Co
m
e
M S ee C tin C se e g M us Iss at bo ue ot h
The Pharmacist’s News Source
pharmacypracticenews.com
Volume 41 • Number 12 • December 2014
#1
Printer-friendly versions available online
in this issue UP FRONT
5
Regimen clears HCV, preserves organ in liver transplant patients.
OPERATIONS & MGMT
6 10
Post-acute care transitions: time for improvements.
13
EHR reviews, phoning home boost clinical outcomes.
Preprinted syringe labels boost medication safety and savings in the OR.
CLINICAL
16
Pharmacists show their worth in HIV medication management.
20 28
Perioperative fluids: an evidence-based review. Managing the many complex drug therapy variables in CKD.
TECHNOLOGY
34
Prior prescription authorization not always easier electronically.
EDUCATIONAL REVIEW
Strategies g for Optimizing p OR Drug Safety See insert after page 12. a
OPPS 2015 Final Rule: Not Paying Attention = Loss
45% reductions in readmissions, other gains cited
Hospital, Retail Partnership
T
he Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released final rules outlining how health care providers will be paid in 2015. Hospital pharmacists should make it their New Year’s resolution to spring into action and adopt Bonnie the new reimburse- Kirschenbaum, MS, FASHP ment regulations. Any delay in getting up to speed on the new payment rules can quickly prove costly. New pass-through drugs and radiopharmaceuticals are a prime example: There are 16 new codes that you’ll need to use to guarantee proper payment. And that newly approved cancer therapy your oncologists are clamoring for? If you don’t include the correct temporary code along with the product’s NDC, your drug budget is going to take the hit. That’s why many of my recent columns have focused on the basics of
ostdischarge phone calls, pharmacist consults at the bedside and drug affordability assistance are just a few of the strategies health systems are using to reduce 30-day hospital readmissions and improve patient care. Although such initiatives may not be trailblazing, in several cases they are being done with a relatively new wrinkle—via partnerships with local community pharmacies. One example is Missouri Delta Medical Center, in Sikeston. Ginger McCord, RN, a case manager at the 144-bed community hospital, had started making postdischarge phone calls in early 2014. The primary focus was on patients with congestive heart failure and other diagnoses that federal officials have been scrutinizing for excessive readmissions. The hospital also was looking at expanding the reach of its employees-only retail pharmacy, so it could fill
see OPPS 2015, page 37
see JOINT INITIATIVES, page 14
•
Armamentarium Of Novel Diabetes Drugs Expanding
P
•
ISMP Urges Move Away From Voluntary Drug Error Reporting
A
Austin, Texas—An unprecedented growth in treatment options for type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) means more patients can achieve disease control, experts told attendees of the 2014 annual meeting of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). Many patients have enthusiastically embraced the efficacy, convenience and added weight loss associated with sodium glucose co-transporter
safety expert at the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) is urging institutions to look beyond voluntary error reporting when assessing medication safety risk. During a recent webinar, Susan Paparella, MSN, RN, the vice president of the ISMP, said voluntary reports only represent the tip of the medication error iceberg. “Voluntary reporting yields important qualitative information, but it should serve as a stepping stone from which institutions can ask more questions, gather more useful information and perform more thorough risk assessments,” Ms. Paparella said. Many organizations use voluntary reporting as their primary source of information on medication errors and risk, even though data indicate that as few as 1.5% of all adverse events are reported through this method, she said ((Ann Intern Med 1993;119:370-376). Since the Institute of Medicine published its seminal report, “To Err is Human” (http:// goo.gl/I2sGpj) in 1999, strides have been made toward mitigating risk, Ms. Paparella noted.
see ARMAMENTARIUM, page 26
see VOLUNTARY, Y page 29
•
•
New and Featured Products Vazculep™ from Éclat Pharmaceuticals.
Vasostrict™ (Vasopressin Injection, USP) from Par Sterile Products, LLC.
See pages 9 and 13
See pages 7 and 29
PSPB00 0065
04