Association Perspective
Michael D. Hogue, PharmD, FAPhA, FNAP, FFIP, Executive vice president and CEO of APhA
APhA’s long-standing policy, established by our House of Delegates and reaffirmed repeatedly by our Board of Trustees, is that pharmacists should be included as credentialed providers of health care services and paid equitably to other providers. Our association’s legislative approach has consistently been inclusive.
I was recently asked if APhA would support a focused approach in addition to an inclusive one. In other words, would APhA support board-certified ambulatory care specialists, oncology specialists, geriatric specialists, psychiatric specialists, etc., being paid specifically for their care services when there is ongoing legislation related to their specialty area of practice? My response is that we must.
Though APhA has limited resources to introduce and lobby for bills in Congress, the association must represent its members, including our board-certified pharmacists. Congress is interested in taking up several measures in the coming session that could open the door for BPS–certified pharmacists to be paid for their services. For example, psychiatric services are woefully under-resourced. If Congress takes up legislation to improve our mental health care system, then—at a minimum—our highly credentialed board-certified pharmacists should be part of that legislation. All generalist pharmacists may also be appropriately included for prevention and screening, including chronic disease management. This type of support is different from the approach APhA has taken in the past.
APhA will continue to be guided by our agreed-upon policies to seek the broadest legislative and regulatory solutions for coverage of pharmacist-provided patient care services. In addition, we will also take advantage of possible inclusion on more narrowly focused opportunities that come along.
At the crux of this effort is our continued work to ensure that patients have access to the care services of pharmacists wherever they interact within the health care system. When health care is the subject of legislation or regulation, APhA will collaborate with other interested parties to ensure pharmacists and pharmacy are included.
APhA supports and collaborates with our specialty pharmacy associations which are often seen as the primary gathering point for specialists in our profession, including but not limited to the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association, the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists, the Pediatric Pharmacy Association, the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists, the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists.
As Alex C. Varkey, PharmD, MS, FAPhA, and president of APhA said, renewed cooperation is necessary “to forge a unified effort in our profession to promote, protect, and propel pharmacy practice.”
APhA’s position is that specialized pharmacists should belong to their specialty association, and we believe that APhA membership is equally important to ensure broad-based connectivity, networking, and engagement across the entire profession. Read our policy on ensuring access to pharmacists’ services at https://bit.ly/PharmAccess.
APhA’s advocacy for members can be most effective when pharmacists are connected to both their specialty organization and APhA. Take the time to reach out to your specialty colleagues and welcome them back home to APhA.
For every pharmacist. For all of pharmacy. ■