Consistent with the priorities set out in ACCP’s strategic plan and the College’s organization-wide commitment to clinical practice transformation, ACCP’s Washington, D.C., office has been focused for almost 3 years on 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.

Central to our grassroots strategy that supports this effort, ACCP staff have worked to engage with members to promote and develop a culture of political advocacy and activism within the College and identify opportunities to stimulate discussion, interest, and political action on behalf of our Medicare Initiative.

Now we are specifically calling on PRN members to demonstrate their commitment to the College’s advocacy priorities through contributions to ACCP’s Political Action Committee (ACCP-PAC).

How the Challenge Works

ACCP-PAC has launched a competition, the ACCP-PAC PRN Participation Challenge, to determine which PRN provides the greatest PAC support. When PRN members make a PAC contribution online, they are provided with an option to designate a PRN to receive credit for their contribution. Over time, we will determine which PRN provides the greatest PAC support.

• The challenge will be measured in terms of the percentage of PRN members who contribute to the PAC, not the total dollars raised by each PRN.
• ACCP members who belong to multiple PRNs can make multiple contributions in the name of each PRN, but only one PRN can receive credit for any single contribution.
• All contributions, no matter how small, count toward the challenge, but we suggest that PRN members contribute at least $25 to this effort.

We encourage PRN leaders and members to take time to highlight the challenge in PRN meetings and online communications to PRN members. The leading PRN will receive recognition on the ACCP website, in communications from the Washington office, and at future ACCP meetings. For more information, contact John McGlew ([email protected] or 202-621-1820).

More About ACCP-PAC

ACCP-PAC is the only means by which ACCP can provide financial support to help candidates for Congress who understand and support our issues and share our vision of a team-based, patient-centered, quality-driven approach to health care delivery.

ACCP-PAC is non-partisan and supports candidates regardless of their political party affiliation. ACCP-PAC is regulated by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) based in Washington, D.C. The PAC files quarterly FEC reports declaring all PAC receipts and disbursements, which are publically available at www.fec.gov.

Because of FEC regulations, PAC contributions are NOT deductible as charitable for federal tax purposes and must be made by personal funds and/or post-tax dollars. Unlike contributions to the Frontiers Fund, ACCP-PAC cannot accept contributions from PRNs. All PAC contributions must be made by individuals from their personal funds.

Who Receives ACCP-PAC Support?

All decisions regarding financial contributions to candidates are made by the PAC Governing Council on the basis of certain established criteria:

• Position on key health care committees in Congress
• Proven support for pharmacy and health care–related issues
• Previous health care experience

The key health care–related committees in Congress are the Appropriations, Ways & Means, and Energy & Commerce committees in the House of Representatives and the Appropriations, Finance, and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (H.E.L.P.) committees in the Senate.

ACCP members who contribute to the PAC may recommend candidates to receive contributions. All PAC contributor recommendations will be considered; however, we may not accommodate all requests. The ACCP-PAC Governing Council must approve all candidate contributions.

As a federal committee, ACCP-PAC can only contribute to candidates who are running for federal office (candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives or U.S. Senate, not state legislatures or gubernatorial races).

Why Support ACCP-PAC?

• The success of ACCP-PAC depends entirely on the support of our membership, because we can only solicit contributions from ACCP members.
• As the only PAC registered on behalf of clinical pharmacy, this is a unique opportunity to raise our political profile and advance our advocacy agenda.
• Political contributions help enhance our standing in Washington, D.C., and attending fundraising events offers an additional opportunity to build relationships with members of Congress or congressional staff.
• ACCP members can also attend fundraising events on behalf of the PAC and help improve their relationships with elected officials.
• By combining individual contributions from ACCP members into a larger pool of money, the ACCP-PAC can maximize the impact of the support we provide to candidates who advocate on behalf of the profession.
• ACCP pays for the administrative costs of running the PAC, and all money raised goes directly toward helping elect candidates to federal office who share our vision for health care delivery and payment transformation.

For more information, visit the ACCP-PAC website at www.accpaction.com.