12 th ANNUAL VA NATIONAL PHARMACY CONFERENCE March 24 th -28 th , 2008

1. 12th ANNUAL VA NATIONAL PHARMACY CONFERENCEMarch 24th-28th, 2008 What will be the image of VA Pharmacy by the patient and the profession?

2. IMAGE Is it important?

3. Consensus Statement • The image of the VA Pharmacist in the future will be that of a healthcare professional at the hub of the health care system. • To the patient, the VA pharmacist will be their advocate; a purveyor of health knowledge who delivers quality care to them at a personal level in an effective manner. • To the profession, the VA pharmacist will be the model; taking the profession to new levels of expansion, pioneering new technologies, incorporating evidence based medicine and teaching values into fulfilling careers.

4. Action Plan • Through initiatives at the local and National levels, move from where we are now to the proposed image of VA Pharmacy. • We developed a “Pharmacy Image Pilot Study” • Collect best practices and then share with all VA sites

5. Slogan for Campaign • VA Pharmacists, Aiming for Excellence • VA Pharmacists, Better than Perfect • VA Pharmacists, Beyond Excellence • VA Pharmacists, Best Care, Best Career • Pharmacists do it Best • At the VA, Pharmacy means family. We care for our family of heros. • VA Pharmacy, you chose to be our heros, we choose to be yours. • VA Pharmacy: For those who served, the best deserved.

6. Pilot Study Action Plan • With the help of the VFLs, each VISN selected one participant site (some selected multiple sites) • Each site was sent an email with suggested initiatives • Sites picked 2 initiatives and were given 6 months to implement and assess success

7. Examples of Initiatives • Brochures for patients • Business cards for pharmacists • Banners for the pharmacy • Patient newsletters • Post a list of contact phone numbers in the pharmacy • Attend local career fairs and pharmacy meetings • Attend “brown bag” events, wear white coats and VA name badges • Add a slogan to local website

8. Additional Resources for Initiatives • On our Sharepoint site: • ASHP's "Just Ask" Campaign • Toolkit with patient brochures, greeting cards, posters, table tent cards, patient education tip sheets and buttons • VHA Healthcare Recruiter's Toolkit • Recruitment brochures, handouts, VA logos, exhibit display request, contact info for Pharmacy recruiter

9. Timeline for Image Pilot Study • Selection of 1 site from each VISN - May 1st, 2007 • Start of pilot- June 1st, 2007 • Initial follow up with each site- September 1st, 2007 • Completion of pilot- December 1st, 2007 • Compilation of comments and document collection from each site- January 1st, 2008

10. Participating Sites • 19 VISNs participated • VISN 1- Connecticut • VISN 2- Canandaigua/ROPC • VISN 3- Hudson Valley • VISN 4- Wilmington • VISN 5- Martinsburg • VISN 7- Columbia SC/Atlanta • VISN 8- San Juan • VISN 9- Louisville • VISN 10- All Sites

11. Participating Sites cont. • VISN 11- Detroit • VISN 12- Chicago Health • VISN 15- St. Louis • VISN 16- Little Rock/Jackson • VISN 18- Amarillo • VISN 19- Grand Junction, CO • VISN 20- Anchorage/Spokane • VISN 21- Martinez/Northern CA • VISN 22- San Diego • VISN 23- Omaha

12. Follow Up • It was decided that we would check in with the sites after 3 months (instead of 6 months) • We gathered comments and documents and posted them on our Sharepoint site

13. Results of the Pilot Study • Overall sites felt Image had improved after implementation of the initiatives • A couple of sites reported that their SHEP scores had not changed

14. Initiatives Completed by Sites • Banner hung in Pharmacy • Added slogan to Pharmacy website • Attended local career fairs, association meetings and brown bag events • Developed a Pharmacy brochure • Listed contact phone numbers in Pharmacy • Pharmacist printed in bold on name badges • Pharmacy Information table during Pharmacy Week

15. Initiatives Completed cont. • Poster “Get to Know Your Pharmacist” in the waiting area • Greeter in an information booth outside of Pharmacy • Remodeling of pharmacist consultation areas • Assigned pharmacists to clinic areas • Business cards for pharmacists

16. Documents Gathered • Business card template • Pharmacy patient newsletter • Pharmacy patient brochure • Poster for the Outpatient Pharmacy “What we are doing while you are waiting” • Pharmacy Mission Statement Poster

17. Example of Poster

19. Should We Continue? • We have completed our pilot • We will share what we have learned with all sites • Improving Pharmacy Image should always be continued

20. Ed Baker Renee Baker Nick Beckey Ron Boneberg David Carden Tim Cmelik Bo Cumbo David Fell Jane Gault Jim Gibson Bob Grasso Todd Harrison Charlie Hostettler Jennifer Howard Nan Hunn George Knight Ron Lovly Lynnae Mahaney Scott Mambourg Richard Martinez Angie Paniagua Jim Pessetto Jeff Ramirez Earl Rogers Frank Russell Subash Tannin Thank You to the Pharmacy Image Team from Dallas

21. VISN 1- Connecticut VISN 2- Canandaigua/ ROPC VISN 3- Hudson Valley VISN 4- Wilmington VISN 5- Martinsburg VISN 7- Columbia SC/Atlanta VISN 8- San Juan VISN 9- Louisville VISN 10- All Sites VISN 11- Detroit VISN 12- Chicago Health VISN 15- St. Louis VISN 16- Little Rock/Jackson VISN 18- Amarillo VISN 19- Grand Junction, CO VISN 20- Anchorage/ Spokane VISN 21- Martinez/ Northern CA VISN 22- San Diego VISN 23- Omaha Thank you again to the pilot sites!

22. Questions?