WHAT:

The alert will fire on patients from any of the following types of facilities:

• Another Hospital
• Ambulatory Surgery Center
• Hospice Program
• Nursing Home
• SNF
• Other Healthcare Facility

The alert is only viewable by pharmacists.

WHY:

The purpose of the alert is to identify patients that may have received pertinent medications at other facilities and ultimately reduce errors related to timing and administration of medications in this patient population.

WHEN:

• This alert is set to go live on Monday, May 16^th
• The alert will remain active for 24 hours after admission on each patient that it fires on

REQUIRED ACTION(S) & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

If a pertinent medication is ordered at Huntsville Hospital (anticoagulant, vancomycin, etc.), and the patient is a transferred patient, the pharmacist should ascertain whether or not the patient has already received doses of these medications prior to arrival so that they may be timed appropriately.

• Not every transferred (i.e. flagged) patient will require action by the pharmacist prior to verification
• In most cases, this information may be obtained via progress notes or by contacting the nurse, as he or she should be provided this information in report from the previous facility
• In some instances, the pharmacist may need (or prefer) to contact a representative at the previous facility directly
  • If a patient is from another hospital, contacting a pharmacist at that facility may be the most accurate and efficient method
• In the event this information is unobtainable in a timely manner, the pharmacist should use his or her judgement in scheduling medications

DOCUMENTATION:

Please use a Pharmacy Adhoc Intervention to document your time and any pertinent information you obtain from the facility.