Driving change and elevating the level of practice

Abstract

Throughout this very unusual year, American Pharmacists Association (APhA)–Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management (APPM) leaders and members came together virtually to strengthen our profession during a challenging time of being essential health care workers on the frontlines of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as well as dealing with the pressures of declining reimbursement, increasing workload, and promoting personal and professional well-being. APhA–APPM is dedicated to assisting members in enhancing the profession of pharmacy, improving medication use, and advancing patient care. The Academy represents pharmacists in all practice areas and has a member-driven structure where members can engage, interact, lead, and actively participate in the activities of the Academy, Association, and the profession. The work of our members, whether through the Special Interest Groups (SIGs), standing committees, or other opportunities to volunteer their expertise, all contribute to making an impact on our patients and advancing the profession. The APhA–APPM Executive Committee, comprising 9 elected officers, met routinely to track progress made toward the 2020-2021 Academy work plan. The Executive Committee was focused on engaging members, advocating for the profession, and providing resources to Academy members to move pharmacy forward. I would like to thank the 2020-2021 APhA–APPM Executive Committee Officers for your dedication this past year:•Wendy Mobley-Bukstein, President-elect, Des Moines, IA•Nicholas Dorich, Member-at-Large, Durham, NC•Patricia Fabel, Member-at-Large, Winnsboro, SC•Ashley Lorenzen, Member-at-Large, Mequon, WI•Cortney Mospan, Member-at-Large, Indian Trail, NC•Jeffrey Neigh, Member-at-Large, San Antonio, TX•Emily Prohaska, Member-at-Large, Lawrence, KS•Stephanie White, New Practitioner Officer, Hope Mills, NC Our SIGs continue to mature, growing in the number of members and enhancing their role as a way for members to get involved in the Academy. We welcome members from all 3 Academies to join our SIGs. Members can join multiple SIGs, depending on their interest areas. In addition to the existing 10 SIGs, an 11th SIG related to public health was launched in May. David Steeb of Chapel Hill, NC, and Vibhuti Arya of Queens, NY, were appointed by the APhA–APPM Executive Committee as coordinator and coordinator-elect, respectively. In 2020, more than 465 members volunteered for various SIG-related activities, projects, and initiatives. APhA’s ENGAGE virtual community platform also connected and empowered members to share best practices, patient cases, and journal clubs, discuss hot topics, highlight their colleagues, and network with fellow members around the country. Members also had many opportunities to get engaged in the Academy via elected and nonelected SIG positions. Last, all the SIGs contributed to the Association’s strategic plan, completing more than 15 projects through the year and working on more than a dozen others that will be carried into 2021-2022. Some of the great work of the SIGs is highlighted in the report. I would like to thank the 2020-2021 APhA–APPM SIG Coordinators and Coordinators-elect for their leadership this past year:•Care of Underserved Patients SIG: Susan Nguyen, Henderson, NV; Jason Martinez, Bellefontaine, OH•Compounding SIG: John Pritchett, Cary, NC; Ashley Mattingly, Baltimore, MD•Diabetes Management SIG: Megan Coleman, Wingate, NC; Adam Davies, San Antonio, TX•Immunizing Pharmacists SIG: Gretchen Kreckel Garofoli, Morgantown, WV; Ashley Pugh, Enville, TN•Medical Home/ACO SIG: Sara Wettergreen, Denver, CO; Jelena Lewis, Irvine, CA•Medication Management SIG: Laly Havern, Alexandria, VA; Olivia Strain, Madison, MS•Nuclear Pharmacy Practice SIG: Dao Le, Houston, TX; Akram Hussein, Dublin, OH•Pain, Palliative Care and Addiction SIG: Amanda Ward, Louisa, KY; Thomas Franko, Wilkes Barre, PA•Preceptor SIG: Morgan Herring, West Des Moines, IA; Bethany Sibbitt, Dayton, OH•Public Health SIG: David Steeb, Chapel Hill, NC; Vibhuti Arya, Queens, NY•Transitions of Care SIG: Jessica Wooster, Tyler, TX; Danielle Candelario, North Chicago, IL The SIG leaders are supported by APhA staff liaisons who help provide support and guidance to the SIGs to ensure the SIGs successfully accomplish their respective goals and work plans. Academy leadership and member-volunteers contributed to the following outcome areas of APhA’s strategic plan:1.Secure recognition of pharmacists and their services in Medicare and other health care coverage systems.2.Lead the pharmacy profession’s efforts to enhance and promote personal and professional well-being and resilience.3.Enhance the pharmacist’s ability to provide safe and effective patient care services.4.Transform pharmacy practice so that pharmacists are optimally positioned to improve patient and public health. Academy officers and APhA–APPM SIGs representatives participated in a virtual 