AMCP Foundation, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Release "Ahead of the Curve" Education Module

Press Release

Alexandria, Va., Dec. 10, 2015 — Anticipating and preparing for future health care trends is the focus of a timely new education module distributed to the deans of the nation’s 136 schools and colleges of pharmacy by the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Foundation and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). The module is based on the AMCP Foundation’s recent report, “Ahead of the Curve: Top Ten Emerging Health Care Trends — Implications for Patients, Providers, Payers, and Pharmaceuticals.”

The multi-part module outlines the top 10 trends found in the report, as well as other crucial health care changes that are expected to take place over the next five years. The education module also identifies opportunities for pharmacy leaders to reshape their organizations to meet ongoing challenges, as well as suggests ways pharmacy educators can prepare leaders of tomorrow.

“Pharmacists in all practice settings are gaining influence in health care delivery as a result of emerging market and value-based forces,” says Edith A. Rosato, RPh, IOM, CEO of AMCP and Chairman of the AMCP Foundation. “Our learning institutions must stay ahead of the curve so that future pharmacists have the tools to achieve the Triple Aim of health reform.”

“This unique program describes not only the emerging trends but their ramifications for pharmacists,” said Lucinda Maine, PhD, Executive Vice President of AACP. “Its observations can influence strategic decision making for colleges of pharmacy and their educators. The module also can form the basis of a useful academic teaching tool in the classroom.”

The module “Ahead of the Curve: Top Ten Emerging Health Care Trends: Implications for Patients, Providers, and Educators” can be used in whole or in part to illustrate the trends. Individual trends and discussions may be extracted from the deck to enrich curricula or supplement student learning. Alternatively, this module is constructed so that it can be used as an integrated whole, to provide pharmacy students an understanding of the overall environment and principal factors that may affect their careers. It includes a PowerPoint presentation, bibliography, and supporting materials.

The tool is designed for use by various groups, including faculty members, curriculum committees, interprofessional groups, student pharmacy groups, strategic planning committees, academic administrators and advocacy groups.

In addition to the distributed materials, the AMCP Foundation has developed a series of webinars discussing top trends identified in the report. Schools of pharmacy are encouraged to use the webinars for supplementary learning. To access the “Ahead of the Curve” report and education module, visit www.amcp.org/amcp-foundation/Resources/trends/.

About ‘Ahead of the Curve’

The AMCP Foundation released the “Ahead of the Curve” report in October 2014 following a six-month research initiative involving a targeted literature review and an advisory panel composed of health care thought leaders from academia, industry, managed care, government and patient advocacy. With support from Pfizer, Inc., the “Ahead of the Curve” initiative assessed the impact of emerging trends on health care delivery and managed care pharmacy practices. The authoritative report outlines the top 10 trends in health care and their effect on health system efforts to achieve the Triple Aim of health reform: Improvements in (1) patient satisfaction and quality of care, (2) population health and (3) affordability. Detailed methodology and sources are available at www.amcp.org/SecondaryResearchFindings/.

About AMCP Foundation

The AMCP Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, is a research, education and philanthropic organization supporting the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP). Established in 1990 as the Foundation for Managed Care Pharmacy, the AMCP Foundation was created to support the research and education agenda of AMCP. The Foundation exists to advance collective knowledge and insights on major issues associated with the practice of pharmacy in managed health care settings. www.amcpfoundation.org.