Pharmacy Service Wins VISN 10 HeRO Award for Ensuring Patient Safety Amid System Outage
By Philip Bell, Communication Specialist
Pharmacy Service has been celebrated with the distinguished VISN 10 HeRO Award in recognition of their remarkable ingenuity in safeguarding patient well-being and their outstanding performance amidst a nationwide electronic prescribing system disruption.
FORT WAYNE (Oct. 21, 2025) — The VA Northern Indiana Health Care System Pharmacy Service has been awarded the VISN 10 HeRO Award for a Clinical Team, recognizing their commitment to patient safety during a national outage of the electronic prescribing system. The HeRO Award celebrates staff efforts to advance the Veterans Health Administration’s Journey to High Reliability by demonstrating key principles of a High Reliability Organization.
The VANIHCS Pharmacy Service was honored for exhibiting two essential HRO attributes: implementing a process change that positively impacts patient safety and using safety practices to perform effectively during crises. This recognition stems from their response to an extended electronic prescribing system outage in early 2024, caused by a cyber-attack on a third-party vendor.
“During the outage, Community Care Providers resorted to faxing prescriptions to VA pharmacies for Veterans, leading VA pharmacists to manually transcribe thousands of prescriptions into the electronic health record,” said VANIHCS Chief of Pharmacy Service Scott Ganger, PharmD, BCACP. “An increase in JPSR submissions related to dispensing errors prompted the Medication Safety Team to identify the root cause as transcription errors from manually faxed prescriptions. In response, a new process was outlined requiring a second pharmacist to verify any manually transcribed prescription, with documentation of the verification on the fax itself."
This process improvement, aimed at eliminating confirmation bias, has led to zero JPSR submissions related to manual fax transcription errors since its implementation. The approach underscores the VANIHCS Pharmacy Service's continuous focus on patient safety, especially during stressful downtimes.
“It’s not a surprise to me that our pharmacy team has received this award,” said VANIHCS Executive Director Jon Beidelschies. “Dr. Ganger and his team are the best…a terrific example to their peers and a credit to this medical system.”
Beidelschies added, “Our pharmacists play a crucial role in ensuring the safe and effective use of medications, contributing significantly to patient safety and positive health outcomes. Their expertise, dedication, and commitment to excellence enhance the quality of care we provide every day.”
“This award is not only a testament to all the hard work and dedication exemplified by our pharmacy professionals, but also indicative of the caliber of professionals we have at VANHICS,” continued Beidelschies. “I am continually amazed at how enthusiastic and devoted our employees are to the mission of care for our Nation’s Veterans. It’s a calling that is taken very seriously, far beyond what other health care professionals are accustomed to. It’s why I am so proud to serve as the director of VANIHCS, working with professionals like those in our pharmacy service.”
The VANIHCS Pharmacy Service’s initiative and dedication to patient safety highlight their exceptional role in supporting the health and well-being of Veterans, even under challenging circumstances. The team’s proactive measures and commitment to excellence reflect the high standards that define a high reliability organization.