Mission, Vision, and Purpose

Mission

To improve patient care by advancing clinical pharmacy throughout the world.

Vision

1. Clinical pharmacists throughout the world will promote medication optimization by providing essential, direct patient care in team-based settings.
2. Clinical pharmacy programs will advance clinical pharmacist practice, education, training, research, and scholarship worldwide.

Purpose

1. To evaluate, develop, and maintain the competence of international clinical pharmacists.
2. To assess the quality of clinical pharmacy programs and provide mechanisms to improve and/or maintain their quality.
3. To recognize centers that are advancing clinical pharmacy and providing high-quality, direct patient care services and clinical education, training, and research.

Eligibility Requirements for ACCP International Clinical Pharmacy Center Recognition

The organization/institution:

1. is located outside of North America and the United States and its territories.
2. is authorized to, and in compliance with all national and local/provincial laws and applicable regulations to operate as a health care organization, in accordance with the type of facility and services provided.
3. provides acute and ambulatory patient care services.
4. provides clinical pharmacy services to, at minimum, core patient care units/services/clinics.
5. provides clinical services to an adequate number of patients that justifies and supports clinical pharmacist provision of direct patient care services, clinical education and training, and research and scholarly activity.
6. is led by an administration committed to advancing clinical pharmacy practice, education, training, research, and scholarship.

ACCP International Clinical Pharmacy Center Recognition involves:

1. an organizational, performance-based evaluation that determines a center’s commitment and ability to advance clinical pharmacy practice, education, training, and research.
2. international recognition of a center’s clinical pharmacy program alignment with the ACCP definition of clinical pharmacy, and the extent to which its clinical pharmacists meet the ACCP standards of practice and ACCP competencies for clinical pharmacists.
3. an official ACCP Certificate of Recognition for a term of 5 years, which is renewable upon application for re-review.

Levels of Center Recognition

The program is designed to recognize three successively advanced center tiers.

ACCP Clinical Pharmacy Center

1. The center provides high-quality clinical pharmacy services, though the services are limited in scope and/or complexity and do not consistently adhere to the patient care process for delivering comprehensive medication management.
2. The center is advancing the education, training, and competence of the clinical pharmacy workforce, including students and trainees. The number and type of clinical rotations/experiences that integrate the clinical pharmacist into prospective therapeutic decision-making are limited.
3. The center supports clinical pharmacy research and the generation of new evidence that advances pharmacotherapy and patient care. However, the center has limited ongoing research and published scholarly activity.

ACCP Advanced Clinical Pharmacy Center

1. The center provides high-quality clinical pharmacy services. The services are broad in scope, available to core patient care settings at the center, and mostly adhere to the patient care process for delivering comprehensive medication management.
2. The center is committed to advancing the education, training, and competence of the clinical pharmacy workforce, including students and trainees. The number and type of clinical rotations/experiences that integrate the clinical pharmacist into prospective therapeutic decision-making meet local professional needs.
3. The center supports clinical pharmacy research and the generation of new evidence that advances pharmacotherapy and patient care. The center is actively involved in clinical research and scholarship/publication, but these are limited in scope and impact. The center has gained local recognition for its clinical pharmacy research and scholarship.

ACCP Clinical Pharmacy Center of Excellence

1. The center provides high-quality clinical pharmacy services. The services are comprehensive in scope and involve both general and specialty patient care areas. Clinical pharmacy services are innovative/unique within the national environment and consistently adhere to the patient care process for delivering comprehensive medication management.
2. The center is advancing the education, training, and competence of the clinical pharmacy workforce, including students and trainees. The center provides exemplary clinical education and training experiences that integrate the clinical pharmacist into prospective therapeutic decision-making. The number and type of clinical rotations offered are diverse enough to serve local, regional, and national professional training needs. The center offers unique and innovative clinical training programs for practicing pharmacists.
3. The center is actively involved in ongoing clinical pharmacy research and has generated evidence that affects clinical pharmacy practice and/or patient care.
4. The center is recognized regionally, nationally, and internationally for its clinical pharmacy services, education, training, and research.

