Driven by the need to meet USP requirements, pharmacy renovations over the past year have typically been comprehensive. Likewise, there has been a marked increase in the budgeted costs to complete these upgrades. Increased spending for renovations has been particularly prevalent for small and mid-sized facilities. However, even with the impending 12/1/19 deadline approaching, most facilities continue to struggle to get administration support for the renovation budget. Aging cleanrooms are the norm, raising concerns that USP <800> compliance may be difficult for some facilities to achieve in time. Areas of particular concern are segregated HD storage, external venting of HD PECs, and appropriately designed buffer rooms. The next few months should be busy as many pharmacies operating in older facilities plan to renovate their cleanrooms.
Bonus Benchmarking Data
To see the average cost of renovations by hospital size, visit pppmag.com/renovationcosts
Overall, just 36% of facilities are operating with a newly renovated pharmacy with facility size further impacting the likelihood of renovating. This leaves most pharmacies (64%) operating in facilities that are at least 5 years old, and in some cases significantly older.
Getting approval for pharmacy’s renovation budget remains challenging for most facilities. Even with the new regulatory requirements for HD handling under USP <800>, most hospital administrators have not been quick to support pharmacy renovations. As such, it is key that pharmacy enters this process well prepared to defend the need for renovation.
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