Council Connection

The Council Connection communicates the latest developments in the pharmaceutical industry, spotlights trends in the industry, profiles key individuals/organizations in the industry, and keeps readers up to date on the status of NCPDP standards as well as the standards efforts of other Standards Development Organizations (SDOs).

Special Sections
Recent Articles

Results from the collaborative NCPDP study with Cap Gemini Ernst & Young

Special sections that appear in every issue of Council Connection:

Excerpts from Council Connection

NCPDP Awards Presented at the 2006 Annual Conference

NCPDP Board of Trustee Election Results

NCPDP ANNOUNCES 2006 WORK GROUP CO-CHAIRS


NCPDP Awards Presented at the 2006 Annual Conference

The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) announced the recipients of their annual awards during the 2006 NCPDP Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizona held in March.

The awards include the Benjamin D. Ward Distinguished Member Award, TIME Award, Rising Star Award and Work Group and Committee MVP Awards.

The 2006 Benjamin D. Ward Distinguished Member Award was presented during the Monday General Session. The award recipient is John Lavin, MBA, MPH, of Caremark.

Lavin, Vice President, Industry Relations for Caremark, has been a member of NCPDP since 1993. He previously served as Chair of the NCPDP Board of Trustees and was re-elected to the Board of Trustees in the recent election.

The Benjamin D. Ward Distinguished Member Award was developed in 1999 and recognizes outstanding achievement, consistent dedication and exemplary leadership in regard to NCPDP and the healthcare industry.

The recipient of the 2006 NCPDP TIME Award is Annette Gabel of Medco Health. The TIME Award presentation was held during the President's Dinner.

Gabel, Executive Director, Industry Standards Compliance for Medco Health, has been a member of NCPDP since 1994. She is a long-time Co-Chair of WG1 Telecommunication and was recently re-elected to the Board of Trustees.

The TIME Award was first established in 1990 and honors a member for unselfish devotion toward meeting the goals and objectives of NCPDP. TIME stands for The Individual Member Excellence Award.

The Rising Star Award was first introduced at the 2004 Annual Conference. This honor recognizes the immediate impact and activity of a new NCPDP member.

The 2006 NCPDP Rising Star Award was presented to Brian Sill, MBA, of Rite Aid Corporation during the Monday General Session.

A member of NCPDP since 2004, Sill stepped right into a Co-Chair role with WG5 Payment Reconciliation, participated on the Strategic Planning Committee and attended the 2005 Strategic Planning Session in Scottsdale, AZ. Sill serves as Director, Third Party Relations for Rite Aid.

The Work Group and Committee MVP Awards were presented on Sunday at the MC Maintenance and Control meeting.

The MVP recipients were:

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NCPDP Board of Trustee Election Results
The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs has announced the results from the 2006 Board of Trustees election and welcomes two new, incoming Board members.

NCPDP members voted for two open slots in the Payer/Processor category. John Lavin, MBA, MPH, Vice President of Industry Relations for Caremark joins the Board of Trustees again. He previously served on the Board from 1998 to 2004 and served as Board Chair from 2002 to 2003.

Also from the Payer/Processor category, incumbent candidate Annette Gabel was re-elected. Gabel, a WG1 Telecommunication Co-Chair, was appointed Chair of the Nominating Committee and is an active member of X12, WEDi, ASAP and AMA. She serves as Executive Director, Industry Standards Compliance for Medco Health. Incumbent candidate Charlie Oltman, MBA, was re-elected in the open slot in the Producer/Provider category. Oltman, National Managed Care Administrator for Target Stores, is a Co-Chair of MC Maintenance and Control, Chair of the Awards Committee and has been Co-Chair of WG4 Provider/MemberEnrollment and WG5 Payment Reconciliation.

There were two positions available in the Vendor/General Interest category. Wayne Karp, R.Ph., of Pharmacy Industry Consultants was elected to one position. Karp is a Co-Chair of WG3 Standard Identifiers and has been Co-Chair of WG4 Provider/Member Enrollment and WG5 Payment Reconciliation. Karp is an active member of APhA.

