Compliance Blog - R.J. Hedges & Associates

Compounding Medications

Prior to the 1940s, nearly all prescription medications were compounded.  With the increased demand for mass manufacturing of drugs after World War II, the number of compounded medications quickly dwindled. Unfortunately, this led many patients to not have all their needs met.  Luckily today, many community pharmacies are able to compound medications to help personalize medications for patients who need alternate strengths, dosage forms, flavors and even alter ingredients because of allergies or sensitivities.  

Now that the Patient Safety Act is a mandatory requirement for all pharmacies throughout the nation, pharmacies for Medicare Part D must now record all adverse events, also known as quality related events (QRE), and properly document those outcomes.

What is an adverse event?

The most common cause of an adverse event for a pharmacy can be when a patient is given a wrong medication or wrong dosage, and either leaves the facility or the patient takes it. As part of the Patient Safety Act, the pharmacy is responsible for identifying the cause of the adverse event, documenting the adverse event and implementing a process so the event can be avoided in the future.

What are the top examples of adverse events in a pharmacy?

Here's a list of the most common examples of adverse event drug reactions found in a pharmacy. Print out this list and share it with your staff so you can better train your team to catch and avoid these outcomes.