title: Medication reconciliation: Harvard Pilgrim Health Care's approach to improving outpatient medication safety.
abstract: Hospitals and long-term care facilities have been addressing the issue of patient safety for some time. As a result of the increasing number of outpatient medication errors leading to adverse drug events (ADEs), interest in preventing outpatient medication errors has increased. Research indicates that the rate of outpatient ADEs may be about four times as high as that reported in hospital studies and that more than one third of these events are preventable (Gandhi et al., 2003). Harvard Pilgrim Health Care introduced its Medication Reconciliation Program in an effort to enhance patient safety by improving medication use and safety.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Wellesley, MA, USA. lydia_bernstein@hphc.org
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frampton
authors.forename: Neil B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Minkoff
authors.forename: Salpi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stepanian
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Iapicca
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rollo
authors.forename: Lana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kodysh
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bucchianeri
authors.forename: Kristy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: LaGrange
mesh_terms: D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D006801:Humans; D008329:Managed Care Programs; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009511:New England; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D010045:Outpatients; D017751:Safety Management / Q000458:organization & administration*