In 2010, ACCP launched a Political Action Committee (PAC) to help elect candidates to Congress who understand the value that clinical pharmacists bring to the health care team and who will be champions of pharmacists and their patients. All ACCP members are encouraged to contribute to the PAC. To make a donation, please visit our Web site: www.accpaction.org. (Please note that, to comply with Federal Election Commission [FEC] regulations, we require you to log-in to the PAC Web site using your ACCP login and password. ACCP can solicit contributions only from ACCP members—our “solicitable class.”)

Clinical Pharmacy and America’s Changing Health Care Environment

ACCP opened its Washington office in 2000 so that the College could be actively invested in advocacy and government affairs efforts. During the past decade, ACCP has expanded its Washington staff, launched the ACCP/ASHP/VCU Health Care Policy Fellow program, and developed its grassroots capabilities through the ACCP Advocates.

ACCP is confident that this investment is worthwhile. It has allowed the College to significantly raise its profile in Washington and participate actively in efforts such as the Pharmacy Stakeholders Coalition, which helped secure the clinical pharmacy provisions included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) signed into law by President Obama.

ACCP’s 2007 Strategic Plan called for an examination of the feasibility and value of establishing an ACCP PAC. From the research conducted by staff and outreach to ACCP membership, the ACCP Board of Regents approved the establishment of a PAC to support and advance ACCP’s advocacy agenda in Washington. ACCP’s 2010 Strategic Plan continues this focus on political advocacy, calling on the College to develop, advance, and position clinical pharmacists within the current health care environment. ACCP’s 2011–2012 Advocacy Platform provides a descriptive frame of reference for the areas of advocacy and communication that align with the College’s 2010 Strategic Plan.

The Advocacy Platform builds on the opportunities available to the pharmacy profession because of certain provisions in the ACA of 2010. Moreover, it calls for the College to continue participating in and supporting the efforts of national pharmacist organizations to ensure that key provisions of the ACA related to medication therapy management services are appropriately implemented and/or retained in the face of any efforts to diminish or repeal the law.

However, the Advocacy Platform also recognizes that it will likely be necessary in some instances for the College to differentiate and distinguish the practice of its members specifically, and clinical pharmacists generally, within the broader spectrum of pharmacy practice in order to promote and achieve the objectives contained in its strategic plan. Accordingly, advocacy and communications activities will emphasize and support:

Patient-centered and patient-engaged care that is continuous, coordinated, comprehensive, evidence-based, and safe;

Team-based delivery systems, using physically integrated and/or virtual practice structures, that facilitate and promote the full participation of qualified health professionals practicing to their maximum skills and capabilities within their licenses and scopes of practice in delivering care to patients; and

Payment reforms to incentivize and reward collaborative and coordinated patient care services that achieve quality clinical outcomes and goals, through both medication use and other therapeutic and preventive health care services.

ACCP will seek out and work actively with interested health care organizations and professional societies, relevant government agencies, and other policy and advocacy groups that support and foster these broad goals. ACCP will be working to advance clinical pharmacists by:

• Advocating for appropriate credentialing and privileging of clinical pharmacists
• Seeking recognition of clinical pharmacists by employers, payers, regulators, and evolving care delivery systems
• Facilitating collaborative research that documents the value of clinical pharmacists to patients
• Publishing research, commentaries, and evidence-based papers that address the clinical pharmacist’s value to patient care

To achieve these goals, ACCP will need to build, develop, and expand its advocacy and communications capabilities and call on all of its members to participate. The College’s advocacy efforts—direct lobbying and grassroots action—have yielded progress, as shown by the recognition of pharmacists’ valued contributions to the patient care team. But lobbying and grassroots are just two legs of a three-legged advocacy “stool.”

The third leg of the stool is ACCP’s recently launched PAC. The success of the ACCP-PAC depends entirely on the support of ACCP members. Although ACCP members already make a significant commitment to the College and other professional organizations, this is clinical pharmacy’s PAC, which presents a unique opportunity to raise the College’s political profile and advance its advocacy agenda. To make a donation, please visit our Web site: www.accpaction.org.

What Is a PAC?

A PAC is a legally defined entity organized to help elect political candidates. PACs must report all financial activities, including direct donations and other expenses, to FEC, which makes the reports available to the public. A PAC enables ACCP members to combine their political contributions and support candidates who support ACCP’s issues. Created because of campaign finance reform in the 1970s, PACs are the most transparent and rigorously regulated form of political contribution.

Why Support the ACCP-PAC?

One of the biggest hurdles a candidate must overcome when seeking elected office is the cost of mounting a campaign. Television commercials, campaign literature, pollsters, and political consultants are all necessary but expensive campaign investments. As a result, elected officials depend on organizations like the ACCP-PAC for financial support as much as they depend on our professional expertise and input in the legislative and policy arenas. Although no official connection exists between policy outcomes and political contributions, a PAC can increase our visibility on Capitol Hill and strengthen our relationships with congressional leaders.

ACCP will cover all the administrative expenses associated with operating the PAC, so all donations go directly to support pro-clinical pharmacy candidates.

ACCP-PAC Governing Council

The PAC Governing Council, which provides oversight of and strategic leadership for PAC operations, directs the ACCP-PAC.

The founding ACCP-PAC Governing Council consists of the following ACCP members:

How You Can Contribute

Contributions to the ACCP-PAC can be made online: http://www.accpaction.org/donate/index.aspx

Or simply print the following form to contribute by mail or fax: http://www.accpaction.org/styles/PAC%20Contribution %20Form.pdf

Please Send Your ACCP-PAC Contributions to:
American College of Clinical Pharmacy
Political Action Committee
13000 W. 87th Street Parkway
Lenexa, KS 66215-4530
Fax: (913) 492-0088

How Much Should You Contribute?

Although all donations are gratefully accepted, we suggest that you contribute at one of the levels below:
Presidential Club: $1,000+
Regents Club: $500
Directors Club: $250
Advocates Club: $100
Other: $20–$99

Who Can Contribute to the ACCP-PAC?
The ACCP-PAC can solicit contributions only from ACCP members. All contributions must be personal, not corporate. Therefore, the PAC cannot accept contributions from institutions, organizations, chapters, PRNs, or other similar entities.

How Much Can an ACCP Member Contribute to the PAC?
$5,000 annually. ACCP will cover all the administrative expenses associated with operating the PAC, so all donations go directly to support pro-clinical pharmacy candidates.

How Much Can the ACCP-PAC Contribute to a Candidate?
Up to $5,000 per candidate, per election. ($10,000 per election cycle–$5K for the primary election and $5K for the general election)

Are PAC Contributions Tax Deductible?
No. Contributions to the ACCP-PAC are not deductible as charitable for federal tax purposes and must be made by personal funds and/or post-tax dollars.

Is the ACCP-PAC Partisan?
No. The ACCP-PAC contributes to candidates who understand and support its issues, regardless of their political party affiliation.

Can You Recommend a Candidate to Receive a PAC Contribution?
Only ACCP-PAC contributors 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.

Other Legal Considerations
ACCP-PAC funds are used to support candidates for the U.S. Congress who are supportive of clinical pharmacists and their patients. Federal election law prohibits the ACCP-PAC from soliciting contributions from individuals outside the restricted class. Any contributions received from outside the restricted class will be returned. Federal law also requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and name of employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in a calendar year.

Contact Us!
For more information, please contact ACCP’s Associate Director, Government Affairs, at (202) 621-1820 or [email protected].