Managed Care Pharmacy Leaders Are Honored at Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy/AMCP Foundation Awards Dinner

Denver, Colo., March 30, 2017 — The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy and AMCP Foundation honored some of managed care pharmacy’s brightest leaders last night at the Annual Award Dinner. Eight awards were presented at the gala event held March 29 as part of the AMCP Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado.

“Every year it’s a great pleasure to recognize the outstanding men and women who are setting the standard for managed care pharmacy in the 21st Century,” says AMCP CEO Susan A. Cantrell, RPh, CAE. “Not only have these individuals excelled at the highest levels in their own careers, but they have given freely of their time and talents to advance our profession and the Academy. We are grateful for their service and the inspiration they provide to help AMCP fulfill its mission of improving health care for all.” 

The profession’s highest honor is embodied in the AMCP Foundation Steven G. Avey Award, which recognizes sustained, exemplary and distinguished service to the profession of managed care pharmacy. Receiving the award this year is John Hopkins, RPh, who retired in 2009 as CEO of Rocky Mountain Health Plans (RMHP) in Grand Junction, Colo. Hopkins is a Past President of AMCP and former Trustee of the AMCP Foundation. He joined RMHP in 1986 as head of the pharmacy department and was named president and CEO in September 2001. At RMHP, he helped create and support a managed care model that has been nationally recognized for improving health outcomes while lowering costs.  

Other awards presented at the Annual Meeting are: 

Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy (JMCP) Award for Excellence recognizes authors of the best article to appear in JMCP in the prior calendar year. This year’s award went to “Patterns of Adherence to Oral Atypical Antipsychotics Among Patients Diagnosed with Schizophrenia,” published in the November 2016 issue. Authors are: Joanna P. MacEwan, PhD; Felicia M. Forma, BSc; Jason Shafrin, PhD; Ainslie Hatch, PhD; Darius N. Lakdawalla, PhD; and Jean-Pierre Lindenmayer, MD.

New Practitioner Award recognizes an AMCP member making a significant contribution to managed care pharmacy within five years of graduation from first professional degree in pharmacy, medicine or nursing. Recipient Ashley Coleman, PharmD, is director of The Ohio State University Medication Management Program, which provides telehealth MTM services for Medicare programs, commercial insurers and pharmacy benefit managers. She oversees The Ohio State University telehealth center, which has grown from one pharmacy technician to more than 100 employees in three years. 

Preceptor Award recognizes an AMCP member making a significant contribution to managed care pharmacy by being a preceptor to student pharmacists for Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences and/or Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences focused in managed care pharmacy. Recipient Debbie Meyer, BS Pharmacy, RPh at Humana, Inc., is resident program director for Humana’s Managed Care Pharmacy Residency and serves as preceptor and faculty member for several schools of pharmacy. She also has served as President of the AMCP Affiliate for Ohio-Kentucky, as State Advocacy Chair for the Indiana, and as an AMCP Diplomat for Purdue University and Sullivan University College of Pharmacy.

Grassroots Advocacy Award recognizes an individual or group who has made significant progress around a grassroots cause. Recipient Brian Lehman, BS Pharmacy, RPh, is manager of pharmacy benefits and policy at the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. Lehman’s focus includes managing programs, services and plan design aspects of the retiree prescription drug program. He has worked on legislative and regulatory initiatives to improve patient access to affordable medications such as generics and biosimilars. 

Distinguished Service Award recognizes an AMCP member who has made exceptional and sustained contributions to AMCP over at least a five year period. Recipient Timothy (Tim) Antonelli, BS Pharmacy, RPh, is manager of clinical programs and pharmacy policy at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. He is the outgoing chair of AMCP’s Public Policy Committee, and has previously served on the Academy’s Legislative and Regulatory Action Committee and Legislative Committee.

Individual Contribution Award recognizes an AMCP member for making a significant contribution to the Academy by any means other than service as an AMCP Committee Member. Recipient Katherine (Kat) Wolf Khachatourian, PharmD, is vice president of Pharmacy Services and Strategy for Qualchoice Health Plan Services, Inc. Kat has been actively involved with AMCP as a Washington State Advocacy Coordinator, and contributor to local and national AMCP initiatives, including the recent Partnership for Pre-Approval Information Exchange development and Congressional briefings. 

Spirit of Volunteerism Award recognizes a current AMCP Committee Member for exemplary and outstanding service to AMCP over the past year. Lily Lee, PharmD, is a regional account medical science liaison at Novartis. She served as AMCP Diplomat for Touro University in Vallejo and Western Diplomat Director. She has been a member of Educational Affairs Committee and School of Pharmacy Relations Committee member as well. 

Fellows of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy: recognize an individual for sustained excellence and contribution in the pharmacy profession, and for long-term commitment and active participation in the Academy. The two recipients this year are:

• Vinson C. Lee, PharmD, MS, FCPhA, is Director, Inflammation Reimbursement, Access, and Value within US Value & Access at Amgen, Inc. He serves on the AMCP Organizational Affairs committee and has served on the Educational Affairs, Membership, and chaired the Schools of Pharmacy Relations. 
• Peter Lee, PharmD, MBA, CCHP, is Vice President of Clinical Pharmacy Services at PharmaCorr/Corizon Health. He currently serves as a member of the AMCP Finance Committee, a leader of the Southwest AMCP Affiliate, and a reviewer for JMCP. He also serves as an AMCP Co-Diplomat and Adjunct Professor for University of Oklahoma School of Pharmacy, and AMCP Diplomat and Assistant Professor for Southwestern Oklahoma State University. 

About AMCP
The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) is the nation’s leading professional association dedicated to increasing patient access to affordable medicines, improving health outcomes and ensuring the wise use of health care dollars. Through evidence- and value-based strategies and practices, the Academy’s 8,000 pharmacists, physicians, nurses and other practitioners manage medication therapies for the 270 million Americans served by health plans, pharmacy benefit management firms, emerging care models and government. www.amcp.org. 

About the AMCP Foundation 
Established in 1990, the 501(c)3 nonprofit AMCP Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP). It exists to advance collective knowledge and insights on major issues associated with the practice of pharmacy in managed health care settings. By facilitating innovative research initiatives and providing educational opportunities to learn about managed care pharmacy, the AMCP Foundation invests in the future of managed care. Visit www.amcpfoundation.org.