SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Lee Ann Stember, president of the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP), has been named as one of the “Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT” by health care journal Health Data Management.

Lee Ann Stember

“This is a tremendous honor,” Stember said in a statement. “Just last week we held NCPDP’s 40th Anniversary Conference and invited our past chairs and members to share memories as we celebrated key milestones. It is energizing to look back at what we have accomplished as we look ahead at all that must be done. It is truly a team effort, and I proudly share this recognition by Health Data Management with our member volunteers, board of trustees, executive leadership and staff.”

A nonprofit, standards development organization, NCPDP has approximately 1,500 members and represents virtually every sector of the pharmacy services industry.

“When I first came into the workforce, there were too few women in leadership positions,” Stember commented. “While we have seen progress, it doesn’t happen without actively mentoring tomorrow’s leaders. This is a personal passion and a wonderful dialogue to have with others who were honored at this week’s Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT event.”

Health Data Management noted that NCPDP has consistently anticipated changes in the industry and led its transformation and advancement through the use of standards and technology. Challenges that NCPDP has taken on under Stember’s leadership over the past 36 years include data silos and lack of interoperability, administrative inefficiencies, declining margins, increased pressure on doctors and other providers to improve patient health and safety, and streamlining costs.

NCPDP members have created such standards as the Telecommunication Standard and Batch Standard, the SCRIPT Standard for ePrescribing and the Manufacturers Rebate Standard, among others. NCPDP’s data products include dataQ, a database of information on more than 80,000 pharmacies; resQ, a pharmacy credentialing resource; and HCIdea, a prescriber database that provides continually updated information on more than 2.5 million prescribers. NCPDP also offers RxReconn, a legislative tracking product for real-time monitoring of pharmacy-related state and national legislative and regulatory activity.

“As a community, we have seen the importance of leading and embracing change, diversity of perspectives and experience, mentoring and cultivating the next generation of leaders,” Stember added. “These are hallmarks of our culture at NCPDP that will keep our organization at the forefront of improving health care and the health care experience.”