From our origins, AACI has taken the position of encouraging medical staffs to utilize the huge asset of having clinical pharmacologists for consultation. By doing so we offer patients the highest available level of care. However the standard requires that primary responsibility for patient care arises with the authority of the governing body, and is then passed to qualified medical doctors of medicine or osteopathy. (Other practitioners may be eligible for staff membership, i.e. dentists, oral surgeons, etc. However, even under these conditions, such practitioners must have a supervising primary physician who is responsible for all aspects of care outside their awarded limited privileges.)
The standard does not recognize clinical pharmacology as a primary care service with a privilege to practice medicine. It is a consult service with the potential to provide a much needed resource to physicians and patients under their care. AACI encourages and requires all medical staffs to utilize consult services their clinical practice areas. In fact, medical staffs that do not efficiently utilize their available consult services are subject to a non-conformance on that basis alone under our requirements.
With that said, AACI will continue to recognize the expert and necessary contribution that clinical pharmacologists make to the combined effort of a quality patient care team, and encourage appropriate collaboration between doctor, pharmacologist, and patient for the benefit of all involved.