2020 Academies Leadership Meeting. The then APhA Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tom Menighan and 2020-2021 APhA President Michael Hogue shared opening remarks to welcome Academy and SIG leaders. The APhA staff provided training and orientation on various topics including marketing, Academy governance and operations, and tools and resources. Leaders also met virtually to create their workplans to support APhA’s strategic goals for the 2020-2021 Academy year and participated in leadership development and networking relating sessions. Officers appointed to the 2020-2021 APhA–APPM Policy Standing Committee also met virtually to discuss potential policy topics for the 2021 APhA House of Delegates (HoD). The APhA–APPM Policy Standing Committee was tasked with reviewing current APhA policy and policies adopted during the 2019 APhA HoD, to propose new policy as appropriate, and to promote APhA advocacy-related resources and tools. Committee members also promoted policy related webinars to help prepare members and delegates for the APhA 2020 and fall 2020 virtual HoD sessions. The seventh Annual APhA–APPM SIG Political Action Committee (PAC) Challenge commenced in September and concluded on November 3 (Election Day). The SIGs held a friendly competition against each other to see which SIG could raise the most money for the APhA–PAC. With the assistance of the staff, each SIG identified a SIG PAC Champion to help drive the competition. Members of the APhA–APPM Policy Standing Committee were also assigned to an SIG to help increase awareness and participation in the challenge. The Academy set out to raise 5% more than in 2019 and exceeded that goal by more than $10,000. The Academy raised a record amount of $34,162! The Compounding SIG raised the most and had the highest average contribution. The SIG and the SIG PAC Champion, Michael Blaire, of Scottsdale, AZ, will be recognized during the APhA 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting. The Academy looks forward to continuing the challenge in 2021. The Academy appreciates the hard work of all SIG PAC Champions:•Care of Underserved Patients SIG: Nika Ford, Magnolia, AZ; Nicole Molera, Henderson, NV•Compounding SIG: Jon Pritchett, Cary, NC•Diabetes Management SIG: Troy Lewis, Wilkes-Barre, PA; Hanna Sung, San Francisco, CA•Immunizing Pharmacists SIG: Bryanna Monkurai, Orem, UT•Medical Home/ACO SIG: Sara Wettergreen, Denver, CO•Medication Management SIG: Scott Sexton, Grand Rapids, MI•Nuclear Pharmacy Practice SIG: Akram Hussein, Columbus, OH; Dao Le, Bellaire, TX•Pain, Palliative Care & Addiction SIG: Rachel Barenie, Memphis, TN; Amanda Ward, Louisville, KY•Preceptor SIG: Morgan Herring, Iowa City, IA; Ha Phan, University, MS•Public Health SIG: Kim Croley, London, KY•Transitions of Care SIG: Roxane Took, St. Louis, MS Academy members supported the APhA’s advocacy efforts throughout the year by participating in and encouraging colleagues to e-mail members of Congress about the many services pharmacists provide within their scope of practice beyond the safe distribution of medication. Academy leaders worked with staff to recruit a total of 34 members to serve as Academy Delegates and Alternate Delegates in the special 2020 fall and APhA 2021 virtual HoD sessions. Delegates were selected from various practice settings, representing varying levels of expertise, interest areas, and perspectives on pharmacy practice-related issues. The APhA–APPM Communications Standing Committee assisted the Academy and staff in a variety of tasks designed to ensure that communications and information are of value to members. This year, as part of the Academy workplan, committee members posted and promoted on SIG ENGAGE communities about Pharmacy Profiles, APhA COVID-19 resources, and APhA billing and team-based tools/resources (e.g., Billing guide, Team-based care guide, Web-based resource center). In follow-up to the launch of the Well-Being Index and the Enhancing Well-Being and Resilience Among the Pharmacist Workforce: A National Consensus Conference held in Chicago, IL (held in 2019), the Academy continues to promote and encourage colleagues to participate in the Well-Being Index via personal outreach and the ENGAGE communities. The APhA–APPM Policy Standing Committee identified and reviewed New Business Items (NBIs) from the following SIGs on the related topics:•Diabetes Management SIG: People First Language•Pain, Palliative Care and Addiction SIG: Increasing Access to and Affordability of Naloxone The Executive Committee likewise reviewed and provided input on the submitted NBIs, and anticipates all NBIs to be introduced during the 2021 APhA HoD for consideration. A subcommittee of the APhA–APPM Policy Standing Committee also contributed language and shared feedback with the APhA Task Force of Structural Racism in Pharmacy for an NBI on the topic of social determinants of health, health equity, and social justice to be submitted by the Task Force as an NBI to the APhA 2021 HoD. Academy leaders