Impact of the Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative on Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Practice

Abstract

This paper describes the goals of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists' Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative (PPMI) and its recommendations for health-system pharmacy practice transformation to meet future patient care needs and elevate the role of pharmacists as patient care providers. PPMI envisions a future in which pharmacists have greater responsibility for medication-related outcomes and technicians assume greater responsibility for product-related activities. Although the PPMI recommendations have elevated the level of practice in many settings, they also potentially affect existing clinical pharmacists, in general, and clinical pharmacy specialists, in particular. Moreover, although more consistent patient care can be achieved with an expanded team of pharmacist providers, the role of clinical pharmacy specialists must not be diminished, especially in the care of complex patients and populations. Specialist practitioners with advanced training and credentials must be available to model and train pharmacists in generalist positions, residents, and students. Indeed, specialist practitioners are often the innovators and practice leaders. Negotiation between hospitals and pharmacy schools is needed to ensure a continuing role for academic clinical pharmacists and their contributions as educators and researchers. Lessons can be applied from disciplines such as nursing and medicine, which have developed new models of care involving effective collaboration between generalists and specialists. Several different pharmacy practice models have been described to meet the PPMI goals, based on available personnel and local goals. Studies measuring the impact of these new practice models are needed.

Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative—It's All About Implementation

“…Published in this issue of the journal is an ACCP commentary on the ASHP Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative (PPMI). 1 Overall and as detailed in the commentary, the objectives of PPMI and list of recommendations from summit participants are well aligned with existing positions of ACCP, and there is little to criticize relative to those broad goals. Evolving the practice of health-system pharmacy toward greater patient-centered care delivery that assumes accountability for medication-related outcomes and promotes the appropriate use of technology, technicians, and informatics to shift pharmacist time to higher-value activities is consistent with the advancement of clinical pharmacy.…”

“…Published in this issue of the journal is an ACCP commentary on the ASHP Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative (PPMI) . Overall and as detailed in the commentary, the objectives of PPMI and list of recommendations from summit participants are well aligned with existing positions of ACCP, and there is little to criticize relative to those broad goals.…”

Benefit of Incorporating Clinical Pharmacists in an Adult Intensive Care Unit: A Cost‐saving Study

“…Pharmacy as a profession has been evolving from the role of providing medication to one focused on the delivery of clinical services working side by side with other healthcare professionals 1 . In particular, hospital pharmacists have extended their scope of practice to meet patient needs, often specializing in particular clinical areas to target more complex groups of patients 2 …”

Impact of the Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative on Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Practice: An Alternative Viewpoint

“…The 2013 Certification Affairs Committee tried to identify many of the issues faced by clinical pharmacy specialists since the development of the Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative, now known as the Practice Advancement Initiative (PAI) . These initiatives were separately focused on either inpatient practice or ambulatory practice, but given the alternative viewpoint contributed by Potter and colleagues, it is apparent that the issues raised by the committee affect the entire continuum of patient care …”

“…The American Society of Health‐System Pharmacists' Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative (PPMI) aims to develop and disseminate pharmacy practice models that optimize the use of pharmacists as direct care providers . In their commentary, Jacobi and colleagues highlight opportunities and challenges presented through the PPMI and draw attention to potential negative consequences for clinical pharmacy specialists . We present the transplant specialist perspective.…”