Join us at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, Arizona on November 14 – 16 for the 2022 Premier Continuum of Care and Premier Business and Industry Continuum 2022.
Each year, one of the highlights for Premier Alternate Site programs is the time spent interacting with our members, Sponsors, suppliers, and staff at our National Meeting and Expo. In 2020, we were particularly excited to launch a newly expanded and inclusive Premier Alternate Site Programs National Meeting and Expo to reflect the growing prominence of our program.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented our industry with unprecedented challenges. With that in mind, we made the difficult decision to cancel our in-person 2020 Premier Alternate Site Programs National Meeting and Expo and host this event virtually.
In spite of these challenges, the Virtual Meeting and Expo was a success on all levels. With over 600 total attendees, 80 suppliers in our virtual exhibition hall, eight hours of continuing education accredited sessions, and much more, the meeting incorporated many of the elements that make our National Meeting and Expo an annual can’t-miss event.
Please enjoy this brief meeting recap, and we look forward to seeing you in person in 2021!
Our inaugural virtual meeting launched with a message from Premier Leadership by Michael J. Alkire, President of Premier. He offered a spirited welcome addressing everything from this year’s challenges concerning COVID-19 and how Premier’s solutions like stockd are part of a strategy to deliver the next generation of solutions to improve the healthcare supply chain. Next, John Sganga, Premier’s Senior Vice President of Alternate Site Programs, elaborated on how Premier Alternate Site Programs successfully pivoted in 2020, breaking from “business as usual” and developing new programs and processes to support our members in their time of need.
This year’s virtual meeting featured educational programming sessions organized into three parallel tracks curated to meet the needs of all attendees: 1) improving clinical and compliance outcomes; 2) navigating regulatory and legislative changes; and 3) enhancing business management and operations. The three tracks included 8 sessions, with over eight hours of accredited continuing education sessions for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, long-term care administrators, and nurses.
All three tracks featured subject matter experts and thought leaders who shared their knowledge with attendees in an interactive virtual setting. Prominent sessions included effective strategies for responding to COVID-19 at your facility, policy updates impacting infection prevention, marketing strategies to deploy during a pandemic, and more.
Continuing Education Opportunities Available for Home Study
Did you miss the opportunity to join this year’s Virtual Meeting and Expo? If you still need continuing education, look no further! Many of the live programs from this year’s event are now being offered for home study. A total of 7 programs are available, each offering 1 contact hour for pharmacists and technicians for a maximum of 7 ACPE home-study contact hours.
Our virtual exhibition hall was spread out over two days, providing the opportunity for attendees to interact with our contracted suppliers and stockd sellers in their digital booths. In addition to downloading collateral and viewing videos, attendees engaged with suppliers in “face-to-face” video discussions in the virtual booths.
In addition to the main exhibition hall, attendees also had the opportunity to connect with the Premier Alternate Site team and learn about Premier programs, including our online marketplace stockd, clinical programs, pharmacy operations improvement offerings, and more.
In addition to the educational programming, our meeting featured general sessions with engaging topics that appealed to all attendees. Our speakers included David Ropeik, a leading expert on risk management; Douglas Fish, Professor and Department Chair at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy, and Blair Childs, Premier’s SVP of Public Affairs and Washington, DC insider. They covered pressing topics focusing on the current pandemic, the elections, and healthcare policy.
Despite this switch to a virtual platform, we’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback regarding the 2020 Premier Alternate Site Programs Virtual Meeting and Expo. In our post-meeting survey, 100 percent of respondents indicated they plan to attend next year!
Thank you to all of our members, Sponsors, suppliers, and staff who made this year’s meeting successful, and please save the date for our 2021 Premier Alternate Site Programs National Meeting and Expo, scheduled for October 17 – 20 at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix.