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Now, more than ever, it is critical for consultant and senior care pharmacists to lead the way toward improving the use of antimicrobial medications in post-acute long-term care, skilled nursing facilities, and community settings. Here are a few tools from ASCP to help you lead the charge towards implementing a successful antimicrobial stewardship program in your facilities.
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This section of the website examines the controversial use of antipsychotic medications in nursing facilities and discusses the multi-stakeholder efforts to reduce use of these medications for the treatment of dementia.
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is the regulatory agency in the Department of Health and Human Services that develops program and reimbursement rules for Medicare and the federal side of Medicaid. ASCP often comments on proposed rules and regulatory guidance.
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Resources on compounding products including information on requirements for the compounding of sterile, non-sterile, and hazardous products from USP and FDA. Information on 503A and 503B facilities, USP Chapters <797>, <795> and <800>.
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This page includes some software companies that may have programs for consultants.
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This page includes information about prescription drug shortages and provides links to FDA's shortage database.
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The ASCP-NCOA Falls Risk Reduction Toolkit: A Companion to CDC’s STEADI Tool Kit is designed to focus on falls risk factors in older adults identified to be at increased risk using screening tools.
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This section of the website examines the challenges and concerns regarding prescribing practices to the senior patient.
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The guide is a resource designed to prepare pharmacy students and pharmacists with the education needed to care for older adults. This 3rd edition of the Guide links foundational geriatric principles of care necessary for pharmacy students with the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy CAPE (Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education) Outcomes and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education’s Accreditation Standards and Guidelines.
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Electronic health information technology (HIT) is the foundation for ensuring the integration of pharmacist practitioners in the healthcare system. This includes functions such as e-prescribing, the provision of cognitive clinical services (including medication management), immunizations and the ability of pharmacists to document relevant patient-specific information into electronic health records (EHRs).
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Consultant and senior care pharmacists and pharmacies provide invaluable, cost-effective medication-related services to the Hospice practice setting.
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This Practice Resource Center is designed to assist consultant pharmacists in locating resources to enable them to fulfill their important responsibilities related to infection control and antibiotic stewardship in long-term care facilities.
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Beginning October 1, 2008, all written prescriptions for outpatient drugs prescribed to a Medicaid beneficiary must be on paper that meets all three baseline characteristics of tamper-resistant pads as outlined by CMS. The impact of this requirement on nursing facilities is minimal, but assisted living can be impacted more heavily, depending upon the staffing and operations practices of the ALF and the pharmacy serving the ALF.
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This page discusses the changes in MTM provision with the inclusion of skilled nursing facility resident as of January 1, 2013.
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Skilled Nursing Facilities, commonly known as nursing facilities or nursing homes, are a health care option for seniors that are in need of routine medical attention. Nursing homes provide the skilled nursing care, appropriate medical monitoring and assistance with activities of daily living that many elderly persons require as they age and suffer multiple health issues and Consultant Pharmacists play a critical role in this care.
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Federal and State Regulations provide guidance on the packaging medications dispensed to residents of long-term care facilities, such as Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) and Assisted Living Facilities (ALF).
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Unused medications may need to be wasted by patients or facilities. There are multiple agencies that have taken steps to address this issue, including the DEA, FDA, CMS, EPA and ONDCP. Proposed rules and issued final rules include those related to controlled substances and hazardous medications.
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Recognizing the need for a consistent process in the delivery of patient care across the profession, the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners (JCPP) released the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process. The process is applicable to any practice setting where pharmacists provide patient care and for any patient care service provided by pharmacists.
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This page provides an overview of resources that can assist clinicians in determining if a medication is inappropriate for a senior.
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Precepting is a practice that provides students the opportunity to apply concepts and techniques, and to develop attitudes, values, and an individual approach to patient care. Preceptors provide students with responsibilities that correspond to their capabilities and their school’s experiential learning program’s objectives.
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Nursing facilities have sometimes requested their LTC pharmacy to repackage medications obtained from a community or mail-order pharmacy in conventional bottle and vial packaging.
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Repackaging is a process that occurs when a drug product is removed from its original manufactured packaging and placed into compliance packaging such as unit-dose or punch cards for easier administration to the end user. Guidelines from USP & FDA.
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This page provides information on how to report medication and medical device error reports to the appropriate agencies.
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The ASCP Buyers Guide, in partnership with RXinsider, is available at ASCP.com. The links below contain products and services that may assist you in your practice.
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A regulation authorized by Section 3310 of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 requires certain drugs dispensed to Medicare Part D beneficiaries residing in skilled nursing facilities to be dispensed in quantities of 14 days or less.
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This page provides information and links to the ASCP STAMP OUT toolkit, which is a complete kit for clinicians to use in the community to improve and educate on safe medication use in older adults.
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Where patients are unable to afford their medication, physicians and pharmacists have sometimes worked together to enable the patient to obtain a higher dosage than is needed with a plan to cut the dosage forms in half. The considerations for this practice are described.
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A special report by the Alliance for Aging Research made possible by a grant from the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists Foundation.
