Creating Collaborative Networks Between Regulators, Industry, and Academia to Foster Innovation and Evidence-Based Policy Making in Pharmacy Practice

Pharmacy practice has started using technology more to help patients, cut down errors, and make work easier. But technology changes quickly, which creates problems for rules and control. To fix this, groups of regulators, industry leaders, and academics work together to check new technologies and make rules that support new ideas while keeping people safe.

A good example is the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) Research and Innovation Institute. It was made to give data that helps make decisions about rules. Bradley S. Hamilton, NABP President for 2025-2026, leads the Institute. It brings different groups together to study new pharmacy technologies like digital tools and artificial intelligence (AI). The goal is to test pilot projects fairly. This teamwork helps close knowledge gaps between pharmacy boards and the people they regulate. It supports making rules based on evidence that fits current healthcare needs.

One main job of these groups is to carefully check innovations that can help patients get better care. This includes using AI to help pharmacists, organize work better, and improve communication. The Institute offers an unbiased platform that shares clear data. This helps regulatory boards make rules based on facts instead of fears about change or job loss.

The Intersection of Regulation, Policy, and Innovation

Pharmacy rules must keep safety high while also allowing new ideas that help patients. Collaborative groups give a way to balance this by letting everyone talk openly and share information.

The NABP Research and Innovation Institute also shows the real problems pharmacies face when using new technology. Besides rules, worries about money, costs, and staff adapting are serious for many providers. To handle these worries, the Institute supports education and teamwork to help during technology changes and to deal with fear or doubt.

This fits with recent studies showing that better cooperation between schools, regulators, and industry leads to better rules and policies. For example, wide partnerships help test new drug types, green pharmacy methods, and making pharmacy work more sustainable. They also support green chemistry and eco-friendly making processes. This is important now because of environmental and public health concerns.

A study of sustainable medicine use from 2000 to 2024 showed the role of global teamwork among the UK, US, India, and Europe. Such teamwork helped research and policy grow around greener medicine. This way of working shows how groups from different areas can make progress that is hard to do alone.

Academic Contributions to Regulatory and Quality Sciences

Schools play an important role in training people who can handle pharmacy rules and new technology. The Department of Regulatory and Quality Sciences at the University of Southern California (USC) Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is one example. This department gives students a strong background in managing drugs and medical devices under rules worldwide.

USC’s programs focus on working as teams, communication, and learning global rules. Their Theme-based Regulatory and Quality Solutions (TRAQS) program lets students work on real problems from big companies. This hands-on work helps students learn how to create practical, evidence-based answers for pharmacy practice and policy.

Teachers with lots of industry experience help students understand rules about drug safety, clinical trials, and controlled drugs. They also teach about regional and cultural differences in rules, which matter more now because pharmacy supply chains and healthcare are more global.

These academic efforts prepare students to work well in groups that bring together regulators, industry, and schools. These connections help make better rules and useful pharmacy innovations.

Integrating AI and Workflow Automation in Pharmacy Practice Regulation

New developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and workflow automation are changing many parts of healthcare, including pharmacy. Using these technologies can help work run smoother, cut mistakes, and give more people access to pharmacy services. But without teamwork and rules, using AI also brings challenges like trust, safety, and how it affects daily work.

The NABP Research and Innovation Institute focuses a lot on teamwork to test and study AI tools in pharmacies. It gives a neutral place for pilot projects to provide fair evidence about how well these tools work, how safe they are, and how useful they can be.

For US medical offices, AI is especially helpful in front-office tasks like phone answering and scheduling. Some companies, like Simbo AI, use AI to handle phone tasks. This helps clinics manage time and talk with patients better. Automating appointment setup, answering common questions, and sorting calls with AI phones can cut work for front desk workers and pharmacists.

Using AI-driven phones helps in these ways:

• Efficiency: Calls get answered fast and correctly, so patients wait less and staff can do clinical work.
• Error Reduction: Automated systems lower human mistakes in gathering patient info or making schedules, improving data quality.
• Access: Patients can reach pharmacy services safely outside office hours, giving more care options.
• Cost Management: Automation lowers admin costs, which helps pharmacies save on labor.

Even with these benefits, there are still challenges making AI fit current rules well. Boards need data showing that AI keeps patients safe, protects privacy, and works within certified practices. Teams made of healthcare workers, AI companies like Simbo AI, and rule makers can help test and share data. These steps prove the technology works and help make rules based on real results.

The Importance of Transparent Data Sharing and Neutral Evaluation

One key part of good teamwork is open sharing of data. Sharing real data about new tech and pharmacy methods helps regulators make smart choices instead of guessing or trusting claims without proof. The NABP Research and Innovation Institute promotes this by being a neutral place where pharmacy boards, regulated groups, and others can work together and test new ideas.

This neutral spot helps fix the problem where regulators might not have the same technical know-how as industry professionals or researchers. Closing this gap means rules are more practical and still keep people safe.

Neutral evaluation also helps make rules based on evidence. Providers and tech companies can ask the Institute to test their ideas. The testing gives clear data that regulators use to check benefits and risks. This process lowers social and money barriers by answering safety and performance questions before new tech is widely used.

The Path Forward: Inclusive Collaboration for Advancing Pharmacy Care

The future of pharmacy in the US depends on good teamwork between regulators, industry, and schools focused on new ideas and rules based on facts. Groups like the NABP Research and Innovation Institute and academic programs like USC’s Regulatory and Quality Sciences are helping pharmacy keep up with fast technology changes responsibly.

Using AI and automation tools from companies like Simbo AI also needs cooperation to make sure productivity gains do not harm patient safety or break rules. Involving everyone in tests and rule-making will help overcome fears about new technology and job security.

Working in partnerships helps medical office managers, owners, and IT staff understand new pharmacy tech and follow rules better. These teams support smart use of new ideas, better patient access, and easier work in pharmacies across the country.

By using knowledge from all parts, pharmacy regulation and practice can respond carefully to a changing health system. Meeting patient needs for safety, access, and good care will take ongoing teamwork, research, and open sharing of information among regulators, industry, and academic experts in the US.