The ASHP House of Delegates approved 18 new professional policies at its June session at Pharmacy Futures 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Policy Highlights:
- Defining pharmacy’s role in the use of cellular and gene therapies: This new policy calls for the pharmacy workforce to serve key roles in the use of these innovative, ultra-high-cost therapies, including supply chain management, operational oversight, and clinical consultations. The policy also advocates for payment models that promote patient access and manufacturer provisions that make it financially sustainable for hospitals to offer the therapies.
- Addressing moral distress and moral injury in the healthcare workforce: This policy aims to raise awareness of the risk of moral distress and moral injury when a healthcare worker is unable to provide ethical, safe, and effective care and advocates for consistent support and “transparent allocation of resources” to ensure that healthcare workers can provide safe and comprehensive care.
- Supporting expedited partner therapy for sexually transmitted infections: This policy calls for ASHP to support legislation that authorizes pharmacists to provide therapies to partners of patients receiving treatment for sexually transmitted infections.
- Supporting pharmacists practicing across state lines: This revised policy calls for a streamlined interstate licensure process rather than the current state-by-state approach. The policy aligns with efforts by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy to advance an interstate privileging model for pharmacist licensure.
- Optimizing patient throughput: This policy calls for health systems to include pharmacy services in efforts to improve safe and efficient patient flow throughout the hospital and health system, with pharmacists serving as key decisionmakers in overseeing medication management.
Other policies approved by delegates address hospital and health-system pharmacist and technician representation on state boards of pharmacy; payment parity for pharmacist services; and assistance programs for healthcare workers with substance use disorders.
And some very special honors …
Delegates also took the opportunity to mark the upcoming retirement of ASHP CEO Paul W. Abramowitz with statements paying tribute to his years of service to ASHP and the pharmacy profession.
Posted July
18,
2025
