News and Insights for Psychiatric Pharmacists

#AAPP2025 is off to a great start! Day 2 starts bright and early at 7:15 AM Mountain with an industry symposium with ACPE credit (open to everyone with an aapp.org account!). #ACPE #psychpharmacy #SLC

Starting soon (4:45 PM Mountain) is the Saklad Memorial Award presentation and the AAPP Forum on Our Future! This event will be livestreamed and is available to anyone with a login at aapp.org. (If you don't have one, create a free account). Join us to honor Dr. Deanna Kelly! #AAPP2025 #psychpharmacy #SLC

Congrats to the PharmD students who received a registration grant to #AAPP2025! #aappfoundation #psychpharmacy

Idea exchanges start at 10:00 AM Mountain! Which one are you attending? Topics include: The Antidepressant Black Box Warning in Youth, Management of Substance Use Disorders in Older Adults, and The Evolving Role of Neurology Clinical Pharmacists #AAPP2025 #psychpharmacy #saltlakecity

The AAPP Foundation is honored to be well represented at the AAPP 2025 Annual Meeting! Check out all of our activities and sponsorships. #aappfoundation #psychpharmacy #aapp2025

Are you a psychiatric pharmacist? Consider filling out the #BCPP job analysis survey to share your perspective on the tasks and knowledge areas important to practicing in psychiatric pharmacy. Complete the survey by May 5: https://www.research.net/r/BCPP25JAS

The National Institute of Mental Health is an excellent resource for broshures and fact sheets on mental health disorders for patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. Printed materials can even be ordered free of charge!

I volunteer because I want to improve the delivery of mental health services across our communities. I truly believe that pharmacists can be part of this change and that working with AAPP will help us to do so. - Michael Shuman, PharmD, BCPP

T-minus 2 days until the first official day of #AAPP2025! Who's getting excited?! #psychpharmacy #saltlakecity

Read the AAPP Foundation President's Spring 2025 message! #aappfoundation #psychpharmacy

Volunteering on a committee helps me meet Residency Director ASHP standards. It also allows me to bring updated knowledge and information to implement in my facility. - Courtney Iuppa, PharmD, BCPP

Making an LAI clinic profitable! Overcome common barriers when establishing a billing system for LAI administration, create a budget and make an LAI clinic profitable, and evaluate billing metrics and reporting. #LAI

I’m a better psychiatric pharmacist because of this organization. The resources, connections, and opportunities AAPP offers have helped shape my professional journey in countless ways. - Michael McGuire, PharmD, BCPP

AAPP believes the directives of MAHA threatens to worsen health outcomes and reignite stigma toward individuals living with psychiatric disorders. Evidence shows that limiting psychotropic medications will further the mental health crisis.

The Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process (PPCP) is the foundation for the essential care that pharmacists provide to patients on a daily basis. Fifteen national pharmacy organizations have collaborated through the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners (JCPP) to revise the 2014 PPCP to reflect contemporary pharmacy practice today and into the future. These organizations are now seeking feedback on the revised draft PPCP from pharmacists across the profession to ensure that it is reflective of diverse pharmacy practice settings and the care being delivered. Your voice is important! Please contribute your feedback on or before 2/28 at 5 PM PT, by accessing the draft revised PPCP and a feedback survey. The estimated time to review the draft revised PPCP is 10 minutes, and the feedback survey is estimated to take up to 20 minutes to complete.

Volunteer where you’ll be happiest. Use it to help develop your skills as clinician, teacher, and/or researcher. - Chris Paxos, PharmD, BCPP, BCPS, BCGP

Six industry-supported programs will be livestreamed during AAPP 2025 and are available to everyone with a login to aapp.org! Register now and plan to attend two symposia with ACPE credit and four showcases.

Six industry-supported programs will be livestreamed during AAPP 2025 and are available to everyone with a login to aapp.org! Register now and plan to attend two symposia with ACPE credit and four showcases.