and volunteers responded to more than 20 Association requests for inputs on various practice-related issues, including those from government agencies (e.g., Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, FDA, and Health and Human Services) and other pharmacy-related organizations (e.g., American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and International Pharmaceutical Federation). In collaboration with APhA–APRS, a joint Task Force on practice-based research was formed to help guide APhA’s effort to develop educational resources for practice-based research with a target audience of novice pharmacist–researchers (e.g., pharmacy residents, fellows, student pharmacists, postgraduate students). It is envisioned that the resources will be a series of educational programs (e.g., Web-based) that address different components of the research process. The Task Force may not necessarily develop the educational resources, but may help determine the scope, outline, and delivery method(s) for the resources. A total of 4 APhA–APPM members were appointed by the Academy President to serve on the Task Force, including APhA–APPM Member-at-Large Officer Cortney Mospan in the role of co-chair. Throughout the year, APhA–APPM identified opportunities to enable, empower, and inspire members to drive change and elevate the level of pharmacy practice. The Executive Committee appointed 42 member-volunteers to the 4 Academy Standing Committees: Awards, Communications, Education, and Policy. Member-volunteers had an opportunity to interact and exchange ideas, knowledge, and skills with leaders and fellow colleagues. The Executive Committee also collaborated with the chair of the APhA–APPM Awards Standing Committee to appoint 10 Academy leaders and members to serve on the Fellows Selection Subcommittee. The APhA–APPM SIGs recognized outgoing Coordinators for their service and leadership:•Care of Underserved Patients SIG: Alexa Valentino, Columbus, OH•Compounding SIG: Brenda Jensen, Sioux Falls, SD•Diabetes Management SIG: Erin Pauling, Cortland, NY•Immunizing Pharmacists SIG: Deanna Tran, Hanover, MD•Medical Home/ACO SIG: Courtney Doyle-Campbell, Springfield, MA•Medication Management SIG: Marci Strauss, Abingdon, MD•Nuclear Pharmacy Practice SIG: Danny Allen, Tyler, TX•Preceptor SIG: Angela Olenik, Alexandria, VA•Transitions of Care SIG: Phung On, Boston, MA In addition, the SIGs recognized numerous SIG members for their leadership and service. In lieu of the canceled live APhA 2020 Annual Meeting, leaders worked with staff to create and mail certificates to volunteers in appreciation of their time and contributions to the SIGs and the profession. Outgoing and incoming Academy Officers and APhA Fellows were also recognized during the virtual APhA 2020 Annual Meeting. In 2020, the APhA–APPM Education Standing Committee was tasked with contributing to the APhA 2020 Annual Meeting educational programming and assisting staff in identifying Abstract Reviewers and Poster Judges for the APhA Contributed Papers Program. A total of 73 volunteers were identified to serve as Poster Judges for the 2020 APhA Contributed Papers Program. Volunteers reviewed 251 practitioner, pharmacy resident, and student pharmacist posters related to a wide range of research and innovative practice topics. In preparation for the APhA 2021 Annual Meeting & Exposition, the committee worked with staff to identify 111 member-volunteers who will serve as abstract reviewers. A total of 296 papers were submitted for consideration. The Academy is in the process of identifying member-volunteers who will serve as Poster Judges for the APhA 2021 and select the 2021 APhA–APPM Presentation Merit Award winners. As a result of 2019-2020 successful collaboration, the APhA Education Department again collaborated with the Academy Education Standing Committee to issue a Call for APhA 2021 Academy Session Proposals. Academy members had an opportunity to provide direct input on Annual Meeting programing. The committee reviewed a series of 8 proposed topics provided by the APhA Education staff and selected the topic “Practice Innovation and Reimbursement Services.” The APhA–APPM Awards Standing Committee was equally busy during 2020. The committee was responsible for administering a comprehensive awards program that provides recognition for the outstanding contributions of pharmacists from diverse practice settings. The Committee provided recommendations for improvement to the APhA–APPM Awards Program and was responsible for selecting the recipients to be recognized during the APhA 2021 Annual Meeting. The APhA–APPM Fellows Selection Subcommittee and the Nuclear Pharmacy Practice SIG also assisted and provided recommendations to the APhA–APPM Awards Standing Committee. Congratulations to the following individuals who will be recognized by the Academy during the APhA 2021 Annual Meeting for their contributions to the profession:•Daniel B. Smith Practice Excellence Award: Stuart Beatty, PharmD, BCACP, FAPhA, Plain