IN THIS ISSUE

Hello Pacific Medicare Family,

We are thrilled to introduce our very first Medicare Part D class newsletter, The Donut Hole! Thanks to everyone who voted on naming the newsletter…and a special mention to Binita Patel who suggested it.

This newsletter is a way to connect all of us – and by us, I mean everyone that participated in our Medicare class in the past, our current class, preceptors and volunteers – and to share what has been achieved to date and what we plan to do in the future. We can only hope that this will be your go-to-guide for getting information on our outreach events, Medicare Part D updates, class evolution, and many surprises…so stay tuned.

The Medicare Part D class of 2012 is the largest Medicare class yet with 42 students! Our class is composed of many student leaders who are involved in ASP, the Alternative and Integrative Medicine committee, IPSF, NCCCP, Children’s

Awareness Committee, Drug Awareness Committee, Operation Heart, Operation Immunization, AMCP, CAPSLEAD, CSHP, Kappa Psi, Lambda Kappa Sigma, NCPA, Rho Pi Phi, Phi Delta Chi, VNCares and many more organizations and committees. Another new addition to the course this year is our own Top 200 Drug list composed of the most common medications used by elderly patients. Aside from the Medicare Part D lecture material, we are also tested on this drug list on a weekly basis. The goal is to become more familiar with the medications so that we can work more effectively with beneficiaries when providing the MTM intervention during our outreach events this fall. We are anxious and sometimes overwhelmed by the workload, but we can already tell how this class will shape us into better future pharmacists and help us make a positive impact on the lives of those we serve.

Question of the Day Students of the 2012 Medicare class answer the question, “What are you most looking forward to about

the upcoming Part D outreach events?” Page #3

2nd annual Roast N’ Toast The day that graduating Medicare Part D students look forward to – busting Dr. Patel’s chops!

Page #4

A New Form of Communication by Zohal Fazel

Volume 1 Issue 1 June 2012

THE DONUT HOLE JUNE 2012 | Volume 1 Issue 1

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Aaron Tran George David Marise Awad Amy Liu Janine Lastimosa Natalie Hajian Angelie Do Jennifer Nguyen Peter Lai Anne Huynh Jessica Liang Radha Changela Athena Xides Joanne Reeve Shelly Matsumura Benicia Ortiz Johanna Lopez Shu Lu Carmen Chung Kaki Cheung Sila Ozdemir Caroline Hogg Kelly Chen Susan Deng Christina Go Kenneth Wang Tien Tran Daniel Kim Kim Greene Tiffany Chu David Odabashyan Kim-Anh Vo Urvish Italia Eilbra Younan Kimberly Kwok Vittoria Ledesma Elizna (Liz) Van Zyl Lana Nguyen Yu Hsiu (Yolly) Liu Emily Hsu Lauren Epperson Zohal Fazel

Introducing the Medicare Part D Class of 2012

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Within a few weeks I have learned so much that is applicable to the field of pharmacy, and I know the

knowledge I will gain from this class will be invaluable for my career in pharmacy. I really hope to be able to make a

difference in the community along with my colleagues, and this is the perfect class to accomplish that.

-Kenny Wang

Wearing those polo’s with pride!

-Caroline Hogg

I'm looking forward to working with all of my great classmates to help out the elderly with this complicated entity

known as "Medicare." -Amy Liu

I am personally looking forward to providing MTM services to Medicare

beneficiaries at future health fairs, as well as educating beneficiaries

about their Medicare plans. – Aaron Tran

Applying what I have learned in class to lessen the financial burden of at least

some Medicare beneficiaries. -George David

I am looking forward to working alongside my

colleagues to make a positive impact on beneficiaries’ health

and pocketbooks. There's nothing more satisfying than their smiles and gratitude for

our services -Chrissy Go

What I am looking forward to the most, is to educate patients about the pros and cons of medications,

to use medication as a tool to improve quality of life, and to select the most cost effective healthcare

plan. -Angelie Do

I am looking forward to learning all of the INs and OUTs of Medicare so that

I can help beneficiaries with their plan selection.

-Jennifer Nguyen

I am looking forward to helping the elderly, because I believe they are overwhelmed with most things associated with their healthcare and I want to help simplify things as much as

possible for them; whether it’s by helping them save money by choosing an appropriate

Medicare Part D plan or by simplifying their medication therapy. -David Odabashyan

I am looking forward to utilizing all that we have learned in class in helping

Medicare patients save money and feel better with our unlimited knowledge of medications and ability to explain the simple Medicare system. -Daniel Kim

I am excited to utilize all the knowledge I gain this semester to

assist patients in choosing the most beneficial and economical

Medicare plan.