Also from the Vendor/General Interest category, incumbent candidate Bob Beckley was re-elected. Beckley serves as Vice President, Pharmacy Relations for SureScripts. He is Chair of the Annual Conference Committee, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees and has served as Co-Chair of WG3 Standard Identifiers and WG11 e-Prescribing & Related Transactions.

NCPDP would like to thank two outgoing members of the Board of Trustees: John Bergan, Vice President, Operations & Information Systems for RESTAT and Nancy Nemes, Director, QA & Standards Compliance for Emdeon Business Services.

The existing Board members from the Payer/Processor category are Dale Chamberlain, Vice President, Strategic Standards Management from Express Scripts, Inc., Dan Hardin, R.Ph., MBA, Vice President, Business Development for ACS Government Solutions, and Margaret Weiker, Director, BES HC Product, Standards and Sales for EDS.

The existing Board members from the Producer/Provider category are Marla Brickley, National Account Manager for Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Ross Martin, M.D., MHA, Director, Business Technology from Pfizer, Inc., John Klimek, R.Ph., Manager-Rx View for Albertson's and Thomas J. Sheehan III, MBA, Senior Manager, Sales Operations Systems from TAP Pharmaceuticals.

The existing Board members from the Vendor/General Interest category are Tom Bizzaro, R.Ph., Vice President, Sales and Marketing from First DataBank, Board Chair Carol Cerney, R.Ph., MBA, Pharmacy Consultant with Per-Sé Technologies and Kevin Nicholson, R.Ph., J.D., Vice President, Pharmacy Regulatory Affairs for NACDS.

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NCPDP ANNOUNCES 2006 WORK GROUP CO-CHAIRS
The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) has announced the 2006 Work Group Co-Chair election results. The announcement was made during the General Business Session, on March 19, 2006, at the Annual Conference in Phoenix, AZ.

The 2006 NCPDP Work Group Co-Chairs are:

WG1 Telecommunication
Annette Gabel of Medco Health
David Kilgo, R.Ph. of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Roger Pinsonneault, R.Ph. of Total Pharmacy Solutions

WG2 Product Identification
Anne Johnston, R.Ph. of Medco Health Solutions
John Klimek, R.Ph. of Albertson’s, Inc.
Kay Morgan of Gold Standard

WG3 Standard Identifiers
Melanie Benson of Caremark,Inc.
Perry D. Don, R.Ph. of Walgreen Company
Wayne P. Karp, R.Ph. of Pharmacy Industry Consultants, LLC

WG4 Provider/Member Enrollment
Geri Taylor of Wolters Kluwer Health
Todd Walbert of Walgreens Health Inititatives, Inc.

WG5 Payment Reconciliation
Joseph Gregar of McKesson Specialty Progressive Health
Brian Sill, MBA of Rite Aid Corporation

WG7 Manufacturer Rebates
Dan Hardin, R.Ph., MBA of ACS Government Solutions
Jackie Krewson of Argus Health System, Inc.
Thomas J. Sheehan III, MBA of TAP Pharmaceuticals

WG9 Government Programs
Eileen Held, MBA of Caremark, Inc.
Patrick Robinson, R.Ph., MBA of CalPERS
Michele M. Vilaret, R.Ph. of National Association of Chain Drugstores

WG10 Professional Pharmacy Services
Karen Eckert, R.Ph. of Wolters Kluwer Health
Keith Fisher, R.Ph., M.S. of SXC Health Solutions, Inc.

WG11 e-Prescribing & Related Transactions
Russell B. Keith of SureScripts
Teresa A. Strickland of Healthcare Computer Corporation

WG12 Education - Legislation & Regulation
Linda M. Campbell of Smith Premier Services
Marjorie K. Simos of Express Scripts,Inc.
Daniel Staniec, R.Ph., MBA of Caremark,Inc.

WG14 Long Term Care
Reef R. Gillum, D.O. of Provider Business Solutions, Inc.
Gary J. Schoettmer, R.Ph. of RNA Health Information Systems
Rachelle F. Spiro, R.Ph. of R. Spiro Consulting

MC Maintenance & Control
Nancy J. Nemes of Emdeon Business Services
Charlie Oltman, MBA of Target Stores

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