State and National Organizations Supporting the Profession of Pharmacy

Abstract

I have the good fortune from where I sit as the chief executive officer for a state pharmacy association of participating in many national conversations about important priorities in the pharmacy profession. Over the past four months there have been a greater level of discussions between the states and national entities on a myriad of subjects that are front-and-center in several areas of pharmacy practice. These subjects have ranged from changes to the international standards for compounding nonsterile and sterile preparations to pharmacy Direct and Indirect Remuneration fees (DIR) imposed by third-party payers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and many others.The practice of pharmacy is largely a local issue, meaning, activities like scope-of-practice, commercial payment provisions, Medicaid administration, and regulatory oversight are all controlled individually within a state's jurisdiction. And in fact, the state pharmacy associations are often the closest to knowing the political, regulatory, and practice nuances in those areas and the best means for moving priorities forward or otherwise affecting change. The national organizations are tremendous partners in supporting the state efforts, but for the most part defer to the states since, as former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Tip O'Neill once said, “All politics is local.”However, with recent issues such as those mentioned above gaining national momentum and having a profound impact on the global practice of pharmacy across the U.S., it has provided a renewed opportunity for the states to support the national organizations in their efforts to affect change from the top. This two-way commitment from the state and national organizations to work on the important issues facing the profession – no matter where that lever comes from – is a key to an effective collaboration, and frankly, just getting the work done. At the end of the day, whether the activity originates at a national or state level, at some point it will impact (for better or for worse), the practice of pharmacy at the grassroots level. This constant reminder of the impact that the collective profession and the patients that are served will experience is why the state and national entities work so closely together. We share those values that seek to promote and advance the profession and are always willing to cooperate with one another to ensure that pharmacists and the communities in which they work, live and play, are benefitted from our collaboration.As a pharmacist, researcher, faculty member, student pharmacist, or pharmacy technician reading this Journal, I encourage you to talk to your peers in active practice. Remind them that, while the clinical evidence as demonstrated in this edition's manuscripts will advance patient care, so too will the collaboration and work of the state and national pharmacy organizations. We hope you will participate, belong, and encourage your peers to do so as well in the interest of ensuring that the challenges and opportunities in the practice of pharmacy are dealt with as effectively as possible.