Washington, D.C. – The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) is pleased to announce the approval of two new specialties; cardiology pharmacy and infectious diseases pharmacy. This announcement follows the final review of the petitions for each new specialty that took place during the BPS Board meeting held on February 8, 2017.

Harold Godwin, the 2017 Chairman of the BPS Board of Directors and Professor Emeritus at the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy provided the following comments: “The Board of Pharmacy Specialties is very pleased to formally acknowledge two new pharmacy specialties. The recognition of these specialties further illustrates our growth as           a clinical profession and our ever increasing responsibilities in providing patient care. I want to also acknowledge the collaborative efforts of the four national pharmacy associations that developed these petitions. That type of collaboration is critical to the continued success of the pharmacy profession.”

Cardiology Pharmacy

Cardiology pharmacy becomes the tenth BPS specialty. The petition was submitted jointly by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, American Pharmacists Association and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

The petitioning organizations have defined Cardiology Pharmacy practice as follows:

Cardiology Pharmacy practice specializes in the delivery of direct patient care services by pharmacists as members of interprofessional healthcare teams, working to ensure the safe and effective use of medications in patients with cardiovascular disease. These specialists focus on disease prevention and treatment, including evidence-based medication use and related care that improve both short- and long-term outcomes for patients. Cardiology specialists practice across the spectrum of care, including ambulatory, acute and intensive care. Pharmacists in this practice review, analyze and monitor multifaceted clinical information to make reasoned decisions for patients with multiple comorbidities and highly complex mediation regimens.

Infectious Diseases Pharmacy

Infectious diseases pharmacy becomes the eleventh BPS specialty. The petition was submitted jointly by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, American Pharmacists Association, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists.

The petitioning organizations have defined Infectious Diseases Pharmacy practice as follows:

Infectious Diseases Pharmacy practice specializes in the use of microbiology and pharmacology to develop, implement, and monitor drug regimens that incorporate the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of antimicrobials to optimize therapy for patients. The practice requires pharmacists to use clinical and evidence-driven knowledge to develop appropriate antimicrobial therapies to more rapidly resolve infections while decreasing adverse events, complications and resistance. The practice includes direct patient care provided through interprofessional health care teams, collaborative leadership of antimicrobial stewardship programs, education of health care providers, preventive services including immunizations, and advocacy for appropriate antimicrobial utilization.

Specialty pharmacy practice in infectious diseases uniquely improves public health by optimizing antimicrobial potential in individual patients and narrowing the resistance trends that occur in society by preventing progression of antimicrobial resistance and infectious diseases.

Next Steps

The next steps in the specialty certification process are outlined below:

·         BPS will issue a call during the first week of March 2017 for nominations to serve on the Cardiology and Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Specialty Councils. The closing date for nominations will be May 1, 2017.

·         BPS will appoint nine members to each Council by June 2, 2017.

·         The Councils will convene, on dates to be determined, in July 2017.

·         Examination item writing for the new specialties will begin during the third quarter of 2017 with a goal of offering the first examination in September 2018.

Added Qualifications Program

The BPS Board will re-evaluate the current Added Qualifications program. However, the Board anticipates that the Added Qualifications program for Cardiology and Infectious Diseases will end as of December 31, 2017 based upon the plan to offer the first examinations in those specialties in 2018. Individuals currently holding Added Qualifications can keep those credentials until they expire but will not be able to renew them. The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) standards prohibit BPS from conferring Board Certification to those who hold Added Qualifications in either Cardiology or Infectious Diseases without passing the respective certification examination.

William Ellis, BPS Executive Director added, “The growth of BPS and the addition of new specialties reflects the growth and maturation of the pharmacy profession. BPS is committed to being responsive and flexible in evaluating possible specialties that will improve patient care through recognition and promotion of specialized training, knowledge, and skills in pharmacy through the specialty board certification of pharmacists.”

Eleven specialties are currently recognized by BPS including: (1) Nuclear Pharmacy, since 1978; (2) Nutrition Support Pharmacy, since 1988; (3) Pharmacotherapy, since 1988; (4) Psychiatric Pharmacy, since 1992; (5) Oncology

Pharmacy, since 1996; (6) Ambulatory Care Pharmacy, since 2009; (7) Critical Care Pharmacy, since 2013; (8)

Pediatric Pharmacy, since 2013; (9) Geriatric Pharmacy in 2017 (through CCGP); (10) Cardiology Pharmacy in 2017; and (11) Infectious Diseases Pharmacy in 2017. BPS certification exams are administered at over 500 locations worldwide, the Spring testing window application deadline is March 6, 2017 and the Fall 2017 registration will be open from May 8, 2017 until August 1, 2017. Candidates can register by going to the BPS website at  www.bpsweb.org.

About the Board of Pharmacy Specialties

The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) was established in 1976 as an autonomous division of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). The mission of the Board of Pharmacy Specialties is to improve patient care and increase awareness of the need for BPS Board Certified Pharmacists as integral members of multidisciplinary healthcare teams through recognition and promotion of specialized training, knowledge, and skills in pharmacy and specialty board certification and recertification of pharmacists throughout the world.

Board Certification through BPS has become recognized as the gold standard for determining which pharmacists are qualified to contribute at advanced practice levels as a result of the rigorous standards mandated by BPS board certification and recertification. Today over 30,000 pharmacists worldwide hold BPS certification.

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BPS CONTACT

Ernest Wright ewright@aphanet.org 202-429-7510

www.bpsweb.org