Certified Population Health Pharmacy Analyst (CPHPA)

CPHPA (PHA-001) Exam Objectives

This exam certifies that the candidate has the analytical and clinical skills to design, implement, and measure the impact of pharmacy-led population health management programs.

Domain 1: Population Health and Data Analytics Foundations (30%)

• Principles of Population Health: Define population health management and its role in value-based care.
• Healthcare Data Sources: Describe the structure and use of common data sources, including administrative claims data and clinical data from EHRs.
• Data Analysis and Interpretation: Apply basic data analysis techniques to interpret trends, means, and variations in population-level data.
• Quality Measures: Describe major healthcare quality measurement systems, such as HEDIS and Medicare Star Ratings, and the role of medication-related measures.

Domain 2: Risk Stratification and Gap Identification (35%)

• Risk Stratification: Use clinical and claims data to segment a patient population by risk level (e.g., high-risk for hospitalization or high cost).
• Identifying Gaps in Care: Analyze data to identify patients who are not receiving evidence-based care (e.g., gaps in adherence, missing guideline-directed medications).
• Predictive Analytics: Describe how predictive models can be used to identify patients at future risk of adverse outcomes.

Domain 3: Clinical Program Design and Implementation (25%)

• Intervention Design: Design a targeted clinical intervention to address an identified gap in care for a specific patient population.
• Patient Outreach: Develop strategies for effectively reaching and engaging identified high-risk patients.
• Workflow Integration: Integrate population health management activities into existing clinical pharmacy workflows.

Domain 4: Outcomes Measurement and Reporting (10%)

• Measuring Program Impact: Select appropriate clinical, financial, and humanistic outcome metrics to evaluate the success of a population health program.
• Return on Investment (ROI): Calculate the ROI of a clinical pharmacy intervention.
• Reporting: Develop reports and dashboards to communicate program outcomes to clinical and administrative leadership.

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 CPHPA Professionals

The CPHPA certification is for pharmacists in managed care, health systems, and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) who are focused on value-based care. This credential showcases a unique combination of clinical and analytical skills that are in high demand.

Target Candidates

• Managed care and health-system pharmacists.
• Pharmacists with a background or interest in data analytics, public health, or health economics.
• Ambulatory care pharmacists involved in quality improvement.
• Pharmacists working for health plans, PBMs, or ACOs.

Primary Job Roles:

• Population Health Pharmacist
• Clinical Pharmacy Analyst
• Managed Care Pharmacist (Clinical Programs)
• Pharmacist in an Accountable Care Organization (ACO)
• Health Economics & Outcomes Research (HEOR) professional

Career Advancement:

A CPHPA is well-positioned to lead the strategic design of clinical programs. They can advance to become a Manager or Director of Population Health Pharmacy, a Director of Quality Improvement, or a key leader in a health plan's clinical strategy division.

Study Resources

Prepare for your CPHPA exam with resources designed to build your skills in data analysis and program design.