by Marycon Young, Vitals contributor
When patients leave the hospital, having their medications in hand — and understanding how to take them — can make the transition home easier. At Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, pharmacists took a closer look at the medication process, finding opportunities to make care safer, more consistent and more seamless — while earning national recognition in the process.
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) recently named Alta Bates Summit an ASHP Certified Center of Excellence in Medication-Use Safety and Pharmacy Practice. Alta Bates Summit is the first Sutter medical center to earn the designation, which recognizes pharmacy departments that demonstrate high levels of pharmacy practice, medication safety and patient care.
“This recognition reflects our team’s commitment to continually improving how we care for our patients and make medication use safer,” said Taher Hegab, pharmacy director at Alta Bates Summit. “It was truly a collaborative effort, and I’m incredibly grateful to our pharmacy team and our physician, nursing and leadership partners who helped us reach this milestone.”
A rigorous look across pharmacy services
A diligent external review provided a roadmap for further improvement, helping the team strengthen pharmacy practices and patient care.
The effort began in late 2023 and involved about 18 months of preparation. Guided by ASHP’s standards, the team reviewed 12 standards and nearly 600 data points across inpatient, infusion, specialty and ambulatory pharmacy services. The review of documents, data and other evidence helped the team identify strengths, uncover opportunities and align its work around a more consistent approach to quality, safety and patient care.
Turning standards into better care
For Alta Bates Summit, certification was more than a review. It became a catalyst for improvement. The process helped the team develop a more formal pharmacy quality program and strengthen how it measures, evaluates and improves practices across services. It also brought together teams at Alta Bates Summit and across Sutter’s pharmacy network, including medication safety, ambulatory pharmacy and specialty pharmacy partners.
One improvement patients can see directly is the expansion of Meds in Hand, a discharge medication program that allows eligible patients to leave the hospital with their prescribed medications already in hand. A pharmacist reviews their medications, helps address insurance or authorization issues, delivers the medications before discharge and provides education to the patient and family. After the review identified an opportunity to broaden the program’s availability, the team expanded it from five to seven days a week—giving more patients consistent support as they transition home.
“National recognition of this caliber speaks to more than excellence in pharmacy practice,” said Alta Bates Summit CEO Trevor Brand. “It reflects a culture that continually seeks better ways to care for patients, improve outcomes, and advance the healthcare experience. The Alta Bates Summit pharmacy team exemplifies what is possible when expertise, innovation, and a shared sense of purpose come together in service of our communities.”
Alta Bates Summit’s experience is already informing efforts to strengthen pharmacy quality, medication safety and patient care across the system. Sutter pharmacy teams are also beginning evaluations at other hospitals, making this recognition just the beginning.
