About Us

Purpose

The purpose of the National Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee (NPTC) is to provide a forum for perpetual evaluation and updating of the Indian Health Service National Core Formulary (NCF), in order for it to remain current and relevant to medical practice across the Indian health care system.

Responsibilities

The NPTC:
The primary responsibility of the National Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee is to ensure that the IHS National Core Formulary remains up to date with changes in medical knowledge and practice, and provides I/T/U clinicians with the tools to provide evidence-based and cost-effective pharmaceutical services. The NPTC also has evaluative and educational roles as detailed below.

1. Has sole authority to specify the content of the Indian Health Service National Core Formulary.
2. Holds regular meetings to review the National Core Formulary and to determine if addition of drugs, deletions, or other changes need to be made to reflect current best evidence and inical practice.
3. Monitors the activities of the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM) program and the Department of Defense (DoD) Pharmacoeconomic Center (PEC), so that actions taken or information provided by these groups may be immediately considered for inclusion in the NCF or for distribution to I/T/U clinicians and pharmacists.
4. Consults, as appropriate, with IHS clinical and program specialists and other subject matter experts, to ensure that National Core Formulary content and other recommendations are consistent with existing IHS policy and best practices.
5. Develops processes to allow for formulary-related input from I/T/U clinicians and pharmacists, and for disseminating reports of NPTC activities and formulary updates to the field.
6. Monitors the publication of pharmacy-related disease management guidelines by expert groups (government or private), evaluates the relevance of these guidelines to I/T/U clinical practice, and distributes appropriate guidelines or commentary to I/T/U clinicians and pharmacists.
7. Assists IHS Areas and I/T/U facilities by making its members available for training of clinicians and/or presentations to other stakeholders, on subjects such as implementation of the National Core Formulary, disease management guidelines, and pharmacy cost management.
8. Evaluates the implementation, utilization, and effectiveness of the National Core Formulary on National, Area, and site-specific levels, and reports this information to sites, Areas, and national leadership as appropriate.
9. Engages in ongoing self-evaluation to ensure that NPTC remains up to date with current medical practice and responsive to the needs of I/T/U health professionals.
10. Assists the IHS National Pharmacy Consultant and other leaders with policy development and recommendations related to pharmacy practice and cost management.

Membership and Officers

The NPTC is a permanent national committee of the Indian Health Service. Leadership of the NPTC is provided by a physician Chairperson and a pharmacist Vice-Chairperson. In order to ensure that these individuals are able to devote necessary time to the activities of the NPTC, 25-50 percent of the Chairperson’s salary and 100% of the Vice-Chairperson’s salary are supported by funds allocated by IHS Headquarters. Officers are appointed by the Chief Medical Officer of the Indian Health Service, and serve indefinite terms at the pleasure of the IHS Director.

In addition to the two officers, NPTC membership includes twelve (12) practicing physicians and pharmacists drawn from the ranks of Indian Health Service and Tribally operated Indian health care facilities. The Committee consists of six to eight physicians and four to six pharmacists; at no time does the number of pharmacists exceed the number of physicians. A minimum of three members represent Tribally operated facilities. Members are nominated by IHS Area Directors and confirmed by agreement of the Chairs of the Council of Chief Medical Officers and National Pharmacy Council, who ensure geographic and facility type diversity of the group. Members serve for two (2) years, and may be selected for multiple terms.

Relationships

In developing, evaluating, and modifying the National Core Formulary, the NPTC communicates with formulary experts at the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) and the Department of Defense (DoD), subject matter experts within and outside of IHS, and I/T/U clinicians and pharmacists. The NPTC also communicates its activities, formulary decisions, and additional recommendations to the National Council of Clinical Directors (NCCD), the National Pharmacy Council (NPC), the National Council of Chief Clinical Consultants (NC4), and the Council of Chief Medical Officers (CCMO).

Meetings, Staff Support, and Budget

The NPTC meets semiannually, at a time and place determined by the membership. At least one officer and six members must be present to constitute a quorum; at least half of attendees must be physicians. The Committee conducts additional business between meetings by means of conference calls and electronic mail. Costs incurred by members and invited guests attending NPTC meetings are reimbursed from funds allocated for this purpose by IHS Headquarters. Conference calls between meetings are also funded by Headquarters.

Ad Hoc Committees and Work Groups

The Chair of the NPTC may appoint ad hoc committees and/or work groups as needed to achieve the goals of the Committee. Such committees and work groups are supported as necessary from the NPTC budget.

Reporting

The Chair of the NPTC is responsible for assigning and coordinating the drafting of reports and position statements, and for representing the NPTC as requested by IHLC, ELG, or other groups.

Amendments to Charter

Recommendations for amendments to this Charter may be made by a majority vote of members. Approval of changes is subject to normal approval processes for IHS directives.