Author: Brittany Bates, PharmD, BCPS; OSHP President-Elect
The current situation we are dealing with regarding COVID-19 has certainly created a great deal of uncertainty in our personal and professional lives. There are plenty of disappointments and frustrations that we are all dealing with: cancelled professional meetings, workload and workflow changes, moving pharmacy education to the virtual world, and dealing with public health concerns. Throughout these challenging times, I hope you try to find some silver linings: perhaps the satisfaction of trying new things or challenging yourself/your team to be innovative in the way we conduct our business. The way we react and respond to this event will likely pave the way in which our profession continues to evolve. Teamwork and innovative thinking will help us prevail through COVID-19, and remember when facing difficult circumstances...this too shall pass.
Other OSHP updates that I wanted to pass along include the new formation of a provider status implementation task force. The goal of this task force is to work alongside other state organizations as pharmacist provider status takes shape in Ohio. Thank you to Alex Hoffman for leading the task force! Changes within our practice scope are already beginning to change in response to COVID-19, with the recent incorporation of pharmacy personnel to administer testing. Reimbursement for these activities and continued advocacy for the ability to perform and be reimbursed for services we provide to patients remain on ongoing challenge.
An exciting update for this fall is that OSHP will be moving our Residency Showcase to a new venue at the Columbus Convention Center. Thank you to Jordan Long, Jessie Winters, and Bob Parsons for making this move possible! And lastly, stay tuned for information regarding a new date for the OSHP Annual Meeting which was postponed from the May 7th and 8th dates. Thank you to the Educational Affairs Division and all those who have submitted CE for your hard work up until this point. We appreciate the patience of our members as we continue to plan and adapt to these unique circumstances.
