What’s the benefit? The National Association of Specialty Pharmacy announced its plan last week to create advisory councils for major stakeholders in the pharmacy industry. They include Specialty Pharmacy Providers, Pharmaceutical/ Biotechnology Manufacturers, Managed Care Organizations, Institutional Pharmacy, and GPOs and Distributors, according to a news release. Corporate or individual NASP members may volunteer to be council members starting in November, after which the board of directors will make the final decision on appointees.

Why it works: With the new advisory councils, NASP members will have another channel for participation in their association. “The establishment of advisory councils gives a formal voice to all NASP stakeholders with regard to membership, policy, education, and other NASP activities,” Mike Ellis, president of the NASP board of directors, said in a statement. “We will be encouraging members to serve on an advisory council and by doing so take a more active role in the progress of NASP and advocacy for the specialty-pharmacy industry.”

Other benefits: NASP specializes in specialty-pharmacy education. Members have free access to the NASP Center for Specialty Pharmacy Education as well as monthly webinars. Topics are broad, such as specialty pharmacy and benefit verification, and more specific, such as rheumatoid arthritis and biosimilars.

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