The Aetna Foundation Awards $38,500 Grant To Institute For Safe Medication Practices
Grant to fund the investigation of opportunities to improve health outcomes for people
HARTFORD, Conn., April 19, 2007 — The Aetna Foundation awarded a grant to study medication reconciliation, which is a process that aims to improve patient safety and reduce the risk of medical error by making sure that health care providers have an up-to-date list of the medications a patient is taking. This information, which can reduce therapeutic duplication and adverse drug interactions, must include the drug name, dose and frequency. The Aetna Foundation awarded the grant, in the amount of $38,500, to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), a nonprofit organization devoted to medication error prevention and safe medication use. The grant funds investigation of opportunities to improve outcomes and the current barriers to sharing patient medication information at the community level.
"The grant to ISMP focuses on a particular point in health care delivery where more effective information sharing can truly make a difference in patient safety and lead to better outcomes for consumers," said Mark Rubino, chief pharmacy officer for Aetna Pharmacy Management.
ISMP’s research focuses on determining awareness of the issue and current practices between community pharmacies and community hospital emergency departments. ISMP will survey community pharmacies and emergency room personnel to determine awareness of this issue and how information is being shared. ISMP will publish a report of findings, including ways to improve information-sharing practices.
"The medication reconciliation process can be a powerful method for reducing adverse drug events and medication errors -- however, its success is dependent upon effective communication of up-to-date medication histories," says Allen J. Vaida, Pharm.D., executive vice president of ISMP. "There has not been any research to date on the degree of understanding of medication reconciliation in the community pharmacy setting and the extent to which information is being shared between community pharmacies and hospital emergency departments, so we are pleased that the Aetna Foundation has provided a grant to take a closer look at this critical step."
About ISMP
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) is recognized worldwide as the premier education resource for understanding and preventing medication errors. The Institute provides independent expert review of medication errors reported through the United States Pharmacopeia (USP)-ISMP Medication Errors Reporting Program. Working with health care practitioners and institutions, regulatory and accrediting agencies, consumers, professional organizations, the pharmaceutical industry, and others, ISMP also provides timely, accurate medication safety information to the healthcare community, policy makers, and the general public. For more information, visit www.ismp.org.
About the Aetna Foundation
The Aetna Foundation is the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna Inc. Founded in 1972, the Foundation seeks to help build healthy communities by funding initiatives that improve the quality of life where our employees and customers work and live. Since 1980, the Aetna Foundation has contributed more than $270 million in grants, scholarships and social investments. The Foundation’s giving is focused on reducing racial and ethnic disparities in health care. Additional information about the Aetna Foundation is available at www.aetna.com/foundation/.
About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 35.9 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life, long-term care and disability plans, and medical management capabilities. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans and government-sponsored plans. www.aetna.com
|
