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Volume 3, Issue 3
THE DONUT HOLE A FINAL FAREWELL The Medicare Part D Class of 2014 would like to thank each individual who
contributed to the success of our mobile clinics during this past open enrollment
season. Thirteen sites graciously hosted our clinics throughout Northern and Central
California. Over one hundred different pharmacists supervised countless student led
Medicare Part D plan reviews, medication interventions and health screenings/
services (page 6). Our clinic sponsors donated more than 2,000 health care related
items that were provided to beneficiaries in the form of “goody bags” (page 3).
Together we were able to touch the lives of 1,369 patients through the course of tour
clinic outreach season. To our readers, we sincerely appreciated the endless support
and positive feedback you provided us throughout the year. It has been a unique and
humbling experience for us to be a part of a program with the extensive impact on
the community that it has.
Sincerely, The Donations and Design Committee Medicare c/o 2014
Beckie Siu, Daniela Okino, Hasna Manghi, Jennifer Fong, Jenny Balabanian,
Jenny Pham, Sofia Campos, Tamlyn Ige, Tina Liu, and Tiffany Wong
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Click on the link!
Medicare 2014 Statistics ............ 2
What’s in a Goody Bag? ............... 3
Medicare Memories ..................... 4
Faculty Spotlight ............................ 5
Preceptor/Faculty Tribute ........ 6
Creative Caption Corner ............. 7
Medicare Classes by the Years . 8
CMS Staff Thank You’s & More . 9
"Never
underestimate
the valuable and
important
difference you
make in every
life you touch.
For the impact
you make today
has a powerful
rippling effect
on every
tomorrow.”
Spring 2015
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Medicare 2014 Clinic Season...by the Numbers
29%
16%
16%
12%
9%
6%
5%3%2%2%
Screenings Services Provided
Blood Pressure Measurements: 1,094
Diabetes Screening: 612
Cholesterol Testing: 609
Bone Density Measurement: 473
Falls Risk Assessment: 358
Memory Decline Screening: 223
Depression Screening: 189
Asthma/COPD Testing: 125
Anxiety Screening: 88
Anemia Testing: 82
3,852 free health care
screening/services provided
126
180
254
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
Interventions performed in a languageother than English
Low-income (i.e. Medicaid or Low-Income Subsidy) beneficiaries
serviced
Beneficiaries enrolled in a new Part Dplan onsite629
immunizations (flu,
pneumococcal or Tdap)
administered by students
754
Beneficiaries were assisted with their Part D plans here are the details of those interventions
All-time
record!
$1,043,429 total potential Part D plan cost savings to assisted beneficiaries
45 Medicare
Part D
Students
13 Clinic Outreach Sites
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Our 2014 Medicare outreach season kicked off with a blast as beneficiaries were seen carrying bright orange goody bags that proudly represented the University of the Pacific. This year, the Donations and Design committee decided to focus on our motto of “Partnering to Build a Healthier Community” while also consciously trying to become a little more ‘green’ at the same time. We opted for environmentally-friendly reusable bags that housed the health-related items we gave beneficiaries. We thought this was consistent in theme; we try to save beneficiaries green ($) through Part D assistance and now were going green in terms of the goody bag itself! Goody bags were a great way to thank the beneficiaries for entrusting the Medicare students with their Part D plan selection and/or medication therapy management interventions. The Medicare Class of 2014 would like to thank the following entities (see list to the right ————————————>)for donating items and/or providing funding that was used to purchase health care related items.
By Jenny Pham
What’s in a Goody Bag?
All of this would not have been possible if it were not
for your help. We sincerely thank you for your
generosity and support of our Medicare clinics.
TO OUR SPONSORS
In addition to the reusable goody bags, all
beneficiaries received a number of health-related
products including a first-aid kit, hand sanitizer
spray, facial tissue pack, lip balm, toothbrush,
dental floss, eye glass repair kit, and pedometer. The
pedometers proved to be a useful tool in
encouraging beneficiaries to exercise. Some
beneficiaries were even seen walking around the
health fairs with their new pedometers at their hips!
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Maegan Wang: “I got a full on smooch from this one lady!! It was pretty gross actually lol.”
