Certified Collaborative Practice Pharmacist (CCPP)

CCPP (CPP-001) Exam Objectives

This exam certifies that the candidate has the clinical and regulatory knowledge to safely and effectively provide advanced patient care services under a collaborative practice agreement.

Domain 1: Establishing and Managing Collaborative Practice Agreements (30%)

• Regulatory Framework: Describe the state-specific legal and regulatory requirements for creating and maintaining a CPA.
• Scope of Practice: Define an appropriate scope of practice for a pharmacist within a CPA, including authorized functions and specific disease states.
• Protocol Development: Develop evidence-based clinical protocols that guide therapeutic decision-making within the CPA.
• Quality Assurance: Establish a quality assurance and review process for a collaborative practice service.

Domain 2: Advanced Patient Assessment and Monitoring (30%)

• Patient Assessment: Perform a comprehensive or focused physical assessment as appropriate for the disease state being managed.
• Lab Interpretation: Order and interpret common laboratory tests relevant to managing chronic diseases.
• Patient History: Conduct a thorough patient interview to gather relevant medical, medication, and social history.

Domain 3: Protocol-Based Pharmacotherapy Management (35%)

• Chronic Disease Management: Apply clinical protocols to manage common chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and asthma/COPD.
• Therapeutic Decision-Making: Initiate, adjust, monitor, and discontinue medications according to the established protocol and patient-specific factors.
• Risk/Benefit Analysis: Evaluate the risks and benefits of therapeutic decisions for individual patients.

Domain 4: Documentation and Billing for Clinical Services (5%)

• Clinical Documentation: Document patient encounters, assessments, and interventions in the medical record in a standardized format (e.g., SOAP note).
• Billing and Coding: Identify appropriate billing codes (e.g., CPT, "incident-to") for pharmacist-provided clinical services.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to sit for a CPS certification exam, candidates must meet the criteria outlined in one of the two pathways below.

Pathway 1: For U.S. Licensed Pharmacists

This pathway is for pharmacists licensed to practice within the United States, regardless of country of graduation.

• Hold an active and unrestricted pharmacist license in any state or territory of the United States.
• Meet educational requirements by being a graduate of an ACPE-accredited school of pharmacy or holding a Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee® (FPGEC) Certificate.
• Fulfill the specialty experience requirement as outlined below.

Pathway 2: For International Pharmacists (Non-U.S. Licensed)

This pathway is for pharmacists who practice outside of the United States.

• Hold an active and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in their country of practice. A certified English translation of the license must be provided if the original is not in English.
• Hold a professional degree in pharmacy equivalent to a U.S. pharmacy degree, such as a Bachelor’s degree (BPharm), Master’s degree in Pharmacy Practice (MPharm), or Doctor of Pharmacy degree (PharmD).
• Fulfill the specialty experience requirement as outlined below.

Specialty Experience Requirement (for all pathways)

To ensure candidates have foundational knowledge in the specialty, one of the following criteria must be met:

• Standard Pathway:
  Completion of at least one year of professional experience in a practice setting directly related to the certification area.
• Certificate Pathway:
  The one-year specialty experience requirement is waived for candidates who hold an active certificate of completion from a nationally recognized provider in a related subject matter. This includes, but is not limited to, the completion of a relevant PGY residency, fellowship, certificate/training program, or a relevant graduate degree (e.g., a Master's degree in the specialty field). Recognized providers of certificate programs include, but are not limited to:
  • American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)
  • American Pharmacists Association (APhA)
  • American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP)
  • American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP)

Career Path for CCPP Professionals

The CCPP certification is for pharmacists in ambulatory care, health-system clinics, and community pharmacies who are engaged in or seeking to establish advanced patient care services. This credential formally recognizes the skills needed to practice with an expanded scope under a CPA.

Target Candidates

• Ambulatory care pharmacists seeking to formalize their advanced practice skills.
• Health-system pharmacists working in outpatient clinics (e.g., primary care, anticoagulation).
• Community pharmacists who are developing or leading clinical service programs.
• Pharmacists working in any setting that utilizes or plans to utilize CPAs.

Primary Job Roles:

• Ambulatory Care Pharmacist
• Clinical Pharmacist Specialist (e.g., in a primary care clinic)
• MTM / Clinical Services Pharmacist
• Population Health Pharmacist

Career Advancement:

A CCPP is well-positioned to lead the expansion of clinical pharmacy services. They can advance to become a clinical coordinator, a manager of an ambulatory care pharmacy program, or a director of clinical services, responsible for developing and overseeing multiple collaborative practice agreements within a health system.

Study Resources

Prepare for your CCPP exam with resources designed to master advanced patient care under collaborative practice.