Establishing a standardized clinical pharmacy practice model within the Veterans Health Administration: Evolution of the credentialing and professional practice evaluation process

Developing a standardized practice model and a consistent process for the provision of clinical pharmacy services has been described by some as the “Achilles heel of the clinical pharmacy discipline.” The foundation of a standardized practice model and therefore a consistent care process requires evaluation of the competencies of the providers practicing in the model. The credentialing and privileging process is intended to verify that the health care professional has obtained the requisite qualifications to practice within a certain setting and exhibits the clinical acumen to provide care to patients. The process of credentialing and privileging along with the professional practice evaluation (PPE) process varies across the country. The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Office within the Veterans Health Administration has defined a system‐wide process and solidified the elements essential to clinical pharmacist scope of practice, as well as ensuring the robustness of the pharmacist PPE process within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). While specific to the VA, this framework may be considered by other health care systems in creating a process for pharmacist providers.