ASHP is the collective voice of pharmacists who serve as patient care providers in hospitals, health systems, ambulatory clinics, and other healthcare settings spanning the full spectrum of medication use. The organization’s more than 60,000 members include pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians. For 80 years, ASHP has been at the forefront of efforts to improve medication use and enhance patient safety.
MISSION AND VISION
The mission of pharmacists is to help people achieve optimal health outcomes.
ASHP’s vision is that medication use will be optimal, safe, and effective for all people all of the time.
OUR PATIENTS AND THEIR CARE
GOAL 1
Improve the Health and Well-Being of Patients by Optimizing Medication Therapy Outcomes Across the Continuum of Care
KEY OBJECTIVES:
- Advocate for pharmacists’ prescribing authority in all states.
- Enhance and expand pharmacists’ roles as providers of comprehensive medication management in all settings.
- Leverage the clinical expertise of pharmacists to improve outcomes and quality of life for patients.
- Advance efforts to help ensure that every patient has access to the clinical services of pharmacists.
- Lead initiatives to support pharmacists’ efforts to improve patient care transitions.
- Provide resources to help pharmacists serve as leaders on interprofessional teams.
- Promote care models that engage patients and families.
- Leverage ASHP’s core strength in drug information and informatics to improve medication-related outcomes by enhancing clinical decision-making and patient education.
GOAL 2
Advance Pharmacy Practice Across the Continuum of Care
KEY OBJECTIVES:
- Educate the public, healthcare administrators and professionals, and policymakers about the essential roles and value of pharmacists.
- Support pharmacists in creating and maintaining sustainable clinical practices that address patient needs across the continuum of care.
- Encourage adoption of the recommendations of the ASHP Practice Advancement Initiative 2030.
- Continue to be a leader in developing and disseminating guidelines, best practices, and professional policies to elevate pharmacy practice in all patient care settings.
- Support efforts to strengthen patient care transitions across the continuum of care.
- Lead efforts to design optimal medication-use systems and clinically oriented pharmacy practices in innovative patient care models, including the hospital-at-home model.
- Drive the creation and adoption of outcome measures that demonstrate the effective use of pharmacy resources.
GOAL 3
Facilitate Preparation of the Pharmacy Workforce
KEY OBJECTIVES:
- Collaborate with key stakeholders to ensure that the pharmacist workforce continues to be educated, trained, and prepared to serve in evolving care environments as direct patient care providers on interprofessional teams.
- Support and encourage continuing professional development of the pharmacy workforce.
- Continue to increase the number of ASHP-accredited residencies to help ensure that all new college of pharmacy graduates providing direct patient care have completed a postgraduate year 1 residency.
- Continue to increase the number of ASHP-accredited postgraduate year 2 residencies to help ensure that patients have access to pharmacists with specialized expertise.
- Further enhance the quality of and accredited program satisfaction with the ASHP residency accreditation process and standards.
- Promote and support development of ASHP certificate programs.
- Promote and support board certification of pharmacy specialists.
- Promote and support credentialing and privileging of pharmacists.
- Provide education and resources to help the pharmacy workforce maximize leadership skills and abilities.
GOAL 4
Improve Patient Care by Enhancing the Well-Being and Resilience of Pharmacists, Student Pharmacists, and Pharmacy Technicians
KEY OBJECTIVES:
- Engage in national initiatives on clinician well-being and resilience.
- Facilitate the development of education aimed at helping pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians address and effectively cope with the stress and burnout associated with demanding patient care environments.
- Seek opportunities to improve the well-being and resilience of pharmacists participating in postgraduate residency training.
- Foster research that addresses well-being and resilience issues of pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians.
- Foster efforts that help pharmacies maintain environments that are safe for staff and free from harassment, bullying, and intimidation.
GOAL 5
Advance the Creation of a Well-Defined Professional Career Path for Pharmacy Technicians
KEY OBJECTIVES:
- Lead efforts to significantly elevate pharmacy technician roles in patient care, recognizing that their important contributions enhance the roles pharmacists play in optimizing medication therapy.
- Continue to enhance efforts to make ASHP the membership home for pharmacy technicians.
- Increase the number of ASHP/ACPE-accredited pharmacy technician training programs and positions.
- Seek opportunities to further enhance the quality of and accredited program satisfaction with the pharmacy technician training program accreditation process and standards.
- Advocate that all pharmacy technicians complete an ASHP/ACPE-accredited training program, be licensed or registered by a board of pharmacy, and be certified by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board.
