Telepharmacy: Serving Underserved Populations in a Community Setting
About the Course:
Telepharmacy is a growing practice model in many states and a hot topic within the pharmacy community and among lawmakers and regulators. Rapidly advancing technology allows pharmacists to serve underserved populations remotely. Yet telepharmacy practice is still in its infancy; its relative newness and the many variations among state regulations leaves many pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and other healthcare stake holders unclear about the details and various uses of telepharmacy practice. This course reviews the current landscape of telepharmacy practice and regulations, telepharmacy technology and workflow, remote oversight of advanced pharmacy technicians, and patient care through telepharmacy
Learning Objectives:
After completing this course, the learner will be able to:
- Discuss the history and development of the telepharmacy model in community pharmacy.
- Discuss regulatory issues that apply to telepharmacy.
- Describe the current use of telepharmacy in community pharmacy settings.
- Review the typical workflow process of community telepharmacy.
- Describe key considerations for remote oversight of pharmacy technicians.
About the Author:
Brett Barker, PharmD, earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Iowa and began his career as the Pharmacist-in-Charge of a community pharmacy in small-town Iowa. Dr. Barker currently oversees the operations of 23 pharmacies, including four telepharmacies, as vice president of operations for NuCara Management Group. In his role as vice president of operations, he attained approval from the Iowa Board of Pharmacy to open the second telepharmacy pilot in the state, in Zearing, Iowa, in 2012. In 2014, Dr. Barker opened the first hybrid telepharmacy pilot in State Center, Iowa. He served on the Iowa Pharmacy Association Legislative Advisory Committee (2008-2016), Board of Trustees (2015-2017), and Joint Telepharmacy Task Force and worked to pass updated telepharmacy legislation in Iowa in 2016. In 2017, he was appointed to the Iowa Board of Pharmacy, which adopted new telepharmacy rules. Dr. Barker has presented multiple continuing education classes on the topic of telepharmacy, including at the Midwest Pharmacy Expo and the National Community Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting.
How to receive credit:
- A minimum test score of 75 percent is needed to obtain a credit.
Activity Type - Knowledge-based
Target Audience - Pharmacists, Pharmacists Technicians
Disclosures:
- Contact hours will be awarded through the expiration date.
- You must score 75% or higher on the final exam and complete the course evaluation to pass this course and have your record of completion submitted through CPE Monitor and to the NABP.
- Through our review process, Elite ensures that this course content is presented in a balanced, unbiased manner and is free from commercial influence. It is Elite's policy not to accept commercial support.
- All persons involved in the planning and development of this course have disclosed no relevant financial relationships or other conflicts of interest related to the course content.
Colibri Healthcare, LLC is accredited by the Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmaceutical education. (Provider #0607).