Another year has flown by. Unbelievably, we are quickly approaching 2026 and it’s time to look back at the biggest topics of 2025.
Every year is full of actionable headlines to consider as well as challenges to overcome. Our goal is to help our clients successfully navigate the important issues of the ever-changing healthcare landscape. Below is a summary of the top topics that generated the most questions and interest in 2025.
Unsafe Injection Practices Potentially Exposes Patients
Poor injections practices harm patients.
That statement seems self-evident, but despite all the progress made since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched its “One and Only” campaign, patients are still being harmed by poor practices. A study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings shows that between 2012 and 2018, more than 66,000 patients were notified of possible exposure to blood-borne pathogens because of unsafe injection practices. How does your healthcare facility ensure patient safety and mitigate injection risks? Do you have policies and procedures addressing safe injection practices based on nationally recognized guidelines? Are you following your policies — and who is guiding and monitoring your compliance? AAAHC standards specifically state that written policies must be in place for safe use of injectables and single-use syringes and needles; deficiencies in safe injection practices directly place patients at risk and are a huge potential liability for organizations.
How to Manage an Unannounced DEA Inspection
Is your facility ready for an unannounced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) inspection? The thought of any audit makes many people nervous. When it comes to audits, a DEA inspection may sound worse than death or taxes, but is it really? In February, we discussed the steps facilities should take to enhance compliance and make the DEA visit quick and painless.
DEA facility inspections are occurring with greater frequency. Having your documents properly stored and labeled will help with a smooth visit and full compliance with federal controlled substance requirements.
Most Common CMS Deficiencies for Ambulatory Surgery Centers
Two of the top four CMS deficiencies in Ambulatory Surgery Centers last year were related to medication management.
As we know, medication management citations fall under various sections of the CMS requirements (Conditions For Coverage). There isn’t just one single section on medications in the CMS document, so knowing your way around the requirements is essential to ensure compliance with each element of safe medication management. How does your facility handle compliance with CMS requirements? Do you know where most of the requirements are found?
Victor Alves Presenting at ASCA 2025 Conference & Expo in Denver
Earlier this year, I had the pleasure and the honor of presenting “Pharmacy Documentation: Tips for Patient Safety and Survey Success” at the ASCA 2025 Conference & Expo, April 30–May 3, in Denver Colorado. My talk focused on the essential elements of patient safety through complete pharmacy documentation. Additionally, I discussed the most common survey issues and provided practical tips for improving patient safety and survey success.
How we saved our client $23,000 in five minutes
Would you like to make or save a lot of money in a short period of time?
Sounds like a trick question, right? We’ve often heard that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. In this case, we helped a client save $23,000. All it took was reviewing our benchmarking studies, a three-minute conversation and an email.
Preview the New Medications of 2025
Preview the new medications of 2025, as we reach the halfway point of the year. Each year at roughly midway through the year, we provide an update on what medications have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA is constantly reviewing and approving new medications and the number of medications approved in recent years has drastically increased. Keeping up with all the changes is a full-time job. In this post, we looked at the most recent approvals to keep you informed and help keep your patients safe.
Anesthesiologist stealing drugs
A federal jury in Oklahoma City found an anesthesiologist guilty on 18 counts of obtaining a controlled substance by deceit or subterfuge.
The anesthesiologist took advantage of his role to divert controlled substances, including fentanyl, ketamine, Dilaudid, and midazolam. The anesthesiologist in this case was faced with a maximum sentence of 72 years in federal prison. What steps is your facility taking to help protect patients and minimize the risk of diversion?
Victor Alves Presenting at the 2025 New England ASC Conference
In October, I was once again invited to speak at the New England ASC Conference where I presented “Protecting Your Patients, Your Practice, and Your License: Avoiding Controlled Substance Diversion”. My talk focused on the basics of medication security, how it can impact patient safety, and the steps facilities can take to minimize the risks.
FDA requires opioid manufacturers to update prescribing information
While some progress has been made, the opioid crisis continues to be a serious public health challenge.
Opioids are responsible for the overwhelming majority of overdose deaths in recent years. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken an additional step to further emphasize and characterize risks of long-term opioid use by requiring manufacturers to update their prescribing information. What changes are being made and what can your facility do to keep patients safe?
This is just a small sampling of the items we discussed in 2025. Although it highlights the most talked about topics, there are other posts you should go back and review. It’s never too late to make improvements.
If you need additional information on any of these topics, please read the original post or reach out to us. We are always happy to point you in the right direction. We help our clients by guiding them on safe medication management, helping increase patient safety and survey success.
The Consultant Pharmacists at OctariusRx provide guidance on safe medication management, survey readiness and cost savings to ambulatory healthcare facilities/surgery centers, senior care facilities and pharmacies. We also help individual patients optimize their medications to improve their quality of life and save money. Contact us for assistance.