- Engage pharmacy departments in high-profile efforts to support the continuing professional development and professionalization of the pharmacy technician workforce.
- Advocate for the creation and development of advanced roles for pharmacy technicians.
GOAL 6
Advocate for Laws, Regulations, and Standards That Improve Patient Care
KEY OBJECTIVES:
- Work with legislators, regulators, and standards-setting bodies at the state and federal levels to help ensure that policies and standards addressing medication use meet the needs of patients and recognize the vital roles pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have on the patient care team.
- Advocate for efforts that help eliminate health disparities among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and underserved populations.
- Work in partnership with key stakeholders to amend the Social Security Act to recognize pharmacists as Medicare Part B providers (i.e., provider status).
- Work in partnership with ASHP affiliates and stakeholders to advance pharmacists’ scope of practice and inclusion in state legislation as providers, including prescribing and payment.
- Advocate for a drug supply chain that ensures patient access to an adequate and safe supply of affordable drugs.
- Engage states in efforts to require that all pharmacy technicians complete an ASHP/ ACPE-accredited training program, be licensed or registered by a board of pharmacy, and be certified by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board.
- Advocate for enhanced payment models, including value-based payment that includes pharmacists and pharmacies in payer networks.
GOAL 7
Advance Patient Care Through Pharmacy Practice Innovation
KEY OBJECTIVES:
- Accelerate the development and adoption of innovations in clinical pharmacy practice.
- Anticipate and prepare for new and emerging alternative sites of care.
- Ensure pharmacist leadership and expertise in the design and implementation of virtual health technology.
- Advance pharmacists’ roles in pharmacogenomics, including education, leadership, integration in the electronic health record, and payment.
- Promote educational resources through the ASHP Innovation Center related to precision medicine, pharmacogenomics, and digital technologies.
- Leverage innovative technologies through telehealth and virtual care that demonstrate pharmacist value as patient care providers.
- Promote proper infrastructure, payment, and policy changes to support the delivery of patient care through telehealth.
- Advocate for necessary enablers and safety measures to advance the use of telehealth and healthcare technologies.
- Develop resources and practice standards to support telehealth in pharmacy practice.
GOAL 8
Improve Health Outcomes Across Populations Through Public Health and Emergency Preparedness Efforts
KEY OBJECTIVES:
- Advance efforts to support pharmacists’ roles in public and population health, and educate the public on the essential role of pharmacists in those fields.
- Encourage healthcare organizations to implement models of care that optimize outcomes for populations.
- Engage in the optimal incorporation and utilization of social determinants of health in the provision of patient care (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines “social determinants of health” as “conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play that affect a wide range of health and quality-of-life risks and outcomes”).
- Advocate for changes that improve social determinants of health for communities and help remove barriers to care.
- Promote engagement of pharmacists on teams responsible for emergency preparedness planning and response at the federal, regional, state, and local levels.
- Facilitate the development of an enhanced and resilient supply chain that supports normal operations as well as patient care during public health emergencies and disasters.
- Ensure that medications and pharmacists are considered critical infrastructure and providers for the purposes of national security and emergency preparedness and response.
- Advocate for interstate pharmacist and technician licensure that allows the United States to optimize and improve the resilience of the nation’s healthcare systems during public health emergencies.
OUR MEMBERS AND PARTNERS
GOAL 1
Advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts
KEY OBJECTIVES:
- Advance ASHP’s strong ongoing commitment to increasing diversity by actively including and celebrating differences that may include race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, language, (dis) ability, age, or political perspective.
- Continue to identify and implement ways to increase diversity in membership, member engagement opportunities (e.g., committees, councils, advisory groups), and leadership positions.
- Identify diversity, equity, and inclusion leadership competencies and provide education and member resources to promote widespread adoption by the pharmacy workforce.
- Provide ongoing education and training to reduce implicit bias to help ASHP-accredited residency programs assess and enhance program diversity and foster a more inclusive environment.
- Promote and support efforts to increase pharmacy workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion in hospitals and health systems.
- Provide tools to support ASHP state affiliates’ efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion.
GOAL 2
Maintain a High Level of Member Satisfaction and Value
KEY OBJECTIVES:
- Continuously expand and enhance member engagement and opportunities for collaboration for all membership segments.
- Continue to build ASHP brand loyalty and member satisfaction by providing benefits, services, and experiences that assist members in meeting their professional needs throughout their careers.
