WoundExpert Flash #20

{Straight talk for clients}

Do you know what’s in your toolbox when it comes to reducing the risk of medication errors related to Medication Reconciliation?  Learn about four WoundExpert tools that can help.

July 2018

Dear WoundExpert,

Patient safety is always at the forefront of my mind, and I’ve heard a lot of scary statistics about Medical Errors, such as the lack of Medication Reconciliation, leading to death. What tools in WoundExpert can help to reduce the chance of life-threatening errors?

The Problem

According to John Hopkins patient safety experts, studies show that medical errors result in more than 250,000 deaths per year. This makes medical errors the third leading cause of death in the United States.

Since adverse drug events are part of this equation, let’s talk about what can we do in the ambulatory setting to prevent medication errors. Medication errors can occur anytime between when the clinician prescribes a medication to the time the patient receives a medication but typically, a patient experiences harm because of multiple mistakes that are made along the way and result in the perfect storm. As medical professionals, we need to use all the tools available to avoid contributing to the problem.

The Solution

For this Flash, we’ll be focusing specifically on preventing medication errors that come from incomplete Medication Reconciliation or a lack of Medication Reconciliation altogether. The Joint Commission states  “medication reconciliation is intended to identify and resolve discrepancies—it’s a process of comparing the medications a patient is taking (and should be taking) with newly ordered medications. The comparison addresses duplications, omissions, and interactions, and the need to continue current medications.”

The Joint Commission also requires you to “obtain the patient’s medication information at the beginning of an episode of care” and to ensure “the information is updated when medication changes.” This can be easier said than done, so let’s look at four tools in WoundExpert that can help.

• Retrieve Patient’s Medication History. On the initial visit, a vital step is to ensure you capture any medications the patient is taking; however, have you ever had a patient who can’t remember the complicated names or is unsure of their dosage? WoundExpert is here to help. The Retrieve Medication History feature (also known as the Third-Party Medication History), allows you to retrieve the patient’s medication history from third-party resources. This helps to make sure the patient hasn’t forgotten or misstated any of their medications and allows you to discuss any discrepancies. You can then import their active medications (including the name, dose, route, etc.) into the Medication Reconciliation report and their active medication list. Joint Commission does note that the information can be collected on a good faith effort from the patient and/or other resources.
• Arrival Information. After you’ve entered the original medications on the initial visit, using the Arrival Information Document for every patient visit will help remind you to keep the list updated with any medication changes. The “History Since Last Visit” section of the Arrival Information Document prompts you to ask if the patient has “added or deleted any medications.” If the response is “yes,” there is a task reminder to update the patient’s medication list with the change.
• Medication Reconciliation Report. The third tool is the electronic signature of the Medication Reconciliation Report. The signature (entry of unique username and password) allows the user to electronically sign the current active medications. Keep in mind, Medication Reconciliation isn’t just a Joint Commission requirement but also supports efforts of the MIPS Quality Payment Program. The requirement is that the Eligible Clinician (Physician) should participate, thus, electronically sign the medication reconciliation report.
• Visit Discharge Information. Joint Commission encourages organizations that prescribe medications to compare any medication information a patient brought with the medications being ordered. Additionally, it’s necessary to provide the patient (or family/caregiver) written information on the medications the patient should be taking. In WoundExpert, the checkbox ‘Medication Reconciliation completed and provided to Patient/Care Provider’ serves as a reminder and way to validate that you gave the information to the patient.

What now?

• To learn more about any of the tools highlighted in this Flash, visit the How-To Documentation in WoundExpert and search for any of the features mentioned above. Need further assistance? Contact Net Health Client Services via the feedback button, feedback@nethealth.com, or give us a call at 844-464-9348, option 2.
• You can also inquire about Net Health 360 Professional Services which can assist in optimizing your facility’s clinical and operational practices and procedures or with MIPS attestation. If you’d like to learn more, let us know here or contact 800-411-6281 Option 3.

WoundExpert Experts

This month’s contributor was Sheila Cougras, Director of Compliance.

Connections Corner

Over the past few months, a number of our vendor partners have enhanced their forms to make submitting DME orders even easier. Specifically, Wound Product Supplier (WPS) vendors Byram Healthcare, Cardinal Health/Edgepark, Halo Wound Solutions, and McKesson Patient Care Solutions plus Pneumatic Compression vendor MDS have all made significant updates to their order forms recently. Check out each of these forms to see what’s new!

Brought to you by Michael Ashbaugh, Account Manager

Did you know?

Over the last few months, we’ve been making efforts to provide you with more opportunities to have a say in the future of WoundExpert. One way you’ve seen this is through an increased amount of surveys, asking you to rank possible future enhancements, to help us understand your perspective on Patient Portals, and to share feedback about MIPS measures. Thanks for your participation! Additionally, at our SAWC Client Conference, we launched a new opportunity for you to be more involved in the future of WoundExpert. If you’re experienced in using WoundExpert, willing to give thoughtful feedback, and are itching to help influence what is coming next in WoundExpert, Net Health Insiders might be for you! Click here to learn more.