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From the moment Marilyn Jerominski walks into her pharmacy every morning, her time is in demand. As pharmacy manager of a busy 24-hour Walgreens in Palm Desert, California, she is responsible for the safety and accuracy of the thousands of prescriptions the store dispenses every week..."There's so much stress," Jerominski said. "You're not only running to the drive-thru but to the front, to the vaccination station to give a vaccination, then to the phone. ... It's almost impossible for any human to keep that momentum day in and out."...Jerominski is one of an estimated 155,000 pharmacists working at chain drugstores who, over the past decade, have found themselves pushed to do more with less. They're working faster, filling more orders and juggling a wider range of tasks with fewer staff members at a pace that many say is unsustainable and jeopardizes patient safety...READ MORE

CVS Health is investing $12.4 million to build 60 units of affordable housing in south Phoenix...The development will be built in a neighborhood where 79% of residents identify as Black or Latino...The funding is part of CVS' commitment to invest $600 million over five years to address racial inequality and the social determinants of health in Black communities..."When people have access to high-quality, affordable housing and services like preventive screenings, it puts them in a better position to take care of their health and manage chronic disease," said David Casey, senior vice president and chief diversity officer at CVS Health...READ MORE

The uncertainty of coronavirus disease 2019 caused anticipatory purchasing of medications around the world, driving demand to an unprecedented high. Meanwhile, drug factories shut down in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the drug-supply chain was disrupted, and drug shortages resulted. In the face of these drug shortages, pharmacy personnel responded by initiating local policy changes, implementing detailed antibiotic stewardship, and enacting quantity limits for in-demand medications...READ MORE

Preventing medication errors is an essential component of caring for patients and must be a core mission of every pharmacy. For medication error–prevention efforts to be effective, they must be a priority...The information in the tables of this review summarizes many of the significant error-prevention strategies recommended in the ISMP Medication Safety Alert! Acute Care newsletter from January through December 2020...READ MORE

Table 1. Safety Issues Related to Labeling, Packaging, and Nomenclature
Auxiliary label obscures critical reconstitution information on label of REVATIO (sildenafil; Pfizer) oral suspension carton

Table 2. Safety Issues Associated With Order Communication and Documentation
Confusion between LYUMJEV and HUMALOG (both insulin lispro by Lilly), which have different onsets of action

Table 3. Problems Involving Drug Information, Patient Information, Patient Education, and Staff Education
Administer adenosine rapidly for cardioversion

Table 4. Safety Issues Related to Medical Devices and Equipment
Bypassing soft low-dose alerts for subtherapeutic heparin infusions

Table 5. Other Discussion Items
Differences between human error, at-risk behavior, and reckless behavior

Table 6. ISMP’s Targeted Medication Safety Best Practices for Hospitals
FDA removes syringe administration from vinCRIStine labeling

People from 55 to 64 with certain medical conditions are now eligible to get COVID-19 vaccinations at Nevada pharmacies, with no proof of medical status required...The state opened up eligibility this week to those in this age group with conditions ranging from cancer to smoking that put them at higher risk for serious disease from COVID-19...Eligibility also has been extended to those with conditions that only potentially put them at higher risk, such as asthma or dementia, as well as to those with disabilities or who are experiencing homelessness...READ MORE

A large majority of American adults prefer to get their prescription drugs from a local pharmacist instead of a mail order service, mainly because of the personal relationship, according to a new national survey released today by the National Community Pharmacists Association...“Most Americans clearly are not willing to substitute personal care for the perception of convenience,”...When asked why, 36 percent say their pharmacist knows them better than a mail order company. Thirty-two percent say their pharmacist answers questions and provides counsel on how to use the drugs. Another 15 percent worry their drugs will get lost in the mail, exposed to the elements, or stolen...READ MORE

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE have asked the U.S. health regulator to relax requirements for their COVID-19 vaccine to be stored at ultra-low temperatures, potentially allowing it to be kept in pharmacy freezers...Approval by the Food and Drug Administration could send a strong signal to other regulators around the world that may ease distribution of the shot in lower-income countries...The companies have submitted new temperature data to the FDA to support an update to the current label that would allow vials to be stored at -25 to -15 degrees Celsius (-13°F to 5°F) for a total of two weeks...READ MORE

A December 2020 opinion issued by Washington Attorney General...affirmed pharmacists’ standard of practice under collaborative drug therapy agreements (CDTAs)...“[The opinion] clearly states that pharmacists working under CDTAs can identify and treat illness. This is reassuring news to practitioners who have developed practices that care for patients with these agreements,”...The opinion was a response to questions from the Washington State Medical Commission about whether pharmacists can diagnose patients pursuant to CDTAs—and if that constitutes unauthorized practice of medicine—and whether prescribers can enter CDTAs permitting pharmacists to diagnose patients...READ MORE

CVS, Walgreens and Walmart are enrolling customers in patient systems in order for them to book vaccine appointments...Perk of data allows these chains to use information to promote their stores and services, which includes coupons and promotions, and tailor marketing...After customers create profiles for Walgreens, they get marketing emails and agree to let Walgreens 'automatically collect information about you'...READ MORE

Nearly 82% of hospitals surveyed by the Joint Commission in 2019 were noncompliant with at least one Medication Management chapter item. Still, experts say they are hopeful that recent revisions will help those hospitals meet the accreditor’s expectations...Topping the list of noncompliance in 2019 was the medication administration standard, which 49% of hospitals failed to adhere to, Mansur noted. “Surveyors have been finding medications being administered for an indication when another medication was specified, or an ordered medication given for a different indication, and often this is done without a documented explanation,” she said. “Surveyors will also often see that administration of medication, particularly titration medication, is performed differently than is directed by the order.”...READ MORE