Caleb
In pharmacy, the prescription process is a very important part of the pharmacists’ daily duties. They will be responsible for filling prescriptions, examining patients and ensuring that they are taking their medications as prescribed. To come in contact with more patients and avoid any errors in the prescription process, there is a type of verification that must take place before a pharmacy can dispense medication to someone. Central pharmacy verification is an important step in making sure that patients are receiving the drugs they need without incident.
What is central pharmacy verification?
Central pharmacy verification allows pharmacies to fill prescriptions according to state requirements, as well as specific federal law guidelines. All prescriptions must be authorized by a pharmacists’ supervisor before the prescription can be dispensed. This means that the only time a pharmacist can dispense medication without preauthorization is after hours. Prior to this, all medications must be verified by the pharmacist and pharmacist-supervisor.
In order to verify a prescription, there are several steps that must take place. First, the prescription should be dictated from the patient by a person who does not have any kind of pharmacy connection with them prior to dispensing them any drugs. When a physician or nurse writes an electronic prescription, this allows both the prescriber and dispensing clinic staff to review it before it is sent electronically to another location. If there isn’t a clear reason on why the individual wants to take certain medications and there is no proof of a doctor’s orders, the prescription should not be dispensed.
Once the prescription has been written down and approved by the prescriber and pharmacy staff, it can then be processed for verification by a pharmacist. This is done during normal business hours. The person that made up the prescription must bring in any paperwork regarding why they are taking their medication, as well as any records from doctors that indicate why they need certain medications. In order for medical records to play a role in verifying prescriptions, they must no longer be stored in the doctor’s office or clinic where they were taken due to privacy issues.
The pharmacist can then verify the prescription and check for any mistakes in it, ensuring that the patient is taking a safe amount of all medications. The pharmacist can also check to see if the patient has had any kind of reaction to drugs they are taking, or if they have been given more than their prescribed amount. This is also done in order to verify compliance with state law. After this is completed, the prescriptions are placed into a computer system where the pharmacist-supervisor can look over them and approve them.
The central pharmacy verification process will be used whenever a prescription is being sent out of one place into another location. This could include other clinics, pharmacies or mail-order facilities.
