Report of the 2010-2011 Standing Committee on Advocacy: Leveraging Faculty Engagement to Improve Public Policy

Abstract

According to the Bylaws of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the Advocacy Committee: “will advise the Board of Directors on the formation of positions on matters of public policy and on strategies to advance those positions to the public and private sectors on behalf of academic pharmacy.” COMMITTEE CHARGE President Rodney Carter charged the 2010-2011 Advocacy Committee to: “examine the question how can AACP and its members most effectively leverage faculty scholarship/research to impact on public policy at the state and federal level?” The Committee met in-person in October in Arlington, VA to discuss the charge and determine the approach to meeting the charge. After a wide-ranging discussion guided by the Chair the Committee agreed that a case study approach would meet the intent of the charge and serve the broader Academy by providing examples of evidence-based advocacy. Committee members agreed that the case studies could include completed, ongoing, or developing examples of how faculty scholarship and research did or failed to impact public policy. A framework for case study submission was developed and agreed to by the Committee. Case Study Framework: Each advocacy committee member will present one initiative that supports the integration of the pharmacist or recognizes academic pharmacy as a resource for evidence-based public policy development as a case study that provides a “roadmap for implementation” for AACP members. Each case study will be included as a section in the report. Each section will use the following format: State the healthcare reform/advocacy issue and the opportunity or expectation for the integration of the pharmacist; Describe the development of the partnership with the academic or community-based partner and their understanding and expectation of the integration of the pharmacist into issue activities or how pharmacy faculty can contribute to furthering public policy development; Describe through examples of teaching, research, or service, current activity at the college or school level to address the issue; List the AACP/other resources that provide evidence of academic activity that support the selected issue; and Recommendations regarding additional resources or evidence needed to advance the role of the pharmacist into the activities supporting the healthcare reform/advocacy initiative. BACKGROUND Leveraging public policy development to your advantage requires strong evidence that supports or opposes the policy. Public policy is advanced by science-based contributions.1,2 It is helpful to keep in mind that there is no guarantee that evidence improves the final policy since politics can be a dominant influence. However the strength of the evidence can contribute to its consideration in public policy.3 How and to whom the evidence is presented remains an essential element of influencing public policy. The creation of new knowledge and evaluation of existing knowledge are responsibilities of every faculty member of a college or school of pharmacy. Therefore, leveraging public policy development requires 1) identification of public policy of personal or professional interest and those supporting or opposing the policy, 2) assessing the policy for personal or collective contribution opportunities, and 3) determining the best approach for contributing the evidence. For instance, a significant piece of public policy, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, includes provisions that seek to increase access to medication therapy management. The specific public concern being poor medication management is costly in terms of health and economic outcomes. This public concern was leveraged by evidence generated, translated and provided by pharmacy faculty. This evidence included examples of research, some of it supported by federal grants,4 demonstrating improved health outcomes associated with the provision of MTM services. Influencing public policy through evidence-sharing will continue to be an important goal of academic and professional organizations. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act creates many opportunities for academic pharmacy to leverage its implementation through the creation of new knowledge or evaluate current knowledge and translating both new and current knowledge into programs and services that meet the intent of the law.5 Members of the Academy are already providing significant contributions to the literature supporting the integration of the pharmacist across the continuum of care competent to provide patient-centered, team-based care.6,7 Likewise, daily activities such as interactions with state-based organizations, community partners, health insurance payers and even accrediting organizations provide opportunities for your position to be articulated and supported through evidence-sharing. The ability to leverage policy development requires an understanding and appreciation of other individuals and groups that will be engaged in the creation of new policy and its eventual implementation. Understanding and appreciation, regardless of whether you agree or disagree, requires the development of relationships with individuals, institutions and organizations involved in influencing public policy you deem important or relevant to your personal or professional goals. Understanding the advocacy or public policy goals of others is the first step in determining how what information you will provide to leverage their goals to your advantage. Through discussions with other individuals and groups you begin the second step, to assess the relevance of their goals to yours. Identification of goal alignment is an important step toward influencing public policy. Shared goals strengthen advocacy. The recognition of this strength regularly results in the establishment of coalitions and task forces that combine individual or organizational goals into a larger presence to influence public policy development, implementation and evaluation. Coalitions and other groups built upon mutual advocacy goals are sustained and strengthened through the evidence they are able to share with those developing or implementing the policy. Toward this end, pharmacy faculty are able to leverage public policy by working with others that share their goals, creating and communicating evidence that supports those goals.