Pharmacy residency program receives accreditation extension
The UMass Medical School Clinical Pharmacy Services Managed Care Pharmacy Residency program has received a three-year extension of its accreditation by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Commission on Credentialing. This extension gives the program a six-year accreditation, the longest period of accreditation granted to a residency program.
“Earning this extension means that this program continues to meet or exceed the established quality standards for a residency training program,” said Karen W. Lee, PharmD, BCPS, director of the residency program and director for professional development for Clinical Pharmacy Services (CPS), a department within UMass Medical School’s Commonwealth Medicine division. “Due to the rigorous nature of reviews for accreditation, this extension is seen as a significant accomplishment.”
One of 39 accredited managed care residencies in the United States, UMMS’s Post-graduate Year One Managed Care Pharmacy Residency is the only program in New England that is accredited jointly by the ASHP and the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, according to Lee. “Accreditation is voluntary, but by opting for it we are ensuring that our post-graduate training program exceeds established quality standards in the industry and fulfills the outcomes, goals and objectives designated by the accrediting bodies,” she said.
The Managed Care Pharmacy Residency provides a structured educational and training experience for post-graduate pharmacists, allowing them to accelerate their growth beyond baseline professional competence. During this one-year program, which was created by CPS in 2006 and is the equivalent of two to three years of practice experience, residents strive to provide optimal patient care as they work with Medicaid agencies and nonprofit managed care organizations across the nation. The ASHP Commission on Credentialing is responsible for the accreditation of pharmacy residencies and pharmacy technician training programs. ASHP is a nationally recognized non-governmental, nonprofit pharmacy association that has been accrediting pharmacy residencies since 1962 and pharmacy technician training programs in the United States since 1983.
About Clinical Pharmacy Services
Part of UMass Medical School’s Commonwealth Medicine division, Clinical Pharmacy Services (CPS) offers comprehensive prescription drug management services to state and federal agencies, pharmacy benefit managers, managed care organizations and correctional health programs. First established in 1999 to provide drug utilization review services for Massachusetts Medicaid, CPS has become an industry leader in both service delivery and consultancy. For more information, visit www.umassmed.edu/cps.
About Commonwealth Medicine
Commonwealth Medicine (CWM) is the public, nonprofit health care consulting and service organization founded by UMass Medical School. Government agencies, nonprofits and managed care organizations benefit from CWM’s expertise in clinical service delivery, health care financing strategies, policy management and quality improvement. CWM programs have helped Massachusetts—and many other state, international and local health care agencies—to increase the value of health care expenditures while improving access and delivery of care to at-risk and uninsured populations. Commonwealth Medicine programs were developed, in part, as a way for UMMS faculty and staff to have a direct and profound impact on the communities of Massachusetts, and now provide critical opportunities for UMMS faculty and students to serve the community. For more information, visit www.umassmed.edu/commed.
