directors, says facilities pay a one-time membership fee (based on
facility size) to the company and provide an estimate of how much of
the available medications they'll need over a 5-year period. The facili-
ties commit to purchasing the agents through Civica, which in turn
ensures the medications will be available. It's a win-win arrangement
that could help solve the shortage crisis; pharmaceutical manufactur-
ers have guaranteed business for 5 years, and facilities receive a
steady supply of the medications they need.
5. Stock more often-used medications.
If your facility
employs just-in-time inventory management, you probably keep a 3-
day supply on shelves to limit waste and ensure drugs are used before
they become outdated. That thinking makes good practical sense, but
isn't the best way to manage medications in short supply.
"We've been burned by that before," says Tricia Meyer, PharmD, MS,
FASHP, FTSHP, associate vice president in the department of pharma-
cy at Baylor Scott and White Health in Temple, Texas. "It might be
best to extend inventories to stock 5 to 7 days' worth of often-used
medications."
To help combat shortages, Dr. Meyer has added back-up to invento-
ry, lowered par levels in automated medication dispensing cabinets,
settled for buying needed drugs at various strengths, and purchased
more expensive generics and therapeutic alternatives. She's also
found that requiring anesthesia providers or staff members to request
drugs on short supply on a case-by-case basis curtails usage and
extends reserve supplies.
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