News & Events
News
Senior PharmAssist Executive Director Gina Upchurch will lead a continuing education session on "Healthcare Reform and the Future of Medicare and MTM" on Thursday, March 1st, from 6 to 8:15 p.m. at The William F. Andrews Conference Center in Raleigh. This training for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians is co-sponsored by the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and the Wake Area Health Education Center, and is worth 2.0 contact hours. For more information and to download a registration form please click here.
The Stewards Fund has issued Senior PharmAssist a $50,000 challenge grant. To qualify for this all-or-nothing grant our program must raise $50,000 in new support between now and March 15, 2012. The challenge applies to fundraising from individuals, businesses, foundations, civic groups and faith communities. Gifts from first-time donors and past supporters who last gave before July 1, 2010 will be matched dollar for dollar. Any increase in support from donors who have given since July 1, 2010 will be matched. A donation or pledge must be made in response to the challenge to qualify for matching funds, and pledges must be payable by June 30, 2012. Read down a little further to see how you can make an online gift to our program or a direct donation. And thank you for supporting the health and independence of Durham seniors.
Vaguely Reminiscent, a clothing and gift store on Ninth Street in Durham, recently held its annual "Time of Sharing" to benefit Senior PharmAssist and other local nonprofits. Each year, the shop donates 25% of all clothing and shoe sales over a 10-day period to local nonprofits that customers designate for support. Senior PharmAssist thanks Vaguely Reminiscent Owner Carol Anderson for her generosity and commitment to the Durham community.
Senior PharmAssist is excited to have served 1,422 individuals in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2011, and we're extremely grateful for ALL the donors - new and repeat - who helped to make this increase possible. This year, we project we will serve even more persons and you can help us respond to this challenge - and our $50,000 challenge grant - by making a secure online donation to Senior PharmAssist via Network for Good, which accepts Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. Please be sure to provide your name and contact information so we can count your online gift toward the challenge if applicable.
Donations can also be mailed or charged over the phone by contacting Development & Communications Director Joe Daly at (919) 956-5812. We accept Visa or MasterCard. And please check to see whether your employer offers a matching gift program. This is an easy way to get more bang for the charitable buck! To learn more about the many ways to contribute your time and resources to Senior PharmAssist please visit our Give page.
Medicare beneficiaries and healthcare providers should take note: Due to healthcare reform, the annual election period for Medicare drug benefits is now October 15 through December 7, a month earlier and a week longer than previous years. This is actually good news - particularly for those who need to switch coverage - because it will increase the likelihood of a smooth transition in benefits processing on Jan. 1.
Senior PharmAssist will help ANY Medicare beneficiary in Durham, regardless of age or income, to review his/her options for prescription and medical benefits to choose the most cost-effective coverage. Individuals can save hundreds or thousands of dollars by switching plans for the new year. For one-on-one help Durham residents are encouraged to call us at (919) 688-4772 to schedule an appointment.
Our program recently held several public forums to answer questions regarding Medicare, including changes coming to Part D and Medicare Advantage plans for 2012. And to prepare Durham pharmacists and pharmacy technicians for Medicare drug benefits in 2012 Senior PharmAssist Executive Director Gina Upchurch led two continuing education sessions on October 11 and 26; the latter training originated from the Eshelman School of Pharmacy at UNC-Chapel Hill and was simulcast as a webinar.
These presentations outlined the 2012 Medicare-approved drug benefit, including changes resulting from national reform, and provided updates on the statewide medication therapy management initiatives ChecKmeds NC and CCNC. Gina also supplied pharmacy professionals with the latest information on E1 queries, POS enrollment, and the "first fill" policy from CMS. Presentations examined the differences between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage products, and how these variances impact the Medicare drug benefit, and furnished information about local, statewide, and federal resources that can help with Medicare Part D, including the Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP). Finally, Gina offered an overview of potential policy changes with Medicare.
$522. That was the mean potential savings Medicare beneficiaries 65 and older realized by switching Part D plans for 2010 - at the recommendation of Senior PharmAssist. These results and other findings from coverage year 2010 were recently published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. We would like to thank Dr. Kristin L. Geonnotti, Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC-Chapel Hill, for analyzing this data set and preparing the manuscript. We also want to acknowledge the other co-authors of this study: Dr. Mary T. Roth, Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, UNC-Chapel Hill; Dr. Morris Weinberger, Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC-Chapel Hill; the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC; and Senior PharmAssist Executive Director Gina Upchurch.
With the help of Christine Kearsley, a graduate student at the UNC-CH Gillings School of Global Public Health, we have looked at data from the most recent annual election period and have confirmed that last year's findings were no fluke. We've also drilled down to learn which beneficiaries have the most to gain by comparing their options annually. We look forward to publishing these results as well. Senior PharmAssist helped 711 individuals during the election period for coverage year 2011, and with a growing senior population and ever-changing Medicare options, we anticipate the need for this service to only increase.
On Tuesday, August 23, Senior PharmAssist received 5% of the net proceeds from sales at Whole Foods Market located at 621 Broad Street in Durham. We are extremely grateful to the store's staff for selecting our program to receive these funds and thank all those who shopped at Whole Foods Market that day!
You can read comments about this event by visitng the Facebook page of Whole Foods Market of Durham.
Events
Senior PharmAssist hosts quarterly meetings of the Durham Medicare Rx Network. In addition to our program, this partnership of front-line providers includes staff at the Durham Center, the Department of Social Services, the local Social Security office, Lincoln Community Health Center, discharge planners and social workers at the local hospitals, and others.
The group's next meeting date has yet to be set but will be after Medicare's annual election period concludes. To learn more about the Network or future meeting dates contact Executive Assistant Lesley Williams at (919) 682-4962 or lesley@seniorpharmassist.org.