November 05, 2025
On Sunday, October 19, 2025, United States Senator Amy Klobuchar visited the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Annual Meeting in Minneapolis to discuss the Rebuild America’s Health Care Schools Act of 2025 (S. 1087) legislation she co-sponsored to safeguard funding for pharmacy residencies.
“Hospitals are stretched thin, residency programs are working hard to keep up with the demand, and too often the hospital programs that train our next generation of pharmacists are not getting the support they deserve,” Senator Klobuchar shared in her speech. “We have to ensure that the system works to incentivize hospitals to pay instructors, develop curriculum, and train and mentor students and residents. It’s an investment in the next generation of pharmacists, nurses, dieticians, and other vital members of the patient care team.”
ACCP President Jo Ellen Rodgers thanked Senator Klobuchar for her leadership in introducing S. 1087 to protect Medicare funding for clinical pharmacy residencies. She shared, “These programs provide vital, team-based training to help prepare clinical experts who can optimize complex medication therapies on behalf of vulnerable patients. We appreciate Senator Klobuchar's commitment to protecting access to these services."
For those who missed Senator Klobuchar’s appearance in Minneapolis, she shared this video message with ACCP members, highlighting her commitment to advancing health policy and supporting the next generation of clinical pharmacists.
Background to CMS Pharmacy Residency Funding Issue
Since 2019, CMS has implemented changes to its auditing procedures for clinical pharmacy residency programs without updating its regulations or providing guidance on how residency programs can stay in compliance with these auditing procedures.
Medicare passthrough funding for postgraduate pharmacy residency programs is critical to ensuring the sustainability of the clinical pharmacy profession. However, under these burdensome Medicare auditing procedures, many pharmacy residency programs have been stripped of funding. Thanks to clinical pharmacy’s advocacy efforts, our friends in Congress recognize this problem and have introduced legislation that would prevent unnecessary funding clawbacks that jeopardize pharmacy residency training.
How You Can Help
Take action now to send messages asking your US senators and representative to co-sponsor this bill and work to pass it into law.
Keep ACCP informed! Many ACCP members have already received responses from their members of Congress. Please send any responses you receive to ACCP’s team in Washington, D.C., at [email protected].