The recently launched Pharmacists For Healthier Lives campaign will promote the message that pharmacists are fully qualified, capable and willing to positively impact patients’ health.

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy is honored to host the 2019 National Conference of Pharmaceutical Organizations (NCPO) in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. The conference will provide a forum for NCPO members to discuss the challenges and opportunities for pharmacy in the current health care landscape, featuring dynamic speakers, open networking sessions, and roundtable discussions.

New tools connect physicians and pharmacists to build stronger collaborative relationships. The American Medical Association wants to help physicians improve patient care. Through its STEPS Forward initiative, the AMA has broken down practice transformation into 50 strides, or modules in this Web-based, how-to, toolkit for physicians, each addressing a common practice challenge, offering solutions and implementation strategies.

Join Your Colleagues at INvolve 2019, the AACP Interim Meeting, in Tampa! Insightful speakers, dynamic microsessions and enlightening peer discussions will involve current and future leaders during four days of collaboration and hands-on learning. Attendees will return to their schools with new strategies to lead. Stay tuned for more detailed programming information!

Schools of pharmacy are incorporating the arts and humanities into the curriculum to give students more insight into patients’ experiences, foster greater empathy and strengthen the patient-provider connection.

Join your colleagues in Boston, July 21–25.

AACP Workgroup on Payment for Faculty-Provided Patient Care Services

Advancing payment through education, advocacy, and partnerships

Background

The AACP Pharmacy Faculty Clinical Service Reimbursement Workgroup was originally formed as a Council of Deans Task Force in July 2024. Its initial charges focused on a comprehensive review of clinical faculty payment models, including an analysis of the 2022 patient care survey data that originated from the 2021-22 AACP Strategic Engagement Committee, and the creation of a new survey for pharmacy deans. The task force engaged with key experts in billing and compensation and successfully launched an updated survey to member institutions in late 2024. Building on these accomplishments, which included finalizing survey analysis and developing manuscripts for publication and presentation, the group recommended its elevation to an ongoing workgroup for the Academy. This decision was based on the recognition that the complexities and evolving nature of pharmacy practice faculty payment require a continuous, dedicated effort to advance advocacy, education, and resource development within the Academy. Efforts of this group will also align with and be supported by the AACP Transformation Center and the ACT Pharmacy Collaborative. 

Workgroup Members

• Ashley Ellis, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
• Don A. Godwin, University of New Mexico
• Paul Gubbins, University of Missouri-Kansas City (Vice Chair)
• John Gums, University of Florida (Chair)
• Randy McDonough, Loma Linda University
• Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner, University of Maryland
• Todd Sorensen, University of Minnesota
• Kristen Wiisanen, Rosalind Franklin University

Evergreen Charges

1. Payer Engagement & Strategy: Cultivate strategic relationships with payers (e.g., commercial insurers, Medicaid, commercial Medicare Advantage partners) and relevant stakeholders, including health system executives and healthcare improvement companies (e.g., Vizient), to understand their priorities and the value of  pharmacist-provided patient care services. This may include developing resources, engaging in listening sessions, and conducting pilot studies to identify and promote innovative payment models for pharmacist-provided care.
2. Advocacy & Education: Serve as the primary advocate for the payment of patient care provided by pharmacy faculty by developing and disseminating consistent, yet flexible, educational resources and talking points for deans, chairs, faculty, staff, and students. This also includes strengthening relationships with state-level partners and national organizations to advance supportive legislation and policy.
3. Resource Development & Knowledge Exchange: Establish and maintain a dynamic resource hub that provides guidance on pharmacist-provided patient care faculty payment and reimbursement models. This may include creating a living repository of successful practices, FAQs, and a consultant or coaching model to facilitate knowledge exchange and support individual colleges and schools in developing their own strategies. 

2025-2027 Workgroup Goals

Payer Engagement & Strategy:

1. Conduct "Listening Sessions": Organize and host at least three virtual listening sessions or focus groups with key representatives from diverse payer types (e.g., Medicare Advantage, commercial, self-insured). The goal is to identify their top priorities and barriers to reimbursing pharmacist services.
2. Launch a Pilot Program: Partner with one member institution to design and implement a pilot study to test a novel payment or care coordination model identified in the listening sessions, with a clear plan for data collection and outcome measurement.

Advocacy & Partnerships

1. Create Consistent Messaging: Develop and publish a core set of advocacy talking points and other resources that can be utilized by academic pharmacy leaders to discuss the value of patient care services provided by pharmacy faculty with policymakers and other stakeholders.
2. Develop Payer-Focused Resources: Create a suite of resources (e.g., a "Payer Toolkit" or a series of case studies) that distills the findings from the payer listening sessions and provides evidence-based talking points for academic pharmacy leaders when engaging with payers, legislators, and other stakeholders.
3. Partner with National Stakeholders: Collaborate with at least one national partner organization (e.g., ASHP, APhA, NCPA or NASPA) to disseminate the Workgroup's findings and/or on a collaborative project.

Resource Development & Knowledge Exchange

1. Launch a Digital Resource Hub: Create a dedicated section on the AACP website that serves as a living repository of the Workgroup's findings, best practice examples of faculty contracting, and a comprehensive FAQ based on common questions from the Academy.
2. Enhance AACP's Mentorship Program: Integrate specific content on pharmacist-provided patient care service compensation strategies for faculty into the existing AACP CEO Dean Mentorship Program, and explore the consultancy model for broader implementation.
3. Facilitate Peer-to-Peer Exchange: Establish a formal, volunteer-driven "coaching" or "consultant" resource for member institutions to provide one-on-one guidance on developing and expanding pharmacist-provided patient care service compensation strategies using published findings and impact form the workgroup. 

Publications & Resources

K. Wiisanen, P.O. Gubbins, J.G. Gums, et al., "Recognizing the Value of the Practice Enterprise: Billing for Faculty Patient Care Services to Strengthen Education and Advance the Profession," American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 90, no. 2 (2025), 10.1016/j.ajpe.2025.101924.

J.G. Gums, C.P. Henchey, T.C. Dowling, et al., "National Assessment of Reimbursement Models for Clinical Faculty Services in Academic Pharmacy Practice," Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy 8, no. 12 (2025): 1226-1232, https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.70134. 

2025 Council of Deans (COD) Payment of Clinical Faculty Services Taskforce Final Report