Why is the requirement for pharmacist review of variations from hospital-approved indications for use causing such anxiety?
DR: Even though most hospitals are meeting this requirement, the concern over compliance is driven by hospitals that are interpreting it on an order-by-order basis rather than as a long-range system issue. Some hospitals think we are saying they cannot use drugs for non-hospital-approved indications, when what we are saying is the P&T committee has to make this determination. The example I use on survey is a case where a physician ordered amphotericin B for hair loss. With a clinical intervention program in place for reporting non-hospital-approved uses of drugs, P&T would be able to make the assessment that amphotericin B is a high-risk drug and that there are better products for hair loss. Our goal is to prevent inappropriate use of non-hospital-approved drugs for reasons of safety, and the standard is for hospitals to have a mechanism to do that. PP&P: Do you have any recommendations for how hospitals should prepare for these changes? DR: The new changes are usually released in Octo
