Networking and Engagement at AAPP 2023

Comprehensive Medication Management (CMM): Moving from Theory to Practice (Presented by the Patient Care Practice Management (PCPM) Community) - Room: Hanover A

Comprehensive medication management (CMM) is a patient centered approach to optimize medication use and improve patient health outcomes. CMM is delivered by a clinical pharmacist working in collaboration with the patient and other healthcare providers. Through the CMM process, each medication that a patient is taking is assessed for indication, effectiveness, safety, and adherence. CMM includes an individualized care plan that achieves the intended goals of therapy with appropriate follow-up to determine actual patient outcomes. CMM has demonstrated improvement in patient clinical outcomes, resulted in fewer hospital and emergency department visits, has had a positive impact on cost avoidance and return-on-investment, and has improved the clinician and patient experience with care. This session will provide attendees with information regarding the intent of CMM, the framework for delivering CMM, methods for incorporating CMM into the interdisciplinary practice model, and elements of practice management needed to support CMM with a focus on psychiatric care.

This session will offer a forum for those with any level of CMM experience (none to expert!) to share ideas and success stories, ask questions, and brainstorm solutions to challenges encountered when practicing CMM. Finally, this session will provide attendees with a venue to collaborate with their colleagues to plan for creating a new CMM service or refining a service that they have already established.

Speakers:

• Caitlin McCarthy, PharmD, BCPP, Clinical Assistant Professor, Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Director of Pharmacy, Henry J. Austin Health Center, Piscataway, NJ
• Ashley Maister, PharmD, BCPP, Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner, Mental Health, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA

Download Presentation Slides   |   Session Worksheet

How to Involve Students and Residents in Groups – Instilling Confidence in Your Learners (Presented by the Patient Medication Education Groups (PMEG) Community) - Room: Hanover B

Groups are an important component of a psychiatric care plan. They are a cost-effective treatment that aids in symptom resolution and social interaction. Therapy is a first-line treatment for many mental illnesses, and many psychiatric units do not have the resources for individual therapy. Groups can provide some of these same benefits.

Students and residents often do not have experience leading group sessions. If learners are supported properly, groups can instill confidence, enhance listening skills, and heighten presentation skills. Learners often state that leading a group session is one of the most meaningful components of their rotation. The purpose of this idea exchange is to discuss teaching principals to set your learners up for success as they lead their first groups. We will also share and discuss what goes well and what learners struggle with as they provide groups for patients.

Speakers:

• Dan Greer, PharmD, BCPP, Clinical Assistant Professor, Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Piscataway, NJ
• Aaron Salwan, PharmD, MPH, BCPP, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Behavioral Health, Nyack, NY

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Pharmacotherapy and the Pharmacist’s Role (Presented by the Neurology Community) - Room: Learning Center

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a debilitating and degenerative disease with no cure. For many years, treatment options were limited. Since 2017, there has been increasing interest in the treatment of ALS, with the approval of edaravone in 2017, and more recently sodium phenylbutyrate and taurursodiol in 2022. Prior to edaravone, the only FDA approved treatment option for treatment of ALS was riluzole. In this idea exchange, we will review data and clinical significance of existing pharmacotherapies for ALS. We will also discuss supportive therapies for management of mood, spasticity, and sialorrhea.  In addition to discussing current treatment approaches, we plan to discuss opportunities for psychiatric pharmacists to utilize their unique skillset to assist in the management of ALS in an interdisciplinary setting.

Speakers:

• Alissa A. Scalise, PharmD, BCPP, BCPS, Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner, VISN1 Clinical Resource Hub, West Haven, CT
• Brittany Finocchio, PharmD, BCPP, Karuna Therapeutics, Boston, MA

DEI From the Classroom to Practice (Presented by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Teaching Communities) - Room: Learning Center

A lack of leadership experience and skills related to addressing DEI related issues has been cited as a primary cause for the lag in progress towards improvement (Scott 2022). For students and healthcare professionals, being able to provide quality patient care involves understanding the cultural differences and beliefs of our patients and of each other. Learning, promoting, and incorporating DEI practices extends into all areas of pharmacy. A focus on inclusive practices can positively impact student and practitioner learning, including how lack of inclusivity or the presence of unconscious bias could negatively impact experiences. In a joint effort with the Teaching Community, the topic of DEI throughout pharmacy education and practice will be discussed.

