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Combined Assessment Program Summary Report – Evaluation of Safe Medication Storage Practices in Veterans Health Administration Facilities

Report Information

Issue Date
Report Number
16-00693-269
VA Office
Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
Report Author
Office of Healthcare Inspections
Report Type
Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program
Recommendations
4
Questioned Costs
$0
Better Use of Funds
$0
Congressionally Mandated
No

Summary

Summary
The purpose of the evaluation was to determine whether facilities established safe medication storage practices in accordance with applicable Veterans Health Administration policy and Joint Commission standards. The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) performed this evaluation in conjunction with 54 Combined Assessment Program reviews conducted from October 1, 2014, through September 30, 2015. Although OIG noted high compliance in several areas, including that facilities maintained a list of look-alike and sound-alike medications they stored, dispensed, and administered and that patient care areas were free from multi-dose high concentration heparin, potassium chloride vials for injection, and multi-dose insulin pens, OIG identified opportunities for improvement and made four recommendations.

Open Recommendation Image, SquareOpenClosed and Implemented Recommendation Image, CheckmarkClosed-ImplementedNot Implemented Recommendation Image, X character'Closed-Not Implemented
No. 1
Closed and Implemented Recommendation Image, Checkmark
to Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
We recommended that the Under Secretary for Health, in conjunction with Veterans Integrated Service Network and facility senior managers, ensure that facilities’ policies include automated dispensing machine user training and competency assessment requirements and that facility managers monitor compliance.
No. 2
Closed and Implemented Recommendation Image, Checkmark
to Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
We recommended that the Under Secretary for Health, in conjunction with Veterans Integrated Service Network and facility senior managers, ensure that employees perform and document monthly inspections of all medication storage areas and that facility managers monitor compliance.
No. 3
Closed and Implemented Recommendation Image, Checkmark
to Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
We recommended that the Under Secretary for Health, in conjunction with Veterans Integrated Service Network and facility senior managers, ensure that when employees identify deficiencies during medication storage area inspections, they document corrective actions and that facility managers monitor compliance.
No. 4
Closed and Implemented Recommendation Image, Checkmark
to Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
We recommended that the Under Secretary for Health, in conjunction with Veterans Integrated Service Network and facility senior managers, ensure that facilities have oral syringes available for medication administration and clearly label and store them separately from parenteral syringes and that facility managers monitor compliance.