- Continuously listen to and seek member and prospective member feedback in order to provide timely and responsive member resources, advocacy, and services.
- Enhance and promote the value of ASHP membership and the overall membership experience.
- Spotlight ASHP members’ contributions to patient care and accomplishments through all ASHP communication channels.
GOAL 3
Grow and Retain an Engaged Membership
KEY OBJECTIVES:
- Continue to grow ASHP membership in all categories.
- Continue to increase member recruitment and retention by providing timely, relevant, and high-quality programs and services in key practice and professional areas.
- Continue to increase the recruitment and retention rate of student, resident, new graduate, and pharmacy technician members.
- Engage members in an ongoing fashion on key advocacy issues.
- Support the principle that engagement in advocacy is a top professional imperative, and provide resources to help members be successful advocates for their patients and profession.
GOAL 4
Collaborate with ASHP State Affiliates to Improve Patient Care and Advance Pharmacy Practice
KEY OBJECTIVES:
- Implement innovative strategies to maintain and strengthen growth of ASHP state affiliates.
- Enhance relationships and partnerships across all ASHP state affiliates.
- Encourage states to advance the goals of the ASHP Practice Advancement Initiative 2030.
- Foster diverse and inclusive leadership development and effective board governance at the state level.
- Provide guidance to assist ASHP state affiliates in attaining their strategic goals.
GOAL 5
Leverage Strong Sustainable Relationships to Expand ASHP Reach, Influence, and Impact
KEY OBJECTIVES:
- Collaborate with other healthcare organizations to promote interprofessional patient care.
- Promote the value of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians by partnering with and influencing major national healthcare stakeholder associations such as accreditation and regulatory bodies, other healthcare professional and trade organizations, hospital organizations, patient advocacy groups, and others.
- Enhance collaboration among pharmacy schools, pharmacy technician training programs, state affiliates, and ASHP.
- Increase the number of ASHP-accredited residencies outside the United States.
- Expand the reach of ASHP products and services in the international market.
GOAL 6
Provide Products and Services to Meet Member and Customer Needs
KEY OBJECTIVES:
- Seek, identify, develop, and evaluate innovative products and services to meet the needs of members and customers.
- Maximize the capabilities and value to members of the ASHP website and digital ecosystem.
- Identify and address the unique needs of pharmacists who practice and provide leadership in rapidly evolving or particularly challenging settings (e.g., small, rural, and underserved settings; ambulatory care clinics and other primary care settings; specialty pharmacy; multihospital systems; community pharmacy) to ensure that ASHP products and services meet the current and future needs of those members and their patients.
OUR PEOPLE AND PERFORMANCE
GOAL 1:
Empower and Engage ASHP Staff
KEY OBJECTIVES:
- Provide programs and initiatives that support the health, well-being, and resilience of ASHP staff.
- Engage in continuous quality improvement for all major ASHP staff programs and initiatives.
- Recruit and retain a diverse staff at all levels of the organization that is supported with an inclusive workplace environment and competitive compensation and benefits policies.
- Encourage, recognize, and reward staff achievements and excellence.
- Provide effective onboarding, mentorship, and professional development for staff.
- Provide programs to educate all staff about contemporary pharmacy practice in all practice settings so they can better serve members.
- Optimize opportunities for the consistent and active engagement of all ASHP staff.
GOAL 2:
Maintain Effective Financial Management
KEY OBJECTIVES:
- Assure a fiscally responsible budget process that prioritizes allocation of resources in alignment with strategic priorities and ensures a strong financial basis for ASHP operations.
- Develop and review new and existing revenue-generating products and services to support member needs and sustain financial viability.
- Leverage cutting-edge technologies, processes, and techniques to promote financial sustainability.
GOAL 3:
Foster Effective and Energized Governance
KEY OBJECTIVES:
- Identify and cultivate a diverse and inclusive pipeline of future member leaders and encourage their active participation in ASHP.
- Provide ongoing development of Board members, officers, and volunteer leaders on governance best practices.
GOAL 4:
Effectively Manage Organizational Infrastructure
KEY OBJECTIVES:
- Effectively leverage technology solutions and enhance operational and data security systems to create strategic advantages and enhance operational excellence.
- Maintain and educate staff on a comprehensive corporate compliance program.
- Maintain a safe, attractive, and functional office and meeting space in ASHP headquarters for staff and visitors.
Approved by the ASHP Board of Directors in November 2021