City, OH•Thomas E. Menighan Pharmacy Management Excellence Award: Ernest E. Boyd, BS, PharmD (Hon), MBA, CAE, Columbus, OH•Distinguished Achievement in Pharmacy Practice: Kara D. Weatherman, PharmD, BCNP, FAPhA, West Layfayette, IN•William H. Briner Distinguished Achievement Award: William J. Baker, MT(ASCP), BSPharm, BSPharm, MS in Radiopharmacy, BCNP, FAPhA, Riverton, UT•Fellows of the American Pharmacists Association (selected by APhA–APPM): Vibhuti Arya, PharmD, MPH, Queens, NY; Karen MS Bastianelli, BSPharm, PharmD, BCACP, Duluth, MN; Krista D. Capehart, PharmD, MS, BCACP, AE-C, Winfield, WV; Denise M. Clayton, BSPharm, Mayflower, AR; Valerie B. Clinard, PharmD, San Francisco, CA; Patricia H. Fabel, PharmD, BCPS, Winnsboro, SC; Kevin J. Musto, BSPharm, Smyrna, DE; James A. Owen, PharmD, BCPS, MBA, Vienna, VA; and H. Eric Smith, PharmD, MS, BCNP, Chapel Hill, NC The Executive Committee helped the staff identify the individuals who will assist with a staff-led project, the APhA Patient Referral Process Perspectives Report. Members of the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 Patient Referral Work Group, also serving on this Report Work Group, updated and finalized the most recent version of the patient referral template, as necessary, so that it may be included and align with the report. The report will allow community pharmacies and other practice settings to further integrate pharmacists into the current health care provider referral system. The Academy anticipates the report to be completed and available to members by early 2021. The Academy launched the APhA–APPM Pharmacy Residency Standing Committee chaired by APhA–APPM New Practitioner Officer Stephanie White. The Committee will provide services to all postgraduate pharmacy residents (years 1 and 2), as well as academic, nonacademic, and executive fellows seeking advanced training in pharmacy practice. The purpose of the committee is to increase communications and interaction among postgraduate pharmacy residents and fellows, grow leadership skills, and share best practices. The following individuals were appointed to serve for 2020-2021 by the APhA–APPM Executive Committee: Chair Stephanie White, Hope Mills, NC; Michelle Cottino, Baskin Ridge, NJ; Erin Dickman, Dayton, OH; Urvinder Kaur, Weymouth, MA; Dylan Ledet, Bentonville, AR; Lauren Maly, Aliquippa, PA; Krystal Scinto, Fairfield, CT; Tyler Walsh, Conway AR; Matthew Westling, Charleston, SC; and Samuel Williams, Minneapolis, MN. This year, SIG leaders also collaborated on a number of activities including a:•Universal form for member recognition within each SIG.•Working relationship with the New Practitioner Advisory Committee (NPAC) to promote and communicate SIG offerings that would benefit new practitioners.•Communication Chairs Best Practices document. Beginning with APhA 2020 and continuing throughout the year, APhA–APPM sought to provide opportunities to members to enhance their role in the health care system. SIGs created resources to assist pharmacists providing patient care, such as:•APhA–APPM Immunizing Pharmacists SIG updated the Immunization Reference Guide and Travel Health Guide (available via the annual publication of the Peripheral Brain and Immunization Center on pharmacist.com).•APhA–APPM Medication Management SIG developed a new resource for Marketing Medication Therapy Management Services to help pharmacists communicate the value of their patient care services to patients, providers, and payers. This comprehensive guide explores the differences between digital and traditional marketing, provides considerations for marketing strategies and messaging, and lists marketing resources and tools. The SIG also launched its Medication Management Enrollment Letter Template for APhA members on pharmacist.com.•APhA–APPM Pain, Palliative Care, and Addiction SIG developed an Opioid Use Disorder Pharmacotherapy resource that provides links to evidence-based treatment guidelines, plus an overview of pharmacologic agents used for the treatment of opioid use disorder and overdose reversal. APhA–APPM also contributed Journal of the American Pharmacists Association (JAPhA) Association Report articles on the following topics: cannabidiol, diabetes, COVID-19, the role of the pharmacist in public health practice and policies passed during the 2019 APhA HoD. The Academy would like to thank the following leaders and members for their time and contributions to JAPhA: Jessica Hinson of Ada, OH; Megan Coleman of Wingate, NC; Adam Davies of San Antonio, TX; John Grabenstein of Easton, MD; David Steeb of Chapel Hill, NC; Vibhuti Arya of Queens, NY; and Andrew Bzowyckyj of Portland, OR. The APhA–APPM Communications Standing Committee was tasked with evaluating and formulating recommendations for effective communication with APhA members. The committee leveraged the Academy structure by assigning committee members to each SIG to encourage and promote communication and participation. The Committee also assisted staff in developing messages around