ACCP considers the PRNs one of the College’s main strengths. PRNs provide a means for communication and networking among members, facilitate the timely dissemination of information related to the College’s activities, and coordinate members who share common professional goals to support the College’s strategic mission to develop, advance, and position clinical pharmacists.

For 2 years, ACCP has been engaged in an advocacy effort that calls on Congress to enact legislation to provide Medicare patients with coverage for comprehensive medication management (CMM) within the Part B medical benefit. Since the Medicare Initiative was formally launched, ACCP’s Washington office has made a concerted effort to improve our collaboration with the College’s PRNs to advance our advocacy agenda.

The response from the PRNs has been impressive. PRN chapter officers and leaders have led efforts to raise funds from PRN members for ACCP’s Political Action Committee (PAC) and have used PRN meetings and communications to stimulate discussion and interest in our Medicare Initiative.

As we go forward with our efforts to move this issue forward on Capitol Hill, the leadership of our PRNs is even more important. Just as PRN members collectively possess a depth of clinical knowledge and expertise that significantly contributes to ACCP’s success, so too are PRN members essential to our advocacy efforts. There are no better advocates for this effort than the clinical leaders who deliver these services to patients across the country.

Medicare Initiative Recap: What Are We Trying to Achieve?

ACCP’s initiative aims to enact legislative and regulatory changes to the Medicare program and relevant sections of the Social Security Act (42 USC and relevant sections, primarily section 1861) to recognize the direct patient care services of qualified clinical pharmacists (defined as CMM (comprehensive medication management) as a covered benefit under the Medicare program.

Medicare Initiative Recap: How Does Our Proposal Define Comprehensive Medication?
Working in formal collaboration with physicians and other members of the patient’s health care team, qualified clinical pharmacists:

• identify and document medication-related problems of concern to the patient and all members of the care team, using a consistent care process that ensures medication appropriateness, effectiveness, and safety;
• initiate, modify, monitor, and discontinue drug therapy to resolve the identified problems and achieve medication-related outcomes that are aligned with the overall care plan and goals of therapy; and
• engage and educate patients and families in fully understanding their medication regimen, supporting active patient engagement in the successful use of their medicines to achieve desired health outcomes.

Medicare Initiative Recap: How Does Our Proposal Define “Qualified Clinical Pharmacist”?
A qualified clinical pharmacist:

• has a Pharm.D. degree or possesses equivalent clinical training/experience;
• has a formal collaborative drug therapy management (CDTM) agreement with a physician/medical group or has been granted clinical privileges to provide the service by the care setting in which he or she practices; and
• is certified or eligible for certification in a pharmacy practice specialty recognized by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS).

2013–2014 Progress Report
During the 113th Congress, ACCP made considerable progress in advancing its Medicare Initiative, which resulted in meaningful interest, particularly on the Senate side, from a bipartisan group of lawmakers who recognize the value of a truly team-based, patient-centered approach to health care and understand that “getting the medications right” through a consistent process of CMM is a vital component of evolving payment and delivery models, both in Medicare and across all payers and delivery systems.

Legislative Tactics
Even as we recognize the value of the introduction of a stand-alone bill in terms of building momentum and support for the issue among our members and within Congress, we understand that stand-alone legislation advancing our initiative will never receive meaningful consideration on the House or Senate floor. In reality, any action on our issue will ultimately come as part of a much broader health care reform package. In practical terms, our goal is to influence the broader debate on Medicare payment and delivery reform to ensure that language incorporating the key provisions of our policy platform is included in a meaningful legislative vehicle.

Several congressional offices have emphasized the importance of securing the support of other health professionals, particularly physicians. Beyond Capitol Hill, ACCP has been engaged in an ongoing dialogue with several organizations representing the physician community, notably through our ongoing work with the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC), an organization representing more than 1300 stakeholders dedicated to advancing an effective and efficient health system built on a strong foundation of primary care and the patient-centered medical home (PCMH). ACCP continues to build strategic relationships with senior government affairs staff from a diverse range of health professions, including the American College of Physicians (ACP), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Osteopathic Association (AOA), and American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

We are confident that the underlying structure of our Medicare Initiative will help secure the vital support of other professions on the health care team. For example, the requirement that in order to deliver care under our proposal, qualified clinical pharmacists must have in place an active CDTM agreement not only ensures that the necessary systems are in place to facilitate the process of care and optimize efficiency, but also reassures physicians that the initiative does not encroach on their work as diagnosticians and prescribers.

