ARLINGTON, Va. — The upcoming NACDS Regional Chain Conference will be a fertile source of ideas for retail pharmacy, says Kristin Williams, senior vice president and chief health officer at Hy-Vee Inc.

“The Regional Chain Conference is a wonderful venue for in-depth exchanges with both retail colleagues and suppliers,” says Williams, who is chairing the event. “Some of the best programs emerge from the grassroots, and I consider the regional chains to be the grassroots of this industry.”

Kristin Williams, Hy-Vee

Williams expects the conference to be particularly helpful at aligning pharmacy operators with the needs of individual patients, offering nutritional and lifestyle initiatives as well as programs around medications.

Highlights of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores event, which will take place from February 5 through February 7 at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla., include two-part presentations on the pharmaceutical marketplace and the future of retailing. The gathering also features one-to-one business meetings between chain executives and key supplier partners.

“NACDS Regional is a bit more intimate and a terrific opportunity to hear from industry experts on the latest trends, meet with business partners, catch up with friends from around the industry, and share or collaborate on best practices,” says Kinney Drugs president Jim Spencer.

Peyton Howell, executive vice president and president of global sourcing and manufacturer relations at AmerisourceBergen Corp., will address “The Dynamics of the Pharmaceutical Marketplace” on Monday morning, February 6.

Brian Owens, director of drug channel retail insights at Kantar Retail, will speak on “Tomorrow’s Retail Landscape,” on Tuesday morning.

Also Tuesday, a roundtable discussion will tackle “Value-Based Model: Aligning Incentives to Drive Immunizations.” The participants will be Hy-Vee’s Williams; Kim Coley, professor of pharmacy and therapeutics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy; and Peggy Soule Odegard, associate dean for professional programs and clinical pharmacist at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy.

Late Monday morning, Don Bell, senior vice president and general counsel at NACDS, will speak on “The Controlled Substance Epidemic: Industry Trends & Issues.” Concurrently, Philip Empey, associate director for pharmacogenomics at the Institute for Precision Medicine, will discuss “Pharmacogenomics: Overcoming Implementation Barriers in Community Pharmacy.”

Monday afternoon, Doug Long, vice president of industry relations at QuintilesIMS, will address “Pharmaceutical Trends, Issues and Forecasts.” Jonathan Levitt, cofounding partner of Frier Levitt, will discuss how to “Maximize Your Advantages in Third Party Negotiations and Audits” in ­mid-afternoon. Later in the day, Jeffrey Bratberg, clinical professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy, will address “Naloxone in the Community Pharmacy ­Setting.”

On Tuesday morning, Andrew Mandzy, director of strategic insights at Nielsen, will talk on “The Health and Wellness Consumers: Challenges and ­Opportunities.” In midmorning, Deborah Kelly, a partner at Blank Rome, will provide an update on employment law and employee manual developments.

“From a vendor perspective, the Regional Chain Conference has been invaluable for helping me build relationships,” says Roy Bigler of the Accreditation Commission for Health Care.

“The NACDS Regional Conference has always been one of the most productive and engaging conferences that we attend all year,” says Curt Maki of Topco Associates LLC. “The peer-to-peer interaction taking place in a more intimate setting is something that we don’t get anywhere else.”

Heidi Snyder of Drug World ­Pharmacies remarks, “For us, the Regional Chain Conference is the place to catch up on legal matters pertaining to pharmacy and retail in general to keep us compliant, find new ideas for front store/pharmacy marketing, meet with peers and listen to how they are problem solving, listen to motivational speakers, and get at least two or three new ideas to implement when returning home to increase efficiency, sales and profits.”