-Carmen Chung

Helping patients save money!! And to know that I'm making a positive

difference in people's lives -Kelly Chen

I'm looking forward to getting to know my fellow classmates a lot more, and applying

what I learn to help others in the community. -Jessica Liang

I am looking forward to learn a lot and use that knowledge to benefit

those I will meet.

-Lana Nguyen

Assisting the Medicare

beneficiaries, attending the

outreach events, getting to know my

classmates better and becoming a Medicare

expert!

-Kim Greene

I am excited to be the positive change in a patient's life.

–Kimberly Kwok

Taking my knowledge and

applying it to benefit others

-Peter Lai I am looking forward to helping people save tons of money and helping them

understand their Medicare plans which are super confusing -- even to me!

-Susan Deng

I am looking forward to being able to apply what we learn in the classroom into our interactions with our patients. This is a great opportunity to further our

consultation and MTM therapy skills and at the same time, help our patients leave our events with a greater understanding of their medications and the

best Medicare plan for their needs. -Sila Ozdemir

I am most looking forward to

working with all my classmates to help improve the

quality of healthcare for the participants that

attend our events.

-Benicia Ortiz

Forming memories to share at future "Roast and Toast" reunion

parties -Anne Huynh

I am most looking forward to meeting all the beneficiaries! My favorite part of working at the Medicare events was to chat with the patients and see how they are doing in every aspect of life. Hopefully, I can

now save them some money! -Emily Hsu

Looking forward to educating patients about their medications such as providing them with information about drug interactions and side-effects, and ultimately being a

friend who they can count on to get well and to stay healthy. -Eilbra G. Younan

I'm looking forward to learning a lot from this class and my peers and applying my knowledge to help

the underserved and minority populations! - Athena Xides

I am looking forward to learning as much as I can about Medicare Part D, and being able to help the elderly in health care outreach events in the fall. I want to see the smiles on their faces, and let them know that we really care about them, and we will try our best to make sure that they are healthy and happy.

-Shu Lu

I’m really looking forward to interacting with the "older" community and also helping them! -Johanna Lopez

I am looking forward to learning the "ins and

outs" of Medicare so that I can better assist

beneficiaries with the confusing process. -Lauren Epperson

I look forward to seeing our hard work come to fruition in a positive and

productive manner. -Joanne Reeve

I look forward to working with my team and seeing the positive outcomes for

everyone involved.

-Kaki Cheung

Getting to know my classmates better, helping patients use their medications better, saving

them money and having a lot of fun! -Liz Van Zyl

I am looking forward to being able to apply what I learn in class and helping a lot of people.

-Shelley Matsumura

I'm looking forward to having all our knowledge come together to help patients with their medications and getting to know my classmates better. -Marise Awad

I look forward to changing people’s lives

for the better. -Natalie Hajian

Spreading smiles among the elderly, and receiving invaluable gratification of having made a difference

in the community -Radha Changela

I'm looking forward to meeting the beneficiaries, helping them pick the most cost-effective plan, and getting to know my fellow peers! -Vittoria Ledesma

I am looking forward to being a sponge and just absorbing all the Medicare knowledge so that I

can best help educate patients about their plan, help them choose a cost-effective plan, and

provide MTM services to increase the quality of care for the elders as they deserve it.

-Urvish Italia

I'm looking forward to simply interacting with the Medicare patients,

most especially the elderly. I do enjoy their

company and just being able to put a smile on their faces by helping

them with their Medicare benefits is a huge plus for

me. -Janine Lastimosa

I am looking forward to being able to make a difference in those in need

and looking back on this experience years from now, reflecting on what great opportunities and memories I gained from this class. I know that this course is going to unlock many

doors for my pharmacy career at Pacific and I am so excited to finally

see what is beyond them!

-Zohal Fazel

I look forward to working with my classmates towards all of the goals we signed up for prior to coming into the Medicare Part D class. It will be

arduous but I believe that the class as a whole will grow and bond through these stressful times. I

can't wait! -Yolly Liu I am looking forward to

making others smile. I am excited and thankful of

the participants in letting us learn and apply what we learn in class to real

life settings.

-Tiffany Chu

I look forward to applying this knowledge to help as many elderly patients as I can. I hope to gain more knowledge about MTM. I also love to get to know classmates and Dr. Patel better. I know this will be an awesome experience.

-Tien Tran

1) To give Dr. Patel a hard time, 2) To learn, apply, and experience great memories, 3) To catch drug interactions during MTMs intervention and resolve the issues. And lastly, to smile back at the beneficiaries when they say "Thank you!"