2015 Outlook
After 2 years of conversations on Capitol Hill, we are confident that ACCP’s strategic approach is the right one. Throughout the 114th Congress, we will maintain our rigorous schedule of lobbying visits and maintain a visible presence on Capitol Hill to help elected officials better understand what CMM is and why a CMM benefit under Part B is essential if Medicare is to achieve its goals of better care, better outcomes, and lower costs. At the same time, we will continue to monitor emerging issues in the ongoing health care debate to identify potential legislative “vehicles” to which our proposal could be attached.

ACCP’s Medicare Initiative is consistent with the College’s core principles and is in keeping with the priorities laid out in the College’s strategic plan. Our policy materials clearly define a process of care that differentiates the practice of the clinical pharmacist (CMM) from the practices of other members of the health care team and fills a need that is unmet through the existing processes of care. We strongly believe that by remaining true to our advocacy platform and the College’s core values, we can influence health policy discussions and ultimately secure inclusion of legislative language that incorporates Medicare Part B coverage for a team-based, patient-centered CMM delivered by qualified clinical pharmacists.

Advancing Our Medicare Initiative Through Grassroots Action
We believe that our investment in our Washington office and advocacy activities during the past 12 years leaves us well placed to advance our Medicare Coverage Initiative. But our success ultimately lies in the engagement of ACCP members to help their elected officials understand the importance of “getting the medications right” as part of patient-centered, team-based models of care delivery.

With its more than 15,000 members, not to mention their professional colleagues and patients, ACCP has the potential to exert considerable influence on Capitol Hill. But to realize this potential, we need the active participation of all our members as grassroots advocates.

Identifying Political Champions
In seeking to identify potential champions to advance our initiative in Congress, we need to identify elected officials who share our vision of a more patient-centered, team-based, and quality-focused approach to Medicare who also sit on the congressional committees of jurisdiction over the Medicare program itself.

In the House of Representatives, jurisdiction over Medicare is shared between the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Committee on Ways and Means. In the Senate, the Finance Committee oversees Medicare issues. Members who sit on these committees are best placed to introduce legislation on behalf of ACCP and work to ensure its passage into law.

• Click here to view the members of the Senate Finance Committee.
• Click here to view the members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
• Click here to view the members of the House Ways and Means Committee.

To determine whether your elected officials sit on a committee of jurisdiction, visit our Legislative Action Center and enter your zip code to view your congressional delegation. Check your work zip codes as well as your home address – especially if you practice in multiple sites. Members of Congress will be interested to learn about innovative, cost-saving care delivery going on in their district, even if you are not a constituent residing in that district.

ACCP’s Guide to Hosting a Visit of Elected Officials to Your Practice
Hosting a visit of your elected officials to your practice is perhaps the single most important thing you can do to help lawmakers understand what team-based, patient centered clinical practice is all about—and to generate their support for recognition and payment for clinical pharmacists’ services.

A visit also serves as a means to establish an ongoing constructive dialogue with your congressman or senator, and their staff, on issues important to the delivery of team-based, patient-centered care.

A comprehensive guide to inviting a member of Congress to tour your practice site is available on our Legislative Action Center. If you would like to discuss the process of hosting a lawmaker at your practice site, please contact John McGlew at (202) 621-1820 or [email protected].

All ACCP members are urged to consider inviting their elected officials to learn more about their practice through a tour of their practice site.

Advancing Our Medicare Initiative Through the ACCP Political Action Committee (ACCP-PAC)
Political contributions are an essential component of our grassroots advocacy toolkit, helping to raise our profile on Capitol Hill and show our support for members of Congress who share our vision for clinical pharmacists in an evolving Medicare program.

A well-funded PAC can be used to demonstrate the support within the profession for our legislative initiative and the importance that ACCP members attach to moving it forward in Congress.

ACCP-PAC depends entirely on the support of ACCP members. Although several PACs represent various segments of the pharmacy profession, ACCP has the only PAC dedicated to advancing the practice of clinical pharmacy.

We call on the PRNs to reach out to their members to encourage participation in the PAC. If each ACCP member contributed just $25, ACCP-PAC would raise more than $300,000. All ACCP members should consider donating at least $25 to ACCP-PAC. CLICK HERE to support your PAC today!

Contact Us! For more information on any of ACCP’s advocacy efforts, please contact:

John K. McGlew
Director, Government Affairs
American College of Clinical Pharmacy
1455 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004-1017
(202) 621-1820
[email protected]