“My favorite memory was of
this one couple who asked if
they could have a snack from
our surplus since they were
hungry. After saying yes, over
the rest of the intervention,
they ate in combination: 8
granola bars, 5 bags of chips,
and 4 fruit snacks.”
“My other favorite moment was
when he [Dr. Patel] became an
honorary hijabi”
Hasna Manghi
“When Patel shut it down for
us to party at Tandoori Nites.”
Jenny Pham
Kristine Markham: “ My favorite memory was of this elderly couple who were high school sweethearts and shared with Kevin Cameros and I their love story and how excited they were to celebrate their 70th anniversary!!”
Jenny Balabanian:
“When a beneficiary gave me a hug after we finished her intervention, and one hour later remembered to come back before she left to give me another hug - she was genuinely so happy about how much money she saved!”
MEDICARE MEMORIES By Tina Liu
“Seeing Dr. Paul Williams and his
wife Debbie attend our Medicare
event at the Northeast Community
Center. He was a former instructor
of mine, a colleague at the School of
Pharmacy for many years, and an
encouraging mentor. It was
gratifying that they would entrust
us with their Medicare Part D plans
and also allow us to perform a full
blown MTM session with them. He
privately shared with me how
thankful he was for the services we
provided. What was most difficult is
that he passed away a few weeks
after we helped him. I dedicate this
past Medicare season to him.”
Dr. Patel
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What is your favorite part of being a professor at UOP?
“Working with students and preparing them to enter the profession. It’s very cool and very important.”
What made you want to go into pharmacy?
I have always been interested in chemistry and biology. I like working with people. Pharmacy is one of those things where you can practice anywhere and I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to stay in the Chicago area because I wanted to go somewhere much warmer. It was a combination of all those things. With pharmacy, you get to work with people and solve problems with chemistry and biology. It all came together and made sense for me.
What is your favorite part of being a part of the Medicare faculty?
I like the research component and direct patient care. What I really miss when going from practice into academia is that I really like direct patient care and now I don’t really have that opportunity. But with Part D, you do get the chance to work with patients and that’s really cool. Also being able to ask questions and have the ability to develop research. You can start doing things that are good for the profession and being able to work with students and patients at the same time. That’s what I
really like.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Still here [in Stockton] teaching, continuing to work, and developing things that I’m interested in - like research and teaching classes. I hope to develop more electives and different ways to assess and teach students to be the best pharmacists
possible. I see myself in this chair.
What are your hobbies?
I am a musician, so I play guitar, sing, write and record music, make albums, and play live with my band. I also like to draw and oil paint, but am not able to do those often because I am busy and don’t have as much time for them as I would like. But I practice with the
band every week at least and love playing live. My favorite part of being a musician is writing music.
What are your favorite restaurants in Stockton?
Market Tavern, Breadfruit Tree, Mile Wine, The Abbey, Papapavlov’s, Lincoln Cellar, Centrale.
Where are you from and what cities
have you lived in?
I grew up in Lockport, Illinois, then went to school at the University of Illinois. After that, I went to the University of Colorado for only a semester; lived there for a year and then went to pharmacy school in Iowa City, Iowa.
I moved to Stockton in 1997. My wife was originally from the Bay Area but went to school in Chicago. She went to law school with one of my best friends/roommates from undergrad so I met her through him. She graduated law school a year before I graduated pharmacy school and moved out to Stockton while I was still on rotations. Her dad used to work in
Stockton, so her first job was here in Stockton through contacts of her dad. She was initially commuting with her dad from the Bay, but he likes to be at work at 7:30 in the morning, even with an hour and 15 minute commute. Neither of us are morning people so that didn’t work out very well because she was making him late all the time. She finally just said “I’m going to move to Stockton.” Our plan was that I was going to move here and we would live in Stockton for 5 years...still here after 17 or 18 years! Stockton has grown on me like a fungus; it’s home now. I like my house and my friends around here, so it’s okay. We’re here for a long time...Beautiful Stockton, cheers!
DR. ROGAN’S TOP
FIVE ALBUMS
1. Rolling Stones - Sticky
Fingers
2.
3. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
4. Cake - Fashion Nugget
1. Bob Dylan - Blood on
the Tracks
2. Led Zepplin - Houses
of the Holy
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FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: MEET DR. ED ROGAN BY JENNY BALABANIAN & DANIELA OKINO
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We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to you for donating your time
and support during this year’s clinic outreach season. We were truly inspired to see
your passion for our profession, thankful for your mentorship, and your dedication to
giving back to the community. Thank you so much for all that you have done for us.
Our Mobile Medicare Clinics would not have been possible without you!
TO OUR PRECEPTORS:
PHARMACIST PRECEPTOR/FACULTY TRIBUTE
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CREATIVE CAPTION CORNER
Submitted by
Nicole Nguyen
Medicare c/o 2014
He has 45 days of music on his computer or ~1400 albums
His first concert was — Pink Floyd in 1986
If he could meet any musician (dead or alive) who would it be?
Neil Young and he would like to jam with him ! Jimi Hendrix would be his second choice though.
What’s his favorite yoga pose?
“All the ones that don’t hurt! I don’t have a favorite because I just started and they are all very challenging. I started going to the class at Baun in January. It’s really cool though, I’m probably more flexible than I’ve been in a long time, like since I was about 12. Now I can put shoes and socks on while standing without falling or holding onto anything. It also helps for running, because there is a lot of core strength involved so it helps my flexibility, my knee and my back.”
Would he ever wear yoga pants in public?
“No! And that’s a public service.”
About Dr. Ed Rogan
MORE FUN FACTS
Each issue we have asked the
Medicare class to get their
creative juices flowing and come
up with a clever caption for the
photo provided. This time the
winning submission was not a
caption. Instead, current
Medicare student Nicole Nguyen
found the original inspiration for
the picture. It was taken from
the cover art of Take Care, the
second studio album by
artist Drake.
By Hasna Manghi
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“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” —Vincent Van Gogh
As we close out another great year, we understand our success are built on the strong foundation laid down by previous
Medicare classes. Now that our time has come to an end, we welcome the new Medicare Class of 2015 (the 9th Medicare
class). We are eager to see all you will accomplish. Each number above corresponds to the Medicare class at Pacific and
is shaped by the names of the student’s participating in that class...while the colors indicates the color of each class’s
Medicare polo. Zoom in for a closer look!
MEDICARE CLASSES THROUGH THE YEARS
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DID YOU KNOW?
Support staff from the Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) provided
support (whether in person or
through a designated phone
line) at each of our 2014
mobile clinics. The help of our
friends at CMS enabled us to
assist a record number of
beneficiaries!
A special thank you to the CMS
staff who kindly donated their
time and expertise to help us:
Abraham Estrada Beth Simon
Charlie Chaleunsy Cherry Castaneda
Christina Leath Jeannette Tam Kaihe Akahane
Ken Gardner Rita Akpan
Lucy Saldana
2014 MEDICARE PART D FAST FACTS
In 2014, more than 37 million Medicare beneficiaries were
enrolled in a Medicare drug plan; an increase of 2 million
compared to 2013, and 15 million since 2006.
Over half of all beneficiaries were enrolled in a plan sponsored by
UnitedHealth, Humana, or CVS Caremark.
On average, Medicare beneficiaries had a choice of 35 PDPs and 15
MA-PD from which to choose to get their Rx drug coverage.
Seventy two percent of all PDPs have a preferred pharmacy
network.
The average monthly Part D premium was $37.27.
Source: Hoadley, J., Summer, L., Hargrave, E., et al;,Medicare Part D in Its Ninth Year: The
2014 Marketplace and Key Trends, 2006-2014, The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation,
[Aug 18, 2014 ] Date accessed Mar 2, 2015
OTHER RESOURCES:
Medicare website:
Medicare.gov
Medicare hotline:
1-800-MEDICARE
Health Insurance Counseling
& Advocacy Program
(HICAP):
1-800-434-0222
KEEP IN CONTACT
University of the Pacific’s Medicare
Helpline:
209-946-7728
University of the Pacific’s Medicare
Website:
http://www.pacific.edu/Academics/Schools-and-Colleges/
Thomas-J-Long-School-of-Pharmacy-and-Health-Sciences/
Community-Health-Services/Medicare-Part-D.html
Remember Medicare Part D plan premiums,
deductibles, cost-sharing and formularies
change annually, so be sure to review to instruct
beneficiaries to review their plan at least
annually!