LEADING HEALTHCARE ISSUES AND NOTABLE SPEAKERS TO HEADLINE HDMA 2009 DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE & TECHNOLOGY EXPO

Arlington, VA – February 4, 2009 –The Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA), the national association representing primary healthcare distributors, will hold its annual 2009 Distribution Management Conference (DMC) and Technology Expo from March 15-18, 2009 in Baltimore, MD.  This year’s conference, Experience Relentless Innovation in the Healthcare Supply Chain, highlights the industry’s most pressing business, policy and technology issues affecting the U.S. healthcare supply chain. 

“HDMA’s goal is to provide timely, informative and thought provoking content and speakers at each of our conferences. With the nation’s focus on healthcare reform and the new Administration, the 2009 DMC is of particular importance,” said John M. Gray, HDMA President & CEO.  “We are pleased to present our members, supply chain partners and the broader healthcare community with an opportunity to meet and address today’s most critical issues, working to enhance the safety, value and efficiency of the healthcare supply chain.”

Speakers and topics include:

• A keynote address by Kevin Ashton, expert on innovation and RFID, which will outline ways to apply the principles of relentless, front-line innovation.

• Newsweek’s Senior Washington Correspondent and Political Columnist Howard Fineman on The First 100 Days: A Look into the New Presidential Administration, which will examine the major challenges and opportunities President Obama and the new Administration face, including healthcare reform;

• Upcoming regulatory initiatives of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with Mark Caverly, Chief, Liaison and Policy Section, Office of Diversion Control, DEA;

• Federal and state pedigree updates with Sieglinde (Missy) Johnson, Senior Legislative Assistant, California State Business and Professions Committee; and Allison Hite, Legislative Assistant to Representative Steve Buyer, U.S. House of Representatives;

• Best practices and new tactics to combat cargo theft and pharmaceutical diversion while in transit, with Charles Forsaith, Director, Supply Chain Security, Purdue Pharma L.P.;

• Pharmaceutical waste management issues and initiatives at the Environmental Protection Agency and the impact on reverse distribution, with Charlotte Smith, President, PharmEcology® Associates, LLC.

• Effective recall processes, with Tom Renkey, Principal, TJR Consulting Services; and Bea Haupt, JD, CPHQ, Program Manager, Materials Management, Inova Health System;

• “2009 Healthcare Marketplace Trends,” featuring Doug Long, Vice President, Industry Relations, IMS Health.

The DMC & Technology Expo is a major industry event for healthcare industry leaders. Each year, leading business, policy and technology executives gather to gain the latest information, network with industry leaders and develop new strategies to drive innovation in the healthcare supply chain.

The conference is open to individuals from both HDMA member and non-member companies.  Some sessions are closed to the media to provide an open forum for industry professionals.

The conference will be held at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront hotel in Baltimore, MD. Registration and additional conference information can be found at www.healthcaredistribution.org.

About HDMA
The Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA) is the national association representing primary, full-service healthcare distributors. Each business day, the member companies of HDMA are responsible for ensuring that more than eight million prescription medicines and healthcare products are safely delivered to 145,000 pharmacies, hospitals, nursing homes, physician offices, clinics, government and other providers in all 50 states. This essential public health function is provided with tremendous efficiency, saving the nation’s healthcare system nearly $32 billion each year. HDMA and its members are the vital link in the healthcare system, working daily to provide value, remove costs and develop innovative solutions to deliver care safely and effectively.