Minutes of the House of Delegates Sessions, July 20-23, 2003, Minneapolis, Minnesota

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 2003

WHEREAS pharmacy educational programs are being encouraged to enlarge classes to meet the shortage of pharmacists; and,

WHEREAS, pharmacy educational programs do not have adequate pools of qualified faculty from which to recruit to enable larger classes; and,

WHEREAS, pharmacy programs are experiencing significant budget reductions and a general decrease in other resources as a result of actions by legislatures and governors; and, now therefore

BE IT RESOLVED that educational materials be developed describing the impact of the higher education crisis on the ability to meet the pharmacy needs of the public now and in the future for use with legislators and others who have influence on higher education budgets and resources.

The House referred the first and second portion of following resolution submitted by the Council of Deans to the AACP Board of Directors and adopted the third and final portion:

WHEREAS, Pharmaceutical Care Management includes comprehensive patient assessment, intervention, and re-assessment, has been shown to improve the quality and economy of healthcare, and helps to meet the goals in Healthy People 2010; and,

WHEREAS, pharmacists providing pharmaceutical care often deliver services extending well beyond those covered by traditional dispensing fees including:

Extensive counseling to patients and their families,

Regular communication with members of patients' health care teams orally and in writing,

Providing advice and recommendations regarding drug management as part of the healthcare team,

Documenting their interventions with patients and family members,

Providing a variety of screening functions,

Administering immunizations where licensurc laws permit,

Evaluation of drug therapy, and,

WHEREAS, in an effort to improve their graduates' ability to deliver pharmaceutical care all colleges of pharmacy in the United States now offer the Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the entry level; and,

WHEREAS, Doctor of Pharmacy graduates may be unable to fully utilize their education unless and until an economic model supporting the delivery of patient care is developed; now therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED that the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy develops materials describing the evolving scope of Pharmacy Practice for use with fiscal intermediaries to seek payment for services rendered; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOEVED that a task force be established to develop a strategy to garner payment for services;

BE IT RESOLVED that all members of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy educate the public about the expanded scope of pharmacy practice and advocate for payment of services rendered.

The House adopted the first portion of the following resolution submitted by the section of Continuing Professional Education and referred the second portion of this resolution to the AACP Board of Directors with no action required by the House:

WHEREAS, continued pharmacist learning is of the utmost importance to the profession;

WHEREAS, Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is a concept consistent with adult learning principles and supportive of optimal learning; and