Collaborative Practice
摘要
Collaborative practice agreements, oftentimes referred to as CPAs, are voluntary, formal agreements between pharmacists and physicians that allow for pharmacists to provide expanded services to patients and engage in Collaborative Drug Therapy Management (CDTM) to optimize patients’ health outcomes. The pharmacist and physician involved in CDTM with a direct provider-patient relationship are known as the Collaborating Pharmacist and the Collaborating Physician, respectively. The patient care services provided must be predetermined, outlined in the agreement, within the Collaborating Physician’s routine scope of practice, and within the Collaborating Pharmacist’s scope of practice authorized by the Collaborating Pharmacist’s license, training, experience, and state board of pharmacy’s laws, rules, policies, and procedures. Examples of expanded services include initiation and modification of drug therapy. Under a collaborative practice agreement, pharmacists may manage patients’ medications that are part of the standard formulary. Before a pharmacist and physician can engage in CDTM, they must meet certain eligibility requirements, submit a protocol to the Alabama Board of Pharmacy and the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners, receive approval for the protocol, and pay the associated fees. Pharmacists and physicians participating in CDTM must maintain certain standards, engage in quality assurance reviews, and renew the agreement every 2 years.