NCPDP Foundation Names Former U.S. Rear Admiral Pam Schweitzer to its Board of Trustees

USA - English

• USA - English

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., July 16, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The NCPDP Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization that is affiliated with NCPDP, announced today that former Assistant Surgeon General and Chief Pharmacist of the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS), Rear Admiral (RADM) Pam Schweitzer, Pharm.D., will join its NCPDP Foundation Board effectively immediately.

A long-time active NCPDP member and former NCPDP Champion Award recipient, RADM Schweitzer, now retired, has built a distinguished career in the pharmacy profession while holding leadership positions on multiple committees, task forces and advisory boards. She also volunteers her time to non-profit organizations, most recently the U.S. Public Health Service Foundation, and is the national vice chair of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Service for the Veterans Committee.

"The NCPDP Foundation is deeply honored to welcome RADM Pam Schweitzer, an acclaimed and impeccably credentialed pharmacy leader to our Board," said Mindy D. Smith, BSPharm, R.Ph., MHA, NCPDP Foundation Board Chair. "Pam's federal agency experience and contacts, IT knowledge and vast clinical pharmacy service and business proficiencies will help accelerate the NCPDP Foundation's priority of funding research projects that help increase adoption of standards-based health IT. We're excited to work with Pam, a valued NCPDP member regarded for her profound contributions."

During her 2014-2018 tenure as Chief Pharmacist Officer for PHS, RADM Schweitzer was responsible for providing leadership and coordination of PHS' pharmacy programs and professional affairs including campaigns related to public health for the Office of the Surgeon General and the Department of Health & Human Services. Prior, she served with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and held varied assignments in the Indian Health Service (IHS) and U.S. Veterans Administration.

"For more than 40 years, NCPDP has led standards development related to pharmacy services. I realize now the NCPDP Foundation plays a critical role in moving from developing standards to people actually using them, which is critical for widespread use," said RADM Schweitzer. "I am all about identifying projects and initiatives that will help accelerate adoption and drive better use of health IT standards that support the pharmacy profession. I hope to further contribute new funding connections that will help promote the NCPDP Foundation's innovative efforts to drive changes that improve health outcomes."

An adept collaborator, RADM Schweitzer brings together people to accomplish targeted goals. During her time at CMS as the technical director, she helped coordinate the writing of a regulation that has made a significant impact extending funding for Medicaid technology systems. The ruling allows states to improve customer service and support Medicaid eligibility, enrollment, and delivery systems.

In another example that is testament to her collaboration skills, she was the appointed lead to implement the Indian Health Service (IHS) and VA Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP) project. RADM Schweitzer and her team created the Interagency Agreement to solve IT privacy and security issues and developed and implemented the software to transmit and receive prescription data between the Indian Health Service pharmacy and VA CMOP. This partnership resulted in increased access to care, decreased wait times and improved the experience for Indian Health Service patients.

RADM Schweitzer has received numerous accolades for her leadership and contributions to pharmacy, including this year's Doctor of Humane Letters bestowed by the Albany College of Health Sciences and the ASHP Distinguished Leadership Award for recognizing contributions to excellence in pharmacy practice leadership in acute and ambulatory care settings, and NCPDP Work Group 10 Professional Pharmacy Services Most Valuable Participant (MVP) award for 2018.

RADM Schweitzer is currently completing her executive master's degree in health administration (EMHA) at the University of Southern California (USC) Sol Price School of Public Policy. She earned a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Pharmacy where she received the Bowl of Hygeia Award, the highest honor given to a graduating student, and a bachelor's degree in biological sciences from California State University Fullerton (CSUF). She completed the ASHP accredited residency in ambulatory care/administration at the University of California Irvine Medical Center and Board Certification in Ambulatory Care (BCACP).

About NCPDP Foundation
The NCPDP Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona and is affiliated with the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP). The NCPDP Foundation was established in December 2012 to support research, education and charitable involvement within the healthcare industry. For more information, visit http://ncpdpfoundation.org.

SOURCE NCPDP Foundation