Today is a big day for our APhA Foundation. After decades of delivering the evidence that pharmacists are essential members of the health care team, the Foundation is launching Patient Self-Management (PSM) Solutions, a compilation of their tools and methods, which have been proven to make people healthier and save money for the health care system.

I’m really excited about PSM Solutions for two reasons. The first is that the Patient Self-Management Credential (PSMC) for Diabetes will become available to pharmacists and other health care providers to improve the care that is delivered to people with diabetes all across the country. The PSMC for Diabetes has been a cornerstone in the Foundation’s research for more than a decade and it helps the whole health care team zero in on each individual patient’s needs to help customize the education and care you provide. The PSMC for Diabetes is a game changer when it comes to patient-centered care, and the Foundation’s Web-based platform and technology partners are making it easy to integrate it into your practice.

The second reason I’m excited is that the Foundation is out in the market looking for innovative self-insured employers and other payers who are eager to change the way they invest in health care. PSM Solutions brings together the PSMC for Diabetes with a care provider network that can contract with payers to deliver pharmacists’ patient care services.

We believe that investing in high quality, high access care that includes pharmacists is a smart way for payers to receive a big return on investment—about $1,000 per person, per year, based on the Foundation’s research. Through this work, the APhA Foundation is making moves to advance the private pathway within the provider status initiative by connecting innovative payers with pharmacists and tools that can improve people’s health.

Congratulations, and thank you, to the Foundation for providing evidence and tools to support pharmacists’ enhanced patient care roles as they continue to transform the health care delivery system! Take a look at the Foundation’s website at http://psmsolutions.aphafoundation.org/ to learn more about how PSM Solutions and the PSMC for Diabetes could improve the care you provide.