The Group Purchasing Organization, Amerinet, had a member conference in May and it was a tremendous success. The only thing better than the venue at the Dolphin in Disney World were the people. The Amerinet representatives did their usual stellar job of connecting suppliers with customers and the members were extremely gracious with their time when they came by the JCB Laboratories booth in the exhibit hall.
As a high risk sterile compounding pharmacy, JCB sees the need for compounded sterile products on a daily basis. This need was never more evident than in my conversations with customers at the Amerinet Member Conference (AMC). The main topic of conversation surrounding sterile compounding was quality – how do you know you are using an experienced compounding pharmacy with the highest standards? I have blogged before about choosing the correct type of compounding pharmacy. Once you have decided on the correct type, the vetting process of your compounding provider must be thorough. At the AMC, the members and I talked at length about the decision process in selecting a sterile compounding pharmacy. Visiting the pharmacy is a great way to vet a sterile compounder. A review of outside pharmacy audits, credentials and pharmacy quality documentation is also critical.
I recommend keeping a “pharmacy audit packet” on file and this type of packet was my handout at AMC. The JCB packet includes a Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB) certificate, results of a USP 797 audit and a completed Pharmacy Compounding Assessment Questionnaire (CPAQ). Every facility should have a packet of this information filed away so when a surveyor asks how you vetted your compounding pharmacy, you can pull out this packet and blow them away with thorough documentation!
