We have gathered our top pharmacy and vaccine storage posts from the past 12 months. The year was dominated by challenges and uncertainty, and the pharmacy and other vaccine providers/administrators played a significant role in the storage and administration of COVID-19 vaccines and more.
USP 797/800 Status and Cold Storage Implications
This post looked at the delay in announcing an implementation date for USP <797> and <800> and how it has given hospitals and pharmacies more time to complete construction projects related to these chapters. The appeals delays have led to most facilities being on their way to being fully compliant. Read how one medical system is increasing efficiencies with Helmer’s Interlocking Pass-Through Refrigerators.
Rising to the Challenge to Support COVID-19 vaccine cold storage
Amid the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the demand for reliable cold storage units rose to new highs. These vaccines had very specific storage requirements, and Helmer quickly rose to the challenge to support vaccine storage demands with our Quick Ship Vaccine Storage program. This post provides information on our Quick Ship program as we continue to support vaccine storage needs through this program today.
Meet CDC Guidelines for Vaccine Storage with Helmer’s i.C3® Information Center
The i.C3® Information Center supports pharmacies and vaccine providers in their efforts to meet CDC guidelines for vaccine storage temperature monitoring. The i.C3® supports compliance with CDC guidelines by constantly monitoring the temperature inside a vaccine storage unit, including high and low temperature alarms, and other factors that could impact the temperature, such as door openings and power failure. The video included provides more information on how the i.C3® Information Center supports facilities in their efforts to meet CDC guidelines.
Medical-grade vaccine storage can help prevent vaccine and financial loss
Vaccine waste can lead to a significant financial impact for providers. This post looks at the impact of improper vaccine storage and how medical-grade vaccine refrigerators and freezers can help eliminate costly temperature excursions, maximize patient vaccination rate, reduce vaccine waste, and save time and money.
Supporting Pharmacy Efficiency and patient safety
According to a 2019 survey, pharmacists had indicated their workloads had risen in the past year. Shortly after, the COVID-19 pandemic added to the expanded workload of pharmacists. This blog outlines opportunities inside the pharmacy to increase efficiencies and streamline workflows including Interlocking Pass-Thru Refrigerators, i.Series® GX Solutions pharmacy refrigerators and freezers, and the BD Pyxis™ ES refrigerator with Helmer Access Technology.
Protect High-Cost Specialty Drugs with Med-grade refrigerators
Specialty drugs are the fastest growing category for pharmacy spend. Hospitals and pharmacies are beginning to create integrated and comprehensive delivery networks to provide access and enhanced patient care. Pharmacies play a critical role in properly storing and safeguarding these high-cost drugs. This blog shares information on seeking accreditations to help retain insurance contracts and maintain competitiveness.
5 Tips for Ensuring Vaccine Storage Safety
Vaccines must be stored in accordance with manufacturers’ recommendations and in compliance with facility, state, and local guidelines to maintain a safe vaccine program. We compiled five tips in this blog to help ensure your facility is storing vaccines safely.
Clean Room Best Practices
Workflows in and around USP <797> clean rooms are essential to preventing contamination and maintaining a clean and safe environment for compounding sterile preparations. Pass-thru refrigerators are the perfect solution for improving the USP <797> clean room workflow. This blog shares several benefits of including a pass-thru refrigerator as part of your workflow.
Consider Refrigerated Meds in Your Medication Storage Safety Review
Temperature-sensitive medications require tracking, organization, and security. They also need to be monitored for proper storage temperatures, making the process of managing them even more difficult than medications stored at ambient temperatures. This blog offers a look at the industry-first BD Pyxis™ ES Refrigerator with Helmer Access Technology, which provides integrated and secure single line-item access to high-risk and high-value refrigerated medications. Helmer Access Technology offers precise temperature management and secure locking bins accessed only via the BD Pyxis™ MedStation™ ES.
What is a Certificate of Calibration? Meeting Compliance Requirements
Having a valid Certificate of Calibration is necessary to meet CDC and Vaccines for Children Guidelines. Having an accurate certificate can also help providers and facilities meet third-party audits and compliance reviews. We’ve received many questions regarding what Certificate of Calibration testing should include and created this blog to share this information and other criteria to determine if your Digital Data Logger (DDL) was issued by an appropriate entity.
OTHER BLOGS YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN...
- Best of 2020: Vaccine Storage
- Best of 2020: Hospital Pharmacy
- CDC Releases Provider Resources for the 2021-2022 Influenza Season
We look forward to bringing you up-to-date information on news, regulations, and other information in 2022. Make sure to subscribe to the Helmer BlueView blog to receive updates to your inbox.
To learn about Helmer Scientific's cold storage solutions, visit our website.
