FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APhA Contact: Michelle Fritts
202.429.7558; mfritts@aphanet.org ASHP Contact: Ellen Wilcox
301.664.8799; ewilcox@ashp.org
March 8, 2012
Improving Patient Care through Better Medication Reconciliation APhA and ASHP Release White Paper: Improving Care Transitions: Optimizing Medication Reconciliation
WASHINGTON, DC – The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) recently released Improving Care Transitions: Optimizing Medication Reconciliation. The white paper provides a better understanding of the medication reconciliation process during transitions in care, its effect on patient care and outcomes and how pharmacists can contribute to the improvement of this process through medication therapy management (MTM).
Transitions in care – when a patient transfers between patient care settings or levels of care – are key points where medication reconciliation can help avoid medication-related problems. According to The Joint Commission, approximately half of all hospital-related medication errors and 20 percent of all adverse drug events have been attributed to poor communication at the transitions of care.
Pharmacists using a standardized approach, like the MTM Core Elements service model, can consistently and effectively provide medication reconciliation during care transitions. Beginning with a comprehensive medication therapy review and subsequently formulating a personal medication record, pharmacists can work with other members of the health care team to evaluate medication therapy, resolve identified problems and refer the patient to an appropriate health care professional, if needed. Effective communications among health care team members, including pharmacists in both the inpatient and outpatient settings, are an essential component of medication reconciliation processes. Proper documentation, including maximizing the use of health information technology (HIT) solutions to share important clinical information, will help avoid dangerous medication-related problems and allow the pharmacist to safely transition the patient to another health care setting or level of care.
Pharmacists’ involvement in medication reconciliation during transitions of care improves patient outcomes and reduces overall health care costs, according to numerous studies cited in the white paper. The paper advocates that pharmacists should take a leadership role in collaborating with other health care professionals in the coordination and implementation of medication reconciliation and identifies eight foundational concepts for medication reconciliation that can be applied in collaboration with other health care professionals across the health care continuum. The concepts state that medication reconciliation:
- Is a key process to improve patient care;
- Is a patient-centered process focusing on patient safety;
- Requires an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach;
- Must be based on a culture of accountability;
- Should be standardized;
- Requires coordinated communication;
- Requires use of HIT solutions; and
- Requires continuous quality improvement.
APhA and ASHP developed the white paper to stimulate discussion among health care providers and researchers on how to best research and implement improvements in the medication reconciliation process, with the goal of improving patient safety and patient care outcomes. The report can be found online at www.pharmacist.com/mtm/reconciliation.
About the American Pharmacists Association
The American Pharmacists Association, founded in 1852 as the American Pharmaceutical Association, is a 501 (c)(6) organization, representing more than 62,000 practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and others interested in advancing the profession. APhA, dedicated to helping all pharmacists improve medication use and advance patient care, is the first-established and largest association of pharmacists in the United States. For more information, please visit www.pharmacist.com.
About the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
For more than 60 years, ASHP has helped pharmacists who practice in hospitals and health systems improve medication use and enhance patient safety. The Society’s 35,000 members include pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who practice in inpatient, outpatient, home-care, and long-term-care settings, as well as pharmacy students. For more information about the wide array of ASHP activities and the many ways in which pharmacists help people make the best use of medicines, visit ASHP’s Web site, www.ashp.org, or its consumer Web site, www.SafeMedication.com.
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