortages and High-Cost Therapies in Managing Treatment Decisions” featuring Yoram Unguru, M.D., M.S., M.A., division of pediatric hematology and oncology at The Herman & Walter Samuelson Children’s Hospital at Sinai, moderated by Steven Lucio.
12:30 to 1 p.m.: “Pharmacy-product Advisor Partnership: Driving Actionable Insights to Improve Market Performance” featuring John Grubbs, M.S., M.B.A., RPh, chief pharmacy officer, U.C. Davis Health, moderated by Richard Ponder, director, product delivery for Vizient.
1 to 1:30 p.m.: “Drug Shortage Protection with Novaplus” featuring Tom Lausten, B.Pharm., M.B.A., RPh, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, moderated by Michael McGiboney, director, pharmacy, sourcing operations, pediatrics and member services for Vizient.
2 to 2:30 p.m.: “Defining Drug Shortages for the Pediatric Community” featuring Terri Wilson, director, supply chain services, Children’s Hospital Association, moderated by Michael McGiboney.

Vizient will also have experts on hand to discuss biosimilars, Vizient’s new biosimilar savings calculator, requirements for U.S. Pharmacopeia general chapters 797, 800 and 825, specialty pharmacies, resources for drug shortage information and other common challenges for hospital pharmacists.

For more information about Vizient, its pharmacy advisory services and pharmacy program, visit www.vizientinc.com

About Vizient, Inc.

Vizient, Inc. provides solutions and services that improve the delivery of high-value care by aligning cost, quality and market performance for more than 50% of the nation’s acute care providers, which includes 95% of the nation’s academic medical centers, and more than 20% of ambulatory care providers. Vizient provides expertise, analytics and advisory services, as well as a contract portfolio that represents more than $100 billion in annual purchasing volume, to improve patient outcomes and lower costs. Vizient has earned a World’s Most Ethical Company designation from the Ethisphere Institute every year since its inception. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Vizient has offices throughout the United States. Learn more at www.vizientinc.com.