Nine national organizations representing various pharmacist constituencies have come together in an effort to make sure their interests don't get shortchanged in national health IT policy.

The coalition, dubbed the Pharmacy e-Health Information Technology Collaborative, "will focus on the pharmacy profession's technology needs to ensure that they are addressed and integrated into the framework of the U.S. health information technology (HIT) infrastructure," according to a statement from the nine organizations. "In doing so, the collaborative is committed to creating a comprehensive and unified approach, ensuring optimal integration of pharmacy's requirements and contributions into the electronic health record (EHR)."

Tom Menighan, executive VP and CEO of the American Pharmacists Association, will chair the joint task force, while Rachelle "Shelly" Spiro, a pharmacist and a consultant specializing in long-term care and health IT, has been named executive director. "In order for patients to receive optimal care, pharmacists need to have the ability to access and contribute to relevant, patient-specific information from the EHR. The work of the collaborative will focus on achieving this goal," Menighan says in the statement.

In addition to the APhA, other members of the coalition include the National Community Pharmacists Association, the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations.

For additional details:
- Take a look at this Drugstore News story
- Read this press release from the collaborative

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