Clinical Center News
Fall 2019

Pharmacy Department renovations will modernize, increase capabilities

Map/Directions to the new pharmacy location
The Pharmacy Check-In will be a patients first stop, seen at the bottom of the map. Once a patients prescription is ready and their number appears on a TV monitor, they will travel to the Pharmacy Pick-Up, seen at the top of the map, located at 1N259 towards the south end of the Clinical Center.
 

Outpatient Pharmacy Renovation Hours

  • Monday through Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Friday 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Weekends and holidays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The NIH Inpatient and Outpatient Pharmacy will undergo major renovations beginning Nov. 18, 2019. The construction will increase capacity and streamline processes to better meet patient's demands. The renovation is expected to complete Summer 2021. During this time, both the Inpatient and Outpatient Pharmacy will remain open at temporary locations within Building 10.

The Outpatient Pharmacy will have a new Check-In procedure. The two most important steps for a patient to take to get their prescriptions processed and ready are speaking with a facilitator and signing into the check-in kiosk. The facilitator and kiosk will be located in the waiting area directly in front of the Patient Travel Office (1-4553). Upon Check-In, patients will receive a number that will appear on the TV screen outside of the Travel Office when prescriptions are ready. Once the number appears, patients will travel to the new Outpatient Pharmacy Pick-Up location at 1N259. The Pick-Up location is only for those whose medications are ready and will not serve as a Check-In location due to limited seating availability.

During the renovation, there will be no after-hour pick-up from Outpatient Pharmacy. But, a concierge service will be available after the pharmacy is closed to patients who are being discharged from the Inpatient hospital or Day Hospitals. Upon a nurse's call to the service, a concierge pharmacist will hand deliver prescriptions and provide medication education to patients at the bedside just prior to discharge.

The Inpatient Pharmacy will temporarily be located on the B1 level. All hospital medications will be delivered by Inpatient Pharmacy staff to the patient care units – eliminating the need for care staff to travel to pick up from this location.

Timeliness and high-quality care and service remain a priority and the department anticipates little to no delays.

Below are several examples of what the Pharmacy Department will be modernizing in support of the NIH research mission, and in an effort to improve our patients' healthcare experience:

Increased Capacity: The number of Intravenous Admixture Unit (IVAU) hoods will increase. This tremendously increases the capacity to treat patients faster. These compounding hoods are used to produce sterile medications, such as antibiotics and cancer treatments.

New Pediatric Corner: A dedicated and separate pediatric area to safeguard and prepare medications for our youngest patient partners.

Scan and Pull Prescriptions: A new sophisticated system will allow for the scanning of medications to ensure that the right medication and the right strength is being dispensed for the right patient.

Additional resources for staff (NIH Staff Only) and additional resources for patients.

- Molly Freimuth

CC Newsletter
National Institutes of Health
Building 10, 10 Center Drive
Room 6-2551,
Bethesda, MD 20892-1504
Tel: 301-402-6202
Fax: 301-402-0244

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