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BWH
617-732-7160
Comprehensive pharmacy services are provided by a central pharmacy,
outpatient pharmacy and patient care unit-dedicated pharmacists. The
hours of operation are:
> Central Pharmacy (ext 27153) 24 hours a day
> Patient care unit-dedicated pharmacists (via text pager only)
7 am - 11 PM
> Outpatient Pharmacy (ext 28020) 9 AM - 5:30 PM, Monday - Friday
> Drug information Service (ext 33696) 7 AM - 3:30 PM, Monday –
Friday
> Investigational Drug service (ext 33633) 7 AM–9 PM Mon–Fri;
7 AM–5:30 PM Sat-Sun
Formulary Drugs
Through the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee the medical and pharmacy
staff evaluate and select medications to promote rational drug therapy
for optimal quality of patient care. The Formulary lists drugs deemed
safe and effective for general use. The pharmacy stocks only those
drugs and dosage forms accepted into the Formulary.
The BWH Formulary can be accessed on-line via the Partners Intranet.
To view:
o Click on Partners Applications,
o Then Clinical References,
o Then BWH Pharmacy Information Resources, and then
o Choose "BWH Medication Formulary"
o Or go to http://formularyproductions.com/bwhpharmacy
Nonformulary Drugs
Nonformulary drugs may be obtained for inpatients only by completing
a non-formulary medication request in the Order Entry System. Twenty-four
hours may be required to obtain a nonformulary drug.
The Drug Information Center: 617-732-3696
The Drug Information Center (DIC) of the BWH provides objective information
regarding drug therapy. The hours of the Center are 7:00 AM -3:30
PM, Monday - Friday. During off-hours a pharmacist is available on
call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide drug information. After
11:00 PM page the night pharmacist through the page operator, or call
617-732-7153.
The DIC publishes a newsletter, Pharmacy & Therapeutics Perspectives,
prepares evaluations on new drugs that have been submitted for the
hospital formulary and answers inquiries from the hospital staff regarding
drug therapy. The center has files of journal articles and a drug
therapy library that can be utilized by the hospital staff. Access
to computerized drug databases is offered in the DIC, located on Tower
7, Monday - Friday, 7:00 AM - 3:30 PM.
License to Prescribe Controlled Drugs
Fully licensed physicians who possess a license to prescribe controlled
drugs must provide the Director of Pharmacy Services with their license
number and sign a physician signature card that is kept on file in
the pharmacy. Those physicians who do not possess a license to dispense
controlled drugs may obtain a number from the Ambulatory Division
of the Department of Pharmacy Services that will permit them to prescribe
controlled drugs within the BWH only.
Prescription Writing Policies
- All inpatient medication orders for TPN solutions must be entered
via Order Entry by 11:00 AM.
- There are two separate prescription blanks for ambulatory patients.
Schedule II medications must be written on blue prescription blanks.
All other prescriptions may be written on white prescription blanks.
- Methadone Policy: As members of
the BWH medical staff you may only prescribe methadone to outpatients
for treatment of pain. BWH is not a licensed narcotics addiction
treatment program; therefore, Federal law prohibits physicians from
prescribing and pharmacists from dispensing methadone for treatment
of opioid addiction. For further details contact the ACE team at
617-732-6022 or Pharmacy at 617-732-7165.
Discharge Prescriptions
Patients discharged before 5:30 PM, Monday–Friday, may have their
discharge prescriptions filled at the Outpatient Pharmacy Department
(OPD) prior to or after leaving the hospital. Prescriptions may be
dropped off, faxed (732-4205) or sent via pneumatic tube (Station
2A). An emergency three-day prescription may be filled via the Inpatient
Pharmacy Service on weekends and holidays, with a minimum of two hours
notification.
Outpatient Pharmacy
Main Pike, Ambulatory Building
617-732-6225; fax 617-732-4205; 617-732-8020 (physician only line)
The OPD can fill prescriptions for BWH patients written by BWH physicians,
and for BWH employees and their immediate family written by a Massachusetts
licensed physician. The Outpatient Pharmacy is open Monday-Friday,
9 AM - 5:30 PM and is closed on weekends and holidays. When the pharmacy
is closed, prescriptions may be left in the after-hours prescription
drop-off box to the right of the ancillary pharmacy door. These prescriptions
may be picked up by 12:00 PM of the next business day.
Medication Renewal Policies
All active medication orders must be renewed in the Order Entry system
on the designated medication order renewal day. The first renewal
day is seven days from the date of admission; subsequent renewal days
are every seven days thereafter, unless specified differently by the
BWH Automatic Stop Order Policy (referenced in the BWH Formulary).
Patients admitted on Saturday or Sunday are assigned Monday as the
renewal day. Renewals will not be done on weekends.
For each patient requiring medication order renewals, the Order Entry
system lists all active medications that must be renewed or discontinued.
The physician should review each individual medication and then approve
the renewal or discontinue the drug. Any medication order that has
been automatically discontinued requires a new order to restart therapy.
MGH PHARMACY SERVICES
The MGH Pharmacy Department strives to achieve positive outcomes for
our patients by working with other members of the healthcare team
to provide effective, cost-efficient drug therapy. Pharmacy activities
include:
* pharmacist involvement in patient care rounds
* daily review of medication administration records
* publication of drug-oriented newsletters
* drug use evaluations
* use of standard dosage forms (e.g., prefilled antibiotic syringes)
* education on innovative drug therapy
* collection and reporting of adverse drug reactions
* mentoring of pharmacy students in clinical practice
* review of research protocols
The Pharmacy Department also provides physicians and nurses with therapeutic
data regarding drugs that can be obtained by contacting any of the
pharmacists in the various inpatient areas or by calling the main
pharmacy at 726-2503.
The Pharmacy maintains a 24-hour Adverse Drug Reaction hotline (726-1575)
and publishes a monthly newsletter, critical care guidelines and the
MGH Drug Formulary, which are available on the web site. The pharmacy
operations manual and drug therapy newsletters are also available
on the web.
Areas and Phone Numbers
Inpatient pharmacy 726-2503; 726-3572
Patient care unit pharmacists beeper number posted on the unit
Research pharmacist 726-2515
Outpatient pharmacy 724-3100; fax 726-3789
Adverse Drug Reaction hotline 726-1575. A team of registered pharmacists
is responsible for the care of inpatients. Coverage is provided 24
hours daily, 7 days per week. The pharmacists are available via the
page number posted on the patient care unit.
Outpatient Pharmacy: WACC 1
A primary focus of the Outpatient Pharmacy is patient education; the
use of automated technology allows pharmacists to spend more time
with the patient. Prescriptions are filled for MGH patients and for
all employees and their dependents. The hours of operation are 9 am
- 5:30 PM, Monday - Friday and 9 am - 12:30 PM Saturdays, Sundays
and holidays. Prescriptions may be faxed to the outpatient pharmacy
at 726-3789. There is also an outpatient pharmacy at the Revere Health
Center, 9:30 am - 5 PM, Monday - Friday.
Many medications are expensive and none are returnable, so prescribe
carefully when initiating drug therapy. When a patient must take a
medicine over a long period, the cost may be easier to bear if spread
out, by prescribing a moderate quantity with provision for refilling
several times. Note: Most managed care carriers require that a prescription
be written for no more than one month's medication usage.
PRESCRIBING FOR HOSPITAL PERSONNEL
Do NOT prescribe for hospital employees
except at a documented Emergency Department or outpatient visit. This
includes House Officers, fellows and staff physicians.
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