Ambulatory care pharmacy practice is the provision of integrated, accessible healthcare services by pharmacists who are accountable for addressing medication needs, developing sustained partnerships with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. This is accomplished through direct patient care and medication management for ambulatory patients, long-term relationships, coordination of care, patient advocacy, wellness and health promotion, triage and referral, and patient education and self-management.
Let me catch my breath.
That’s from the petition to get ambulatory care pharmacy practice recognized as a pharmacy specialty by the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties.
Sound impressive? To me it sounds like a regular day at Pharmacy God Pharmacy. All of the descriptions are things that I do every day. Maybe I’ll go for my board certification if ambulatory care pharmacy becomes a pharmacy specialty.
Previously, I griped about how the APhA was making a big deal out of a new pharmacy specialty. I wondered how a new specialty was going to advance the profession of pharmacy.
After reviewing the 96 page petition, I’m still wondering.
All I am able to ascertain is that I won’t be eligible to get certified unless I get my PharmD and complete one or two years of residency (two being preferred, of course).
For all of those enlightened ones in academia who come up with these specialties, I have a question for you… where are the bodies to fill these specialty positions? In case you haven’t noticed, there is still a shortage of pharmacists out here in the retail world. The baby boomers are becoming out Medicare-D’ ers, and there’s going to be a boatload of prescriptions to be filled.
The petition states that there is a need for 1.1 ambulatory care pharmacy practitioners per 1000 people in the population. By their definition, ambulatory care pharmacists are different from retail pharmacists, even though many of the functions of the ambulatory care pharmacist mimic those of retail pharmacists. Except for the distribution aspect. Ambulatory care pharmacists don’t distribute medications.
Based on their perceived need for pharmacists, my town would require 33 ambulatory care pharmacists. Right now the town has 20 retail pharmacists. And there are several positions available, they just can’t be filled due to the lack of registered pharmacists. Not a lack of PharmDs. Not a lack of board certified ambulatory care pharmacists. But a lack of licensed pharmacists..... period.
I continued through the petition, looking for how this proposal could positively impact the practice of pharmacy. Maybe something that would be an incentive to try to incorporate this into my practice setting.
I came to the topic of billing and reimbursement. After all, you can’t operate a business without bringing in the money. The petition had some survey results in it. Of all the respondents to the survey, only 42 percent of the pharmacists were billing third-parties for the ambulatory care-type services. Look at that again, only 42 percent are billing for the services. Twenty-six percent were billing directly to the patients. There was no mention of how many third-parties were actually paying for these services. But it kind of made sense because most of the ambulatory care pharmacy practice settings were in academia. Not in a place where you actually have to turn a profit to survive.
And, if the ambulatory care pharmacy practice specialty gets board certification, pharmacists will be able to bill for exactly three, that’s right three, CTP codes. I would like to thank the American Medical Association for giving pharmacists three codes.
I look at this petition and one thing comes to mind… this is what the APhA and academia are promoting as the future of pharmacy?
We can’t fill the existing jobs out there and magically the number of pharmacists is going to more than double to fill these ambulatory care positions. Right now, pharmacies are getting royally screwed on reimbursements from insurance companies and these people think that the insurers are going to throw money at pharmacists just because they are board certified in ambulatory care pharmacy?
Maybe those in academia ought to work in the real world for a little bit. I’m not talking about a three-hour shift at the local independent every Thursday evening. Take a semester off and see what it’s like to meet a budget, negotiate a contract, make payroll. Maybe worry about WAC-5% + 1.50 pricing. See how the $4 generic effect is driving down reimbursements from third-parties and affecting the bottom line on the P & L (that’s the document that says if you are making or losing money for those of you in academia).
As for the APhA, they have lost touch with pharmacy. I honestly can’t think of one thing that the APhA has done for pharmacy since I’ ve become licensed, other than pharmacists getting the ability to give vaccinations. I started pharmacy school over 18 years ago and that is all that they have done. Thanks APhA.
Let me catch my breath.
That’s from the petition to get ambulatory care pharmacy practice recognized as a pharmacy specialty by the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties.
Sound impressive? To me it sounds like a regular day at Pharmacy God Pharmacy. All of the descriptions are things that I do every day. Maybe I’ll go for my board certification if ambulatory care pharmacy becomes a pharmacy specialty.
Previously, I griped about how the APhA was making a big deal out of a new pharmacy specialty. I wondered how a new specialty was going to advance the profession of pharmacy.
After reviewing the 96 page petition, I’m still wondering.
All I am able to ascertain is that I won’t be eligible to get certified unless I get my PharmD and complete one or two years of residency (two being preferred, of course).
For all of those enlightened ones in academia who come up with these specialties, I have a question for you… where are the bodies to fill these specialty positions? In case you haven’t noticed, there is still a shortage of pharmacists out here in the retail world. The baby boomers are becoming out Medicare-D’ ers, and there’s going to be a boatload of prescriptions to be filled.
The petition states that there is a need for 1.1 ambulatory care pharmacy practitioners per 1000 people in the population. By their definition, ambulatory care pharmacists are different from retail pharmacists, even though many of the functions of the ambulatory care pharmacist mimic those of retail pharmacists. Except for the distribution aspect. Ambulatory care pharmacists don’t distribute medications.
Based on their perceived need for pharmacists, my town would require 33 ambulatory care pharmacists. Right now the town has 20 retail pharmacists. And there are several positions available, they just can’t be filled due to the lack of registered pharmacists. Not a lack of PharmDs. Not a lack of board certified ambulatory care pharmacists. But a lack of licensed pharmacists..... period.
I continued through the petition, looking for how this proposal could positively impact the practice of pharmacy. Maybe something that would be an incentive to try to incorporate this into my practice setting.
I came to the topic of billing and reimbursement. After all, you can’t operate a business without bringing in the money. The petition had some survey results in it. Of all the respondents to the survey, only 42 percent of the pharmacists were billing third-parties for the ambulatory care-type services. Look at that again, only 42 percent are billing for the services. Twenty-six percent were billing directly to the patients. There was no mention of how many third-parties were actually paying for these services. But it kind of made sense because most of the ambulatory care pharmacy practice settings were in academia. Not in a place where you actually have to turn a profit to survive.
And, if the ambulatory care pharmacy practice specialty gets board certification, pharmacists will be able to bill for exactly three, that’s right three, CTP codes. I would like to thank the American Medical Association for giving pharmacists three codes.
I look at this petition and one thing comes to mind… this is what the APhA and academia are promoting as the future of pharmacy?
We can’t fill the existing jobs out there and magically the number of pharmacists is going to more than double to fill these ambulatory care positions. Right now, pharmacies are getting royally screwed on reimbursements from insurance companies and these people think that the insurers are going to throw money at pharmacists just because they are board certified in ambulatory care pharmacy?
Maybe those in academia ought to work in the real world for a little bit. I’m not talking about a three-hour shift at the local independent every Thursday evening. Take a semester off and see what it’s like to meet a budget, negotiate a contract, make payroll. Maybe worry about WAC-5% + 1.50 pricing. See how the $4 generic effect is driving down reimbursements from third-parties and affecting the bottom line on the P & L (that’s the document that says if you are making or losing money for those of you in academia).
As for the APhA, they have lost touch with pharmacy. I honestly can’t think of one thing that the APhA has done for pharmacy since I’ ve become licensed, other than pharmacists getting the ability to give vaccinations. I started pharmacy school over 18 years ago and that is all that they have done. Thanks APhA.