RodgersAs we kick off 2025, it’s a great time to reflect on the past year’s victories and look ahead with optimism. In 2024, contrary to the challenges often faced during an election year, ACCP made remarkable strides in its commitment to advancing clinical pharmacy. Thanks to the leadership of our staff and the unwavering engagement of our members, we’ve achieved significant milestones that deserve recognition—and a heartfelt THANK YOU for your continued support!
Let’s take a moment to highlight a few of these accomplishments and the ongoing opportunities where your voice matters.
ADVOCACY WINS AND INITIATIVES
Protecting Residency Funding
This past summer, over 1300 ACCP members joined forces to send more than 2600 letters urging Senate leaders to safeguard pass-through funding for PGY1 (postgraduate year one) residency programs. The bipartisan Rebuild America’s Health Care Schools Act (S 5397/HR 10225), championed by Sen Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), would solidify Medicare support for pharmacy residency programs. ACCP will continue to work with these offices and leaders on the Senate Finance Committee to protect pass-through funds to hospitals for the operation of pharmacy residency programs. Again, thank you for mobilizing to support this critical funding of residency programs. Click here to send a letter to Congress reminding elected officials to act on this important issue.
SUPPORT Rx Act for Addiction Care
ACCP collaborated with Sen Cory Booker (D-NJ) to develop S 4429, the Substance Use Prevention and Pharmacy Oriented Recovery Treatment Prescription Act (SUPPORT Rx Act). This act aims to establish pharmacy-based addiction care programs through a 3-year pilot grant. This initiative expands access to lifesaving services provided by clinical pharmacists under collaborative practice agreements. Your advocacy can make a difference. Click here to encourage your senators to support this critical legislation.
Advancing Pharmacogenetic Consultations
After Rep Diana DeGette (D-CO) wrote to ACCP indicating her intention to reintroduce Cures 2.0, she invited ACCP to submit recommendations on the draft proposal. As part of H R 6000, known as “CURES 2.0,” Congress acknowledged clinical pharmacists’ key role in delivering pharmacogenetic consultations. This recognition bolsters precision medicine and ensures clinical pharmacists are integral to transformative health care innovations. Let’s keep the momentum going—click on https://www.votervoice.net/ACCP/Campaigns/92599/Respond now to send this message to Capitol Hill.
Addressing Medicare Fee Schedules
Last fall, ACCP submitted detailed comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services urging coverage and payment for medication optimization services delivered by clinical pharmacists. These efforts also emphasized the need to mitigate proposed cuts to physician payments, which could disrupt collaborative care models.
Supporting Long COVID Research
In August 2024, Sen Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced the Long COVID Research Moonshot Act of 2024, to which ACCP had provided input (click here to read ACCP’s comments). This act would provide the NIH with funding to support studies, the pursuit of treatments, and the expansion of care for US patients affected by the condition. ACCP was joined by 47 national and local organizations in endorsing this important initiative. In ACCP’s response, the 2022 paper published in the Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (JACCP) titled “A Primer on Post-COVID-19 Conditions and Implications for Clinical Pharmacists” was cited, which explores how clinical pharmacists are essential team members in optimizing the treatment of patients with “post-COVID conditions.”
STAFF AND COMMITTEES LEADING THE WAY
Behind-the-Scenes Efforts
ACCP staff and leaders continue to participate in weekly meetings and quarterly in-person meetings with Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners member organizations, including ASHP and APhA. Many members are unaware that ACCP staff are engaged in various initiatives directly affecting clinical pharmacy including:
- participating in monthly task force meetings with the ACT (Academia-Community Transformation) Pharmacy Collaborative,
- working alongside staff in the American Medical Association and other leading physician organizations to develop templates and resources for collaborative team care, and
- serving as the primary contact for ACCP member engagement in guideline development by various major medical organizations.
Scope Creep
Last, but not least, ACCP is acutely aware of the efforts of organized medicine to limit “scope creep” by other health professionals. In these efforts, organized medicine has compared quantitatively the education, training, and “patient care” hours of physicians with those of other health professionals including pharmacists. Regrettably, these comparisons are not specific to clinical pharmacists (as defined in ACCP’s Standards of Practice for Clinical Pharmacists) and do not focus on comparative education and training in pharmacology or pharmacotherapy and their applications to patient care and medication optimization. In response, ACCP charged the 2024 Educational Affairs Committee, led by Sharon See, Sheila Allen, and Branden Nemecek, to compose an ACCP Commentary comparing formal education and training in the pharmacotherapeutics of physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical pharmacists. The work of this committee will be published in JACCP in early 2025. This work is essential to ensuring our health care colleagues are well aware of our unique contributions to the medical team. A personal thank you to Drs. See, Allen, and Nemecek and all the members of the 2024 Educational Affairs Committee!
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
In addition to supporting new legislation and serving on ACCP committees, there are many ways to stay involved and contribute to the advancement of clinical pharmacists. Be certain to update your areas of expertise in ACCP’s member portal to ensure you’re tapped for opportunities aligned with your expertise and skills. Keep an eye out for engagement with ACCP’s PRNs through respective PRN communities and remain abreast of announcements by following #ACCP on your social media platform of choice.
Here’s to Another Year of Progress!
As we embrace the new year, let’s celebrate these wins while recommitting to the work ahead. Together, we can continue to position clinical pharmacists as essential members of the health care team. Let’s make 2025 another year of impact and achievement!