February 2025
Dear Colleagues,
As we embark on 2025, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the remarkable accomplishments of our Section of Ambulatory Care Practitioners over the past six months. It has truly been a period marked by growth, innovation, and meaningful contributions from each of you.
It was a privilege to connect with so many of you at the 2024 ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exhibition. This event provided a valuable opportunity to come together, share experiences, and advance our collective goals. At Midyear, we were proud to present 14 educational sessions related to ambulatory care, covering a wide range of topics from building successful services to disease state updates, accumulating a total of 18.25 hours of educational content. The theme of this year’s Midyear — “There’s Nothing Like It!” — underscored the endless opportunities in pharmacy practice, particularly the growing integration of artificial intelligence to enhance our work. Additionally, I am thrilled to share that Jessica Skelley was honored as the 2024 Distinguished Service Award recipient for the Section of Ambulatory Care Practitioners. Please join me in congratulating her!
During the Midyear, the executive committee engaged in thoughtful discussions about the rapidly evolving landscape of ambulatory care, particularly the increasing role of pharmacy in advancing population health initiatives. Recognizing these changes, we’ve committed to further supporting our members who are focused on population health by transitioning the Medication Management Section Advisory Groups (SAG) to focus specifically on this area, starting in the 2025 – 2026 term. This new Population Health SAG will focus on the following key charges:
- Prepare our members to transition from fee-for-service to value-based care models by promoting integrated, team-based approaches that emphasize prevention, early intervention, and continuous management of chronic conditions to improve population health outcomes across the continuum of care.
- Develop population health resources that prioritize health equity by addressing social determinants of health, reducing disparities in care, and ensuring access to quality care for underserved communities.
- Foster seamless transitions of care by highlighting systems that ensure continuity and coordination between primary care, specialty care and post-acute settings, ultimately improving health outcomes and reducing unnecessary readmissions within populations.
Additionally, we identified a compelling opportunity for our section to play a pivotal role in advancing the ASHP Strategic Plan for Primary Care Transformation. To support this important initiative, we will establish an ad hoc task force in 2025–2026. I look forward to seeing the positive impact this group will have.
Our current SAGs are continuing to put out amazing ambulatory care educational events for our members, and I encourage all to take advantage of the content:
- Charting Your Path: A Dialogue about Career Growth in Ambulatory Care Pharmacy (Virtual Roundtable)
- March 4; 1-2 p.m. ET
- Meeting Registration - Zoom
- Created by the SACP Clinical Practice Advancement SAG
- Staying in Sync: Key Updates to Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines (ACPE 1 Hour CE)
- March 5; 1-2 p.m. ET
- Registration Link - GoTo Webinar
- Created by the SACP Ambulatory Care Pharmacotherapy SAG
- Fast Facts for Ambulatory Care Billing: 2025 Physician Fee Schedule Update
- March 24
- ASHP Podcasts
- Created by the SACP Compensation and Practice Sustainability SAG
If you are passionate about these emerging initiatives or if you’d like to contribute to one of our established Advisory Groups or Committees, I invite you to apply for involvement. Applications are now open and will be accepted through May 1. Apply today.
Thank you for your unwavering commitment and dedication to advancing ambulatory care practice. I am excited for the incredible work we will continue to do together in the year ahead.
Warm regards,
Sara M. Panella, PharmD, BCPS, CPh
Chair, Section of Ambulatory Care Practitioners
[email protected]