-Kim-Anh Vo

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Grad week is an exciting time for all pharmacy students – the 3

rd years are

back in town getting ready to graduate, 2

nd years are anxious about rotations,

and 1st

years are looking forward to the future that awaits them. A small subset of the student population looks forward to one event in particular – Dr. Patel’s Roast N’ Toast. The entire event was organized by Medicare Class of 2011 students Stephanie Chen, Stephanie Jeffcoach, Alyssa Hobby, Mika Bhakta, Aesun Kim, Jennifer Rodriguez, and Carly Ranson. The “Sensational Seven”, as Dr. Patel called them, did an amazing job keeping everyone entertained. After some initial mingling and eating, Dr. Patel took the stage to explain the planned activities and to welcome back the 3

rd year students. He started off by

thanking the faculty members involved in the Medicare Part D class with special acknowledgements to Drs. Woelfel and Walberg who helped create the course 6 years ago, and Drs. Carr-Lopez and Galal for joining forces 3 years ago. Dr. Patel, with sincere appreciation in his voice, also thanked all of the students involved in the course for their dedicated service to the community. There were students representing all 6 years of the Medicare Part D course present at the event. The first activity was a Medicare Mania game which was basically a battle between the classes. The 1

st years were

definitely at a disadvantage since we had just started the course. The questions were presented in the Jeopardy format with topics including various parts of the Part D benefit. As expected, the real competition was

between the 2rd

and 3nd

year students. Ultimately, the 2

nd

years won the game and were rewarded with candy. Afterwards, we watched a brief slideshow chronicling the 3

rd years’

Medicare Part D experiences. A few 3

rd years got to go home with

some gift cards after winning a raffle prize.

The moment we were all waiting for had finally arrived – it was time for the 3

rd years to roast Dr. Patel. As the event

MC Carly Ranson scoured the audience for volunteers, Desiree Hsiou offered to go first. Desiree spoke candidly about how Dr. Patel would pick on her throughout class and she was ready to get him back. She told us about the “Dolla for a Holla” story, poked fun at Dr. Patel’s appearance, and warned us about his ‘tricky’ exam questions. Once the laughter subsided, Desiree expressed her gratitude for Dr. Patel’s guidance throughout pharmacy school and thanked him for the opportunity to be part of such an amazing class and experience. Surprisingly, Carly could not entice any more of her fellow Part D-ers to get on stage so the event was a little tamer than Dr. Patel had expected; however, he has been warned about the brutality that awaits him next year from the Medicare Class of 2011. The Roast N’ Toast concluded with some heartfelt words from the 3

rd years.

It is clear that the Medicare Part D course has not only positively impacted the beneficiaries that are served, but also the students who are involved. The 3

rd years have graduated and are looking

forward to residencies or beginning their pharmacy careers, the 2

nd years are

already preparing for next year’s roast as motivation for getting through 6

th

semester, and the 1st

years are eager to learn more about Medicare before the outreach events later this year. And so, the Medicare Part D family continues to grow and evolve.

2nd Annual Roast N’ Toast by Natalie Hajian

Above: Dr. Patel awaits the Roast of the graduating Part Ders

Below: Party favors for the graduates included these photo frames inspired by the Medicare insurance card

(photo credit: Dua Moua)

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FUN FACTS ABOUT THE 2011 MEDICARE PART D CLASS ACHIEVEMENTS! By Radha Changela

Outreach Activity

o 13 outreach events in 5 cities (Stockton, Lodi, Modesto, Palo Alto and San Jose)

o Total number of outreach hours completed by class members = 1619 hours

Community Impact o Total number of beneficiaries assisted with their Part D plan at the various outreach events: 540

o Number of Beneficiaries helped in a language other than English: 116 (21%)

o Number of low-income (i.e., dual-eligible [Medicare & Medicaid] or Low-Income Subsidy receiving)

beneficiaries served: 166 (31%)

o Number of individuals that were helped applying for the low-income subsidy: 19

Big savings ($$$)

o Total potential Part D plan cost savings to beneficiaries assisted: $368,660

o Average of $813.82/beneficiary

Vaccinations (Flu, Pneumococcal, Shingles)

o Total number of individuals vaccinated at Medicare outreach events: 429

Medication Therapy Management o Number of beneficiaries who had never received MTM services, and hence received MTM services for the first

time at our Medicare outreach event: 413

o Number of patients for whom the prescriber was contacted with suggested recommendations about

prescription therapy based on a severe medication-related issue that was identified: 103 (21.5%)

Severe Medication-related issues identified o Number of patients taking a medication on the Beers list: 47 (9.5%)

o Number of patients who had a severe drug-drug interaction identified: 37 (8%)

o Number of patients with one or more untreated conditions: 25 (5%)

o Number of patients with therapeutic duplication in medications: 20 (4%)

o Number of patients taking a medication contraindicated for them: 19 (4%)