Evaluation

Center recognition will be based on a comprehensive appraisal of the organization/institution and clinical pharmacy program in each of the following domains.

Domain 1: Establishing Medication Optimization as an Essential Element of Patient Care: Organizational Commitment

Criterion 1.1 Medication optimization through the provision of comprehensive medication management (CMM) is a high priority for the organization.

Criterion 1.2 The organization’s implementation strategies support clinical pharmacy services that integrate the clinical pharmacist into prospective therapeutic decision-making in team-based settings.

Criterion 1.3 Processes and performance that achieve medication optimization are well-documented and recognized by the organization’s leadership.

Domain 2: Achieving Medication Optimization Through Delivery of CMM: Departmental Commitment

Criterion 2.1 Medication optimization through CMM is a high priority for the pharmacy department.

Criterion 2.2 CMM is a core component of the pharmacy department’s mission.

Criterion 2.3 The pharmacy department’s strategies and implementation plan support the delivery of CMM.

Criterion 2.4 Implementation of CMM that achieves medication optimization is well-documented.

Domain 3: Advancing Clinical Pharmacy Services

Criterion 3.1 Clinical pharmacy services are well-established within the organization/institution and in high demand.

Criterion 3.2 Clinical pharmacy services employ a systematic process for delivering direct patient care to patients across the continuum of care and are consistent with the CMM patient care process.

Criterion 3.3 The outcomes of clinical pharmacy services are well-documented.

Domain 4: Ensuring Competence of the Clinical Pharmacist Workforce

Criterion 4.1 Clinical pharmacists hold the prerequisite credentials and privileges necessary to deliver CMM in their assigned patient care settings.

Criterion 4.2 Clinical pharmacists are engaged in ongoing professional development relevant to their areas of practice, teaching, and research/scholarship; acquisition of new knowledge and skills, credentials, or privileges are well-documented and supported by the department.

Criterion 4.3 Clinical pharmacists are evaluated according to the ACCP Clinical Pharmacist Competencies.

Domain 5: Furthering the Education and Training of Students and Trainees

Criterion 5.1 The center offers structured clinical learning experiences for students and trainees that integrate the clinical pharmacist into prospective therapeutic decision-making.

Criterion 5.2 The center engages students and trainees in formal educational and research/scholarly activities.

Criterion 5.3 Student and trainee performance is assessed and learning outcomes are well-documented.

Domain 6: Supporting and Advancing Clinical Pharmacy Research and Scholarship

Criterion 6.1 The organization/institution provides the resources necessary for clinical pharmacists to conduct clinical, translational, and health services research/scholarly activity.

Criterion 6.2 The department allots time for clinical pharmacist pursuit of clinical, translational, and health services research/scholarly activity.

Criterion 6.3 Outcomes of clinical pharmacist research and scholarly activity are documented, presented, published, and recognized.

Domain 7: Promoting Clinical Pharmacist Professional Development, Service, and Leadership

Criterion 7.1 The department encourages and supports continuous professional development (CPD) activities.

Criterion 7.2 Clinical pharmacists contribute service to professional societies/publications and professional development activities; they are encouraged to assume local, national, and international leadership positions.

Criterion 7.3 The impact and outcomes associated with clinical pharmacists’ CPD, service, and leadership activities are well-documented and recognized.

Domain 8: Advancing Interprofessional Collaboration

Criterion 8.1 The organization/institution encourages and supports interprofessional collaboration in clinical practice, education, training, and research/scholarship.

Criterion 8.2 The organization/institution provides sufficient opportunities and time for interprofessional collaboration.

Criterion 8.3 Impact of interprofessional collaboration is well-documented and recognized.

Center Appraisal and Recognition Process

A schematic representation of the process for center appraisal and recognition is available here.

Evaluation Fee

An introductory evaluation fee of $5,000 will be due upon application approval. Organizations will be responsible for expenses incurred for the onsite assessment visits. Applications involving multiple facilities at separate geographical sites may be subject to additional fees.

Letters of Intent

Eligible organizations that want to pursue ACCP International Clinical Pharmacy Center Recognition are invited to submit a letter of intent.

Submit letters of intent to [email protected].