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Starting Point

Stan Kent, M.S., FASHP

AS I BEGIN MY YEAR as ASHP president, I’ve been struck by the depth and variety of issues that the Society has taken on. From drug shortages to pharmacy practice model improvement to specialty certification, ASHP continues to reach toward a better future for both patients and pharmacists.

ASHP InterSections is a wonderful asset for members, as it showcases trends in the field of health-system pharmacy, highlights the important work of pharmacists, and connects the dots for members about what ASHP is doing on their behalf.

This issue includes some great future-Focused articles, including a cover story about how information technology and the emerging field of pharmacy informatics are affecting practice. It’s exciting to read how complex technologies that are designed properly and implemented thoughtfully can reduce errors, streamline medication-related processes, and give health care providers critical information they need right at the bedside.

Credentialing and privileging is a subject that more and more pharmacists are talking about. As health care reform takes hold and accountable care models are adopted, the profession of pharmacy is starting to wake up to the fact that board certification is the wave of the future. In our story “Credentialing and Specialization: Health-System Pharmacy Coming into Its Own,” we look at how interest in this field is growing by leaps and bounds. ASHP has led the way on board certification, because we believe that everything is moving in the direction of higher skill and knowledge bases.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to partner with ASHP to publish a drug information resource? Pamela K. Phelps, Pharm.D., FASHP, shares her three-year experience writing and editing a new book in the story “Diving into the World of ASHP Publishing.” The book, Smart Infusion Pumps: Implementation, Management, and Drug Libraries, features the work of 19 writers and is the only independent guide to smart infusion pump technology.

Finally, we take a look at the experiences of members who have attended the Pharmacy Leadership Academy (developed by the ASHP Foundation’s Center for Health-System Pharmacy Leadership) in “Pharmacy Leadership Academy Opens New Horizons.” The course, which consists of nine six-week modules stretched over 15 months, empowers pharmacists to grow into effective leaders.

As always, ASHP InterSections captures the pulse of what’s happening in hospital and health-system pharmacy today. I hope you enjoy this issue!

Editor’s Note: New ASHP President Stan Kent, M.S., FASHP, who was installed at the second meeting of the ASHP House of Delegates June 14, is assistant vice president, NorthShore University Health System Evanston, Ill.