NCPA Announces Innovation Center to Help Independent Community Pharmacies Evolve in a Changing Health Care Environment

ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 19, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) today announced the establishment of a new Innovation Center that is intended to further assist and speed up the evolution of independent community pharmacies in a changing health care environment.

"The U.S. health care system is shifting toward a greater emphasis on value and quality of care," said NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey, RPh, MBA. "Many independent community pharmacists are already at the vanguard of this movement. This new Innovation Center will bring many of these community pharmacists together with leading community pharmacy partners under an organized and flexible structure. Working together with NCPA staff, the Innovation Center will help better position independent community pharmacies to be part of and benefit from broader health care changes. Its driving mission is to help independent community pharmacies continue to prosper in step with health care changes rather than being left behind them."

The NCPA Innovation Center board of directors is comprised of many leading community pharmacists and prominent partners of independent community pharmacies. Hoey will serve as chairman of the board and NCPA Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives Kurt Proctor, PhD, RPh, is its president.

The Innovation Center will develop and execute programs to inform and educate community pharmacists to realize the opportunities in an evolving health care market. In addition, it will demonstrate, research and support new and expanded roles for community pharmacists. Specifically, this will be accomplished through peer-to-peer exchanges of best practices. The Innovation Center is an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, which enables industry partners to make tax-deductible contributions to support the Innovation Center's work.

"I am excited to be a part of this new initiative from NCPA to help independent community pharmacies thrive in a changing health care environment," said NCPA Innovation Center Board Member Mike McBride, Vice President, Partner Relations at Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc. "We believe that community pharmacists are uniquely suited to help improve outcomes at lower overall cost because of their strong relationships with patients, and that they will play a critical role in the delivery of tomorrow's health care."

The current Innovation Center Board of Directors was appointed by the NCPA Board of Directors and is as follows:

• Doug Hoey, NCPA CEO & Innovation Center Board Chairman
• Brian Caswell, RPh, NCPA Board Member and owner of Wolkar Drug, Baxter Springs, Kan.
• Rex Catton, Senior Vice President, McKesson
• Jeff Key, President, PioneerRx
• Steve Lawrence, Senior Vice President, Independent Sales, Cardinal Health
• Tripp Logan, PharmD, L & S Pharmacy, Charleston, Mo.
• Mike McBride, Vice President, Partner Relations at Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc.
• Rob Meriweather, Corporate Vice President Sales, H. D. Smith
• Joe Moose, RPh, Moose Pharmacy, Concord, N.C.
• DeAnn Mullins, RPh, NCPA Board Member and President-Elect as well as owner of Mullins Pharmacy, Lynn Haven, Fla.
• Jimmy Neil, General Manager of Pharmacy Lending, Live Oak Bank
• Brian Nightengale, RPh, PhD, President of Good Neighbor Pharmacy, AmerisourceBergen
• Walt Slijepcevich, RPh, Senior Director, Pharmacy Development, Pfizer

"We are honored to have a truly all-star cast of board members and NCPA staff to help lead the Innovation Center from its inception," said Proctor. "I want to acknowledge and appreciate their support for this new effort. I look forward to what this body will accomplish to help put independent community pharmacists in an optimal position for the changes occurring in health care today and that surely will follow tomorrow."

For more information on the Innovation Center go to www.ncpanet.org/innovation-center.

The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA®) represents the interests of America's community pharmacists, including the owners of more than 22,000 independent community pharmacies. Together they represent an $81.4 billion health care marketplace and employ more than 314,000 individuals on a full or part-time basis. To learn more, go to www.ncpanet.org, visit facebook.com/commpharmacy, or follow NCPA on Twitter @Commpharmacy.

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SOURCE National Community Pharmacists Association

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