Collaborating professionally with psychiatric pharmacists from across the country on different projects and tasks has led to additional opportunities for learning and growth, including a national publication. - Ashley Maister, BS, PharmD, BCPP

Practice, practice, practice! The 150-question mock exam lets you test your knowledge, pacing, and endurance before sitting for the BCPP certification exam. #BCPP #AAPP #examprep #psychpharmacy

"I was highly motivated to obtain my DEA to improve the efficiency of my workflow and practice with greater independence..." #WIWIK

Free toolkit provides tips and guidance in the following areas of Buprenorphine Initiation: Buprenorphine Treatment, Traditional Buprenorphine Initiation, Low Dose Overlap Initiation, Special Populations, Harm Reduction, Helpful Resources, and References

As psychiatric pharmacists, we pride ourselves in the top-notch patient care that we provide, sometimes even serving as the patient’s main source of contact and primary prescriber. We see ourselves as empathetic and work tirelessly to break down stigma. Every day we go into work and provide compassion to the patients we treat. Sometimes though, we tell our colleagues, friends, and family stories. Stories from our patients that make us laugh or roll our eyes, or stories about our patients – the ones we don’t like because they have [insert mental illness], and we don’t enjoy working with them. Have we ever stopped to think that maybe the person we’re talking to also suffers from that or a similar mental illness?

AAPP and coalition partners are calling on Congress and the Administration to take immediate action to prevent the erosion of ongoing efforts to address the nation’s mental health, suicide, and substance use crises. The statement emphasizes that we share a bipartisan goal of improving the health span of all Americans, including a strong and vigorous workforce, which requires protecting the critical functions of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Thanks to our partnership with Current Psychiatry (CP) published through Quadrant Healthcom Inc., another Savvy Psychopharmacology article was featured in the January 2020 edition of Current Psychiatry. The goal of this section is to present an evidence-based discussion to guide safe, effective prescribing of psychotropic medications. Eva Studer, MD, Tawny L. Smith, PharmD, BCPP, and Smitha Murthy, MD, authored this article on Valproic acid-induced hyperammonemic encephalopathy.

BPS is conducting a Job Analysis for the Board-Certified Psychiatric Pharmacy (BCPP) certification program to develop an updated examination content outline, which serves as a blueprint for the certification exam and the scope for recertification and eligibility purposes. Participation is expected to take 15 to 30 minutes and those who complete the survey are eligible for entry into a raffle for one of ten $25 Amazon gift cards.

An Office of Management and Budget (OMB) document signals that the Trump administration may propose cutting Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) funding by more than 30%, including eliminating key mental health and substance use programs. It’s important to note this document is not final. The official budget is expected in late April or early May, and the appropriations process has to go through Congress. The National Council will continue advocating for critical program funding and will share updates as the process moves forward.

Authored by AAPP member Michael McGuire, PharmD, BCPP.

This workshop April 23-24, 2025, will discuss educational and financial models of HPE programs from around the globe and their value proposition.

The 3/6/25 #JournalClub (1/2) presented "Single-Dose Psilocybin for Depression With Severe Treatment Resistance: An Open-Label Trial." The recording is available free to all AAPP members.

During this complimentary, grant-funded webinar, participants will learn about the potential benefits and drawbacks of available PPD treatments – including newer NAS medications. Register today and earn 1 hour of ACPE credit upon webinar completion.

The Clozapine REMS program has notified all prescribers registered with the system that the clozapine manufacturers have formally replied to the FDA announcement of 2/24/2025.

Exams can be daunting. Let us help! Register for the Developing Effective Test-Taking Skills webinar to sharpen your skills. #BCPP #examprep #psychpharmacy #AAPP

Psychiatric and neurologic illnesses are highly prevalent and are often suboptimally treated. Pharmacists who focus on psychiatric and neurologic diseases improve outcomes for patients with these conditions. This is important in the current health care environment as most patients with psychiatric or neurologic conditions continue to have unmet needs. Read this MHC article to learn more about the value of psychiatric and neurologic pharmacists as part of the health care team. We hope you will consider exploring psychiatric and neurological pharmacy for your career.

SUD Scoop Series 2024-25: Join your colleagues during these live-only webinars to dialogue about challenging substance use disorder cases. The last webinar is May 21! Free for AAPP members.

AAPP members Haley Pals, Michelle Colvard and Tera Moore co-authored this study of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) who received B-MOUD care in 2023 within the Veterans Health Administration.

