We’ve got that mixed-emotions thing going on here at Rpharmy. After 16 years, our dear friend Lynn Huggins is retiring. While we are happy for the adventures yet to come for Lynn, we’re not sure what Rpharmy looks like without her; she’s been with us since the beginning. 

The Importance of Simplifying Safety Information Access at the Point-Of-Care

A key way to protect healthcare workers is effective PPE, right? Seems simple enough except that USP <800> has outlined specific PPE requirements that vary depending on the NIOSH category of HD, how they are being handled, and in what part of the facility. 

We are thrilled to welcome one of our most loyal FormWeb customers, Sherlene Christen, to the Rpharmy team. After 15 years as a FormWeb customer and more than 30 years at the esteemed Duke Raleigh Hospital, she’ll lead our Customer Experience Team helping healthcare providers and hospital systems around the world bring formulary and hazardous drug information to the point of care. 

Sherlene’s impressive career at Duke Raleigh Hospital spanned more than 3 decades where she assisted in building and implementing the pharmacy module of the Meditech system, supervised pharmacy inventory control, and lead the conversion project from Pyxis to Omnicell automated dispensing system. She then managed the Omnicell system consisting of automated medication cabinets, anesthesia workstations, controlled substance management, workflowRx, and Pandora analytics reporting. 

You are most likely familiar with and may have struggled with OSHA’s Hazard Communication (HazCom) Plan standard. In fact, it ranks no. 2 on OSHA’s list of the “Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards” - meaning it’s vital to workplace safety but also challenging for organizations to comply with. 

It is painfully tragic when a patient suffers injury or even death due to a med error. Often med errors occur because critical medication and protocol information is not accessible at the point of care, which is 100% avoidable and painfully unacceptable. 

The USP <800> serves as one source of truth for protecting healthcare workers from the dangerous effects of HDs. However, the implications in terms of cost and time needed to comply can vary depending on the type of medical facility. 

The USP <800> isn’t just another standard meant to make healthcare organizations scramble and comply; it actually provides benefits that protect the health of your staff. Here are the top five ways USP <800> is good for your health: 

A hospital’s formulary initially consisted of a simple book of medications approved for patient use in that particular organization. When hospitals made their formulary available online in the late 1990s, it was basically the same book, but now on a computer screen.

Spelling Out These Legal Terms in Hazardous Drugs Regulations

If you’re reading this, then you’re one of many healthcare workers who have second guessed the meanings of should, shall, and must in FDA, OSHA, and USP <800> regulations--or other legal documents as part of your work.