A commentary recently published in the journal Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders entitled “Psychiatric Pharmacist Integration Into the Medical Home” details the fact that persons with chronic medical illnesses often have co-occurring behavioral health illnesses that require diagnosis and treatment. The publication of this commentary is the culmination of a more than two-year long effort by CPNP members to document our role in the patient care process as psychiatric pharmacists. CPNP outlines, via this commentary, that an integrated and holistic approach to patient care has been demonstrated to be cost effective and improves patient care and satisfaction. CPNP supports the integration of psychiatric pharmacists into primary care practices to provide comprehensive medication management as part of an integrated health care team to improve access to care, improve quality of care, decrease costs, and improve provider and patient satisfaction for patients with both serious mental illnesses and chronic medical conditions. The ultimate goal in promoting collaboration between mental and medical care is to improve the lives of persons with chronic mental illness and the lives of their families.
In July 2011, CPNP’s Psychiatric Pharmacy Manifesto was released, which established and publicly declared CPNP’s principles, beliefs, and intentions as an association. Developed by CPNP Past President Glen Stimmel, PharmD, BCPP, and the Past Presidents Council, the Manifesto emphasizes the psychiatric pharmacy community’s commitment to patient care and details how the work of psychiatric pharmacists enable successful treatment outcomes. The CPNP Manifesto serves as a touchstone of our specialty area as it succinctly captures the essence of psychiatric pharmacy, what it means to CPNP members, to the patients and families we serve, as well as the healthcare system of which we are an integral component.
The Manifesto was followed in February 2012 by the development and launch of a position paper on Psychiatric Pharmacist Integration into the Medical Home Model. This position paper, had the goal of supporting integration of psychiatric pharmacists into the medical home with the medical and pharmacy communities working together to improve access to care, improve healthcare‐related outcomes, and decrease overall healthcare costs for patients with mental illness and medical comorbidities. It is the belief of CPNP that Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacists (BCPP) are uniquely positioned to partner with primary care providers and generalist pharmacists to target complex patients who are high users of resources and optimize outcomes. By supporting healthcare reform in the manner outlined in the position statement, including recognizing pharmacists as providers, high quality, cost effective care can be more effectively delivered to this high risk patient group.
About CPNP
The College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists is an association of specialty pharmacists who work to improve the minds and lives of those affected by psychiatric and neurologic disorders. These professionals apply their clinical knowledge in a variety of healthcare settings and positions ranging from education to research with the goal to apply evidence‐based, cost efficient best practices in achieving patient recovery and improving quality of life.