Chad Worz, PharmD, BCGP, president of Medication Managers, LLC, has been named executive director and chief executive officer for the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP). He will assume his position on April 2, 2018. His goal is to improve medication management for older adults by bringing the skills of senior care pharmacies to those who need them. “The golden age of pharmacy is straight ahead of us; there are just so many older adults who need our expertise,” Worz said. He will be installed at the 2018 ASCP Forum to be held May 17-18, 2018, in Arlington, Virginia.
Worz has been an ASCP member since 1998 and recently served as president of the Society’s Board of Directors. He says the experiences that senior care pharmacists bring to the rapidly changing health care environment are critical, particularly as the population continues to age. “The highest priority for ASCP is to communicate to members, solidify their place in the health system, and unlock opportunities for members to participate meaningfully anywhere medication management skills are needed,” he said. “No clinician is better positioned to affect the quality of care for older adults than the senior care pharmacist.”
Worz is well versed in the field of senior care pharmacy. For more than 10 years he has been the president of Medication Managers, LLC, in Cincinnati, Ohio, whose mission is to educate and serve nursing facility residents, facility administration, long-term care pharmacies, and the geriatric population. Worz also has been CEO of RxConcile, a telepharmacy application that connects nursing facility discharge patients with a live pharmacist for education and consultation on their medications. In addition, Worz has been the chair of “Pharmacy Over-the-Rhine,” the first not-for-profit, full-service pharmacy in the United States, which serves the inner-city population of Cincinnati.
Worz notes that there is a great opportunity to communicate the important contributions of senior care pharmacists. “Our members are doing fantastic things; we need to tell their stories and continue to support their endeavors. Pharmacy is a family, and ASCP serves as the place for senior care pharmacists to network, share, and improve their practice approaches.”
Worz takes over from Frank Grosso, RPh, who has been ASCP CEO since 2014. During Grosso’s tenure, the Society launched new online association and learning management systems and created new websites for ASCP and the ASCP Foundation. “This smooth transition highlights the health and strength of the organization,” said Worz. “This continuity shows members and others that ASCP has the right stuff.”