ACCP has 26 Practice and Research Networks (PRNs), and there are episodic requests to create new PRNs that might better represent focused-interest groups of members. This attests to the different interests of the ACCP membership; however, it also sometimes leads to perceptions of favoritism or bias toward particular groups when ACCP focuses on various initiatives related to its strategic plan. For example, in the current version of the strategic plan released in 2017, two of three ACCP priorities and several objectives deal with comprehensive medication management (CMM), precision medicine, and pharmacogenomics. In addition, ACCP and the ACCP Research Institute (now the ACCP Foundation) funded a $2.4 million grant to study CMM in primary care medical practices, and the ACCP Medicare Coverage Initiative refers to the need for CMM under Medicare Part B. At first, these initiatives appear to favor selected groups within ACCP, particularly the Ambulatory Care, Central Nervous System, Hematology/Oncology, and Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics/Pharmacogenomics PRNs. However, on closer examination, the initiatives apply broadly to the ACCP membership at-large.

With respect to CMM, although Strategic Direction 2.1 of ACCP’s strategic plan does, in fact, intend to “drive the implementation of CMM as an essential component of medication optimization,” objectives under this direction include “implementation of CMM practice in any patient care setting” and “establishing collaborations between clinical pharmacists and community pharmacists/pharmacies that achieve medication optimization.” Furthermore, in response to frequently asked questions about the ACCP Medicare Coverage Initiative, ACCP’s Policy, Practice, & Government affairs staff point out, “New models of health care payment and delivery in the inpatient environment that are now emerging could well make this initiative of equal or greater importance to inpatient practitioners in the future.” Similarly, ACCP’s initiatives related to precision medicine and pharmacogenomics have implications beyond any specific PRN(s). The NIH, and more specifically the Precision Medicine Initiative, defines precision medicine as “an emerging approach for disease treatment and prevention that takes into account individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person.” Furthermore, the NIH defines pharmacogenomics as the “study of how genes affect a person’s response to drugs.” Although the day-to-day application of precision medicine and pharmacogenomics in the clinical setting may currently be limited to certain specialty practice areas, it seems difficult to argue that this won’t be important to all clinical pharmacists sometime in the future.

Earlier in my career, I had a leadership role in bringing together several diverse specialty groups in an organization to find a common purpose while recognizing and addressing the unique concerns of each group. At the time, I suggested the motto of the United States as the unifying theme – E pluribus unum: out of many, one. I think the motto has relevance for the diverse membership of ACCP as the College implements its strategic plan. I believe that efforts to achieve the objectives listed in the strategic plan address the needs of individual members and PRNs or other ACCP groups interested in advancing clinical pharmacy. Ultimately, however, all actions should be consistent with the College’s mission, which is to improve human health by extending the frontiers of clinical pharmacy.