Linda Bolland

Linda’s Story

Linda received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of the Pacific, School of Pharmacy in 1993. She then completed a post graduate pharmacy practice residency at United and Children’s Hospital, now a member of Allina Health in Minnesota, and a pediatric pharmacology fellowship with the University of California, San Diego Medical Center and School of Medicine, Department of Infectious Disease. In 2009, Linda completed a Healthcare Executive Masters in Business Administration at the University of California, Irvine Paul Merage School of Business. Prior to her current role, Linda was the Director of Drug Use Policy at MaineHealth, managing the formulary alignment for the 11 hospital based integrated delivery network. Currently, Linda serves on the SPPM SAG on Leadership Development.

Linda’s first involvement with ASHP was as a volunteer for the Midyear Clinical Meeting as a second year student. Over the years (and miles), she has served as a California State Regional Chapter President as well as have volunteered hours of time to her local, state and national organization.

Position

Linda Bolland is the Pharmacy Network Director for the Northeast Purchasing Coalition Pharmacy Network (NPC Rx), a VHA SupplyNetwork™ that originated in January 2011. The NPC Rx serves VHA Member Integrated Delivery Networks in six Northeast states – VT, NH, ME, MA, RI and CT. The network’s original mission was to reduce acquisition costs through contract aggregation. From this functional beginning, the network is transforming into a member-driven collaborative that reduces pharmacy costs while also focusing on clinical outcomes. The network’s data-driven contracting projects are based on robust benchmarking and utilization information which highlights opportunities across the collaborative. Linda’s role is to facilitate clinically focused supply chain strategies, leverage the power of clinical networking and integrate evidence based practice with strategic sourcing to deliver the best overall value.

Significant Projects

With an approximate annual spend of over $600 M, this network has successfully leveraged their membership to realize significant contract savings in two key areas in 2014:

Intravenous immune globulin and albumin - due to the high cost and large member spend on these medications, the network standardized suppliers and now maintain over 80% market share for these products which resulted in roughly $2 Million in savings.

Addressed the rapid price increase for IV acetaminophen – The network reviewed national benchmark data and clinical drug utilization patterns at the member level. Through collaboration with prescribers, the network implemented new evidence-based protocols that resulted in nearly $3.5 Million in savings.

Advice for Someone New to Your Specialty Area

“The price tag of our pharmacy degree includes a kind of stewardship that is unique. From bench to bedside, we are service providers with the responsibility of managing high cost products, while protecting the patient. As a profession, we are here to ensure patients achieve the best possible healthcare outcomes for the best value. Keep this in mind when facing difficult decisions in every area of your practice.”

ASHP’s Value to Members

“ASHP, like other great organizations, leapfrog good organizations. They are industry experts in forecasting the future of pharmacy practice. If you have read the Pharmacy Forecasts, attended Midyear and listened to the Whitney awards, you will know that this is a learning organization, one that grows and transforms with the changing times. ASHP is your education center, yes, but also your window to the future of pharmacy practice.”