The Clozapine REMS program has notified all prescribers registered with the system that the clozapine manufacturers have formally replied to the FDA announcement of 2/24/2025. The reply included a modification to eliminate the Clozapine REMS and update the prescribing information for clozapine. Upon FDA request, they have also developed a Medication Guide for patients which will be available pending FDA approval. They anticipate that the FDA will approve this modification in mid-June of 2025. The REMS Program emphasized that the newclozapinerems.com website will cease to operate upon the FDA’s acceptance of the modification. AAPP will be communicating this new information to pharmacy associations and other relevant stakeholders in order that they may fully understand the ramifications of this information.

ASAM and fellow advocacy groups with the Mental Health Liaison Group sent a letter to the House Energy & Commerce Committee leadership urging them to pass the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act. Reauthorization of SUPPORT would enhance SUD treatment for patients and allocate resources to grow and strengthen the addiction treatment workforce. The House Energy & Commerce Committee adjourned its markup on Tuesday, April 8 without voting on legislation to reauthorize the landmark law to address the opioid crisis, the SUPPORT Act, and committee Republicans rejected a proposal from Democrats to advance most portions of the bipartisan, bicameral health deal that stalled in December after Elon Musk nixed the broader spending bill it was part of.

During this complimentary, grant-funded webinar, participants will gain insight into the barriers to effective psychotropic LAI use and explore current research. Register today and earn 1 hour of ACPE credit upon webinar completion.

These free articles are intended to provide advice from experts for students, residents, and new practitioners.

The letter expresses concern about the dismissal of VA employees and the impact on veterans access to benefits and care.

Planning to sit for the BCPP exam? We've got resources! #BCPP #AAPP #examprep #psychpharmacy

At AAPP 2023, Dr. Jason Bonner, PhD presented on “Burnout Among Psychiatric Pharmacists: A Discussion of Drivers and Evidence-Based/informed Interventions to Improve Clinician Well-Being.” Dr. Bonner is a Clinical Health Psychologist in Primary Care-Mental Health Integration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at the Durham VA Health Care System. He is a subject matter expert on stress, burnout, coping, well-being and resilience for pharmacy residency training and provides guidance on issues intersecting wellness and pharmacy training.

The AAPP Foundation continues to promote mental health education to psychiatric pharmacists, residents, and students nationwide by sponsoring Mental Health First Aid training. AAPP Director of Continuing Professional Development Beth DeJongh, PharmD, BCPS, BCPP, is the lead faculty member for the training and is joined by AAPP member Emma Palmer, PharmD, BCPS, BCPP, Associate Professor at the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati.

Psychiatric pharmacists can use their expertise in other industries, including continuing medical education (CME)! Learn more from Dr. Amber Lemons.

In a letter to Collins, AAPP emphasizes the impact of MH Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners in the VA system and in training residents for our already insufficient mental health workforce. AAPP expresses concern about the dismissal of VA employees and the impact on veterans access to benefits and care. Additionally, the letter emphasizes the extent of care that is delivered virtually and the harms of return-to-work mandates for pharmacists employed in virtual positions.

This study explored how access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) changed following Medicaid’s pandemic-era enrollment freeze unwinding. In this cross-sectional study of 2.4 million US adults who filled buprenorphine prescriptions, the early unwinding period was associated with declines in the level and trend in patients receiving buprenorphine fills, driven by Medicaid-paid prescriptions, partially offset by increased commercial insurance and self-pay fills. States with higher automated (ex parte) Medicaid renewal rates and more income verification sources for automated renewals showed greater stability in buprenorphine access, highlighting the role of state policies.

Representing the clozapine coalition, AAPP has recently outreached to all pharmacy association executives and appropriate staff urging communication with their members about the elimination of the clozapine REMS. In the communications distributed, pharmacies are encouraged to immediately change their operating procedures to remove all requirements related to clozapine dispensing and audit criteria that were part of the now-defunct REMS elements and to resume dispensing clozapine if they had previously stopped dispensing it. Please use the contents of this letter in your own advocacy with pharmacies to aid in the removal of barriers to this important medication.

The 3/6/25 #JournalClub (2/2) presented "Masked Taper With Behavioral Intervention for Discontinuation of Benzodiazepine Receptor Agonists: A Randomized Clinical Trial." The recording is available free to all AAPP members.

The Advanced Track Psychotropic Long-Acting Injectable Program is available and complimentary! Register now and gain up to 9 CE credits by completing modules of interest.

