DMEPOS Accreditation for Pharmacies: First-Hand Advice

Several key tips from one pharmacist on how other pharmacies should approach DME accreditation.

• By Joseph Duffy
• Jun 01, 2016

Keith Diamond is the CEO of Dermer Pharmacy & Surgical Supplies, a client of The Compliance Team. Diamond, whose company has been accredited since 2006, offers the following tips for pharmacies considering or going through the accreditation process:

• Realize at the end of the day that the business manual that gets created during the process will actually be used much more than you think. You have to get it done to pass but it will be an actual blueprint of who and what you are, or at least aspire to be.
• Most, if not all, of the accreditation process forces you to do and document workflows and procedures that in the back of your mind, you know you should be doing anyway. From customer satisfaction surveys to cleaning equipment and infection control, each aspect is important to running a respectable business, one that you can be proud of.
• Maintaining complete employee files, or having fire exit signs are examples of issues you may not have thought of in the past. The accreditation process forces you to address legal issues you never had or made time for. Embrace those details, complete them and sleep better at night.
• Creating clearly defined job descriptions and work flows is one of the most important aspects for the business owner as far as running a smooth and profitable business. It creates clear communications with the staff and defines specific measures of accountability. Every employee knows what they are responsible for and why. It is also very handy when conducting reviews and deciding for raises and promotions or not.
• Give yourself time and don’t try to do it all by yourself. Assign a key employee to compile the manual and keep things moving along. Like any big project, break it down to smaller steps. Engage everyone on staff with companywide meetings and encourage everyone to be involved. Celebrate the team’s accomplishments along the way and of course at the end when you pass.
• Take advantage of accessible templates customizing where necessary when writing the manual. There is no need to do everything from scratch. It is a lot easier and much less time consuming tweaking rather than creating. Don’t get too bogged down in details. Get the right message across in general terms, which is all that is necessary.
• Spend extra time with your drivers and delivery personnel. Get out of the office and go on a few deliveries with them. See what they are doing right and wrong. Train them and go out again. These employees are often the only people your clients see and are the face of your business. Make sure they represent you correctly and they are crucial in passing the inspection.
• You will find you are already doing many of the things that are required, such as HIPPA training and Fraud Waste and Abuse. The same documentation can be used again. You are already ahead of the game!
• This is some of the most important time to work ON your business and not IN it. If you are going to give the time to go through the accreditation process you might as well come out with a playbook or store bible that you can refer to and utilize for years to come.

This article originally appeared in the DME Pharmacy June 2016 issue of HME Business.