Past Meetings
Scottsdale, AZ - The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) held its Annual Conference, May 3-8, 2008, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Almost 800 healthcare professionals attended the conference, which featured Technical Work Group Meetings, social events, a trade-show style exhibit hall, keynote speakers, award presentations and educational track sessions.
The conference events began on Saturday, May 3, with the Second Annual NCPDP Corporate Cup Golf Challenge. The beautiful Kierland Golf Course was the setting for the tournament, which featured over 60 participants. SureScripts, an electronic prescription network, based in Alexandria, Virginia was the team that captured the 2008 Corporate Cup.
The conference included two days of Technical Work Group Meetings. NCPDP has thirteen current, active work groups.
The General Session program on Tuesday, May 6, began with a presentation featuring the different groups that help make NCPDP. NCPDP President, Lee Ann Stember, addressed the attendees about NCPDP's role in the interoperability of healthcare.
"NCPDP has many of the key ingredients in creating a system of true healthcare interoperability," Stember said. "Interoperability can be achieved through emerging technology, through accurate electronic health records, through identification and accelerated adoption of electronic prescribing technology. Interoperability can be achieved by standards that work for all healthcare settings. Think of those words, those categories: technology, identification, standards. When I think of those words specifically, I think of NCPDP."
Two awards were presented during the Tuesday General Session.
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The Rising Star Award, which recognizes the contribtion of a new member who has been involved for less than two years, was presented to Lynda Schulman, Director, from CVS/ Caremark. |
| The Benjamin D. Ward Distinguished Member Award is one of the top honors of the Council and named after one of the founders of the organization. The recipient of that honor was Stephen C. Mullenix, R.Ph., Director, Professional Relations from Covidien/Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. |
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The program also recognized the 2007 NCPDP Work Group Co-Chairs.
The conference Keynote Speaker was Olympic Gold Medalist and cancer survivor Scott Hamilton, a privileged member of the United States Olympic Hall of Fame and World Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
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The Individual Member Excellence (TIME) Award was presented at the President's Dinner, a black tie event. The award recipient was industry consultant, Marjorie K. Simos, BS Pharmacy. The TIME Award was first established in 1990 and honors a member for unselfish devotion toward meeting the goals and objectives of NCPDP. |
The members of the 2007 NCPDP Board of Trustees were recognized during the Wednesday General Session program. Also, the attendees witnessed the Passing of the Gavel Ceremony, where the leadership as Board Chair was officially transitioned to the Vice Chair. Bob Beckley of SureScripts, the 2007 NCPDP Board Chair, passed the leadership gavel and Chair position to Dan Hardin, R.Ph., MBA of SXC Health Solutions. |
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Attendees were able to attend a number of other accredited educational track sessions. Track session topics included workers' compensation, specialty pharmacy, Health Savings Accounts, new HIPAA standards and more.
Author and adventurer, Steve Donahue provided the entertainment for the Closing Breakfast event, with the telling of his captivating journey across the Sahara Desert. Donahue was followed by lobbyist and columnist Jeanne Scott, with her engaging track session, "Election 2008: It's Healthcare Stupid".
The 2009 NCPDP Annual Conference will be held May 4-7, 2009 at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, AZ.
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