Moderators:

• Carolanne Wartman, PharmD, BCPS, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, Jackson, MS
• Shari N. Allen, PharmD, BCPP, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice, PCOM School of Pharmacy, Suwanee, GA
• Hannah Johnson, PharmD, BCPS, BCPP, Assistant Professor, Clinical Psychiatric Pharmacist, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, Lexington, KY
• Devon Sherwood, PharmD, BCPP, Associate Professor, Clinical Psychiatric Pharmacist, UNE School of Pharmacy, Portland, ME

Panelists:

• Suzie Harris, PharmD, BCPP, CCP, Associate Professor - UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy UNC, Chapel Hill, NC
• Carol Ott, PharmD, BCPP, Clinical Professor of Pharmacy Practice - Purdue University College of Pharmacy, Lafayette, IN

Are There any Promising Drugs for Managing Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Dementia and How are They Being Clinically Assessed- Is it Appropriate? (Presented by the Geriatric Community) - Room: Learning Center

The treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia can be challenging. Most medications used for behavioral symptoms in dementia are typically first assessed in primary psychiatric disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or sleep disorders. It is difficult to target behaviors with medications unique to dementia as the symptom-specific biology for behavioral issues remains unclear in some instances. However, progress is being made in clinical trials, with some medications showing promise in the treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia. In this idea exchange we will discuss new medications used to target neuropsychiatric symptoms and their evaluation process, available evidence for the treatment of various behavioral symptoms, and challenges associated with the methods used in evaluating medications for neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia.

Speakers:

• Kristin Waters, PharmD, BCPS, BCPP, Assistant Clinical Professor, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
• Shadi Doroudgar, PharmD, APh, BCPS, BCGP, BCPP, Associate Professor, Clinical Sciences Department, Touro University California College of Pharmacy, Vallejo, CA

Download Presentation Slides

Navigating the Everchanging Legal Landscape of SUD Care (Presented by the Substance Use Disorder Strategies (SUDS) Community) - Room: Learning Center

Despite evidence to support gold standard care for patients with substance use disorders (SUD), we face many legal barriers to providing this care uniformly. This year, one of the most groundbreaking changes occurred to remove the X-waiver and hopefully expand access to buprenorphine. However, uptake of this change make take time and the legal status of pharmacist controlled substance prescribing and harm reduction materials still varies across the country. As key players in providing SUD care, psychiatric pharmacists must be prepared to advocate for change within our systems and local policies. We invite community members to share their challenges and successes with navigating these legal and systemic barriers in hopes of providing you with ample resources to effect change in your own practice.

Speakers:

• David Dadiomov, PharmD, BCPP, Assistant Professor, University of Southern California School of Pharmacy, Los Angeles, CA
• Haley Pals, PharmD, BCPP, Clinical Psychiatric Pharmacist, Tomah VA Medical center, Tomah, WI

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Practice Pearls: Where We Are and Where We are Headed (Presented by the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Community) - Room: Learning Center

Mental health conditions are common in children and adolescents, with one in five diagnosed with a mental health condition or a developmental disorder. Despite high rates, few will receive prompt, specialized psychiatric treatment. The COVID-19 pandemic and racial injustice have contributed to soaring rates of mental health challenges among children, adolescents, and their families. Pediatric organizations came together to declare a National State of Emergency in children’s mental health in 2021 to advocate for improved access to care. Psychiatric pharmacists play a critical role in answering this call to action. The Child and Adolescent Psychiatry community will host a panel of psychiatric pharmacists with extensive experience in CAP. The panel will share unique elements of current practice, clinical pearls working with children and their families, innovative treatment approaches, among other topics. 

Moderator: Danielle Stutzman PharmD, BCPP, Psychiatric Pharmacist, Pediatric Mental Health Institute, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO

Panelists:

• M. Lynn Crismon, PharmD, FCPP, DABCP, BCPP, Professor of Pharmacy and Psychiatry The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
• Julie A Dopheide, PharmD, BCPP, FASHP, Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences University of Southern California Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles CA,
• Lauren Leiby, PharmD, BCPP, Behavioral Health Patient Care Pharmacist, Nationwide Children’s Hospital Behavioral Health Pavilion, Columbus, OH
• Megan Maroney PharmD, BCPP, Clinical Associate Professor, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey and Clinical Psychiatric Pharmacist, Monmouth Medical Center, RWJBarnabas Health, Long Branch, NJ
• Andreea Temelie, PharmD, BCPP, Clinical Pharmacist – Psychiatry ; UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA

Participating in a Collaborative Research Project (Presented by the Research Community) - Room: Hanover A

The challenges and benefits of participating in collaborative research projects will be discussed. An upcoming opportunity for collaborative research through AAPP will be briefly touched on. Ideas on how to successfully identify potential collaborators and establish working relationships will be discussed.

Moderator: Geoff Brown, PharmD, Buffalo Psychiatric Center, Co-investigator, GPI Clinical Research, Buffalo, NY

Speaker: Julie Cunningham, PharmD, BCPP, Associate Chief Pharmacy Office Practice and Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN