Key state-level policy elements governing pharmacist collaborative practice

The American College of Clinical Pharmacy previously published a white paper in 2015, "Collaborative Drug Therapy Management and Comprehensive Medication Management," as well as position statements on collaborative drug therapy management (CDTM) in 1997 and 2003. Although significant federal and state legislation addressing collaborative practice has evolved and expanded throughout the United States since then, variability in state-level policy remains a barrier for effective collaborative practice. Collaborative practice facilitates the delivery of comprehensive medication management by clinical pharmacists and enhances team-based care. State governments are the primary entities that determine the scope of practice for health professionals. As such, state-level policy plays a crucial role in enabling or impeding the implementation of advanced pharmacist services and effective CDTM. Almost all states currently enable pharmacist prescriptive authority in some form. In 2017, the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy issued joint recommendations outlining model elements of state policies for statewide protocol authority and pharmacist prescribing.