Drive to Deprescribe: Optimizing and Deprescribing Benzodiazepines & Other Anxiolytics (December 2021)

Michael Cinque PharmD, FAPhA, currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Clinical Strategic Partnerships at InnovAge and operates as a consultant in Medication Use Management through Michael Cinque Consulting. Prior experience includes a role as Senior Vice President of Pharmacy Management at Genesis and as President at Enclara Pharmacia, where notable achievements included driving the integration of Enclara Pharmacia with Hospice Pharmacia. Previously, Michael Cinque held positions such as Vice President of Operations at Hospice Pharmacia, overseeing a substantial payroll and managing extensive operations, and Chief Pharmaceutical Care Officer at excelleRx Hospice Pharmacia, where responsibilities included leading clinical operations. Academic credentials consist of a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Temple University School of Pharmacy and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Florida.

Arif Nazir, MD, CMD, currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer for BrightSpring Health Services, Primary Care, a large, value-based, geriatric practitioner organization, and the Chief Medical Officer for Signature HealthCARE. He is Past President for AMDA, founding member for the Society’s Innovation Council, and Co-chair of Society’s Drive to Deprescribe initiative. As a healthcare leader, researcher, entrepreneur, and an implementation champion, he continues to focus his efforts on finding practical solutions for solving care coordination gaps and on enhancing leadership and teamwork in the PALTC frontlines.

Sabine Von Preyss-Friedman, MD, FACP, CMD, is an Internist and Geriatric Medical Specialist and has practiced in Skilled Nursing Facilities since her fellowship at the University of Washington in 1988. She first became a certified Medical Director in 1992 and has since been enthusiastically engaged in Medical Direction of Skilled Nursing Facilities. In 2011, she was honored by AMDA/Society of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine as Medical Director of the Year. She is Associate clinical Professor Emerita at the University of Washington and Chief Medical Officer of Avalon Healthcare. As a Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer she is involved in Quality improvement, developing standards and outcomes measures in our facility and the successful translation of medical evidence into clinical care. Her mission is to support the best care possible medical care for all of our patients. Dr. von Preyss-Friedman currently serves as the president of the Washington State Society of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.

Chad Worz, PharmD, BCGP, FASCP is Chief Executive of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) in Alexandria, Virginia, the only international professional society devoted to optimal medication management and improved health outcomes for all older persons. ASCP's senior care consultant pharmacist members manage and improve quality of life for geriatric patients and other individuals residing in a variety of environments, including nursing facilities, subacute care and assisted living facilities, psychiatric hospitals, hospice programs, and home- and community-based care. Dr. Worz received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy in Ohio, and he is a board-certified geriatric pharmacist. His career has focused on the medication management of older adults. Dr. Worz developed an innovative clinical practice in a long-term care setting in Ohio and directed the pharmacy practice of a regional, independent pharmacy serving 10,000 long-term care residents. Dr. Worz established a nation-wide, geriatric-based consulting company to educate and serve nursing facility residents, nursing facility administration, long-term care pharmacies, and the public through a comprehensive knowledge of medication use. He is a national thought leader, presenting on pharmacy- and medication-related topics, and he has served on a number of national boards related to pharmacy and medication utilization.