In the March 2013 PRN Report column, I provided an overview of three ACCP initiatives that should be very important to the PRNs—a Medicare benefit for direct patient care by a clinical pharmacist (“provider status”), Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) certification changes, and student chapters. Each of these three issues has continued to evolve over the past 6 months, and I would like to provide some brief updates. We also have a very busy Annual Meeting coming up in a few short weeks in Albuquerque that is sure to be highly educational, intellectually stimulating, a great opportunity to catch up with good friends and colleagues, and an excellent chance to meet some new clinical pharmacy contemporaries.
The largest and most important policy initiative in ACCP’s history is the current Medicare benefit proposal for the coverage of comprehensive medication management services by clinical pharmacists. The goal is to gain recognition for the importance of “getting the medications right” to improve medication-related outcomes, and our belief that a qualified clinical pharmacist as a member of the interprofessional patient care team is best trained and positioned to provide this benefit. I direct you to the ACCP Government and Professional Affairs Web page (https://www.accp.com/govt/medicare.aspx) for a comprehensive collection of documents and information on the initiative. On this page, you will find an FAQ document and an advocacy packet that includes copies of the congressional issues brief and data document in support of the initiative. The page also contains a collection of supporting documents and resources. I encourage you to review this material and become familiar with ACCP’s position and efforts on “provider status”. Soon, we will reach a point where grassroots advocacy will become a critically important element of the overall initiative, and familiarity with the details of the effort will be important. It is also important to realize that there has never been a greater need for all of us to support the ACCP Political Action Committee (PAC). Please consider a donation to the PAC, which can be done easily through the PAC Web site (https://www.accpaction.org/signin/index.aspx).
Specialty Certification Updates
The good news from BPS since the last PRN Report is the favorable decision to recognize Critical Care and Pediatrics as the newest pharmacy specialties. The BPS Specialty Councils for these two new specialties, impaneled last month, will begin the task of developing the item banks and exams. There will be a need for qualified expertise for item writing, and I anticipate that many of our Critical Care and Pediatric PRN members will be major contributors to this effort. Stay tuned for a call for item writers for both of these specialties, and give serious consideration to volunteering. The first examinations will be offered in 2015.
Last April, BPS leadership announced that were embarking on a 12-month process of evaluation to develop a scalable foundational model for the future board certification of pharmacists. ACCP welcomes this decision by BPS to reevaluate the specialty recognition framework to hopefully accommodate and encourage the continued evolution of specialty recognition in pharmacy. We will join other stakeholder organizations to work with BPS during this period of evaluation.
One unfortunate consequence of this decision is that further progress on the applications for recognition of Cardiology and Infectious Diseases as specialties has been put on hold. We anticipate that these applications will move forward, and we remain prepared to fully support the petition development with our partner organizations when the call comes for petitions. Hopefully, this evaluation process will stay on schedule and thus minimize delays on these specialties moving forward. For a more detailed discussion of these BPS developments, please see the column titled “Board Certification—Creating a New Framework” in the May ACCP Report (www.accp.com/docs/report/0513.pdf).
ACCP Formally Recognizes Student Chapters
It’s official: in August, ACCP announced the formal recognition of student chapters and published the process to be followed for creating a student chapter (see www.accp.com/stunet/studentliaisons.aspx). This is a great step forward for ACCP that creates more opportunities for students to be actively involved in the organization and for an increased presence of clinical pharmacy content and discussion within the schools and colleges of pharmacy.
Students have been the fastest-growing membership segment of ACCP in recent years and represent the future of the organization. Formally recognizing student chapters is anticipated to further contribute to students’ interest in ACCP as their professional home. I encourage academic members of the PRNs to introduce your students to the benefits of ACCP membership and to support the development of student chapters on your campus.
Annual Meeting Next Week
Lastly, we have a great Annual Meeting coming up next week in Albuquerque! I look forward to seeing you there. Please plan to attend the Opening General Session on Sunday, where we will have a very contemporary keynote address presented by Dr. Matthew Wynia, AMA’s director of Physician and Patient Engagement for Improving Health Outcomes, who will talk about the impact of effective team-based care on patient outcomes. This will be followed by the presentation of ACCP awards to several of our very talented members, including the Parker Medal to Dr. Robert M. Elenbaas for his distinguished service to the profession of pharmacy. The new ACCP fellows will also be inducted during the Opening General Session. Other highlights of the meeting will include the always-exciting semifinals and finals of the Clinical Pharmacy Challenge, multiple curricular tracks, the always-cutting-edge PRN focus sessions, student- and resident-focused content, scientific posters and papers including the Great Eight on Monday, and the always-popular PRN business meetings and networking forums on Monday and Tuesday evenings. See you in Albuquerque!