(718) 963-7222
Patient Population Served
The scope of care provided by the Department of Pharmacy shall be consistent with the needs of all patients and patients of selected ambulatory care programs who require pharmaceutical care, and to support the needs of physicians and nurses in their role of providing pharmaceutical care to patients. Assessment of medication therapy shall include consideration of the age of the patients. Special emphasis shall be placed on the neonatal, pediatric, and geriatric populations, as well as oncology and patients in need of parenteral nutrition. The primary mission of the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center Pharmacy Department is provision of excellence in health care to its community of patients in association with other health care providers. This mission will be achieved through the ongoing development of an environment which will:
- Provide pharmaceutical care focused on achieving optimal patient outcomes
- Provide pharmaceutical services, which meet or exceed accepted standards directed towards the treatment and prevention of disease and promoting the efficacious, safe and cost-effective use of pharmacological and other therapeutic interventions.
Methods Used to Assess and Meet Patient’s Care Needs
The standards of practice of pharmaceutical care are based on the Pharmacy Department’s Policy and Procedure Manual as reviewed and approved by the Administration including the Vice President of Medical Affairs, as well as the Director of Pharmacy. New York State Board of Pharmacy Rules and Regulations are always to be followed during Pharmacy practice, and current recommendations of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists on good pharmaceutical care are integrated into departmental operations where practical. All aspects of pharmaceutical care are provided by registered pharmacists directly or through the use of support personnel under direct supervision. Needs are identified by pharmacists through the prescriber order and constant monitoring of the patient electronic medical record which supplies necessary diagnostic, clinical, and demographic information.
Pharmacists utilize the patient’s electronic medical record to make a thorough evaluation of the patient’s therapy, and professional judgment prior to accepting a written medication order. Protocols, target drug monitoring programs and monitoring tools are continuously developed and implemented to ensure the safe, efficacious, and cost-effective use of medications. The ongoing revision of the Formulary ensures that appropriate medications are available for all patients serviced by Wyckoff Heights Medical Center. These revisions of the formulary are a function of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics committee, with the approval of the Medical Board. Also the pharmacy department is responsible for the compounding for chemotherapy medications, parenteral nutrition, and selected antibiotics. The pharmacy department also supplies drug information to the medical and nursing staff in conjunction with the medical library.
Availability of Necessary Staff
The Pharmacy hours of operation are 24-hours daily, 7 days a week. The Pharmacy Department staff at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center consists of a Director, an Assistant Director, 2 Clinical Pharmacist Specialists, 11 full time Pharmacists and 7 Pharmacy Technicians. The Pharmacy Director is available on-call for additional services as required.
Staff Development and Education
Developmental goals and educational needs are determined on an ongoing basis and then discussed with the employee yearly and periodically as needed. The Pharmacy department provides in-service education, postings on offsite seminars; teleconference on site for live ACPE approved continuing education. ASHP and APhA continuing education programs are made available through scheduling and the Pharmacy education fund. The Annual ASHP midyear clinical meeting is attended by Pharmacy staff members who bring back to the Pharmacy information on new developments in practice to be shared with the staff.
Educational Topics planned include but not limited to:
- Clinical competency update and review
- New policy review
- 797 compounding requirements
- Journal review
- New drug therapies
Determining the Extent to Which Care Provided Meets Patient’s Needs
The quality of patient care is monitored on a regular basis following the department’s Performance Improvement / Drug Utilization Review utilizing current therapeutic information and protocols.