The College of Psychiatric & Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP) has developed an official position paper to help increase patient access to comprehensive medication management and to support efforts to obtain payment for the service. The CPNP Position Paper – Improving Medication-Related Outcomes for Patients with Psychiatric or Neurologic Disorders: Value of Psychiatric Pharmacists as Part of the Healthcare Team – reviews the need for psychiatric pharmacists, the unique training and experience of the psychiatric pharmacist, outcomes from studies specifically examining interventions for patients with psychiatric and neurological disorders, and comprehensive medication management. The full version of this paper can be found in the January 2015 issue of the Mental Health Clinician and can be downloaded in PDF version.
Chair Lisa Goldstone, MS, PharmD, BCPS, BCPP, emphasizes that “With the changing landscape of the healthcare field, it is even more critical that psychiatric pharmacists are recognized as an important member of the healthcare team providing services to patients with psychiatric or neurologic disorders. Prior to this position paper, no comprehensive paper specifically addressing both the need and benefit of having a psychiatric pharmacist as part of the healthcare team existed.”
A summary of the key points of the position paper is provided below:
CPNP Position Statement
- All patients with psychiatric and neurologic disorders should have access to comprehensive medication management provided by a psychiatric pharmacist.
- The demand for psychiatric services to treat psychiatric and neurological disorders has dramatically increased. Psychiatric pharmacists can help meet this demand by working with a physician as part of a collaborative team to improve medication-related outcomes for patients with psychiatric or neurological disorders.
- Psychiatric pharmacists have specialized training or substantial experience in working with patients with psychiatric or neurological disorders. Board certification in Psychiatric Pharmacy from the Board of Pharmacy Specialties is the recommended method for recognizing that a pharmacist has the necessary knowledge and experience.
- Studies show that including a psychiatric pharmacist as a member of an interdisciplinary team is cost-effective and has a positive impact on clinical outcomes (e.g., effectiveness, adherence) by optimizing pharmacotherapy while decreasing the incidence of adverse effects associated with medication. This impact, in turn, increases patients’ engagement in treatment and improves their adherence to medication regimens.
- Comprehensive medication management is a standard of care in which psychiatric pharmacists provide direct patient care by assessing all of a patient’s medications to determine that each medication is appropriate, effective, safe, and is able to be taken as intended.
- Comprehensive medication management is not a stand-alone service but is instead provided by the psychiatric pharmacist as part of the healthcare team, in collaboration with a physician.
- Mechanisms for paying for comprehensive medication management provided by psychiatric pharmacists must be identified if this service is to become a standard of care available to all patients with psychiatric or neurological disorders.
- Psychiatric pharmacy is a recognized specialty and psychiatric pharmacists make valuable contributions to patient care. We recommend that psychiatric pharmacists, pharmacy educators, physicians, other non-pharmacy healthcare providers, and legislators take action to ensure that all patients with psychiatric or neurological disorders have access to comprehensive medication management provided by psychiatric pharmacists.
Government Affairs Council Chair Carla Cobb, PharmD, BCPP, recommends that “this paper, as a whole or in sections, can and should be used by the CPNP membership to support the CPNP position in discussions with patients, other healthcare providers including non-psychiatric pharmacists, pharmacy educators, lawmakers, and other policy makers.”
A special thanks to the authors of this position paper:
Authors
- Lisa W. Goldstone (Chair), MS, PharmD, BCPS, BCPP, Assistant Professor, The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy; Clinical Faculty Pharmacist, Psychiatry, The University of Arizona Medical Center – South Campus, Tucson, Arizona
- Joshua Caballero, PharmD, BCPP, Associate Professor, Nova Southeastern University, College of Pharmacy, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Bethany A. DiPaula, PharmD, BCPP, Associate Professor, University of Maryland Baltimore, School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland
- Susie H. Park, PharmD, BCPP, Associate Professor, University of Southern California, School of Pharmacy, Los Angeles, California
- Cristofer Price, PharmD, BCPP, Mental Health Clinical Pharmacy Program Manager, Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Providence, Rhode Island
- Magdalena Zasadzki Slater, PharmD, BCPS, BCPP, Manager, Global Regulatory Affairs, Baxter Healthcare Corporation*, Deerfield, Illinois (*Current position for author, but author’s work on this article was conducted separate from and has nothing to do with current employer)