The 2024 Summit covered topics from street medicine to the management of ADHD. Earn up to 10 hours of credit for just $140 (ACPE) or $160 (ACPE & BCPP - exam due 7/10) as an AAPP member!

Improve your peer review skills! Discover the components to evaluate, the role of the peer reviewer, the skills necessary to critically evaluate a manuscript, and how to provide feedback to authors and journal editors.

Pharmacy careers change lives. Learn if a job as a pharmacist is right for you and how you can help people live better, healthier lives. #Pharmacy #PsychPharm

Grassroots advocacy can be one of the most influential tools that a profession can employ to bring issues to the attention of legislators at all levels from state to federal government. Policymakers must have input directly from those affected by a certain issue so they are aware of the needs in their communities and understand fully the ramifications of changes in policy. AAPP has provided a suite of tools and issue briefs to support you in your grassroots efforts whether at the state or federal level.

The Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, provides comprehensive health care to around 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) across 37 states belonging to 574 federally recognized tribes. The federal government established a special relationship with these tribes in 1787 to provide health services and raise their overall health status to the highest level.

The 2023-2024 academic year has been another outstanding period for our AAPP collegiate chapters, showcasing their dedication to promoting psychiatric pharmacy and mental health awareness. Forty-seven collegiate chapters submitted annual reports, highlighting significant community service, campus activities, research, and professional growth. The 2023-2024 year also saw 64 in-person attendees to the annual AAPP meeting, with sixteen posters presented across eleven schools of pharmacy.

AAPP’s most recent strategic plan is chock full of goals surrounding the expansion of opportunities for psychiatric pharmacists. An aggressive and big assignment for sure, with no one solution that achieves the goal of growing awareness and inclusion of psychiatric pharmacists into treatment teams and health systems. After significant brainstorming and research, a plan emerged (see figure) in late 2021 that involved numerous committees and task forces conducting complimentary work simultaneously to achieve the end goal of increasing demand for psychiatric pharmacists.

Growing the psychiatric pharmacy workforce is one of AAPP’s significant priorities. Driving students into the field of pharmacy is a critical piece. The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy is working to attract students to the field by showcasing the diverse opportunities and rewards in pharmacy. We encourage you to offer to share your profession with the Pharmacy is Right For Me campaign just as Past President Julie Dopheide, PharmD, BCPP recently did. Also, please access the suite of materials and seek out opportunities to present the rewards of your career to students from middle school on up. Lastly, contribute by following and sharing their social media posts with your networks!

This week, AAPP is cosponsoring a Hill Day in conjunction with the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP), the National Pharmaceutical Association (NPhA), and the National Association of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA). Advocates will be learning more about effective advocacy and review talking points for the Hill visits tomorrow focused on IRA implementation, PBM reform, and the future of pharmacy billing. Thank you to our psychiatric pharmacy advocates and fellow pharmacy associations for partnering with us on this critical event.

Implement LAI administration education into precepting or pharmacy curriculum, incorporate LAI administration into education, and properly instruct learners on LAI administration. #LAI

Every person’s journey to preparing for and achieving the Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist (BCPP) credential is unique. However, hundreds of BCPPs have shared tips and techniques that assisted in their success. Customize the tips below to your background and situation. Good Luck!

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released important information related to "Special Registrations for Telemedicine and Limited State Telemedicine Registrations," "Expansion of Buprenorphine Treatment via Telemedicine Encounter," and "Continuity of Care via Telemedicine for Veterans Affairs Patients."

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have delayed the implementation of two final rules—expanding buprenorphine treatment via telemedicine and ensuring continuity of care for VA patients through telemedicine—until December 31, 2025. Originally set to take effect in February 2025, the delay aligns with a presidential regulatory freeze and allows for further review of legal and policy concerns. Importantly, this change will not impact patient access, as existing COVID-era telemedicine flexibilities for prescribing controlled substances remain in place through the end of 2025.

AAPP Board member Danielle Stutzman, PharmD, BCPP, represents psychiatric pharmacy in expressing concerns about study's potential to perpetuate stigmatization of vaccines and, in particular, ASD.

