We understand and sympathize, in hearing that some of you may be having a more difficult time getting your Conference Registration fees paid by your facilities this year. Can we offer some suggestions that may help you find the funds to attend?

Often, as other Buyer-Attendees have found, our displaying Vendor-Sponsors (or Supportive GPO representatives), will give assistance to individual Buyer-customers/members who ask for help, by paying for your Conference Registration Fee and in some cases, even other travel costs as well.

And if vendors or your facility has a problem with you being paid directly for registration fees, instead vendors can give their credit card information in the payment area of your Registration Form (or they can call us with that information to add to your Reg. Form). This way, they would avoid that conflict if is the case.

This year, one enterprising Buyer in Arizona has been able to get himself and about 13 additional fellow Arizona Buyers that meet in their regional meetings, funded to attend the Conference by getting a few different vendors to contribute towards their registration fees. In addition, their regional meetings are also sponsored & attended by their local vendor representatives.

Also, you may not be aware of another opportunity to attend and get your Registration fee paid. We are looking for Buyers to participate in our Buyer Issues of the Day panel session, in which a panel of Buyers give a 15 minute talk on an aspect of Pharmacy Purchasing with which they are comfortable speaking about and that is a timely issue of interest to Buyers. If we accept your offer & topic, your Registration fee will be comped. The topic should be one that you are familiar & comfortable with of course, and that pertains to pharmacy procurement and its duties. If interested, send email with details on your topic to: Mike@PharmacyPurchasing.com and Francine@PharmacyPurchasing.com.

At this year’s meeting, we are going to address a concept that would alter the future of this profession and every Pharmacy Buyer in this country. So this year, we especially hope that as many of you as possible will be there to participate and give your input, to what could be a potentially career changing endeavor.

We are in a difficult economic condition it is true, but if you look at it closely, we have a super economical price at a superior resort on the Las Vegas strip, the MGM Grand, at an affordable $69 a night. And just an observation, but we know that many of you are able to get short and hard-to-find products for your staff when they think it's impossible. Couldn't you use some of that ingenuity to get you to Vegas?

Name of Facility: Summerdale Enterprises, Inc.

City, State: San Diego, CA

Yes, we have had the same problems in Arizona that the rest of the counrty has had with getting funding for the PPO. I have good business relationship with all my reps. I mentioned the problems that almost all the hospitals buyers were having and several reps were willing to help the buyers in thier area attend the PPO. It's never to late to ask your reps. If you would like more info. Please e-mail me allen.sutherland@chw.edu.

Name of Facility: St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center

City, State: Phoenix, Az.

Years as a Buyer: 15