Technician Product Verification Introduction, Implementation and Delivery Overview

0575-0000-22-127-H04-T | 0.075 CEUs/0.75 Hour | Knowledge-based

Presenter: Micah Cost, PharmD, MS, CAE; CEO, Pharmacy Quality Alliance

Module Description: Over the last 10 years, the roles of pharmacy technicians have expanded throughout different pharmacy practice settings nationwide. As pharmacists increase their roles in providing patient care services through collaborative pharmacy practice, the need and demand for expanded roles for pharmacy technicians has increased. Specifically, pharmacy technicians are positioned to help pharmacists to maximize efficiency within pharmacy workflow and the prescription dispensing process. This module will provide attendees with greater insight into recent changes relative to pharmacy practice, maximization of pharmacy workflow, and ways that pharmacy technicians can take on greater roles through implementation of technician product verification.

Learning Objectives:    

1. Articulate the pharmacy transformation focus
2. Explain the differences between pharmacist pre-verification and technician final verification
3. Summarize the Technician Product Verification outcomes in other states
4. Describe three Technician Product Verification outcome measures that require documentation during the pilot program

Advanced Review of Medications for Product Verification Technicians
0575-0000-22-130-H04-T | 0.05 CEUs/0.5 Hour | Knowledge-based

Presenter: Kenneth C. Hohmeier, PharmD; Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Translational Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy

Module Description: Pharmacy technicians are increasingly being called upon to recognize and delineate between different classifications of commonly prescribed and dispensed medications. This training module will provide technicians with strategies to ensure safe medication dispensing while also outlining medications with high potential for medication errors. This module will also focus on recognizing appropriate quantities and special storage requirements for commonly prescribed and dispensed medications.

Learning Objectives:    

1. List 3 steps to ensuring safe product dispensing
2. List appropriate quantities for common medications
3. Describe special storage requirements for common medications
4. Identify medications with high potential for filling errors

Strategies of Ensuring Medication Safety
0575-0000-22-129-H04-T | 0.05 CEUs/0.5 Hour | Knowledge-based

Presenter: Alec H. Sain, PharmD, MPH; Consultant Pharmacist, RHS Ventures, LLC

Module Description: Technician product verification is an advanced role for pharmacy technicians that comes with added responsibility. Final verification is the last procedural step prior to the medication reaching the patient, and technicians must be proficient in strategies to reduce risks to the patient through appropriate medication safety. This module will educate pharmacy technicians on best practices in patient safety, including strategies to prevent medication errors from occurring, as well as identify and report medication errors.

Learning Objectives:    

1. Review “best practice” recommendations for safe medications use systems    
2. Recognize the root cause of a problem
3. Identify medication errors and report errors appropriately
4. Recognize look-a-like-sound-a-like medications
5. Discuss reporting techniques to continue quality improvement in the workplace

A Review of Prescriptions and Pharmacy Calculations
0575-0000-22-126-H04-T | 0.075 CEUs/0.75 Hour | Knowledge-based

Presenter: Lucy Adkins Shell, PharmD; Executive Director, Tennessee Board of Pharmacy

Module Description: Pharmacy math is one of the most important and fundamental requirements for any pharmacy technician who is working in the technician product verification model. It is an essential step for pharmacy technicians, to assure written, verbal, and electronic prescriptions are both accurate and free of calculation errors. This module identifies commonly mistaken signia codes and the “Do Not Use” abbreviations that may still be seen in prescribing practices. This module will also provide easy-to-use strategies to calculate appropriate dosages using ratios/proportions, as well as provide pharmacy technicians with skills needed to calculate accurate days supply for commonly prescribed medications such as inhalers and insulin products.

Learning Objectives:    

1. Recognize commonly mistaken signia codes and “Do Not Use” abbreviations that may still be used in prescribing practices
2. Recognize various routes of formulations of medications and how prescribers write these on a prescription
3. Identify invalid DEA numbers
4. Calculate appropriate dosages and/or volumes using ratios and proportions
5. Calculate accurate days supply for inhalers and insulin products

Best Practices in Medication Dispensing
0575-0000-22-128-H05-T | 0.05 CEUs/0.5 Hour | Knowledge-based

Presenter: Alec H. Sain, PharmD, MPH; Consultant Pharmacist, RHS Ventures, LLC

Module Description: The dispensing process for medications is vital to the health and well-being of patients. While the dispensing process may seem duplicative or arbitrary, it is a necessary step in ensuring that patients have adequate opportunities to discuss important medication-related issues with pharmacists. Providing pharmacists with more time to provide cognitive, patient-focused care and services will improve the health and well-being of patients. However, in order to free up pharmacists to provide care, the pharmacy dispensing process must be improved. This module will aid pharmacy technicians in developing a procedural checklist to ensure that the “Five Rights” are addressed before the medication reaches the patient. This module will also provide pharmacy technicians with education on the importance of commonly used auxiliary labels which alert patients and/or caregivers to important information about medications, as well as commonly used medical supplies that may not be included with prescriptions or refill requests. 

Learning Objectives:    

1. List the “Five Rights” before dispensing
2. Identify appropriate auxiliary label(s) and when to use them
3. Recognize additional pharmacy supplies and when they might be needed
4. Recognize medication guides and when to provide them to patients