Hey all,

Wanted to see if anyone else has encountered retail / ambulatory pharmacies requesting indication for use / ICD 10 codes / Diagnosis for controlled substances. We've started receiving this request locally and have been informed that some of the major retail chains may have implemented new policies requiring it.

Has anyone encountered this? If so, what have you done to help reduce the number of calls from retail pharmacies for clarifications?

Any info would be appreciated!

Hello everyone,

Does anyone have any policies/procedures/standard work for what to do with narcotic drips on transfer and how/where to document?

When a patient is transferred IN, do you dispose of the prior bag and hang your own bag? How do you document that disposal?

When a patient is transferred OUT, does the drip go with the patient?

Do you have your Pyxis/Omnicell/ADC set up to allow user-to-user transfer of controlled substances by anesthesia providers in the OR? E.g. CRNA John pulls fentanyl 100 mcg for an OR case, does not give any to the patient and then goes to lunch. He signs out the med to CRNA Sally in Pyxis.

Thanks,
Will Vincent
Boston Medical Center

How do organizations with Epic and Omnicell handle patient-specific controlled substances (i.e. methadone)?

We currently load patient-specific syringes into a miscellaneous narcotic bin in the Omnicell, but the Omnicell does not prompt the RN to pull from this bin, causing nurses to believe that it is not available. Interested if other organizations practice similarly or if you have found a better way?

Thanks,
Sloane Hoefer
Med Safety Pharmacist
Nebraska Medicine