By Karen Blum
GRAPEVINE, Texas—Gaining one or more accreditations for your specialty pharmacy can seem daunting, but it helps to take a project management approach and break it down into smaller parts, an expert consultant said during an accreditation workshop at the NASP 2023 Annual Meeting & Expo.

When pursuing multiple new accreditations, assign a team or an individual to oversee and coordinate these efforts, said Jill Paslier, PharmD, CSP, FISMP, the chief operating officer and a senior clinical pharmacist consultant at Integral Healthcare Solutions, an accreditation consulting company. Also, consider applying for the most stringent accreditation first. Then the second one can be made a little easier “with just a few nuances,” she said.

Site visits, or validation reviews, are part of any accreditation process and consist of interviews, document reviews and audits, which could include complaints as well as patient and personnel files, Dr. Paslier said. She offered her top nine tips she shares with clients:

1. Be on time but be flexible. Some activities are going to take a little longer or be shorter throughout the day. Certain staff members may or may not be available at a given time. Make sure to be flexible but be as timely as you can, and try to have people ready when they should be to help complete different sections of the review.
2. Bring props. Like “show and tell” from grade school, tell the reviewer about your processes and if you have a prop to show, such as an example of your packing schematic, present that as well.
3. Have a positive attitude. Share the good things that are happening in your pharmacy and what you’re proud of.
4. Phone a friend. If an accreditation reviewer asks a question that is outside of your specific job or role, you can tell them to direct the question to your manager or the person responsible for that task or help them find that person to get the question answered.
5. Only answer questions asked. Don’t feel you have to fill in any silences with additional information.

6. Ask if you got 100% or if you owe the visitor anything. At the end of each section of the review, ask the reviewer for your score. This will help identify if there are any gaps or anything you’re missing. If it’s something you can address immediately by finding a document, do so. Also ask if you owe the reviewer anything else. Make sure they have what they need. They cannot accept information from you after they leave the pharmacy.
7. Establish someone to serve as the shadow and runner. Designate a person to retrieve information or documents as needed or to track down other staff members to help answer questions.
8. Review policies and procedures at least two weeks before your validation review. Ensure both staff and leadership are familiar with the policies and procedures.
9. Also review: HIPAA/HITECH, conflict of interest and distressed caller processes, and be prepared to answer questions.

Dr. Paslier reported no relevant financial disclosures.