Hospital pharmacy is the health care service, which comprises the art, practice, and profession of choosing, preparing, storing, compounding, and dispensing medicines and medical devices, advising healthcare professionals and patients on their safe, effective and efficient use.

Standards for Pharmacies Our standards comply with USP 795 and 797 guidelines and address key focus areas in the industry such as medication reconciliation, patient and drug interaction and timeliness of therapy delivery. Standards are appropriately applied based on your specific services.

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, or JCAHO, is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that accredits over 20,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the country. The Joint Commission is the successor of an organization established in 1951.

Institutional pharmacy means any pharmacy located within any hospital, sanitorium, clinic or dispensary in which drugs are compounded or dispensed to its patients or patients of another licensed in-patient health care facility with whom it has a contract.

Joint Commission standards are the basis of an objective evaluation process that can help health care organizations measure, assess and improve performance. The standards focus on important patient, individual, or resident care and organization functions that are essential to providing safe, high quality care.

Hospital pharmacists consult on diagnosis, examine patient charts, conduct patient evaluations to recommend a course of treatment, and choose the appropriate dosing of medications and evaluate their effectiveness.

To start with, pharmacists should understand the intent of the JCAHO. Standards fall primarily into 2 categories: improving quality and decreasing adverse outcomes. Furthermore, all JCAHO standards and their related chapters address 1 of 3 major functions (Table 1 2 ). Now, follow these 10 tips. 1. Know Applicable Standards and Regulations

The 19,000 health care facilities accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) have successfully completed a rigorous, voluntary process. 1 Understandably, many pharmacists approach accreditation with apprehension. Following some tips can ensure both Pharmacy’s compliance and a successful outcome.

Joint Commission pharmacy surveyors have a Doctor of Pharmacy or equivalent with a minimum of 5 years of pharmacy practice experience, a minimum of 2 years of accreditation experience, and leadership/senior management experience.

They focus on important functions that are essential to providing safe, high quality care. Joint Commission standards help you develop strategies to address the most complex issues and identify key vulnerabilities in the patient care experience.