Drug shortages continue to pose significant challenges for hospitals and health systems. While they gained national attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacy departments have managed them for decades. During high-profile shortages, institutions must rapidly establish command centers, engage stakeholders, and implement plans for frontline staff. Once resolved, shortages often recede from immediate focus until the next crisis emerges. However, pharmacy departments consistently manage shortages on a daily basis, often without recognition.

Dr. Kyle Hoelting, Sr. Clinical Manager of Drug Information and Drug Shortages at Vizient, Dr. Heather Warhurst, Director of Drug Use Policy, Quality Initiative and Regulatory at IU Health, and Dr. Chris Nagy, Medication Sourcing and Supply Pharmacist at Intermountain Health join us to discuss a Vizient workgroup project designed to measure the impact of drug shortages and highlight the crucial role of pharmacists in their management.

Guest speakers:

Heather Warhurst, Pharm.D, MHA

Director of Drug Use Policy, Quality Initiative and Regulatory

IU Health

Chris Nagy, Pharm.D, BCPS

Medication Sourcing and Supply Pharmacist

Intermountain Health

Kyle Holting, Pharm.D, BCPS

Senior Clinical Manager of Drug Information

Vizient Center for Pharmacy Practice Excellence

Host:

Stacy Lauderdale, Pharm.D, BCPS

Associate Vice President

Vizient Center for Pharmacy Practice Excellence

VerifiedRx Host

Show Notes:

[01:18-02:29] Heather and Chris introductions

[02:30-04:00] Vizient drug shortage key performance indicators (KPI) workgroup series

[04:01-10:04] Labor and Inventory drug shortage KPIs

[07:50-16:56] Patient Safety and Stress to Front Line Staff drug shortage KPIs

[16:57-18:32] Call to Action

Links | Resources:

Key performance indicators for the management of drug shortages

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The widespread use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in children has dramatically lowered the incidence of pneumococcal disease through direct and indirect effects. Despite this progress, pneumococcal pneumonia still leads to more than 200,000 adult hospitalizations annually in the United States. Older adults, individuals with underlying health conditions, and certain racial groups continue to experience higher rates of pneumococcal disease. Dr. John Schoen, Senior Clinical Manager of Drug Information at the Vizient Center for Pharmacy Practice Excellence, joins Program Host Stacy Lauderdale to discuss the newest adult pneumococcal vaccine, PCV21, and recent updates to age-based pneumococcal vaccine recommendations.

Guest speakers:

John Schoen, Pharm.D, BCPS

Senior Clinical Manager of Drug Information

Vizient Center for Pharmacy Practice Excellence

Host:

Stacy Lauderdale, Pharm.D, BCPS

Associate Vice President

Vizient Center for Pharmacy Practice Excellence

VerifiedRx Host

Show Notes:

[01:25-02:53] Background on PCV21

[02:54-07:56] Difference between PCV20 and PCV21

[07:57-16:15] Discussing the new ACIP recommendation to move the universal age for pneumococcal vaccination from 65 years of age down to 50 years of age and older

[08:31-16:15] Why a healthy 50-year-old who has no risk factors for invasive pneumococcal disease should get a pneumococcal vaccination

[16:16-17:57] Summary of other changes in the most recent MMWR

[17:58-19:34] What organizations consider when selecting specific pneumococcal vaccines

[19:35-21:18] What’s in the pipeline for pneumococcal vaccines

Links | Resources:

Publicly available resources

Previous VerifiedRx podcasts on pneumococcal vaccines:

• What’s pneu with pneumococcal vaccines? – March 29, 2022
• What’s pneu part 2: pneumococcal vaccines update – February 13, 2024

January 2024 MMWR - ACIP recommendations for the use of PCV in adults ≥ 50 years of age

Vizient client exclusive resources

2025 pneumococcal vaccines side-by-side comparison

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Prescription opioids continue to be the most frequently misused prescription drugs in the United States, having caused nearly 300,000 deaths over the past two decades. Signed into law in 2022, the No Pain Act expands Medicare reimbursement for specific non-opioid pain management options. Carolyn Liptak, Pharmacy Executive Director in the Vizient Center for Pharmacy Practice Excellence, and Dr. Phil Mentler, Senior Consulting Director at Vizient join Program Host Stacy Lauderdale to discuss the implications of the No Pain Act, which took effect on January 1, 2025.

Guest speakers:

Carolyn Liptak, MBA, RPh

Pharmacy Executive Director

Vizient

Phillipe Mentler, Pharm.D, BCPS

Senior Consulting Director

Vizient

Host:

Stacy Lauderdale, Pharm.D, BCPS

Associate Vice President

Vizient

VerifiedRx Host

Show Notes:

[01:49-03:48] Background on the No Pain Act

[03:49-05:03] What is new as of January 1, 2025

[05:04-05:37] The difference between a hospital outpatient department versus an ambulatory surgical center

[05:38-06:30] Other drugs and or devices that are on the list other than Exparel

[06:31-07:42] What specifically prevents multi modal drugs and therapy from being added to the list

[07:43-08:24] Specific language that needs to be included in the FDA labeling for non-opioids to be considered for reimbursement under the Act

[08:25-10:50] Reimbursement basics of the NO PAIN Act

[14:32-15:44] Reimbursement

[15:45-17:04] The importance of opioids in pain management

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