member value propositions and provided recommendations on practice-related topics, as well as authors for APhA publications. In addition, the committee helped educate and inform practitioners about various practice issues and available resources, identified the most appropriate vehicles for communicating information to members and nonmembers, and monitored and updated APhA–APPM related webpage(s) as needed to ensure information is current, relevant, and accurate. Throughout the year, several SIGs conducted surveys and pulsed members to help identify SIG member needs. As a result, both continuing pharmacy education and noncontinuing pharmacy education webinars were developed by 5 different SIGs on the following practice-related issues:•APhA–APPM Diabetes Management SIG: Avoid Overbasalization and Clinical Inertia in Patient with Type 2 Diabetes. (Scheduled for early 2021)•APhA–APPM Immunizing Pharmacists SIG: Don’t Wait–Vaccinate! Strategies for Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy and Resistance•APhA–APPM Medical Home/ACO SIG: Getting Started in a Medical Home/ACO Practice and Hot Topics in ACO•APhA–APPM Transitions of Care SIG: Implementing Transitions of Care Services in the Inpatient Setting and Implementing Transitions of Care Services in the Outpatient Setting Home-study webinar recordings and slide presentations were made available to members via the continuing pharmacy education webpages on www.pharmacist.com. Academy leaders and members continued to participate in the APhA–APPM SIG ENGAGE virtual communities. Participants engaged in active discussion on various topics (e.g., clinical/therapeutic patient cases, legislative and regulatory issues, and the successes and barriers in practice). In addition, members of the APhA–APPM Communication Standing Committee and SIG ENGAGE Moderators continued to work to help increase awareness and participation within the communities, better linking all members together. The Academy also sought ways to help final-year student pharmacists and new practitioners find a home within the Association. Stephanie White collaborated with the APhA–APRS Postgraduate Officer and the NPAC to promote new practitioner and postgraduate opportunities within the Academy. The Academy is pleased to welcome 4 newly elected APhA–APPM Officers who will be appointed during the APhA 2021 Annual Meeting:•Members-at-large: Amy Kennedy, PharmD, BCACP, of Tucson, AZ; Olivia Kinney, PharmD, of Cincinnati, OH; and Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA, of Nashville, TN•New Practitioner Officer: Jordan Rowe, PharmD, BCACP, of Kansas City, MO Looking forward to 2021-2022, the Academy will continue to promote elected and nonelected member-volunteer opportunities via the APhA SIG ENGAGE virtual community platform, APhA volunteer Web page, and other available vehicles. The Academy and SIGs are dedicated and committed to continuing to increase member engagement and leadership opportunities within the Academy. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve our profession for the past 2 years as APhA–APPM President and APhA Board of Trustee member. The Academy leaders and member-volunteers have done incredible work to move pharmacy forward, and I would like to thank all those who spent time to advance the priorities of our Association. I also would like to thank the APhA staff, under the remarkable leadership of the current and former Executive Vice President and CEO Scott Knoer, MS, PharmD, FASHP; and Thomas E. Menighan, BSPharm, MBA, ScD (Hon), FAPhA, respectively, and the APhA Board of Trustees for their dedication and hard work in supporting our profession. I would like to extend a special thank you to APhA Staff Margaret Tomecki, Senior Director, Practice and Science Academies, for her APhA–APPM facilitation, coordination, and dedication; Virginia Suitor, Associate Director, Practice/Professional Program Management and Department Administration, for being instrumental in coordinating the SIGs; and APhA staff who supported SIGs as SIG Staff Liaisons. The accomplishments of the Academy would not have been possible without your support and dedication to the profession and the Association. As I reflect back on my involvement in APhA, I see it as my responsibility to be an active member and am thankful to the Academy leaders and member-volunteers who have done the same in various ways. Rolling up your sleeves to directly contribute to the profession is a way that anyone can lead. Now more than ever, we need to serve our profession and show patients, fellow health care providers, and legislators the valuable role that pharmacists play in health care and how provider status will advance our profession and improve our health care system. Showing up, being engaged, and sharing your passion with others require no experience or title but provide the amazing opportunity to positively affect and influence others. Cathy Kuhn,PharmD, BCACP, FAPhA, Updox, Voice of the Customer, Dublin, OH; 2019-2021 APhA–APPM President