Although sterile compounding standards have been in place for two decades, a recent ISPM study found gaps in how organizations handled and processed those drugs. With errors ranging from an incorrect dose or concentration to incorrectly labeling the CSP, only 56% of those surveyed reported that they defined and always followed SOPs.

In fact, Patricia C. Kienle, RPh, MPA, the director of accreditation and medication safety at Cardinal Health, found this result “pretty alarming.”

Difficulty in complying with USP standards was cited as a common problem. Handling hazardous drugs remains a challenge for many healthcare organizations. This article details the compliance steps necessary to meet USP 800 labeling requirements and ensure the safety of your staff and patients.

With 44 million vaccines administered and numbers trending steadily upward, the COVID-19 vaccination process is starting to kick into high gear. And with each vaccination administered there are lessons learned that can serve as process improvement opportunities to ensure a better experience for future recipients. Here are six COVID-19 vaccine administration errors that providers encountered, and process improvement steps that you can take to ensure vaccine efficacy and patient safety.

Will administering the COVID-19 vaccines to over 200 million Americans require the crowd control you see at large events? Although the massive security detail necessary for the Super Bowl won’t be required, managing the COVID-19 vaccine patient workflow might be more complex. There are numerous challenges to consider.

400 million COVID-19 vaccine doses are on order and more are needed to accommodate the 329 million people in the U.S. As if the vaccination process wasn’t already complex, the sheer magnitude of vaccinating hundreds of millions of people in a condensed time frame creates numerous challenges for healthcare providers. For example, with vaccines administered in facilities ranging from a physician’s office to a community building, the complexity of maintaining proper protocols increase. Use these COVID-19 vaccine administration steps to help you manage the process.

Since last March, COVID-19 has created a series of ongoing challenges for healthcare providers. Fortunately, FDA approval of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines and the expectation that over 100 million people in the U.S. will receive it by March 31, 2021, offers hope that the end of the pandemic is in sight. But, administering the vaccine to millions of people won’t be easy. In fact, storing and handling the vaccine properly will create yet one more hurdle for healthcare providers to overcome. Use these COVID-19 vaccine storage tips to help you manage the process.

On average, over 1.7 million community-based COVID-19 tests are conducted each day. And for a patient, it’s a two-step process. First, a healthcare professional extracts a tissue sample and then in a few days the patient receives the test result. If it’s positive, they start a treatment regimen. But, what patients don’t see are the complex steps in between and how those steps sometimes impede the speed and accuracy of test results.

Distinguishing COVID-19 symptoms from the seasonal flu will create challenges for healthcare providers and consumers in 2020. What’s more, because the symptoms have similarities, there may be no other year when an influenza vaccine is more important. Although more companies are likely to encourage flu shots across their organizations, how can you increase compliance? And for organizations that require a flu vaccine as a condition of employment, how do you convey to fellow staff members, patients and visitors that a flu shot occurred? In fact, 2020 flu shot stickers and flu shot labels are an effective way to encourage more vaccinations and communicate compliance.

Communication is at the heart of providing high-quality medical care for pets at any practice. Plus, with COVID-19 safety concerns changing office workflows, it is essential to protecting your staff and clients. And although verbal communications are typically the most effective, that’s not always possible. So when it isn’t, veterinary labels can enhance your guidance. Here’s how they improve your ability to communicate with clients, their pets and your staff.

Long-term care facilities have been impacted by COVID-19 more than any other healthcare facility. In fact, since the U.S. coronavirus outbreak began in a nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, more than 153,000 residents and employees of 7,700 U.S. nursing homes have contracted COVID-19, accounting for 35% of the country’s deaths.¹ What caused the disparity in infection and death rates compared to other healthcare sectors? In fact, there were a number of causes. Armed with this information and combined with infection prevention best practices, healthcare professionals identified numerous steps that reduce COVID-19 spread at long-term care facilities.

How will COVID-19 crisis impact veterinary practice revenue? If you listen to news pundits, you will hear many different explanations about how it will impact the economy. For example, Goldman Sachs predicted that GDP will shrink by 35%. The Wall Street Journal wrote about a “swoosh” shaped recovery where the bottoming out process takes longer, but once the rebound starts it would be steady and gradual. But the fact is, no one really knows. Even economists find it difficult to accurately predict a recession or know exactly how consumer spending habits will change. So with the unknowns of the coronavirus impact far outweighing what we do know, it is difficult to predict what will occur. But, it pays to remain vigilant. Here are a number of simple ways veterinary practices can save money if the impact on your business is negative.