An effective grassroots advocacy process must be proactive rather than reactive.
Consistent with the College's Strategic Plan focused on positioning and advancing the profession in evolving team-based care structures, ACCP is committed to an advocacy platform that goes well beyond seeking recognition for the value of the pharmacist (the “who”), but also carefully defines the value of the clinical care process that contributes directly to improved patient outcomes (the “what").
Like patient care, development of health policy is a complex and ever-evolving process, particularly at the federal level. Our work to define comprehensive medication management (CMM) as a clinical service was in recognition of the fact that you can’t “get the medications right” without a comprehensive process of patient care. Similarly, the development of complex health policy requires a commitment to a comprehensive advocacy process that helps policy makers at all levels fully understand, and appropriately value, the clinical services of pharmacists in team-based medication optimization.
ACCP opened its Washington, DC office in 2000 to establish Medicare coverage for clinical pharmacists’ services. Over the past 2 decades, ACCP's efforts contributed directly to passage of landmark legislation, including the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003 (Medicare Part D/MTM) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 (“Obamacare”).
From the contentious policy debates involved in these efforts, College representatives have learned that leaders of the health care payment policy in Washington have fully embraced the movement away from traditional fee-for-service structures. Part D opened the door to this transformation by building the prescription drug benefit around private market pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The trend continued with Obamacare, which rejected calls to expand a Medicare-based “public option” - instead developing private-market insurance exchanges and accelerating the medical home concept and “accountable care organization” (ACO) expansion.
Call to Action
A successful ACCP advocacy process requires clinical pharmacist-led education and relationship-development to ensure that policy-makers across all levels of government fully understand the importance of medication optimization as a core component in patient-centered, quality-focused practice structures, as well as why board-certified clinical pharmacists are uniquely trained and qualified to deliver these essential services as part of integrated care teams. Here are a few suggestions to help build an effective grassroots advocacy process:
Register to Vote
Voting is the simplest but most important civic responsibility. Because of COVID-19, there may be changes to when, where and how you vote in your upcoming elections.
Send a Letter to Congress
With clinical pharmacist staff members making up most of ACCP's Government and Professional Affairs team, ACCP is sincere in its belief that our members are the most effective advocates for their profession and their patients. Members of Congress need to hear from clinical pharmacists delivering direct patient care services in their state or district to learn first-hand about the value you bring to the medication optimization process.
The ongoing COVID pandemic means that health care issues are of high priority to policymakers. It is important they hear from you to learn about how your work improves the lives of patients and contributes to enhanced healthcare team efficiency.
Contacting the offices of your elected officials is simple. We have prepared a letter for you to review and edit. Simply follow the instructions to send this message to Capitol Hill.
Please take the time to personalize the letter by providing additional information about your practice and the patients you care for and highlight what the COVID pandemic has meant for your practice and your patients.
Invite your Elected Officials to Your Practice Site
Beyond simply writing to Congress, hosting an elected official to tour your practice site is a unique way to truly establish an ongoing relationship. Many members of Congress are working to remain engaged with constituents even with the barriers of social distancing by participating in virtual tours, so consider opportunities to explore similar options as the November elections approach.
Pharmacists across the country are working under extraordinary circumstances to improve patient outcomes through team-based models of care. As policymakers assess the strengths and weaknesses of our nations' healthcare infrastructure, it is vital they hear about the ongoing work of clinical pharmacists.
- Click here to send a letter inviting your federal elected officials on a site tour.
Contribute to ACCP-PAC!
Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions are a constitutionally protected part of our political system under the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech.
ACCP-PAC is the only means through which the College can provide financial support for candidates for Congress. Now with 18,000 members, ACCP is in a position to become one of the most prominent pharmacy PACs in Washington. To do this, ACCP needs the widespread support of its membership. If each member contributed just $30, ACCP-PAC would raise over $500,000. ACCP asks that all should consider donating at least $30 to ACCP-PAC.
Get Involved with GTMRx!
The exciting work of the Get the Medications Right Institute (GTMRx) continues to gather momentum. GTMRx brings together several national thought-leaders in a multidimensional effort that seeks to engage key stakeholders to advocate to Congress, CMS, and other payers on the need for tools, data, practice standards, and implementation resources to advance medication optimization through team-based practice.
- ACCP members are encouraged sign-up as members of GTMRx to receive updates and access to exclusive programming. Click here to join this exciting effort today.