Collaborative Practice Agreements and Pharmacists’ Patient Care Services A RESOURCE FOR DOCTORS, NURSES, PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS, AND OTHER PROVIDERS COLLABORATIVE PRACTICE AGREEMENTS AND PHARMACISTS ’ PATIENT CARE SERVICES | A RESOURCE FOR HEALTH CARE PRO

harmacists can improve patients ’ health and the health care delivery system if they are part of the patient’s health care team. One way to achieve this goal is with a collaborative practice agreement (CPA) between pharmacists and other health care providers.1 Patient care services provided by pharmacists can reduce fragmentation of care, lower health care costs, and improve health outcomes.1 A 2010 study found that patient health improves significantly when pharmacists work with doctors and other providers to manage patient care.2 The Community Preventive Services Task Force also found strong evidence that team-based care can improve blood pressure control when a pharmacist is included on the team.3 States regulate pharmacists ’ patient care services through “scope of practice ” laws and related rules, including boards of pharmacy and medicine regulations. Depending on each state’s laws, pharmacists can work with other health care providers through CPAs to perform an array of patient care services (Figure 1). In January 2012, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation brought together a group of 22 national subject matter experts to identify evidence for effective policies, practices, and key supports and barriers to expanding the role of pharmacists in delivering patient care services and entering into CPAs.4 Consistent with the findings of the Office of the Chief Pharmacist 2011 Report to the U.S. Surgeon General,1 the group found that broad access to patient care services deliv-ered by pharmacists is limited by policy and compensation barriers. The group proposed several strategies for expanding pharmacists ’ patient care services through team-based care and CPAs.4 Health care providers can use these strategies to build and strengthen partnerships with pharmacists to improve patient care