Cardiology Pharmacists Redefine Their Role in a Rapidly Evolving Cardiovascular Landscape

As cardiovascular care becomes more complex, with rapid guideline updates, expanding collaborative practice opportunities, and emerging tools such as telehealth and artificial intelligence, pharmacists are stepping into increasingly influential roles across the care continuum. In this conversation, experts Olivia Hanson; Kristen Campbell, PharmD, BCPS, CPP, FACC; Craig Beavers, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS-AQ Cardiology; and Glenn Herrington, PharmD, FACC, FHFSA, BCCP, CPP, HFCert, discuss the trends reshaping their day-to-day practice, the challenges of translating new evidence into real-world care, and the value of team-based approaches that improve outcomes for patients with complex cardiovascular needs.

Olivia Hanson: Hi, everyone. My name is Olivia Hanson. I work at ACC [American College of Cardiology] with the CV Team Section, and I am here with an esteemed panel. I would love [it] if each of you could introduce yourself [and] provide your practice setting, the areas of cardiovascular focus you work with, and how you collaborate with the broader care team.

Craig Beavers, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS-AQ Cardiology: Perfect. I’ll let Kristen get started.

Kristen Campbell, PharmD, BCPS, CPP, FACC: Sure. I’m Kristen Campbell. I am a pharmacist at Duke University Hospital, and I work in electrophysiology, helping manage complex patients in both the inpatient and outpatient environments.

Beavers: And my name is Craig Beavers. I’m a cardiovascular clinical pharmacist who practices primarily in heart failure and cardio-kidney-metabolic [CKM] disease, but I also work across our system’s CV services at Baptist Health System and serve as a vice president of operations. I’m also adjunct faculty with the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. I’m excited to be here, and Olivia, we thank you very much for all you do with ACC and staff. You’re a critical member. And we have Glenn with us as well.

Glenn Herrington, PharmD, FACC, FHFSA, BCCP, CPP, HFCert: Hey, y’all. I'm Glenn Herrington. I’m an ambulatory care cardiology pharmacist with Novant Health Heart & Vascular Institute in Wilmington, North Carolina. Like Craig, in my practice, I’ve developed comprehensive medication management clinics run by pharmacists for heart failure, hyperlipidemia, and now cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic care. I’m also involved with ACC, currently serving on the ACC CV Team Section Leadership Council, and I’m cochair of the pharmacist work group. I’m sad I can’t be there with my 3 good friends today, but I’m glad to join virtually.

Hanson: As pharmacists deeply engage in cardiovascular care, what trends or challenges are most redefining how pharmacists contribute to care delivery as we head into 2026?

Beavers: I think a lot of trends and changes are shaping how we continue to engage pharmacists. We've seen significant progression around collaborative practice agreements in many states, and those continue to evolve. We’ve also seen some easing of restrictions, so there’s a lot of opportunity. There’s growing optimism around billing and reimbursement for pharmacy services, which is important. For example, in Kentucky, a new law allows pharmacists to be reimbursed for protocol-based activities, especially when used to reduce unnecessary emergency department visits. That’s a promising trend. In the CV space, we’re also seeing exciting new data on emerging therapies, along with evolving tools such as artificial intelligence. Kristen, Glenn—what are you seeing?

Herrington: Craig, you nailed it. We need to evolve as evidence changes and as our practice expands to make sure we stay on top of things. Continuing the CKM initiative is huge and a great opportunity for pharmacists who already provide comprehensive medication management and look beyond just one or two cardiovascular issues. Telehealth is also key—we’re now able to bill for our services. Remote patient management offers a lot of opportunity as well. We need to stay on top of all of that.

Campbell: Yes, Glenn and Craig covered it well. There is definitely a lot of room for opportunity, and it makes me really excited for our field.

Hanson: And how has the increasing pace of guideline updates and new evidence changed the pharmacist’s role?

Campbell: I think it’s a great thing. The transition to focused updates instead of full guideline overhauls each time has helped us stay more current. It has also strengthened the team’s reliance on pharmacists to really focus on our sections of any new guideline release, educate the team, and help educate patients. We touch so many areas—procedures, medication therapy, lifestyle modification—that…being able to tackle different sections and bring in our expertise helps the team grow. Glenn, what would you add?

Herrington: I’d add that having new guidelines and evidence is great, but translating that to patient care is where things often fall through the cracks. As pharmacists, we can take ownership of that. We’re the medication experts, and linking medication therapy to the latest evidence is where we shine. In all my clinics, the goal is to look at the big picture: Are your lipids controlled? Do you know your LDL [low-density lipoprotein] goal? Are you aware there are medications that can address multiple issues and streamline therapy? Paying attention to guidelines and ensuring we’re implementing them helps us provide better care for patients and also educate other providers who need to stay current on updates.

Beavers: What I appreciate is that the American College of Cardiology, often with the American Heart Association and other societies, including pharmacist societies, does a great job calling out the need for team-based care in the guidelines. A lot of the time, that’s a Class I recommendation. It’s not just “here’s the therapeutic strategy,” but also “here’s how to implement it through a team-based process.” ACC has also been producing practical implementation guides, not just consensus statements. They’ve done this in areas like inpatient heart failure, and I know a resistant hypertension guide is coming. There’s also a concise document on obesity medications in cardiovascular disease, which I helped peer-review, focused on optimizing use and implementation. These are the kinds of tools ACC is developing to help put recommendations into practice.