CPPA Releases Community Pharmacy Practice Accreditation Standards

PRESS RELEASE

March 03, 2013

Standards focus on initiatives in practice management, patient care services and quality improvement

WASHINGTON, DC — The Center for Pharmacy Practice Accreditation (CPPA) today released the approved consensus-based standards for community pharmacy practice accreditation. The standards consist of three domains, which outline specific requirements a practice will need to meet to receive accreditation. The standards include an interpretive narrative to provide additional detail regarding how a practice will be evaluated for accreditation.

The voluntary accreditation program meets the public’s need for specific, predictable and measurable pharmacists’ patient care services. The program provides public recognition of pharmacy practices committed to quality, patient safety and excellence. The three standard domains, practice management, patient care services and quality improvement, ensure the continued advancement of quality patient care services among community pharmacy practices.

CPPA Executive Director, Lynnae Mahaney, BSPharm, MBA, FASHP, stated “CPPA is excited to release the community pharmacy practice accreditation standards that were created through a broad and open consensus process. The practice of pharmacy is evolving to meet the needs of patients and changing health systems. The development of accreditation programs and standards is critical to the continued optimization of patient health and the safe and effective use of medications that meet desired health outcomes. CPPA saw this and took on a leadership role for pharmacy practice accreditation that will ensure continued pharmacist involvement in shaping the use and direction of these standards. Pharmacists’ patient care services are a necessary part of the evolving health care system. A voluntary accreditation program gives excellence-committed community practice sites a mechanism for distinguishing themselves and gives patients a new way to find recognized quality.”

CPPA accreditation will differentiate a pharmacy practice from others in the marketplace. The goals of CPPA accreditation are to:

• Recognize pharmacy practices for providing patient care services that improve the health outcomes of the public and contribute to lower healthcare costs.
• Demonstrate to patients, payers and providers a pharmacy site practicing an advanced and consistent level of quality patient care services.
• Promote practice innovation within the pharmacy profession, empowering pharmacists to practice to the full extent of their training.
• Recognize a pharmacy practice for providing safe and effective quality health care.

The final community pharmacy practice accreditation standards with interpretive narrative are available at www.pharmacypracticeaccredit.com/files/CPPAStandards.pdf. CPPA will be conducting initial accreditation surveys with key community pharmacy stakeholders to test various approaches to the accreditation process and scoring methodology. The program is expected to be open for pharmacy practices later this year.