On November 6, 2012, Americans will go to the polls to elect their president and vice president, 33 members of the U.S. Senate, 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and 11 governors, as well as several state and local officials.

The U.S. Senate
Nine of the 33 Senate races are “open seats” because of incumbents choosing not to seek reelection: Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Of these nine open seats, seven were previously held by Democrats, whereas another 16 Senate Democrats are up for reelection. This leaves just two Republican-held open seats and only eight incumbent Republicans on the ballot. With the Democratic Party holding a slim 53–47 majority, control of the upper chamber in Congress is very much at stake.

The U.S. House of Representatives
On the House side, the Republican Party holds a 242–191 majority (two seats are currently vacant). Of 29 open seats in the House, 17 were previously held by Democrats compared with 12 that were Republican-controlled. This suggests that Republicans should comfortably retain control of the House. However, congressional redistricting after the 2010 census means that some Democratic strategists are, publically at least, optimistic that their party could see gains in the November House races.

An Opportunity for the ACCP-PAC
The 112th Congress (2010–2012) featured 13 freshmen senators and 93 freshmen representatives. Considering the number of open seats being contested this November and the newly drawn congressional boundaries after the redistricting process, the 113th Congress could also welcome a large class of freshmen members when they are sworn in next January. This represents a significant opportunity for ACCP to educate and engage members of Congress and candidates for office early in the political cycle.

Political contributions, together with direct lobbying and grassroots action, are a necessary tool to help develop relationships with members of Congress and educate them on the role of the clinical pharmacist delivering patient care as part of a multidisciplinary team. Campaign contributions to non-incumbents and freshmen members who support ACCP’s vision of an evolving health delivery system can have a considerable impact.

All ACCP members are encouraged to contribute to the ACCP-PAC. To make a donation, please visit our Web site: www.accpaction.org.

Implementing ACCP’s 2010 Strategic Plan Through Political Action
ACCP’s 2010 strategic plan calls on the College to “develop, advance, and position clinical pharmacists to fully contribute our unique expertise to the care of the patients we serve.” Priorities stated in the strategic plan include “seeking recognition of clinical pharmacists by employers, payers, regulators, and evolving care delivery systems.” To achieve this vision, the strategic plan states that “legislative, health policy, and regulatory measures initiated by ACCP—often in collaboration with other advocacy groups—will result in a medication use system that provides exemplary access, efficiency, safety, effectiveness, and economy.”

By definition, a strategic plan must help guide the focus and activities of all facets of an organization—“a shared vision for organizational direction.” However, successful implementation of the strategic plan requires individual constituencies within ACCP to focus on achieving the goals that fall within their particular purview. For ACCP’s Washington office, the vision that “pharmacists will consistently influence legislative, regulatory, and health care policy development to improve medication therapy” has been established as a key priority.

ACCP’s 2011–2012 Advocacy Platform provides a descriptive frame of reference for the areas of advocacy and communication that align with the College’s strategic plan. Key provisions within the Advocacy Platform support and emphasize the need for changes in the nation’s health care delivery system that achieve:

• Patient-centered and patient-engaged care that is continuous, coordinated, comprehensive, evidenced-based, and safe;
• Team-based delivery systems that facilitate and promote the full participation of qualified health professionals practicing to their maximum skills and capabilities within their licenses and scopes of practice in delivering care to patients; and
• Payment reforms to incentivize and reward collaborative and coordinated patient care services that achieve quality clinical outcomes and goals, through the use of both medications and other therapeutic and preventive health care services.

Specifically, ACCP is focused on implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including team-based practice and education provisions, MTM grant programs, community health care teams, and opportunities within the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). As part of these efforts, the College is collaborating with the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) where appropriate.

The Advocacy Platform also seeks opportunities for targeted Medicare Part B payment reform (and parallel payment reform approaches in the private sector) for clinical pharmacist services within viable legislative vehicles in current and future Congresses. For more information, please Click here to review ACCP’s strategic plan; click here to review ACCP’s Advocacy Platform.

ACCP-PAC Fundraising Challenge
Since opening its Washington office more than a decade ago, ACCP has invested significantly in expanding its government affairs and advocacy capabilities in Washington, DC.

Establishing a Political Action Committee (PAC) allows the College to provide financial support to help elect candidates to federal office who share ACCP’s vision for the future of health care delivery and the role of the clinical pharmacist in evolving delivery systems.

The success of the ACCP-PAC depends entirely on the support of ACCP members. Although several PACs represent various segments of the pharmacy profession, ACCP has the only PAC dedicated to advancing the practice of clinical pharmacy. With more than 12,000 members eligible to contribute to the PAC, ACCP is in a position to become one of the most prominent pharmacy PACs in Washington. To do this, we need the widespread support of our membership.

If each ACCP member contributed just $25, the ACCP-PAC would raise $300,000.

All ACCP members are asked to consider making a donation of at least $25 to the ACCP-PAC. CLICK HERE to support your PAC today! To help lead this effort and underscore its importance to the advancement of our discipline, the College is pleased to report that it has achieved a 100% contribution rate among the Board of Regents and ACCP’s senior-level staff.

For more information, please visit our Web site (www.accpaction.org) or contact John McGlew, Associate Director, Government Affairs at (202) 621-1820 or [email protected].

The ACCP-PAC Governing Council
The ACCP-PAC is directed by the PAC Governing Council, which provides oversight and strategic leadership for the operations of the ACCP-PAC.

The ACCP-PAC Governing Council consists of the following ACCP members:

Because ACCP supports the administrative expenses associated with operating the PAC, all member contributions go directly to support pro-clinical pharmacy candidates. Thanks to all members who are supporting the ACCP-PAC (now and in the future!).