Source: Council on Pharmacy Practice

To encourage pharmacists to assume a leadership role in their hospitals and health systems with respect to strategic planning for and implementation of electronic health and business technology and services; further,

To encourage hospital and health-system administrators to provide dedicated resources for pharmacy departments to design, implement, and maintain electronic health and business technology and services; further,

To advocate the inclusion of electronic health technology and telepharmacy issues and applications in college of pharmacy curricula.

This policy supersedes ASHP policy 0233.

Source: Council on Administrative Affairs

To advocate the use of electronic information systems, with appropriate security controls, that enable the integration of patient-specific data that is accessible in all components of a health system; further,

To support the use of technology that allows the transfer of patient information needed for appropriate medication management across the continuum of care; further,

To urge computer software vendors and pharmaceutical suppliers to provide standards for definition, collection, coding, and exchange of clinical data used in the medication-use process; further,

To pursue formal and informal liaisons with appropriate health care associations to ensure that the interests of patient care and safety in the medication-use process are fully represented in the standardization, integration, and implementation of electronic information systems; further,

To strongly encourage health-system administrators, regulatory bodies, and other appropriate groups to provide health-system pharmacists with full access to patient-specific clinical data.

This policy supersedes ASHP policy 0405.

Source: Council on Legal and Public Affairs

To support collaborative efforts of the Food and Drug Administration, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), and the Federation of State Medical Boards, as stated in the Principles of Understanding on the Sale of Drugs on the Internet, to regulate prescribing and dispensing of medications via the Internet; further,

To support legislation or regulation that requires pharmacy World Wide Web sites to list the states in which the pharmacy and pharmacists are licensed, and, if prescribing services are offered, requires that the sites (1) ensure that a legitimate patient-prescriber relationship exists (consistent with professional practice standards) and (2) list the states in which the prescribers are licensed; further,

To support mandatory accreditation by NABP of pharmacy Web sites and appropriate consumer education about the risks and benefits of using Internet pharmacies; further,

To support the principle that any medication distribution or drug therapy management system must provide timely access to, and interaction with, appropriate professional pharmacist patient-care services.

This policy supersedes ASHP policy 0009.

Source: Council on Administrative Affairs

To strongly advocate key decision roles of pharmacists in the planning, selection, implementation, and maintenance of electronic patient information systems (including computerized prescriber order-entry systems) to facilitate clinical decision support, data analysis, and education of users for the purpose of ensuring the safe and effective use of medications.

This policy was reviewed in 2006 by the Council on Pharmacy Management and by the Board of Directors and was found to still be appropriate.

Source: Council on Administrative Affairs

To advocate the use of computerized entry of medication orders or prescriptions by the prescriber when (1) it is planned, implemented, and managed with pharmacists' involvement, (2) such orders are part of a single, shared database that is fully integrated with the pharmacy information system and other key information system components, especially the patient's medication administration record, (3) such computerized order entry improves the safety, efficiency, and accuracy of the medication-use process, and (4) it includes provisions for the pharmacist to review and verify the order's appropriateness before medication administration, except in those instances when review would cause a medically unacceptable delay.

This policy was reviewed in 2005 by the Council on Administrative Affairs and by the Board of Directors and was found to still be appropriate.

Source: Council on Legal and Public Affairs

To strongly encourage the computer software industry to provide data fields for lot number, expiration date, and other necessary and appropriate information for blood products and derivatives and biologicals, in order to facilitate compliance with regulatory requirements concerning the use of these products, particularly with respect to recalls or withdrawals.

This policy was reviewed in 2003 by the Council on Legal and Public Affairs and by the Board of Directors and was found to still be appropriate.

Source: Council on Professional Affairs

To foster among health-system pharmacists and leaders of the telecommunications industry a common vision for the integration of telecommunication technology into the delivery of pharmaceutical care.

This policy was reviewed in 2003 by the Council on Professional Affairs and by the Board of Directors and was found to still be appropriate.

Source: Council on Legal and Public Affairs

To work with the Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies to seek regulatory and policy changes to accommodate automated drug distribution in health systems.

This policy was reviewed in 2007 by the Council on Public Policy and by the Board of Directors and was found to still be appropriate.

Source: Council on Legal and Public Affairs

To support the use of current and emerging technology in the advancement of pharmaceutical care; further,

To encourage a review and evaluation of the state and federal legal and regulatory status of new technologies as they apply to pharmacy practice.

This policy was reviewed in 2006 by the Council on Public Policy and by the Board of Directors and was found to still be appropriate.