A number of pharmacy associations got together to form the Pharmacy e-Health Information Technology Collaborative to address the technology needs of the pharmacy profession and ensure integration into the electronic health record (EHR) that will be the cornerstone of the U.S. health information technology infrastructure.

In commenting on the formation of the collaborative, Tom Menighan, CEO and executive vice president of the American Pharmacists Association and chair of the collaborative, points out that "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." This is the goal of the collaborative, he explains.

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

Shelly Spiro has been retained to serve as director of the collaborative. Spiro is president of Spiro Consulting, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in long-term and post-acute care pharmacy services.

For additional information on the collaborative, contact Jim Owen at jowen@aphanet.org.