Medication Experts Convene in Orlando to Discuss Drug Safety, Prescription Drug Benefit

Newswise — WHAT: The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) will bring together national healthcare industry experts in Orlando to discuss medication safety initiatives and developments in pharmacy practice and patient care. Current events in healthcare, including off-label prescribing, the pharmacist's role in treating chronic diseases, and the impact of the Medicare outpatient prescription drug benefit are featured in the meeting's educational sessions. Top medication experts will be available to interview for stories about:

- The pros and cons of off-label prescribing- Balancing pharmacists' right of conscience with patients' right of access to therapy- Pharmacists role in ensuring patient safety in hospitals

WHEN: June 25-28, 2006WHERE: Walt Disney Swan & Dolphin ResortWHO: Featured Speaker: Donna Shalala, Ph.D., President, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fla.Dr. Shalala, the longest-serving Secretary of Health and Human Services, and current president of the University of Miami, has more than 25 years of experience as an accomplished scholar, teacher, and administrator. Her presentation, delivered in her warm and personable style, will offer insight into the health care challenges that face the U.S.

Available for Interviews: - Henri R. Manasse, Jr., Ph.D., Sc.D., ASHP Executive Vice President and CEO, - Jill E. Martin, Pharm.D., FASHP, ASHP President- Gerald McEvoy, Pharm. D., ASHP assistant vice president of drug information and editor, AHFS DI

For more than 60 years, ASHP has helped pharmacists who practice in hospitals and health systems improve medication use and enhance patient safety. The Society's 30,000 members include pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who practice in inpatient, outpatient, home-care, and long-term-care settings, as well as pharmacy students. For more information about the wide array of ASHP activities and the many ways in which pharmacists help people make the best use of medicines, visit ASHP's Web site, www.ashp.org, or its consumer Web site, http://www.SafeMedication.com.