RXVIP Concierge Launches COVID-19 At-Home Testing for Colleges of Pharmacy & Universities Nationwide by Opening the Doors for Enrollment to the CareONE Concierge Academy

WESTBURY, N.Y., July 31, 2020 (Newswire.com) - RXVIP Concierge developed the CareONE Concierge Academy to help PharmD students navigate the paradigm shift in education and leverage a high-quality e-learning solution to continue their education while remaining socially distant and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the virus established a significant presence in the United States in March, final-year PharmD students grappled with challenges and concerns about completing their schooling. They also faced the fear of exposure in their chosen profession, the pressure of caring for afflicted loved ones while trying to study, concerns over the loss of potential jobs due to the economic repercussions and generalized anxiety related to the pandemic.

These circumstances set in motion a catalyst for immediate and disruptive changes across higher education in which students were thrust into a fully remote learning environment. Students were forced to make unsettling transitions such as fleeing campus and no longer interacting with classmates in person. Experiential educators from around the country looked for ways for their students to receive their education remotely starting in the spring when stay-at-home orders first hit and that need continues as we move into the fall semester and beyond.

Recognizing these challenges, along with the critical role pharmacists play during the pandemic, RXVIP Concierge rose to the occasion and devised the CareONE Concierge Academy, an effective solution tailored to meet the educational requirements of PharmD students.

The course of study delivered to students aligned to traditional APPE rotation guidelines but gave a "deeper dive" into COVID-19 testing and tracing, plus the critical need to pivot as providers of remote patient monitoring and telemedicine solutions needed to reach patients to keep them alive. PharmD students followed scheduled lectures in the mornings on all areas involved with the RXVIP Concierge approach to patient engagement and had assigned projects to complete as part of their required syllabus.

The afternoons were spent in "MAPPE" (More Advanced Professional Pharmacy Experience) to learn more about the paradigm shift that RXVIP Concierge has developed that allows PharmDs and PharmD Interns to work in physician practices and deliver value-based services that take them to the height of their diploma.

Upon completion of their rotation, they are offered the opportunity to continue on the path and be compensated as a provider the day they graduate. In addition, a Master of APPE Proficiency, the MAPPE Certification is available for students not on rotation plus licensed pharmacists who desire to advance their career by taking this continuing education program that will put the profession of pharmacy in the palm of their hand with an iPad.

“We need the next generation of health care providers to enter the profession of pharmacy now, so by giving them a career path that starts compensating them earlier while they are PharmD candidates and then giving them a guaranteed position as a PharmD the day they graduate, we will lessen the anxiety and stress they have by worrying about matching to their desired career goals. For RXVIP, they are a perfect match and we will accept 100% of the applicants who enroll starting Aug. 1 for the fall semester,” said Ken Sternfeld, RPh ​and Chief Pharmacist Officer of RXVIP Concierge. “Being able to help these resilient health care professionals entering our profession during a pandemic by assisting them in paying back their loans will also address a major chronic disease state of student debt which we feel needs to be addressed now,” Sternfeld added.

The CareONE Concierge Academy will utilize the leadership, mentoring and skill set talents of experienced educators in all fields plus offer adjunct professor positions to current PharmD candidates from 2020 and past graduates of RXVIP Concierge rotations. RXVIP Concierge recently selected its first charter faculty member: Caitlin Grenier, Success Manager for Diayst, who will lead the entire patient engagement program for diabetic care and support. Caitlin is the first of many who will be given the opportunity to participate in the e-learning solution that was created for the new COVID​-19 world.

“The birth of RXVIP Concierge was to allow pharmacists to ‘Take a Day Off From Retail Pharmacy’ and practice at the height of their professional skill set to help more patients. Flipping burgers in the fast-paced challenging work environments at retail pharmacies makes it impossible to advance your career as a health care provider as they simply do not care about you,” Sternfeld stated. “While that horrific Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM)-driven devil mentality hurts pharmacists, my desire was to create a better environment to work by developing a culture that focused on life-improvement solutions for pharmacists first,” Sternfeld added. “The CareONE Concierge Academy is a PBM that cares about pharmacists and the patients we serve as we are much more than a logo with a heart or tagline that says ‘We Care.’ Big Box retail pharmacies do not care about the pharmacists who put their licenses on the wall so they can open their stores, as they only look at the numbers,” Sternfeld concluded.

“The passion exhibited by Ken and his team is inspiring as he is dedicated to this initiative to honor the memory of his brother who was diabetic. By creating this educational and support platform at the Academy for others, it perfectly aligns with my personal and professional desire to help more diabetic patients manage their disease,” Grenier stated. "As an adult-onset diabetic patient myself, I know the need exists and now, with the support of RXVIP and the remote patient monitoring solutions our company delivers that will be taught at the Academy, we can and will deliver the care, compassion and empathy to all the patients who need our help the most,” Grenier added. “I am happy to be leading this initiative to create the DiaBuddy Club at the Academy with Ken so that together, as buddies, we can save lives,” Grenier concluded.

Sternfeld chose the Newswire Earned Media Advantage Program as its distribution and marketing partner to raise awareness about this significant development in the education and experiential world of pharmacy.

“It is inspiring to witness the educational model that RXVIP Concierge created with the Academy to empower PharmD students as they navigate major transformations in the education system,” said Melissa Fair, Newswire Earned Media Advantage Strategist. “We are excited to support the company as they mentor these aspiring pharmacists to learn how to cope with the ‘new normal.’ Newswire is a proud partner that can raise awareness of the CareONE Concierge Academy to a national level,” Fair continued. “All of these RXVIP Concierge endeavors and CareONE Concierge initiatives will go a long way in helping to establish pharmacists as valid healthcare providers,” concluded Fair.

CareONE Concierge Academy open enrollment begins on Aug. 3, 2020, and classes start Sept. 14, 2020. Visit pharmdconcierge.com to learn more. 

About RXVIP Concierge

RXVIP Concierge is a network of pharmacists, PharmDs and students of pharmacy who are committed to enhancing their roles as healthcare providers. By working collaboratively with other healthcare providers, RXVIP is able to deliver a suite of value-based services. These services increase reimbursements and enhance quality measures with the innovative PharmD Concierge program. Setting a new standard of patient engagement, the program includes training for PharmDs, PharmD interns, physicians and their staff at no cost to those team members. RXVIP Concierge seamlessly integrates these offerings with zero out-of-pocket expense for healthcare practitioners looking to add a trained PharmD to serve as their medication expert and peer professional. Visit www.rxvipconcierge.com to learn more.

About Diasyst

Diasyst provides best-of-breed technologies to empower healthcare organizations to monitor and manage their chronically ill patients. Coming from decades of research out of the diabetes clinical research team from Emory University/Healthcare and the Atlanta VA Medical Center, Diasyst specializes in developing tools that reduce clinical inertia and translate modern approaches to chronic disease management. By combining the latest monitoring devices and pharmacotherapy management guidelines into its powerful software platform, Diasyst collaborates with organizations like RXVIP Concierge to streamline new clinical services that improve patient care and generate additional revenues.

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Source: RXVIP Concierge