Minnesota’s Star Tribune recently highlighted data from the Minnesota Department of Health showing an increase in medication adverse events in hospitals in the state. According to the news story, disabling or fatal medication errors have vexed hospital officials statewide because they can occur at so many different points along the prescription pipeline.
While the data is concerning, it also demonstrates the value of Adverse Drug Event (ADE) reporting. The data allowed investigators to identify specific targets for improvement, such as anticoagulant ADE rates and medication reconciliation. They also found hospitals with pharmacists more directly involved in the medication reconciliation process saw declines in adverse events. On average, visits with a pharmacist in the emergency room resulted in five adjustments to patients’ documented drug regimens, such as correcting outdated information or avoiding harmful drug combinations
Challenges with medication reconciliation are not just isolated to Minnesota. National estimates suggest that ADEs contribute an additional $3.5 billion to United States healthcare costs. The good news is efforts are underway to address the problem.
Within the Great Plains QIN region, there are many examples where the healthcare community has joined forces and committed to working together to improve communication during transitions of care, including medication reconciliation. One community in North Dakota is seeing its hospitals make pharmacists and pharmacy technicians more involved in the medication reconciliation process. One of these hospitals found pharmacist medication reconciliation at hospital admission resulted in corrections being made to almost 30 percent of medication orders. The program has shown such success that additional resources are being provided to expand the service. Data collection has played a key factor in assessing the program.
The potential for harm from ADEs is a critical patient safety and public health challenge. The Great Plains QIN team is partnering with healthcare providers, pharmacists, community advocates and stakeholders to monitor and reduce the number of ADEs. We hope to achieve better care and better health outcomes through improved medication management.
For additional resources on medication reconciliation and ADEs, visit the Great Plains QIN Medication Safety initiative webpage. You can also join our Learning and Action Network or contact the care coordination and medication safety task lead in your state to learn more about the assistance Great Plains QIN offers.