Activity Overview

Please read the following information about this continuing pharmacy education activity before accessing the presentation using the link located at the bottom of this page.

Release Date: January 25, 2013          Expiration Date: January 27, 2014

Accreditation for Pharmacy Technicians

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This activity provides 1 hour (0.1 CEU) of continuing education credit (ACPE activity #0204-0000-12-443-H01-T).

Methods and Format

This is an online activity consisting of audio and slides, an assessment (post-test), and a course evaluation. Participants should claim continuing education credit for this internet-based educational activity only if they have not claimed credit for the live activity. Participants must view the entire presentation, take the activity assessment, and complete the course evaluation to receive continuing education credit. A minimum score of 70% is required on the test for credit to be awarded, and participants may print their official statements of continuing education credit immediately. The estimated time to complete this activity is 1 hour. This activity is provided free of charge.

Target Audience

This continuing pharmacy education activity was planned to meet the needs of pharmacy technicians practicing in a variety of practice settings.  This activity would be especially beneficial for pharmacy technicians who have an interest in assisting the pharmacy team with the provision of transitions of care services both on the inpatient and outpatient sides.

Activity Content

Under Medicare’s Inpatient Prospective Payment System, as included in the Affordable Care Act, adjustments to payments will now be imposed for excessive readmissions in acute care hospitals during fiscal years beginning on or after October 1, 2012. Therefore, reducing readmission, which is defined as being admitted to the same or different hospital within a prescribed period (generally 30 days) for certain applicable conditions, is becoming a top priority of health systems and community health care providers across the country.  The coordination required to make a transitions of care program run smoothly requires the effort of the entire health care team.

This educational activity will describe the transitions of care process at an academic medical center, focusing on the role of pharmacy technicians.  Pharmacy technicians on the cardiology, thrombosis, and transplant teams are actively involved in the transition process.  A pharmacy technician in the outpatient pharmacy also supports the transitions of care program by scheduling clinic visits and follow-up care.  This educational activity will also describe how to train and educate technicians to take on these roles. The experience of a certified pharmacy technician in the provision of transitions of care services will also be described.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this knowledge-based continuing education activity, participants should be able to

  • Describe new federal regulations aimed at reducing readmissions.
  • Describe a successful model for medication management in transitions of care.
  • Explain potential roles for pharmacy technicians in the transition of care.
  • Describe how to train pharmacy technicians and assess competency for assisting in the transition of care process.

Faculty

Laura BrittonLaura Britton, PharmD, BCPS, CACP

Pharmacy Clinical Coordinator, Ambulatory Care Services
University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics
Adjunct Instructor
University of Utah College of Pharmacy

Laura Britton, Pharm.D., BCPS, CACP, is Clinical Coordinator of Pharmacy Ambulatory Care Services at the
University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics in Salt Lake City.  Dr. Britton received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and completed a residency in clinical pharmacy at West Side Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Chicago.  She is also a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist and Certified Anticoagulation Care Provider (CACP).

After completing her residency, Dr. Britton joined the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Indian Health Service in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  As a lieutenant in the USPHS, she developed an adverse drug reporting program, assisted in the modernization of the i.v. admixture and unit dose programs and served as the officer for the narcotics, procurement, and immunization programs.

During her tenure at the University of New Mexico Medical Center (UNMMC), Britton served in various positions, including Patient Care Area Pharmacist, Transplant Pharmacist, Medical-Surgical Clinical Specialist, and Anticoagulation Clinic Manager.  Dr. Britton’s other previous roles include serving as pharmacotherapy specialist for DrugDigest.org, a primary care clinician for BJC Health Center, and an assistant professor of pharmacy practice at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy.  During her career, Dr. Britton has assumed roles as the clinical pharmacist for medical, surgical, transplant, cardiac, neurologic, and OB/GYN teams, as well as the instructor and preceptor for pharmacy residents and Bachelor of Science and Pharm.D. students.  She has  served as co-investigator on clinical trials in anticoagulation and transplant therapeutic areas as well as on  numerous university and hospital committees.  Dr. Britton has lectured at both state and national meetings on anticoagulation and ambulatory care practice.

Dr. Britton is a member of the ASHP Section of Home, Ambulatory, and Chronic Care Practitioners (SHACCP) and the SHACCP Section Advisory Group on Practice Advancement.  She is active in several local, state, and national pharmacy organizations and generously  volunteers her time and expertise for various consumer focused community events.

Kristen VethKristen Veth, CPhT
Regional Technician Trainer
University of Utah Redwood Center Pharmacy
Salt Lake City, UT

Kristen graduated from the University of Utah in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Economics.  Kristen Veth is a Certified Pharmacy Technician II at the University of Utah Redwood Pharmacy, where she has worked for the past nine years.  She has developed and leads the training program for technicians, technician externs and pharmacist interns for the University of Utah Hospital and Clinics. 

Kristen has been working to help develop the Medication Therapy Management (MTM) program since its conception at the University of Utah Redwood Pharmacy in September of 2007, including initial training and set up as the program has been introduced in additional clinics.  She has trained the technician team that supports and assists the pharmacist in preparation for MTM visits and follow up phone calls.   She has also organized and streamlined procedures in order to enhance efficiency and to provide instructional training to staff members.

Disclosure Statement

In accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education’s Standards for Commercial Support and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education’s Guidelines for Standards for Commercial Support, ASHP Advantage requires that all individuals involved in the development of activity content disclose their relevant financial relationships. A person has a relevant financial relationship if the individual or his or her spouse/partner has a financial relationship (e.g., employee, consultant, research grant recipient, speakers bureau, or stockholder) in any amount occurring in the last 12 months with a commercial interest whose products or services may be discussed in the educational activity content over which the individual has control. The existence of these relationships is provided for the information of participants and should not be assumed to have an adverse impact on presentations.

All faculty and planners for ASHP Advantage education activities are qualified and selected by ASHP Advantage and required to disclose any relevant financial relationships with commercial interests. ASHP Advantage identifies and resolves conflicts of interest prior to an individual’s participation in development of content for an educational activity.

The faculty and planners report the following relationships:

Laura Britton, Pharm.D., BCPS, CACP
Dr. Britton declares that she has no relationships pertinent to this activity.

Kristen Veth, CPhT
Ms. Veth declares that she has no relationships pertinent to this activity.

Catherine Klein, B.S.Pharm.
Ms. Klein declares that she has no relationships pertinent to this activity.

ASHP staff has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Launch Presentation*

Transitions of Care: Pharmacy Technicians’ Role in Helping to Reduce Readmissions
Laura Britton, PharmD, BCPS, CACP & Kristen Veth, CPhT
(50 minutes)
Questions and Answers (Optional)
All faculty
(20 minutes)

*Allow additional time to complete the assessment and evaluation.

Download Assessment and Handout

Print the assessment (post-test) and handout of slides for your reference; however, your assessment must be submitted online.

Process CPE

When you reach the end of the presentation, follow instructions to complete the online process (i.e., take assessment test and complete evaluation) and obtain CPE credit.

Please Note: To claim CPE credit, you must have your NABP e-Profile ID, birth month, and birth day. If you do not have an NABP e-Profile ID, go to www.MyCPEMonitor.net for information and to apply.