| Collaborative Practice |
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Collaborative practice is an advanced healthcare approach that shifts from a single-provider care model to a team-based care model. Collaborative partnerships between pharmacists and physicians empower team-based care, which has been proven to result in better quality care and better health outcomes for patients. The goal of collaborative practice is to optimize patient outcomes, improve medication adherence, reduce delays in receiving therapy, and reduce healthcare costs. When used to their full potential, collaborative practice agreements have the ability to increase access to care, expand available services to patients and increase the efficiency and coordination of care.
What Is a Collaborative Practice Agreement?A collaborative practice agreement (CPA) creates a formal practice relationship between a pharmacist and a physician. It defines certain patient care functions—like initiating or modifying drug therapy—delegated to the pharmacist and the circumstances
when the pharmacist can provide them. Pharmacists and providers can, and should, collaborate even without a collaborative practice agreement, but the agreement delegates patient care functions to a pharmacist beyond the pharmacist’s typical scope
of practice.
Opportunities for Texas Pharmacists
In Texas, legislation passed in 2019 amended the Occupations Code and clarified that a physician may delegate to any properly qualified and trained pharmacist the implementation and modification of a patient’s drug therapy under protocol. This means that pharmacists, particularly those practicing in a community or long-term care setting, can now be part of team-based care through collaborative practice. All pharmacists may now enter into collaborative practice agreements with physicians for their patients and establish protocols to make changes to a patient’s drug therapy regimen.
Collaborative Practice Resources
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers a resource and implementation guide for adding pharmacists to the care team. |
