The American Society for Automation in Pharmacy (ASAP), Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, recently announced its next president. ASAP, a professional organization representing part of the U.S. retail pharmacy industry, elected James L. Wilson, Executive Vice President of First DataBank. A member of ASAP since 1990 and an ASAP Board of Directors member for the past two years, Wilson will serve as president for the next two years, beginning January 2005.

According to ASAP Executive Director Bill Lockwood, Wilson was the ideal choice to lead this organization as it moves into a time of fundamental change in the electronic communication of healthcare information. “The ASAP membership has worked with Jim for many years now, and it’s fully confident that he’ll make an outstanding President,” Lockwood said. ASAP has been a pioneer in helping to set standards for electronic data interchange (EDI) between pharmacies, their customers and suppliers. In accepting this position, Wilson commented, “The ultimate goal of ASAP is to make sure our members are informed of technology trends that could have a major impact on their businesses.” With healthcare changing so rapidly, he said, it is more important than ever to monitor industry changes, since they can have unanticipated consequences—before anyone fully understands them.

About ASAP
The American Society for Automation in Pharmacy provides an industry forum for businesses such as retail pharmacy information system developers, retail drug store chains and independent pharmacies, through its annual Industry and Technology Issues Conferences. It also develops industry oriented implementation guidelines for EDI standards used in prescription-reporting systems, robotic dispensing systems, and ASC (Accredited Standards Committee) X12 transactions between pharmacies and wholesalers. ASAP’s stated mission is to “assist its members in advancing the application of computer technology in the pharmacist’s role as caregiver and in the efficient operation and management of a pharmacy.”