ASHP Calls for Changes to TJC Patient Safety Goals

3/13/2009

ASHP recommended adding new requirements to improve the safety of anticoagulation therapy and offered strategies for improving medication reconciliation in its comments on The Joint Commission’s 2009 National Patient Safety Goals.

The Society advised TJC to mandate a process for updating preprinted or electronic order sets of heparin when changes in laboratory reagents or equipment require significant dose changes. ASHP also recommended that TJC require hospitals to develop communications plans to inform pharmacy and medical staffs about the changes.

ASHP also shared its policy on the pharmacist’s role in medication reconciliation as a potential strategy to help hospitals meet this challenging goal.

TJC officials recently announced that it would evaluate and refine the medication reconciliation goal, and that the organization won’t issue Requirements for Improvements (RFIs) notices to hospitals.