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Appease the JCAHO with colorful solution

Pharmacy Regulation Resource, October 27, 2004

Pharmacy technicians at Tennessee Christian Medical Center in Madison, TN, used to traverse the pharmacy to fill medication carts, often moving methodically from room to room to pick out different medications.

When pharmacy staff decided to place medications in alphabetical order in one location to expedite the order-fulfillment process, another problem arose-how to prevent technicians from reaching into the wrong bin and grabbing the wrong medication.

Plastic colored bins helped solve that problem. Different colored bins represented various drug types, from injectables to oral medications to extended-release versions of some medications, says David Kellogg, DPh, MS, the Tennessee Christian pharmacy director.

The Tennessee Christian pharmacy divides medications in the following order:

• Beige bins for normal oral medications
• Green bins for extended release versions of the drug they sit next to on the shelf
• Red bins for injectable forms of a drug
• Yellow bins for topicals, creams, and patches
• Blue bins for liquids
• Black bins for anesthesia drugs

The hospital spent about $2,000 for nearly 800 plastic bins, which vary in size from 3-6 inches wide, Kellogg says. Bins for 1,000-milliliter IV bags are 16 inches wide. Many pharmaceutical supply vendors sell bins for drug storage.

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