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently renewed the declaration that was set to expire on March 21, for 90 days. After more than 114,000 people died of overdose in 2023, the number fell to 84,000 in the 12-month period ending October 2024.

AAPP submitted comments on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) proposed rule regarding Special Registrations for Telemedicine. AAPP emphasized concerns that the rule imposes unnecessary barriers to accessing mental health and substance use disorder treatments, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Key recommendations include removing the in-person visit requirement for controlled substance prescriptions, clarifying psychiatric pharmacists’ eligibility for Special Registration, and streamlining state registration and PDMP requirements. AAPP also urged the DEA to extend pandemic-era teleprescribing flexibilities permanently.

AAPP recently updated its career infographic geared toward students and residents considering a career in psychiatric pharmacy. The infographic highlights the availability of residencies, the residency experience, positive job placement, and keys to getting hired. We encourage you to share this broadly as we all work to grow the psychiatric pharmacy workforce.

AAPP is continuing its membership in the Get the Medications Right Institute (GTMRX) in 2025. GTMRX is focused on advancing recognition among providers and payors of the importance of systematic, evidence-based approaches to medications and their rationale use and the urgent need for payment and policy reform to advance access to and payment for person-centered CMM services.

One of the most important elements to advancing the profession of pharmacy is the commitment to lifelong learning. However, the delivery of continuing education has experienced relatively little change in the past 50 years in comparison to the changes we have seen in the profession of pharmacy.1 Traditionally, continuing education has been delivered through formal training with the learner motivated by the need to meet predetermined credits/hours set by the state boards of pharmacy or the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS). Over the last several decades, new methods of delivering education to pharmacists and other health professionals have been proposed and integrated in some areas.

Upon Senate approval of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to serve as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the White House Issued an Executive Order (EO) establishing the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission. Among the concerns is the commission’s directive to “assess the prevalence of and threat posed by the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, stimulants, and weight-loss drugs” in children. The Secretary’s remarks are concerning as they undermine the safety and efficacy of mental health medications as well as feed into stigma for those with mental health disorders who seek treatment. Read more about the Commission and how AAPP is preparing for advocacy.

BPS Board-Certified Pharmacists interested in sharing their journey to obtaining and maintaining board certification may apply by Friday, June 13, 2025. Each ambassador will engage with BPS for up to two years and participate in various activities, including but not limited to a video series hosted on the BPS website, leadership blogs, podcasts, panel discussions, and other spokesperson roles.

Obtaining a Controlled Substance Registration Certificate (DEA license) was encouraged by my site in order to help better serve our patient population. There are many practice settings where this would be useful for a pharmacist. Currently I work in an outpatient mental health clinic, where I work collaboratively with a variety of health care providers including psychiatrists, social workers, psychologists, and nurse practitioners. Having this certification means I can use the full scope of my knowledge and apply it to practice. Potentially this could work well in other collaborative settings including inpatient treatment, depending on the role of the pharmacist.

As a substance use disorder (SUD) pharmacist, I am frequently asked why I do what I do. I commonly reply, “I do it for the goosebump moments.” If you have ever been given the privilege to be a part of another person’s recovery, you may know what I mean by this. I am honored to advocate for, learn from, and nurture one of the most vulnerable and stigmatized patient populations in our healthcare system. The truth is my job may be the best kept secret in pharmacy.

This new video was developed by the Columbia University Medical Center Department of Psychiatry Division on Substance Use Disorders in partnership with the Opioid Response Network to help address the occurrence of wounds in people who use drugs, especially due to xylazine adulteration of the drug supply. The video provides a background on xylazine, the basics of wound healing, information on successful community outreach programs and educational resources for treatment.

This review concluded evidence was insufficient to make any clear determinations on the effectiveness of TIC approaches across any patient/client health related outcome, but this does not mean the individual interventions described are not potentially useful.

AAPP member Kristin Waters co-authored this updated systematic review on low dose buprenorphine initiation.

AAPP member Kelly Lee co-authored National Incidence of Physician Suicide and Associated Features which found a higher incidence of suicide for US female physicians compared to female nonphysicians.

AAPP joined fellow pharmacy associations urging the DEA to update its online DEA registration process and the Mid-Level Practitioners Authorization by State table to reflect recent changes in state laws and regulations that explicitly grant pharmacists prescriptive authority for controlled substances.