APhA Policy Manual

1. APhA supports changes in laws, regulations, and policies to permit DEA-registered and trained opioid treatment program clinicians and other providers the ability to prescribe methadone for opioid use disorder and refer patients for additional services as needed.
2. APhA supports changes in laws, regulations, and policies to permit community pharmacy dispensing of methadone for opioid use disorder and appropriate compensation for these services.
3. APhA supports partnerships and collaborations to increase patient access to opioid treatment programs (OTPs) and clinicians.
4. APhA advocates for interprofessional education on laws, regulations, and policies regarding office-based prescribing and community pharmacy dispensing of methadone in curricula, postgraduate training, and continuing professional development programs of all health professions.

1. APhA asserts that pharmacists should have the authority and support to practice to the full extent of their education, training, and experience in delivering patient care.
2. APhA opposes burdensome legal and regulatory requirements beyond continuing professional development for the provision of patient care services.
3. APhA supports continuing efforts toward establishing a consistent and accurate perception of the contemporary role and practice of pharmacists by the general public, patients, and all persons and institutions engaged in health care policy, administration, payment, and delivery.
4. APhA supports continued collaboration with stakeholders to facilitate adoption of standardized practice acts, appropriate related laws, regulations, and policies that reflect contemporary pharmacy practice.
5. APhA supports the establishment of multistate pharmacist licensure agreements to address the evolving needs of the pharmacy profession and pharmacist-provided patient care.
6. APhA urges the continued development of consensus documents, in collaboration with medical associations and other stakeholders, that recognize and support pharmacists’ roles in patient care as health care providers.
7. APhA urges universal recognition of pharmacists as health care providers and compensation based on the level of patient care provided using standardized and future health care payment models.

1. APhA advocates for implementation and maintenance of cybersecurity systems, safeguards, and response mechanisms to mitigate risk and minimize harm or disruption for all pharmacies and related parties who manage or access electronic health and business information.
2. APhA advocates for all pharmacies and related business entities responsible for electronic health and business information to have cyber liability insurance or an equivalent self-funded plan to protect all relevant parties in the event of a cyberattack and data breach.
3. APhA advocates for education providers to facilitate, and pharmacy personnel to seek out, education and training on cybersecurity laws, regulations, and best practices.

1. APhA recommends that health plans and payers contract with and appropriately compensate individual pharmacist providers for the level of care rendered without requiring the pharmacist to be associated with a pharmacy.
2. APhA supports adoption of laws, regulations, and policies pertaining to the independent practice of pharmacists when those laws, regulations, and policies and rules are consistent with APhA policy.
3. APhA, recognizing the positive impact that pharmacists can have in meeting unmet needs and managing medical conditions, supports the adoption of laws, regulations, and policies and the creation of payment mechanisms for appropriately trained pharmacists to autonomously provide patient care services, including prescribing, as part of the health care team.

1. APhA affirms that pharmacists play a vital role in improving outcomes in patients with or at risk of sexually transmitted infections.
2. APhA supports the pharmacist's role in the development of education and resources for individuals with Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT), Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) in order to increase awareness and access.
3. APhA advocates for revision of state practice acts to permit pharmacists to independently prescribe for individuals with Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT), Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) therapy.

1. APhA affirms pharmacists’ professional accountability within their role in all practice settings.
2. APhA advocates that pharmacists be granted and accept authority, autonomy, and accountability for patient-centric actions to improve health and medication outcomes, in coordination with other health professionals, as appropriate.
3. APhA reaffirms 2017 Pharmacists’ Role Within Value-based Payment Models and supports continued expansion of interprofessional patient care models that leverage pharmacists as accountable members of the health care team.
4. APhA advocates for sustainable payment and attribution models to support pharmacists as accountable patient care providers.
5. APhA supports continued expansion of resources and health information infrastructures that empower pharmacists as accountable health care providers.
6. APhA supports the enhancement of comprehensive and affordable professional liability insurance coverage that aligns with evolving pharmacist accountability and responsibility.

1. APhA asserts that pharmacists’ patient care services and related prescribing by pharmacists help improve patient access to care, patient outcomes, and community health, and they align with coordinated, team-based care.
2. APhA supports increased patient access to care through pharmacist prescriptive authority models.
3. APhA opposes requirements and restrictions that impede patient access to pharmacist-prescribed medications and related services.
4. APhA urges prescribing pharmacists to coordinate care with patients’ other health care providers through appropriate documentation, communication, and referral.
5. APhA advocates that medications and services associated with prescribing by pharmacists must be covered and compensated in the same manner as for other prescribers.
6. APhA supports the right of patients to receive pharmacist-prescribed medications at the pharmacy of their choice.

APhA supports the voluntary involvement of pharmacists, in collaboration with other health care providers, in emergency contraceptive programs that include patient evaluation, patient education, and direct provision of emergency contraceptive medications.