Pharmacy compliance is an important administrative component of any medical organization. If stats are anything to go by, more than $38.6 billion is spent on regulatory-related compliance by health systems, medical facilities, and PAC in the US. Without the necessary tracking tools, medical facilities can have serious consequences when it comes to compliance. To help these facilities track, maintain, and comply with regulations, this guide is going to take you through top ways for achieving compliance.
Consider Maintaining Comprehensive Documentation
When it comes to compliance, documentation is everything. With proper documentation, you promote effective communication within your facility. In particular, communication between your patients and staff is promoted—which allows for better, continual care. There are several reasons that lead to a lack of documentation on the side of pharmacies. Common ones include:
- Lack of knowledge on the side of your staff. Here, your staff doesn’t know that documentation is a critical component when it comes to your pharmacy’s compliance.
- Of course, you might be offering quality services to your customers to the extent that your staff assumes that there is no need for documentation of patient interaction. However, the truth of the matter is that you need documentation. It’s a critical part when it comes to quality assurance.
- Good clinical documentation not only increases your quality but also prevents any compliance-related issues.
Understand the State or Federal Requirements
The complex nature of federal as well as state regulations makes it extremely difficult for pharmacies to achieve compliance. Plus, they keep on changing from time to time. That’s why you should keep yourself updated on these federal as well as state requirements. In particular, you should have systems that constantly update you regarding these changes on a regular basis. Plus, you should invest in sources that help you interpret these upcoming regulations. Even more, good systems should give you appropriate advice regarding the adoption as well as the implementation of these laws. For instance, you can leverage a myriad of resources available in the Health Care Compliance Association to keep yourself updated and advised regarding the new compliance requirements in the pharmaceutical industry. In this association, you will get a number of guides, publications, as well as compliance education materials to help you.
It’s also important to note that standards that are contained in continual updates like those set by USP are available in different online resources. So, do your research and understand these requirements. They will play a key role when it comes to compliance.
Draft Staff Pharmacy Compliance Policies As Well As Training Programs
The best party to help you achieve compliance is your staff. That’s why you should create compliance policies as well as training programs for them. Your staff needs to understand the importance of tasks and processes that keep your pharmacy in compliance. Creating policies and accessible materials for all staff members to help to address any lingering questions and ensure that everyone is receiving the same up-to-date information. With policies as well as other training programs, you have a tool that will improve the quality of your pharmacy. Things like audits and inspections won’t bother you. You will also avoid fines and chargebacks. Develop clear QA programs with specifics. The specifics should include things to be clerks, who to undertake the checking, and the frequently QA checks.
Annual Checklists and Schedules
The success of compliance efforts is based on a comprehensive checklist. With a complete compliance checklist, you have a tool that will protect you from being caught by surprises. Things like due dates, compliance audits, and unanticipated audits won’t catch you unaware. For instance, have an audit checklist featuring polices, potential questions from auditors, efficiency measures, as well as processes. Develop a calendar, schedule, as well as other reminders to help you check various items on a regular basis. They will help your staff stay informed on what needs to be done and how to achieve total compliance.
Store Your Resources in a completely Secure, Centralized Location
Compliance is dependent on how accessible and organized your information is. According to NatLawReview, centralizing the location for all your information will help you with compliance-related issues. So, the place you choose to store all compliance-related resources should be secure as well as centralized. This promotes communication and improves efficiency. For instance, you can share this information on a central drive. Resources such as state as well as federal requirements should be found in the drive. Also, remember to include info regarding regulatory bodies, policies, training programs, and compliance checklist in the drive. Additionally, the drive should have pharmaceutical as well as documentation guidelines.
Leverage on Technology
Also, be sure to research compliance. There are numerous resources online regarding compliance. Even more, you can ask fellow pharmacists to equip you with the procedures and best practices when it comes to compliance. Liaising with other pharmaceutics and unions will help you get things right as far as compliance is concerned. Also, there are various tools out there you can use to educate your employees regarding compliance. For instance, if you can get apps on compliance, bring them to your employees. They will help your organization stay informed as far as pharmaceutical compliance is concerned.
Key Takeaway
The world is constantly changing—especially when it comes to regulations regarding the compliance of pharmaceuticals and other medical institutions. It’s therefore important for pharmacies to develop policies as well as procedures that help them tackle the whole idea of compliance. If you prioritize pharmacy compliance on a regular basis, it will end up helping you deliver quality healthcare services. Remember, if you don’t comply, you will be subjected to costly lawsuits and even expensive fines. Thus, it’s important to have the necessary tools that will help you achieve pharmaceutical compliance.
The Bottom-Line
Compliance is a critical component when it comes to running a successful medical facility. However, compliance can be challenging to maintain—especially if you are operating a pharmaceutical facility. However, don’t let these challenges pin you down. The above are the top ways you can maintain and achieve compliance for your pharmaceutical facility.
