2007 Annual Report - The NCPA Foundation

Pharmacy Award, and the William J. Sheffield Outstanding
University of Texas School of Pharmacy Alumni Award.
Corporate Recognition Award
MemberHealth, LLC is the 2007 NCPA Corporate Recognition
Award winner. The award is sponsored by the
NCPA Foundation and
recognizes companies
for their support of
independent pharmacy.
“Working with MemberHealth
through
CCRx has offered
pharmacists a proactive
alternative to help level the Part D playing field,” said Bruce
Roberts, RPh, executive vice president and CEO of NCPA.
“MemberHealth’s dedication to aligning the interests of the
Medicare Part D, the patient, and the pharmacist has contributed
to CCRx being the fourth-largest Part D provider
in the nation.”
MemberHealth’s commitment to community pharmacy
is founded in its belief that a pharmacist-driven benefit
is key to a successful pharmacy benefit. In 2004, NCPA
joined with MemberHealth to create Community CCRx SM
to provide a Medicare-approved drug discount card. The
support of retail pharmacists led NCPA and Member-
Health to transform CCRx from a drug discount card to
one of only 10 nationwide Medicare Part D Prescription
Drug Plans in 2006.
CCRx was one of the first Part D plans to offer payment by
electronic funds transfer, to offer a generic incentive bonus,
to not offer mail order, and, most notably, to lead the
industry with emphasis on pharmacist-delivered medication
therapy management (MTM) services. CCRx is one
of the few programs that uses community pharmacists to
deliver face-to-face MTM to high-risk Medicare patients
and currently serves more than 1.2 million beneficiaries.
MemberHealth’s commitment to the pharmacy-based service
model helped CCRx in achieving the highest customer
satisfaction rating in a recent survey of Medicare beneficiaries.
The 2008 edition of “Medicare and You” handbook,
published each year by CMS, lists Community Care Rx SM as
the highest-rated plan.
“We are pleased to acknowledge MemberHealth with the
2007 Corporate Recognition Award and its commitment to
aligning the interests of patients, pharmacists, and payers
to advance good patient care,” said Charles M. West, PD,
president of the Foundation.
MemberHealth’s growth recently earned it a top spot on
the Inc. 500 list, sponsored by Inc. magazine. In September,
MemberHealth was acquired by Universal American Financial
Corp. This new relationship will allow the company to
expand its commitment to a pharmacist-driven health care
model with the introduction of Medicare Advantage plans
powered by CCRx beginning in 2008.
“We are honored to receive this award from NCPA,” said
Charles E. Hallberg, president and CEO of MemberHealth.
“The independent pharmacy community is an integral part
of our success as the administrator of the fourth-largest
Medicare Part D plan, and we know that beneficiaries increasingly
rely on the advice and counsel of their community
pharmacists. NCPA has been an outstanding collaborator.
At the core, we are both very focused on our patients
and put our beneficiaries’ needs first. We look forward to
continuing our relationship with independent pharmacies
and NCPA for years to come.”
Outstanding Faculty Liaison
Linda Garrelts MacLean, faculty liaison for the NCPA
student chapter at Washington State University (WSU)
College of Pharmacy,
was named the 2007
NCPA Faculty Liaison
of the Year.
“Educating and inspiring
the next generation
of pharmacists is
the greatest commitment
you can make to the profession,” said Charles M.
West, PD, president of the NCPA Foundation. “Linda
Garrelts MacLean’s dedication to her students and to independent
pharmacy is outstanding, and we are pleased
to recognize her important and ongoing contributions
with this award.”
MacLean, a pharmacist and certified diabetes educator,
is the previous co-owner of Jones Pharmacy in Spokane,
Washington. A graduate of WSU, MacLean now serves as
chair and clinical associate professor for the university’s
department of pharmacotherapy. An active NCPA member,
MacLean currently serves on the committee for home
health care pharmacy services and is a previous recipient of
the NCPA National Preceptor Award.
NCPA Foundation Annual Report 2007