ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 5, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) recently asked members to weigh-in on changing the name of the Society, so the organization may be better recognized and more understandable to the older adult population. Today the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists Foundation (ASCP Foundation) has announced they fully support efforts to change the society's name.
"Nothing in healthcare is more certain than change, especially as we face the challenges of new healthcare delivery models, more complex patients with intricate pharmaceutical care plans, and competition for innovative clinical and operational decision makers," said the Chair of ASCP Foundation's Board of Trustees, Nancy L. Losben, RPh, CCP, FASCP, CG. Ms. Losben continued, "It is imperative that our Society identify itself as the pharmaceutical care and management leader. With decades of history and effectiveness on which we rest, The ASCP Foundation supports the Society's vision for a name change for instantaneous recognition, for immediate understanding of our expertise, and for the capacity to stretch our services across a vast continuum of care settings, old and new."
The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists is the only international professional society devoted to optimal medication management and improved health outcomes for all older persons. The mission of the ASCP Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, is to foster appropriate, effective, and safe medication use in older persons. The unique focus of the ASCP Foundation is the development, integration, and application of knowledge regarding medication use in the senior population and the practice of senior care pharmacy to optimize health care outcomes.
As the research and education affiliate of ASCP, the ASCP Foundation provides leadership, innovation, and expertise on medication management to older adults and their caregivers. It is of the utmost importance that those seniors—and the people who care for them—understand who ASCP members are, and what they can do for them.
"We want to provide you an association that is self-explanatory, and resonates with all those who provide care to our senior patients," said ASCP President, Sean M. Jeffery, PharmD, CGP, FASCP. He added, "We don't want to turn people away or have them disassociate with ASCP because they don't see themselves as a consultant pharmacist."