The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) 2024 Annual Convention and Expo
The NCPA 2024 Annual Convention and Expo in October in Columbus, Ohio, offered members three days of wide-ranging educational programming.
The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) held its 2024 Annual Convention and Expo in October in Columbus, Ohio. Members enjoyed three days of wide-ranging educational programming, including presentations on the cost-plus pharmacy model; ways to adapt pharmacy support staff roles and workflows to support clinical program growth; how to work with health plans to find success with medical billing; building a long-term care (LTC) business, including the potential of the LTC-at-home model; and how to manage inventory and med sync to maximize cash flow.
NCPA will hold it’s 2025 Annual Convention and Expo October 18-21 in New Orleans, La.
The exhibit hall was busy, with a notable presence of vendors looking to help pharmacies maximize delivery efficiency, successfully bill for services, and provide patients with convenience-oriented payment service. The NCPA also released its 2024 Digest report, which provides an annual overview of independent community pharmacy. You can find more coverage of the 2024 Digest on page 25.
NCPA Foundation Awards
The NCPA Foundation announced a number of awards and scholarships during the conference.
Richard “Tripp” Logan of L&S Pharmacy in Charleston, Mo., received the 2024 NCPA Willard B. Simmons Independent Pharmacist of the Year Award. This award is given annually to a pharmacist who exemplifies exceptional professional leadership, serves their community, and shows dedication to independent pharmacy. Robert Greenwood from Iowa was awarded the NCPA 2024 Calvin J. Anthony Lifetime Achievement Award. The award acknowledges a pharmacist who has committed their career to advancing the pharmacy profession. DeAnn Mullins, a retired pharmacy owner from Lynn Haven, Fla., was presented with the 2024 John W. Dargavel Medal. This award is given to an individual who embodies the spirit of leadership and accomplishment in independent pharmacy. Amina Abubakar, president of Avant Institute and owner of Avant Pharmacy & Wellness Center in North Carolina, was awarded the Sharlea Leatherwood Memorial Trailblazer Award. This award recognizes an outstanding pharmacy owner who leads the way for other independent pharmacy owners and future generations. Korey Kreider, owner of Medicine Man Prairie Pharmacy in Hayden, Idaho, received the NARD Ownership Award, which recognizes an independent community pharmacist who embodies entrepreneurship through promotion and excellence in community pharmacy ownership. A team of student pharmacists from the University of Texas at Austin won the 21st annual Good Neighbor Pharmacy NCPA Pruitt-Schutte Student Business Plan Competition.
New NCPA President
Jeff Harrell, Pharm.D., of Ilwaco, Wash., was installed as the 2024-2025 president of the NCPA. “The landscape of pharmacy has changed,” Harrell said in his inaugural speech delivered during the House of Delegates meeting. “Cash flow in the last year was as tough as it has ever been.
The casualties have been countless, and the closures and consolidation of
pharmacies have been catastrophic in some areas, leaving many pharmacy
deserts. However, the pharmacy economist in me is looking forward to our future,
and I could not be more excited for our
profession.” PTMR
