As the holiday season is in full swing, value based care remains a hot topic. Many organizations -especially entities like CVS -are working to connect its importance to public health, as healthier individuals make healthier communities. Regardless of the confusion in federal healthcare regulation, the underlying principles are simple: provide good care and do it at as low a cost as possible.
Louisiana professionals will have another certification option in growing field.
LEAWOOD, Kan. (December 12, 2017) – The state of Louisiana has approved the National Healthcareer Association’s (NHA) Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT®) as a certification meeting the professional requirements of this growing field. Prior to the Louisiana State Board of Pharmacy (the Board) approving the ExCPT on November 15, the state recognized only one certification program.
Many healthcare organizations are aiming to create patient-centered environments, focusing on the patient while simultaneously providing improved health care. Federal regulations are also pushing for a value-based system, and new practitioners are needing to be educated on the importance of quality measurements, care coordination and population heath management to see success in their practices.
National Healthcareer Association (NHA) started with a modest, albeit ambitious goal to grow and re-position itself within the pharmacy market. What started as a small, grassroots effort eventually led to the creation and evolution of a small committee helping to achieve goals, establish success and create deeper, more meaningful relationships within the pharmacy technician industry.
NHA strongly believes in being advocates for the professions it serves, but recognizes this won’t happen without a little help. As a result, NHA certification and advisory boards have been established.
The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy recently updated its rules regarding pharmacy technicians. Ohio will recognize three types of technician registrations: certified, registered, and pharmacy technician trainees. Per Ohio law, all pharmacy technicians practicing in Ohio must be registered with the Board by April 6, 2018. The Board has begun accepting pharmacy technician registration applications and recommends that techs should submit their applications well before April 6.
October is an important month as we celebrate frontline healthcare workers in two of NHA’s key professions – medical assistants during MA Week (October 16-20) and pharmacy techs for National Pharmacy Technician Day (October 17).
September was a month focused on higher education and the shift in for-profit to non-profit realignment, the need for flexibility and to be directly aligned with employer-defined skills.
Academic institutions must recognize a gap in the development of students’ critical thinking. To combat this, educators can take on the role of coach or mentor who can assist students in understanding how to successfully evaluate and process information.
There are also critical shifts happening within the healthcare sector. Teleheath and the use of technology is finding its way in as a valuable tool in many areas. Read more below on September’s most relevant healthcare news impacting our partners as well as the professions we serve.
For NHA, August was all about advocating for better futures. NHA had the opportunity to take part in some major industry conferences and panels, each centering around creating advocacy for allied health certification. Read on and discover what we heard at these summer meetings, plus more updates on what’s happening within the healthcare industry.
NHA was honored to not only attend, but to participate in multiple industry panel discussions at this summer’s Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA) sesssion and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Total Store Expo. Both conferences focused on current pharmacy technician workforce topics and the role they play in optimizing care within the pharmacy profession.
It is well understood within the industry that pharmacy technicians have long been critical members of the pharmacy team. Technician education, certification, and registration have been a key point in pharmacy policy for the last decade or longer. Additionally, as pharmacists’ roles have evolved to include more clinical activities, there has been an increasing emphasis on utilizing pharmacy technicians to ease workflow challenges.
July’s industry trends are all about collaboration - whether it be industry stakeholders promoting workforce development initiatives or educators and employers working together toward a common goal. These July updates illustrate numerous examples of valuable allied health partnerships.
Whether you want to enhance current relationships or secure new partnerships, being in-the-know about the industry’s most relevant news provides you (and others) with access to the relevant information that is shaping the future of healthcare.