The Joint Commission's ASC surveys may be formal or laidback, but they always involve inspections of where medications are stored, prepared and compounded, and conversations with staff members who handle medications, according to Daryl Schiller, PharmD.
Dr. Schiller is the pharmacy director at Montefiore Nyack (N.Y.) Hospital. He shared three ways to prepare for medication management inspections:
1. Start with the low-hanging fruit. Ensure posters for high-risk medications are up-to-date, remove expired medications, remove cardboard shipping boxes from inventory areas, properly label medication bins and make sure that items aren't stacked too close to the ceiling.
2. Practice highlighting accomplishments. Bring together medication management team members and create talking points prior to the survey. Prepare to discuss certain topics, including antibiotic stewardship, pain management, sterile compounding and safe handling of hazardous or high-risk medications.
3. Have data on hand. Be prepared to quickly access policies and minutes from meetings with pharmacy and therapeutics committees. It's also beneficial to supply dashboards displaying current metrics.