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2 Preventing
Medication
3 Simplify My Meds
PIPCo PRESCRIPTION PACKAGING COMPARISON GUIDE Accuracy of information was confirmed at time of printing, 5/1/12 Traditional round and triangular with flat panel design, recycle-friendly PET vials available Through Cardinal Health or direct from Tri State Distribution • For every 15 assorted cases of vials, caps • Earn PIPCo distributions • Free case with every 10 ordered direct • Berry Rewards program offers free gift • Free toner for prime vendor customers • Extra savings for RBC pre-book and floor 2 preventing medication mix-ups
Common Dispensing Errors
Prescriber’s Intention
Misinterpretation
AD, AS, AU (right ear, left ear, each ear) OD, OS, OU (right eye, left eye, each eye) 0 (zero), causing a 10-fold increase in dose Drug name and dose run together (Inderal40) Mistaken as Inderal 140Large doses without properly placed commas 100000 units mistaken as 10,000 unitsAZT (zidovudine) Confusing Drug Names
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) publishes a list of commonly confused drug names. The list, which includes look-alike and sound-alike pairs, consists of those name pairs that have been involved in an event reported to the ISMP through the ISMP National Medication Errors Reporting Program. This list can be used to determine which medications require special safeguards to reduce the risk of errors. Strategies may include: using both the brand and generic names, including the purpose of the medication on the prescription, and using short man/TALL MAN characters.
Drug Name
Used to Treat
Confused With
Used to Treat
To view and print the entire list visit: http://www.ismp.org/tools/confuseddrugnames.pdf 3 simplify my meds
Last year, NCPA launched Simplify My Meds, an innovative adherence program that provides pharmacists with the tools to help coordinate patients’ prescription refills to a single day of the month. The new model facilitates a more comprehensive and coordinated level of pharmacy care, reduces the potential for gaps in therapy and promotes improved medication adherence.
While the program focuses on adherence, a topic we’ll discuss in greater detail in the coming months, it’s worth mentioning now as we share strategies to reduce the potential for dispensing errors in the pharmacy.
One of the key differences between Simplify My Meds and other auto-refill programs is the high-touch, personalized patient consultations each month. This “mini medication reconciliation” process is a cornerstone of the program and allows the pharmacist to identify any recent hospitalizations, especially those which may have resulted in changes in therapy, such as new medications or dosage adjustments.
Not only does the program aim to improve adherence, but independent community pharmacies that have previously employed this practice have seen tangible, positive results for their business. By coordinating exactly what day patient refills occur, the independent pharmacy staff’s workload is streamlined, making daily workloads more predictable and reducing labor costs. Data analyzed from pharmacies using this model has shown as much as a 30% increase in prescription volume, a 50% decrease in labor costs and $1.87 per script Having a pharmacy technician make the calls, synchronize the medication refills, and get the prescriptions ready ahead of time can produce significant financial benefits and time savings. One pharmacist estimates that participation in the Simplify My Meds program has brought in nearly $21,000 in added revenue per year. And by reducing the number of missed refills, the pharmacy picked up an additional $6,400 in revenue.
Program benefits include:
1. Increases workflow efficiency - significant reduction in both inbound and outbound phone calls and better management of pharmacy workflow to fit store hours of operation.
2. Reduces hospital readmissions due to medication errors, especially those resulting from duplicative or contraindicative therapies. The monthly “medication reconciliation” provides a mechanism to identify new, changed or deleted prescription orders that result from a hospital discharge.
3. Improves patient/pharmacy/prescriber relationships - better communication within the healthcare team.
4. Better inventory control - decreases inventory on the shelves, increases inventory turns.
5. Reduces stress in the pharmacy - proactive resolution of issues for everything from refill requests to third- party billing issues such as prior authorizations can be handled ahead of time so the patient can receive their medications on time and does not have to wait.
Program features include:
• Webinars and other training vehicles to help you initiate a coordinated refill program • A comprehensive operations manual and other adherence reference materials • A program marketing starter kit to help you promote the coordinated refill program to your patients • Access to the program’s Marketing Fulfillment Center to order additional and customizable marketing • Downloadable program form templates, including the Patient Enrollment Form, physician outreach letter and fax, Patient Refill Form, and Patient Contact Form that can be modified to fit your pharmacy’s needs For more information visit http://www.ncpanet.org/index.php/adherence

Source: http://www.pipco.com/documents/member_education/resource_guide/0512_dispensing.pdf