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VIENNA, Va. — The Sequoia Project, a nonprofit and trusted advocate for nationwide health information technology (health IT) interoperability, has launched the Pharmacy Workgroup as part of its flagship Interoperability Matters program..
The Pharmacy Workgroup aims to close gaps in pharmacy interoperability by identifying and operationalizing information that pharmacists need to access and share with other providers and payers.
“Pharmacy interoperability supports better care coordination and patient services,” said Mariann Yeager, CEO of The Sequoia Project. “We are happy to spearhead this new initiative to collectively foster and broaden pharmacy interoperability. We are grateful for the generosity of our sponsors, Surescripts, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), and American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation for creating a space for broad stakeholder discussion, prioritization, and mobilization.”
The Sequoia Project had a series of listening sessions last year to inform the development of the Pharmacy Workgroup. Top of mind for some 100 participants was to increase awareness of the role pharmacists play as members of the care team and accelerate development and implementation of pharmacy use cases that enable patient care services.
"We are excited to get this workgroup kicked off,” said Melanie Marcus, chief marketing and customer experience officer at Surescripts. “We are taking a practical approach to advancing pharmacy interoperability and look forward to working with the highly engaged stakeholders committed to this effort, including community-retail pharmacies, health IT vendors, payers, providers, and industry associations.”
The Pharmacy Workgroup will convene monthly, co-chaired by Meg Murphy, PharmD, pharmacy and regulatory affairs manager at Surescripts, and Pooja Babbrah, executive vice president, strategy and industry alignment at the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP). The workgroup hosted a kick-off last month, welcoming 40 healthcare organizations.
“Interoperability is a critical component of advancing pharmacists’ patient care services in collaboration with other healthcare providers,” said Benjamin Bluml, RPh, APhA Foundation executive director and senior vice president of research and innovation. “The Pharmacy Workgroup is a needed forum to advance interoperability with the patient in mind and is an initiative we fully support.”
The Sequoia Project planned the Pharmacy Workgroup with the support of a steering committee of collaborative partners including Kevin Nicholson, R.Ph., JD, vice president of policy, regulatory, and legal affairs at NACDS, and Lisa Schwartz, PharmD, senior director, professional affairs at National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA).
“NACDS recognizes the Pharmacy Workgroup as a top priority initiative to enhance Americans’ access to convenient, trusted, and high-quality pharmacy services,” said Steve Anderson, president and CEO of NACDS. “Interoperability and health and wellness innovation go hand-in-hand, and NACDS is honored to engage proactively in the Pharmacy Workgroup.”
Organizations committed to evolving the care team by improving pharmacy interoperability can register to join the Pharmacy Workgroup. For more information, contact The Sequoia Project at InteropMatters@sequoiaproject.org or visit its website.
About The Sequoia Project
The Sequoia Project is a non-profit, 501c3, public-private collaborative chartered to advance implementation of secure, interoperable nationwide health information exchange. The Sequoia Project focuses on solving real-world interoperability challenges and brings together public and private stakeholders in forums, such as the Interoperability Matters cooperative, to overcome barriers. The Sequoia Project is the Recognized Coordinating Entity (RCE) for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT’s Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA). In this role, The Sequoia Project developed and will implement and maintain TEFCA’s Common Agreement component and operationalize the Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) designation and monitoring process.
