Ashley Woodhouse

Her Story

Dr. Ashley Woodhouse received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy in 2008. She completed a Postgraduate Year One (PGY1) Pharmacy Practice Residency at Saint Joseph’s/Candler (SJ/C) in 2015 and is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist and Manager in ambulatory care at SJ/C Center for Medication Management.

She holds an ambulatory care board certification (BCACP) through the Board of Pharmacy Specialties, an anticoagulation board certification (CACP) through the National Certification Board of Anticoagulation Providers, and a CDTM license with the State of Georgia Board of Pharmacy.

Facility

St. Joseph's/Candler is 714 bed community based, regional referral, comprehensive health delivery system divided between two anchor hospitals and providing 64 primary care medical providers at 16 medical groups. Dr. Woodhouse manages the provider based anticoagulation clinics and has also embedded ambulatory care pharmacists of SJ/C into four salaried positions of SJ/C primary care offices. Anticoagulation services completes approximately 1100 patient visits per month and primary care pharmacists complete an average of 250 Annual Wellness Visits per month.

Dr. Woodhouse serves as a preceptor for multiple colleges of pharmacy and precepts both the PGY1 and PGY2 Ambulatory Care residents at SJ/C. She is also adjunct faculty member for the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy.

Recent Significant Projects

Dr. Woodhouse developed and coordinated the transition of pharmacists proving anticoagulation monitoring services within SJ/C to primary care clinics of SJ/C. This was vital to ambulatory care pharmacist sustainability given the standard of care for anticoagulation requires less intensive monitoring.  This transition also aligned with current practice of residency trained ambulatory care pharmacists in primary care health settings throughout the nation.   

A summary of this project was recently published: [Woodhouse A., Clements, Keedy, Presnell, Schnibben; Integration and Compensation of Pharmacists in Primary Care Medical Groups; Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. 59:6:886-890. November 2019].

Initial Involvement in ASHP

Dr. Woodhouse is an active member of the legislative committees for both the American and Georgia Society of Health System Pharmacists and is a member of the Georgia Pharmacists Association where she advocates for policy change that will provide advanced opportunities for ambulatory care pharmacists.  She is also an active member of the ASHP SAG on Compensation and Practice Sustainability where she is able to collaborate with pharmacist colleagues about relevant and timely billing and reimbursement models for ambulatory care pharmacy practice. 

Why did you become involved in ASHP? 

It is critical to have collaboration with pharmacist colleagues about patient care processes and application of relevant and timely billing and reimbursement models to maintain and advance ambulatory care pharmacy direct patient care.  Leadership and mentoring is also a very valuable resource given our niche of pharmacy and the barriers present.

Advice for Someone New to Specialty Area

Have patience and be consistent in your patient care processes. Not every care model can sustain extensive pharmacy integration.

How would you explain the value of ASHP to a friend or colleague?

ASHP historically has been a validated and well respected reference house for models of the pharmacist profession.  Nationally and practice specific, ASHP can provide you with regulatory and or professional guidelines for how to do what.

What is the value of ASHP for the profession?

ASHP provides valid resources for pharmacists for direction which ultimately protects patients, pharmacists, and employers.