Specifications include, but are not limited to: 1. Pharmacy Staffing and Support – a. Provide enough personnel necessary to develop, supervise, and coordinate the activities of the pharmacy services for a 25-bed hospital pharmacy 24/7. Staffing levels will be sufficient to maintain current certification and accreditation standards. b. As part of a bid submission: o bidders may propose that the State continues to maintain separate contracts for after-hours pharmacy services (Monday – Friday 4:30pm – 8am; Saturday 8am – 8am Sunday; Sunday 8am – 8am Monday, and state holidays observed by the State of Vermont. All time outlined is Eastern Standard Time) and; o an automated medication management/dispensing system. c. Assure oversight and human resources management to all on-site pharmacy staff, such as, but not limited to, recruitment, position descriptions/responsibilities, background checks/verification, periodic evaluation, performance expectations, and disciplinary actions consistent with State employment and job performance expectations. d. Assure availability for pharmacy expertise to hospital personnel routinely and contingency planning and/or continuity of pharmacy operations response, if requested by the hospital, in the event of an unforeseen system failure. 2. Pharmacy Operations – a. Deliver and oversee hospital pharmacy services that are fully compliant with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) certification and The Joint Commission accreditation standards for an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Services and oversight include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: a. Procuring, manufacturing, compounding, packaging, dispensing, ordering, distributing, use, and administration of all medications, biologicals, chemical and the use of medication related devices b. Collection and organization of patient-specific information and verification of orders c. order processing and entry d. dispensing medication in the generic form unless otherwise requested and comply with the Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations (the list commonly known as the Orange Book) e. maintenance of inventory, recording label lot number and expiration dates f. communication with automated medication dispensing system contractor for medication dispensing and system issues at the hospital g. timely communication with hospital personnel regarding pharmacy policy and/or medication protocol modifications or guidance h. timely coordination with hospital medical or nursing personnel regarding any pharmacy contraindications such as, but not limited to, food-drug interactions. i. participate in emergency preparedness and hospital surge planning exercises as requested j. participate in Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee activities in accordance with certification and accreditation requirements k. development of policies and procedures as part of the hospital/s organized pharmaceutical services, including but not limited to, review of medication errors, adverse drug reaction events, and relevant tracking and reporting requirements
