ACCP, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and the American Society of Health-System
Pharmacists (ASHP), have jointly submitted a petition to the Board of Pharmaceutical
Specialties (BPS) to recognize ambulatory care pharmacy practice as a practice specialty
in pharmacy. The petition was formally submitted on November 14 and will soon be
available on the ACCP Web site.
In 2007, ACCP’s Board of Regents authorized staff to work with APhA and ASHP in
the development of a petition. The petition development process began in early 2008
under the guidance of a task group consisting of an ambulatory care practitioner
member and a professional staff member from each of the sponsoring organizations.
The project was coordinated by a two-person consulting team retained by the organizations
to manage the petition development and submission process.
The decision by ACCP to participate in the petition’s development reflects (1) ACCP’s
long-standing support for the professional and public health value of board certification
in pharmacy, (2) ACCP’s commitment to expanding opportunities for clinical pharmacists
to seek board certification in their area of practice, and (3) ACCP’s desire to
ensure the development of a petition that conforms to the required criteria for
recognition of a specialty in pharmacy comparable to other currently recognized
pharmacy specialties.
On completion of its initial review of the petition to ensure its conformity with
the essential requirements of a valid petition, BPS will announce its process for
public review and comment on the petition from the full range of stakeholders involved
in pharmacy specialization and credentialing. Individual ACCP members will have
the opportunity to provide their perspectives, feedback, and recommendations to
BPS regarding the petition through open hearings at upcoming national pharmacy association
meetings, including the ACCP Spring Practice and Research Forum in Orlando, Florida,
in April 2009. BPS will publicize the dates and venues of all the open hearings
it will conduct during the public comment period, as well as other mechanisms for
providing feedback to BPS on the petition.
For further information on the petition review and approval process, visit the BPS
Web site (www.bpsweb.org).