The Challenge
For nearly four weeks, the chemotherapy hood at a large medical center in the northeast was out of commission. This caused major disruptions to normal workflows and compromised the medical center’s ability to provide care for dozens of cancer patients. In response, the Comprehensive Pharmacy Services pharmacy team stepped up to enhance pharmacy workflows so that seamless delivery of infusion therapies was ensured while still prioritizing patient and staff safety.
The Pharmacy Team
When the infusion center team at the medical center reported that the chemotherapy hood was not functioning properly, and that it was severe enough to negatively impact administration of infusion therapies to patients, the CPS pharmacy team took immediate steps to stabilize the center’s operations. Their actions included, but were not limited to:
- Moving preparation of all chemotherapeutics to the main pharmacy
- Creating new workflows to meet the needs of patients and staff
- Escalating process efficiency for the infusion center
- Ensuring patient and staff safety was maintained in all protocols within a high-risk environment
Establishing new workflows required the pharmacy team to navigate ever-changing schedules, staffing, and demands in order to stabilize preparation and administration of therapeutic drugs in a safe and effective manner. The pharmacy team’s efforts demonstrated excellence in their actions with their peers, their patients, and the community.
The pharmacy team’s “out-of-the-box” thinking allowed the infusion team to continue providing safe care to oncology patients during this challenging time. Because of their diligence and efforts, the on-site pharmacy team received a special award from medical center leadership in recognition for their outstanding performance under pressure.
This award recognized the outstanding hospital team for exceeding a number of the organization’s experience service standards. The infusion center staff nominated the pharmacy team for the award.
Comprehensive Pharmacy Services is committed to delivering excellence in pharmacy services to hospital and health system partners across the country. As a true partner, CPS advances the practice of pharmacy, leveraging state-of-the-art technology and process solutions delivered by an expert team. CPS drives tangible results that positively impact organizations operationally, clinically, and financially.
