WHEELING — The Ohio-Marshall County Pharmacist Association’s 43rd annual Spring Continuing Education Seminar will take place on Sunday, March 19 at Wilson Lodge, Oglebay Park.

The program will provide six continuing education credits for pharmacists, coordinated by the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy Office of Continuing Education.

Amy Scott, RPh, BS Pharmacy, quality consultant from Pittsburgh, and Emily Endres, BSPS, payer relations consultant from Columbus, both of Pharmacy Quality Solutions, will provide a 2017 update on Medicare Star Ratings, describing how this program is affecting the marketplace, and ways in which insurances are engaging pharmacists to improve plan performance. They will explain the new technology-based programs and dashboards designed to highlight metrics for pharmacies, insurance plans and pharmacy benefit managers.

Dr. Gretchen Kreckel Garofoli, PharmD, clinical assistant professor at West Virginia University School of Pharmacy in Morgantown, will discuss immunization practice. She will provide an overview of vaccines in the development pipeline, potential impact on current guidelines, booster recommendations, and issues pharmacists are often facing when providing immunization recommendations for patients.

Dr. Jonathan Kline, PharmD, director of pharmacy at Jefferson Medical Center in Ranson, W.Va., will present a review of blood pressure goals and guidelines while also describing major students published since release of the JNC-8 report. He also will feature methods for preparing a treatment plan for various patients with hypertension.

Dr. Michal O’Neil, PharmD, professor and chair of Pharmacy Practice at South College School of Pharmacy in Knoxville, Tenn., will review the role of the pharmacist in the management of addiction, as related to opiods and naloxone. He will define specific indications and rationales for use of buprenorphone products, describe optimal pain management considerations to communicate to prescribers, methods for intervening when patients poorly adhere to prescriber/patient agreements, and review dispensing guidelines on naloxone products to individuals caring for potential overdose patients.

A portion of the proceeds from the seminar are dedicated to the OMCPA Scholarship, awarded annually to a deserving pharmacy students demonstrating academic achievement and financial need, by the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy. This seminar continues to attract the largest number of both practicing and retired pharmacists in West Virginia.

For more information, contact Jason Turner at 304-845-0390.