The time is near at hand: December 1, 2019. For many veteran employees in hospital pharmacy, the implementation of USP General Chapter <800> Hazardous Drugs—Handling in Healthcare Settings has been a long time coming. This is not to say the welfare of pharmacy employees was unconsidered, but the focus of historical safety initiatives primarily centered on the patient, not the practitioner.

As the products handled in the pharmacy have grown in complexity and toxicity, and our understanding of how new and legacy medications affect those most commonly exposed to them has become more acute, greater emphasis was owed, and is now being paid, to worker safety.

At Pharmacy Purchasing & Products, we are well aware of the vast responsibility assumed by pharmacy directors. The idea that one is responsible for the accuracy and safety of every single dose of medication administered to a patient, as well as the overall efficiency of operations in a chaotic environment, can be daunting. In carrying this heavy load, it is not only acceptable, but preferable to ask for help.

With this in mind, we are proud to present the next installment in our PP&P webinar series:

USP Compliance: Staff Training for USP <800>
Friday, November 22 at 1:00pm ET
Led by Fred Massoomi, PharmD, FASHP

Most of you are well aware of Fred’s expertise involving safe handling of HDs, and he will share his formidable knowledge in helping pharmacies prepare for a successful USP <800> implementation. Please visit pppmag.com/tothepoint to sign up. Our archive of recent webinars that remain highly relevant is available at pppmag.com/webinars .

As always, our goal at PP&P is to serve the needs of pharmacy leadership. If you have questions about USP <800> or any other topic, please drop us a line.

All the best,

R. Mitchell Halvorsen
Publisher

Generic Drug Survey Sweepstakes

Congratulations to:
William Simpson, RPh
Director of Pharmacy
Clarion Hospital
Clarion, Pennsylvania

As the winner of our Generic Drug Survey
sweepstakes, William has won a 65” 4K UHD TV.
Take part in our surveys and you could be our next big winner.