Are you ready for the new Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) standards? The accreditation handbook has been updated with an expected implementation date of November 1, 2020. The new standards include more concise language, more consistency, less repetition and of course, new standards on current best practices and regulatory requirements. Is your facility fully compliant? Do you have a consultant pharmacist on your team to help you?
Tag: Pharmaceutical Services
Look-alike-sound-alike Risks with Flu Vaccine and Insulin
Look-alike-sound-alike risks with flu vaccine and insulin may not be something you normally consider, but the risk of patient harm is extremely high. Do you have a facility specific look-alike-sound-alike list? Is it updated annually and posted in areas of medication administration? As a consultant pharmacist, I have the following five suggestions for minimizing risks and increasing patient safety.
Medication Competency and Your Consultant Pharmacist
Medication competency and your consultant pharmacist are two things that should go hand-in-hand. We all know that ongoing education and assessments are required to demonstrate staff competency and safe medication management is no exception. How are you assessing your staff? Can your consultant pharmacist help?
The FDA Recommends Prescribers Discuss Naloxone when Prescribing Opioids
The FDA recommends prescribers discuss naloxone when prescribing opioids or medications to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). In a recent Drug Safety Communication posted on July 23, 2020, the FDA made the recommendations about naloxone in an effort to reduce the risk of death from opioid overdose. Do you know what the FDA is recommending? What steps do you need to take as a prescriber?
Are Your Patients at Greater Risk of Unintended Pregnancy Post-op?
Medications used during surgery could be putting your patients at risk and increasing your facility and practitioner liability. Are you using Sugammadex (Bridion®) or Aprepitant (Emend®)? If so, are you providing education on discharge to your female patients about the potential increased risk of pregnancy?
COVID-19 Vaccine Approval: Is the Answer that Easy?
The race to the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved COVID19 vaccine is on, but is the answer that easy? Probably not, but we all have high hopes for returning to the “normal” world we once knew. Although we are all hoping for a one hundred percent effective vaccine with life-long immunity, reality may be completely different.
New Drug Shortages and the Second Wave of COVID-19
With new COVID-19 outbreaks occurring across the country and the world, the concern for drug shortages is heightened. What drugs are impacted and how do they affect your organization? Do you have a contingency plan in place to deal with unexpected shortages? Work with your consultant pharmacist to resolve these issues quickly and efficiently so that patient safety and your day-to-day operations are not impacted.
Fifteen Common Safe Injection Practice Deficiencies and How Your Consultant Pharmacist Can Help.
Safe injection practices are one of the most commonly cited deficiencies by certification and accreditation agencies. But there is good news, your consultant pharmacist can help you avoid deficiencies! Here are the ten commonly cited issues and my recommendations for survey success.
Happy Independence Day Weekend!
Let Freedom Ring!
Happy Fourth of July Weekend! As we celebrate the freedom of our nation, let’s not forget the incredibly brave souls and their families whose sacrifices blessed us with this priceless fortune.
From all of us at OctariusRx, Happy Independence Day!
Three Ways to Avoid Fireworks During Survey
Fireworks can be great this time of year, but as a consultant pharmacist, I don’t like to hear fireworks when it comes to surveys. Some deficiencies are fairly common and avoiding them is not that difficult. Today we will discuss three of the most common deficiencies in ambulatory surgery centers and ways to avoid them.