In honor of their efforts, here are the 2011 Medicare students that have made these incredible achievements possible:

Aesun Kim Dina Hoang Lauren Ujihara Seth Gomez Alyssa Hobby Erin Boos Marlyn Nicolas Stephanie Chen Andrew Miller Henry Lee Michael Shioji Stephanie Jeffcoach Angela Wong Jennifer Rodriguez Michelle Moon Suzanna Tashdjian Anh Pho Jodi Ott Nataliya McElroy Tina H. Tran Anil Mallya John Schmidt Neha Rahan Van Duong Bhumika Bhakta Katie Nguyen Nichole Saqueton Vivian Tran Binita Patel Keira Domer Orkideh Moghaddam Xiao Wen (Lisa) Jiang Caitlin Mizoshiri Kenny Cheng Runyu (Jennie) Chen Yousef Trabouly Carly Ranson Laura Hwang Sean Chu Yvonne Mai We would also be remiss if we did not acknowledge the volunteer pharmacist preceptors that donated a collective 1398 hours of their time to help out. Finally, we want to thank the entire Pacific faculty, especially Drs. Rajul Patel, Mark Walberg, Joseph Woelfel, Sian Carr-Lopez, Suzanne Galal, and Berit Gundersen (who joined the Part D family this year) who have guided this class to its success.

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Andrew Haydon Andy Ngov

Ann Bui Ashley Rummel Christine Phou Desiree Hsiou

Duong Nishiguchi Eileen Kim Emily Tong

EnBo Li Florence Tan

Grace Lee Hue Pham

Huong Thai Julie Na

Katie Highsmith Kevin Leahy

Kelly Nesseth King Yee Law

Melanie Delos Santos Natalie Kwan Nina Nguyen

Noren Lopez Rosemary Kim

Sam Valle-Oseguera Sherry Thompson

Tammie Chau Tami Ogino

Tong Lee Tracey Huey

Vinay Panchal Vivian Nguyen

Congratulations graduating Medicare

Part D students! (Medicare Class of 2010)

Good luck on your future endeavors!

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Medicare Part D Classes

2007 Bao-Chau Tran Kristine Chin Sadaf Gowani Chau Phan Laura Chun Samuel Tong Chris Dold Lisa Hernandez Sarah Jane Brandes Grant Nakahara Matt Christiansen Tanya Thane Honest Dang Mina Kim Teresa Dai-Zovi Kelly Schlauch Nick Baker Vahe Guerbidjian Kim Hawk Nisha Saini

2008 Alana Lee Gregory Aung Pamela Tien Amanda Wright Heather Wong Rachel Giroux Carly Auch Janjri Desai Saduf Ashfaq Claire Nguyen Julie Guglielmo Sean Agazanof Daniel Chang Mallory Iha Shawna Roush Edward Lee Marisa Chun Tony Stricker Eric Wang Nikki Nunokawa Ventura Medina

2009 Angela AuYoung Eric Dehner Katie Ahn Lyna Dao Poonam Gandhi Brenda So Grace Shin Kevin Lau Matt Serna Pritha Singh Corine Peterson Jennifer Chen Kim Diep May Acasio Richard Pigao Dana Gonzalez Jennifer Dang Kimmai Nguyen Navi Kaur Sue Lor Edward Yen Jonathan Fat Lois Lee Nicole Franklin Tina Altomeh

Those Who Came Before Us by Zohal Fazel

After looking at the statistics (we know who loves that), it is evident that the Medicare Part D class has come a long way since its initiation at Pacific. An outreach summary of 2007-2011 shows a total of 1614 beneficiaries assisted, including 556 low income individuals and 420 non-English speakers. The aggregate total estimated out-of-pocket savings on prescription drug costs for assisted beneficiaries is $865,927. Vaccination administration and MTM intervention began 2 years ago during which a total of 637 vaccinations were administered and 944 were provided MTM services; furthermore, a severe medication-related issue was identified and addressed in 181 beneficiaries. Collectively over the years, each Medicare Part D class has contributed their time and energy to make a difference in so many people’s lives. We send our sincere thanks to the former students and pharmacist preceptors that contributed to the advancement of the Medicare Part D program at Pacific.

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What’s to come in the next issue of The Donut Hole:

Stay tuned.....

Save the date – we will be announcing the dates and locations of the

Medicare Part D Outreach events next semester

Medicare Part D updates – Changes in the 2013 benefit

Getting to know the 2012 Medicare Class….some interesting personalities

Preceptor Recognition

Special thanks to: Dua Moua Zohal Fazel Sarah Higgins Radha Changela Aesun Kim Kelly Chen Natalie Hajian Benicia Ortiz