Implementation of a partial fill standard operating procedure (SOP) within a Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatient pharmacy Kelsie Welch, Lynsey Neighbors, Britney Willis, Lauren Rass, Phelicia Bush Central Alabama VA Health Care System - Montgomery, AL
Background/Purpose: The VA has a rich history of being at the forefront of pharmacy and has many innovative measures in place to provide efficient pharmaceutical care to the nearly 21,000,000 Veterans served every year. Unlike most state pharmacy laws, the VA allows for most medications to be partial filled for an unspecified number of days, at no cost to the veteran. Currently at the Central Alabama Veterans Healthcare System, there is no SOP in place regarding partial fills. The purpose of this quality improvement project is to implement an SOP that streamlines partial fills and impacts the cost burden of the local pharmacy.
Methodology: The primary objective of this quality improvement project was to evaluate the impact an SOP had on the cost to outpatient pharmacies as it pertains to partial fills. Secondary objectives included the impact an SOP had on the day supply and total number of medications partial filled. Data was obtained from quarters 1 and 2 of fiscal year 2018 for pre-implementation data and included the following: facility partial was filled at, drug, total cost of drug, and day supply. Together with administrative staff and outpatient pharmacists, an SOP was created and implemented. Post-implementation data from quarters 1 and 2 of fiscal year 2019 was evaluated to determine the impact of the SOP.
Presentation Objective: By the end of this presentation the audience should be able to understand the VA_x0019_s partial fill procedure and how it affects the local VA outpatient pharmacy.
Self-Assessment: When a Veteran receives a partial fill from the VA, who is responsible for the cost of the medication?
